The Balkan country, which has been least studied by the wide tourist community, Albania rests comfortably on the gentle waves of the Adriatic and Ionian seas, surrounded by its more popular coastal neighbors - Greece and Montenegro..For many years, Albania has remained isolated from the world, because of which most know little about its rich cultural heritage and beautiful nature with picturesque canyons and beautiful clean beaches..The local population is hospitable in Balkan hospitality, which is expressed in abundant and tasty food, more than acceptable prices for tours and a respectful, if not affectionate attitude towards everyone who showed interest in their modest country..No wonder the slogan of the National Tourism Office reads: "Albania is a new love in the Mediterranean" .In a word, they are waiting for us, which means we must go!

The capital is Tirana. The main cities are Durres, Saranda, Vlora, Berat, Korcha, Pogradec, Girokaster.

How to get to Albania

All international flights land at Tirana airport named after Mother Teresa. There are no direct flights from the cities of Russia to Albania, you will have to fly with airlines such as Malev (via Budapest), Austrian Airlines (via Vienna), Alitalia (via Milan), Adria (via Ljubljana), Lufthansa (via Frankfurt), LOT through Warsaw), etc. The travel time, taking into account the docking - from 6 hours.

Territory

The country's territory can be divided into three broad regions: a coastal strip with a width of 10 to 30 km, extending to the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, northeast with a capital in Tirana and southeast, the border between which is the Shkumbin River.

Visa

Every year in summer, Russian citizens can enter Albania without a visa for up to 90 days. In the rest of the year you need a visa to Albania.

Customs

Albania is allowed to import any things for personal use, including jewelry, photo and video equipment. Tobacco, alcoholic beverages and perfumery are allowed to be imported "in reasonable quantities". It is forbidden to import weapons and explosives, drugs, pornography and any materials that may offend national dignity. For export of products made of precious metals, old coins and scrolls, antiques and art objects, you need to show proof of purchase.

Money and currency exchange

You can exchange currency for Albanian leks at bank branches and exchange offices (kambim valuator) .Dollars and EUR are accepted equally willingly .Banks work from 8:30 to 14:30 except Saturdays and Sundays, exchangers do not adhere to a strict timetable, but to postpone the exchange of money for a late evening is not recommended .In some hotels it is possible to exchange currency at the reception desk .ATMs are ubiquitous in large cities, and at a time you can withdraw an amount equivalent to $ 500 $ .However, credit cards will not be accepted for payment, except for single hotels of European level and even fewer expensive restaurants .

Useful phone numbers are

Embassy of Albania in Moscow: st. Mytnaya, 3, Apt. 8; Tel. (495) 982-38-52; Fax 982-38-54.

Embassy of Russia in Tirana: st. Donica Castriotti, 2; Tel. (4) 225-60-40; fax (4) 225-60-46; website.

Police - 19, fire service - 18, ambulance - 17.

Safety of tourists

Albania is a very calm country, and staying in it does not require special security measures..It is recommended to exercise household care in crowded places and monitor the bag and wallet .In general, the Albanian society is rather conservative: the opinion of elders, especially men, must be respected and not enter into controversy on religion or politics issues .It is also more reasonable to avoid ambiguous topics, such as same-sex marriages and polygamy .Do not be surprised that even unfamiliar people exchange kisses on their cheeks - these are local traditions .At the sight of the child, do not forget to make a compliment to the parents (but from the compliments of girls and women it is better to abstain) .Running water is safe for health, but we still recommend drinking bottled .

Transport of Albania

On the territory of the country you can move on minibuses, buses and trains .Marshrutki, called here "van" - the most popular mode of transport .They are nine- and twelve-minute mini-buses of white and red coloring, set off when all seats are occupied .In each city there is one or several stations of "vans" .The greatest recovery there is observed in the first half of the day, after noon the activity drops noticeably .The payment is made directly to the driver, the prices are very low - about 300-500 ALL on popular destinations .

Municipal buses are more convenient in terms of comfort on the trip and are sent on schedule (which, however, is not so easy to find out). They also ply basically until 3-4 o'clock in the afternoon, at a later time it is better not to plan a trip.

