Albania
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Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
Border Crossing Points: Muiqan/Sukobin (Montenegro) - a friend reported travelling by bus from Shkodra-Ulqin for 4 Euros. Buses leave outside travel agency Selsal next to big hotel at 9am & 3pm.
Tri Ura/Merzin - south of Permet/north of Konitsa, has been open to cars for 2 years. Am told that Greek KTEL buses at the border take passengers to Konitsa & Ioannina. It is a very pretty spot with forests and a Greek monastery on other side.
Qafe Bota/Sagiada - south of Konispol (Saranda) opened earlier this year to cars. For years there have supposedly been Greek KTEL buses into Igoumenitsa. You would need to get a taxi on the Albanian side, though you would be quite near when visiting Butrint and the road south from Butrint has been improved. Can take 30 mins from Saranda to border.
Penny Munden, UK (Sep 05)
The Corfu - Sarande ferry costs €15, leaving at 9am in the morning. You give your passport to the police in the port and get it back once you've arrived in Sarande, pay your €10 and you're in! You get a pink slip which you'll give to the border guards as you leave. It's full of hotels which will set you back about 2000lek minimum for a double.
Thomas Morgan, Finland (Sep 05)
On the way from Dubrovnik to Albania. Take a bus in Dubrovnik to Ulcinj, Montenegro (5-6 hours). In Ulcinj you can get a taxi for €10-15 (2 hours) to Skhodra. The taxi station is not at the train station. Be aware that taxi drivers at the train station try to drive you to Skhodra for €40.
Philippe Boss, Switzerland (Sep 05)
The new border crossing to Montenegro Muriqan/Sukobin is open! The only problem is finding the direct Minibus to Ulcinj in Shkodra. Of course you are approached by lots of taxi drivers, but just try to find the direct Minibus which brings you not only to the border but all the way into Montenegro!
Michael Raue, Germany (Aug 05)
From Montenegro I crossed the recently opened border at Muriqan/Sukobin by car on May 28th. There are no road signs in either direction to this border crossing so far. From Ulcinj follow signs to Vladimir, direction east, and stay on this paved road even if you think that you must be completely wrong. The first road sign appears after about 30 km, left to the monasteries on Lake Shkodra. Take the other way and after a hamlet without any designated name (maybe that is Sukobin?) you'll find yourself at a barrier. That's it. You pass through a desinfection basin with your car and you are in Albania. From Albania the road to this border crossing leaves the main road from Shkodra to Tirana at the southern end of Shkodra to the west over a small one-lane-bridge (no sign there either!) and after this bridge turn left to Muriqan.
On entering Albania I had to pay the entry tax of €10. My arrival and departure card was filled in by a friendly officer who only had some problems with the brand of my car, an East German "Trabant", that obviously wasn't listed on his computer.
On my way out of Albania I took the old border crossing at Han i Hotit. The officers there are probably the same as in the old times. Instead of a computer they have huge books to register everything. And their behaviour that even made the Albanian lorry drivers afraid.
The old-fashioned officer at Han i Hotit shouted at me that I wouldn't be allowed to leave the country before the following day and I should go back to Tirana to pay €30 at a bank (it was a Saturday!!). I still don't know why. After a discussion with one of his younger collegues I was allowed to leave the country after paying €2 without any receipt (I just stayed for one day, so it obviously wasn't the normal road fee.) Entering Montenegro again I had to pass through this desinfection thing again, being charged €1 "desinfection fee" by a Montenegrin in casual wear, but at least got kind of a receipt with some stamp like "Veterinary Institute".
Michael Unger, Germany (Jun 05)
The fee for visas for UK passport holders is €10. This is payable at the border. Immigration and customs at Mother Theresa airport is efficient, friendly and painless. To leave the country you must also pay €10.
Philip Blazdell, UK (Oct 04)
Travel Tips
In your 2005 Europe on a Shoestring, the information lists "No ATMs" in Albania. However, just on the main boulevard in Tirane, I counted eight in one stretch alone. There are ATMs all over Tirane and Gjirokaster (my two stops so far), but not all take western cards, so "American Bank of Albania" ATMs, with a big bald eagle, are good ones to keep an eye out for.
