Albania is a mountainous country and the one of the smallest countries of Europe. She shares a border with Greece to the south/southeast,
Macedonia to the east, Serbia (including Kosovo) to the northeast, and Montenegro to the northwest. Western Albania lies along the Adriatic and
Ionian Sea coastlines. Albania's primary seaport is Durres, which handles 90% of its maritime cargo.The residents supposedly descended from
ancient Illyrians. With this we hope your travel Albania will be smooth and enjoyable.
Best Time
To Visit
May to September
Albania Culture
The culture of Albania is majorly influenced by that of the mainland Greeks especially in the
urban locality; nodding one's head means 'no' where as shaking the head means 'yes'. To greet someone, handshaking is preferred, though Shoku
(Comrade) was used before, which has been long forgotten now. People dress informally here. Swim suits are meant for the beaches, otherwise women
are expected not to dress in a revealing outfit. When addressing someone prefix Zoti(Mr) or Zonja(Mrs) before the name and always remember to
carry some gifts when visiting someone, although flowers aren't much acceptable. The guests are served with coffee, raki or sweets. Smokers don't
have to worry much, but they should avoid it where they see a sign of Ndalohet Duhani or Ndalohet pirja e duhanit.
Travelling within Albania
Buses with relatively cheap fares operate in the main cities of the country or taxis are another choice
whichprovided service for some main hotels.
Visit Dajti Mountain and experience Dajti Ekspres Cable car for an unforgettable 15 minute ride passing through Dajt Oark to
reach Tirana. The route is about 4.2 km long and the ride costs €6.5.Alpha Yachting provides crewed yacht which is a luxury in itself. Tirana
Bank is the best place for withdrawing money as it allows access to Visa cards.
Getting To Albania
One of the best and the easiest means is to go by air. Albanian Airlines is the national airline which works in collaboration
with Tyrolean Airways, and provides service to almost all the big European cities. The airport, Mother Teresa, is 16 miles or 26 km away from the
capital. A tourist bus is available every 3 hrs to get to the city center and takes about 30 minutes to get there. Taxis are available round the
clock. While waiting for any transport service, tourists can check out the duty free shops, bank, eateries and car hire at the airport. A
departure tax of $10 USD is imposed on all foreign nationals. Check out www.flyalbanian .com for flight times and offers.
If trying to get there by sea, try the ferry services which are provided by Adriatic Line and Agoudimos. The main ports are
Durres (has ferry connection to Italy, Bari, Brindisi, Trieste, and Ancona), Vlora (has ferry connection to Bari, and Brindisi), Saranda (has
connection to Corfu), Shen Gjini (has ferry connection to Bari).
Bus is another option. Buses start from Istanbul, Athens and Sofia. Internal passengers have lots of options with bus services
provided. If traveling by road in a private car, there is road network to the Kosovo region, but they are too dangerous to use because of the
political tensions within the region. Crossings at Hani I Hotit, Bllata, Oafa e Thaes, Tushemisht, Gorica, Kapshtica, and kakavija can be taken.
If tired one can take halts at hotels or other designated areas. There is a network of 18,000 km, out of which only 7450 km are main roads, for
local travelers.
About 2138km stretch of these roads is in poor condition and has pot holes,
and utmost safety precautions should be taken when driving on such roads. Speed limit should be strictly followed on highways as well as within
towns. Driving at night should be better avoided because of the absence of street lights on the road except for urban areas. Traffic should drive
on the right-hand. There is a shortage of gas stations in the countryside, so filling the gas tank completely when passing through urban area is
recommended and since there is lack of national recovery system; travelers should be prepared for an emergency or breakdown before hand. One
should carry necessary documents like International Driving Permit and national driving license.
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