Between the cities of Albania you can travel by train. The railway communication connects Tirana, Durres, Shkoder, Pogradec, Vloru and Albasan. The busiest traffic between Tirana and Durres is up to six trains a day, running from 5:30 am to almost 8 pm. On the other tracks there are 1-2 trains per day. In general, Albanian trains can not be classified as comfortable ones, but if you decide on such a journey, the award will be amazingly picturesque views outside the window.

Rent a car

Car rental is a relatively new trend for Albania .Rent a car can only be in major cities, for this you will need international law .There are not many local rental companies yet, but large European ones have already appeared: among others, Hertz, Avis and Europcar .If you are not a driving guru, it is recommended to entrust this to the locals, for example, by negotiating with the taxi driver about hourly pay - the Albanian style of driving is very chaotic, which, along with a large number of repaired and heavily winding roads, is unlikely to please the average driver of skill ±​​$ br >.

Hiring a car in Albania with best price guarantee $ $

The climate of Albania is

In Albania, a mild Mediterranean climate with a fairly hot and dry summer and a cool wet winter..The average July temperature on the coast is + 28-32 ° С, in January - + 8-10 ° С .High summer temperatures on the coast are easily transferred because of the constantly blowing Mediterranean breeze .The tourist season lasts from May to September, but in the air it is comfortable also in April and October .In the year about 300 sunny days .In early spring and late autumn, rain falls .In the mountains of Albania, the climate is much colder - in winter the temperature can drop to -20 ° C, and above 1000 m for most of the year the snow lies .See also the weather forecast in the cities of Albania .

Shopping and shopping

In the cities of Albania and especially in Tirana, you will find a great variety of souvenir shops and markets offering local crafts, national crafts and small memorabilia .Popular Albanian souvenirs include wood carvings, ceramics, traditional embroidery, trays, copper products, pipes and national musical instruments..From drinks pay attention to grape vodka "raki" and local cognac "Skanderbeg" .Famous wine producers - Luani, Cobo, Aquila Liquori and Gjergj Kastrioti .Shops are open from 9:00 to 20:00, in summer they are often open until 22:00 .From 15:00 to 17:00 shops are usually closed for a break .

Kitchen and restaurants

Thanks to almost 400 years of Ottoman domination, Albanian cuisine is the heiress primarily of Turkish gastronomic traditions..In local restaurants you can taste different types of chebureks and kebabs, generously seasoned with spices .Wash down all this familiar to us Central Asian buttermilk .Meat is most often used lamb .Did not stay away from the formation of local cuisine and neighbors in the region - Greece and overseas Italy .In Albania, various grades of soft cheese are prevalent, mainly feta, olives and olive oil, as well as a huge amount of salads from fresh vegetables..Vegetables here are respected and stewed: vegetarian stew is a popular local dish, in which you can put anything: potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, sweet peppers, greens and t .д .The meal ends with sweets and tea .

Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Albania

A beautiful beach and clear sea, perhaps, is the main reason why Albania accepts an increasing number of tourists every year. Compared to the neighboring countries of the eastern Mediterranean, prices for recreation here are much lower, and the quality of the surrounding nature is often higher. Popular resorts of the coast are Durres, Fier, Saranda, Vlora, Shkodra. In addition to lying on the beach there are a lot of historical sights, for example, the largest in the Balkans, the ancient Roman amphitheater in Durres or the wonderful medieval castle of Rosafa in Shkodra.

Albania has something to offer to fans of cultural tourism - there are several attractions from the UNESCO World Heritage list, not to mention the impressive number of less significant places. Historic points of attraction include Berat, the oldest Albanian city with a unique Ottoman architecture, Gjirokastra and its ancient castle on the hill in the center of the city, Butrint, a large archaeological park with excavations of ancient Greek settlements and Korca - the cultural capital of Albania.

In many Albanian cities there are massive medieval castles. Among the popular are Petrel Castle in the suburbs of Tirana and Scanderbeg Castle in Kruja, named after the national hero of Albania.

No less remarkable are the natural beauty of the country - the Albanian Alps and the Lure National Park, the mountains of Tomor with the medieval Bektash monastery and the canons of Scrapara, the Valbona mountain river and, to avoid going far from the capital, the picturesque Mount Dity in the environs of Tirana. Photos of Albania (56)