Albania is also going through a bit of a miniboom, with what has been perceived as progressive democratic victory a month ago, and of course, money flowing into the country. Some is actual investment, some is just drug money building giant new buildings, but Albania is rapidly changing. The "megalomaniac mayor" of Tirane, as one local put it, has decided to paint many buildings in bright pastels (and supposedly has entered photos of "his landscape" into art exhibitions), giving the city quite a funky look. Also, internet cafes are popping up all over.
John Malcovitch, USA (Oct 05)
There are ATMs now in many places, accepting a range of different cards - cirrus/mastercard, visa, and others.
Thomas Morgan, Finland (Sep 05)
Getting into town (from the airport) is easy - a number of buses run the route or you can take a taxi (about €40)
Durres has many many many hotels along the beach. Most were empty when I visited (Oct 2004) and its hard to imagine that they could all ever be full. There are also a lot of hotels being constructed on the road from Kruje to Durres. Average rooms cost about €30. Albanian hotels never seem to offer breakfast but the rooms were generally good - looking out over the coast etc.
There are two ATMS in Tirana now - one accepts VISA and one accepts MASTERCARD, both are within a block of Skanderbek square. Berat does not have a cash machine. There is one small souvenir store along the main street and hundreds and hundreds of bars.
Philip Blazdell, UK (Oct 04)
Moving About
There are many domestic buses, including the bus to Gjirokaster, which leave from behind a gas station, Euro Drini, outside of town. It should cost 300lek or so for a taxi out there. The bus to Gjirokaster leaves around 3pm, and costs 800lek.
John Malcovitch, USA (Oct 05)
There is now a bus to Butrinti via Ksamili, it leaves every hour or two and costs 50lek each way, a lot cheaper than taking a taxi there and back! There were roadworks at the main bus stop so i'm not sure where it left from, but it picks people up at all the stops on the road out of town. To get from Sarande to Gjirokaster, the Elbasan bus leaves every hour starting at 5am. There are no timetables but as always in Albania any shopkeeper or person on the street will be able to tell you at what times and where the bus leaves from. It drops you at the bottom of the hill in Gjirokaster and, while you need to be quite fit, it is possible to walk up to the castle (we did it in less than 2 hours with backpacks).
Minibuses, buses or trains will go pretty much anywhere. We did get scammed for double our money in a minibus (Gjirokaster to Tirana for 2500lek when we had agreed 1250lek) but generally these are very cheap, especially the buses and trains. Just make sure the price is certain before getting into a minibus. For the weak of stomach - all transport has plastic bags in the glove box, and people were sick on every journey we took... the Fierze - Gjakove ride in particular is a bone rattler!!!
Thomas Morgan, Finland (Sep 05)
I entered to Albania in Han i Hotit after a €20 taxi ride (well it is just a private car) from Podgorica, and then crossing the border paid €10, and then another taxi (another private car, €12) to get to Shkodra. It is really a shock to see Albania from Montenegro, as infrastructure is so under-developed. Shkodra is quite an interesting town, not far away (about a few bus stop away from the center of town) is the Rozafa castle, worth a visit for the beautiful view of the area (including Lake Skadar). Shkodra is also quite a nice and charming town, but the residential area is run-down. Lots of minibuses go from Shkodra to Tirana, they all "stop" at an area near the Rozafa Castle, and the trip takes roughly 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on traffic when entering Tirana (which can be very chaotic and dusty). The area in Tirana where the minibus from Shkodra stops is a dusty area located out of town. Taxis are quite expensive throughout Albania, as the price has to be negotiated and a taxi driver will not charge a cheap price to anywhere (despite in the center of Tirana has a fixed charge of 300 leke), which is still quite a lot...)
Minibuses from Tirana go to nearly everywhere in Albania, but they are located in different areas across Tirana. For Berat, minibuses goes from Rruga de Kavajes, for Kruja from Rruga Mine Peza (near Rruga Durresit) For Shkodra and Lezha, at Rruga Durresit, at the very dusty roundabout, and for Durres at the train station. There are quite frequent departures, but no timetables are listed (but trust that they are quite frequent) and all are just private minibuses run by the drivers themselves.
There is suppose to be a bus to Rinas airport (run by a company called Albtransport) every few hours or so, located at Rruga Durresit, but there isn't a timetable and sometimes they don't come (apparently on the weekends). I think the only reliable way to the airport is by taxi (cost €20 - 25).
Also, prepare for very dusty roads across Albania, though many new roads are being sprung up throughout the country.
Stephen Mak, Hong Kong (Aug 05)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
A city on the move!! Tirana totally rocks with its crazy modern architecture and brightly painted buildings. What were once grey and miserable communist blocks have been transformed with bright colours and mad patterns. A building boom has seen the introduction of big tall glass towers, notably the Sky Tower which has a revolving restaurant on the top floor with great views of Skenderburgh Square and great Albanian prices for the food and drink!
Stephen Akehurst, Bulgaria (Oct 05)
I would say the best thing to see in Lezha is the castle. The road up to it is rough and rather long, but the castle itself is great. It is said to be the best example of Illyrian military architecture in the Balkans and certainly has commanding views up and down the coast. Nearer to the hunting lodge is the Kune-Vain wetland reserve, which is also worth a visit for those who like walking and spotting birds.
Janice Penelope Munden, UK (Jul 05)
Kruje has an excellent museum (200 LEK) on the history of Skanderbek and is well worth a visit. The bazaar there is also worth a visit. It seems very dusty and neglected. Most people speak some English and the prices seem reasonable. The carpets, which are made from a local design, are reasonably priced. Every shop I visited seemed pleased just to have a tourist there and there was never a hard sell.
Pogradec is a nice place to hang out for a day at the lake. Its five minutes from the Macedonian boarder, which is open and simply enough to cross. I imagine that in a few years time this place will be magnificent and heaving with tourists.
Korce - apart from the little market (not much of value) there is a lovely Cathedral and some nice restaurants up on the hill. There is one decent hotel in town and plans to build a few guest houses.
Voskopje - this is a wonderful little town up in the mountains and well worth a visit. Many of the churches are either closed or been damaged but you can still wander around some - notably St Nicola's church which has some fantastic icons. There is also a new hotel being built on the main square which looks like it will be a wonderful place to stay. The villages around this area are exceptionally good for homemade raki (potent stuff)
Philip Blazdell, UK (Oct 04)
In Albania I must reccommend a trip along the road between Gjirokaster and Korca. It is as slow and tortuous as any Albanian road, but the reward is the breathtaking landscape which is largely free of the rubbish you see in much of the rest of Albania.
Matthew D'Arcy, UK (Apr 04)
Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes
Well my time in Albania has certainly been one of the oddest periods in my life. When we came across any person who spoke a smidgen of English, their first question was always "why you here?!", with the added favourite from one boy "who sent you?!". I was going to make up an elaborate James Bond-esque story, but we were having enough problems with the language as it was. For all I know we probably started several blood feuds with our constant inability to remember to shake our heads to say yes and nod to say no. But it is really hard to get a convincing facial expression to match the opposite head movement! Albanians are either shouting and wildly gesticulating and rather scary or so kind and hospitable that you begin to think that the nation is schizophrenic. But I guess you have to accept some madness from a country that has only been open for ten years. The place is littered with odd reminders of its communist past, such as really ugly buildings, the 750,000 military bunkers (very fun to play in!) and a fashion sense that apparently dictates that all men must wear tank tops and bum-bags. I managed to get a ticket from Athens. The bus left at nine in the evening, and 16 hours later we were in Tirana. The trip itself was priceless - the ripple of excitement that went through the bus when they discovered they had an Australian tourist on board was palpable. From then on I had everyone on the bus buying me food, smiling at me and pointing me in the right direction at the border (15 euros to get across as an Australian). The trip back was the same - a lot of arm pulling, face patting and a scary amount of cheek pinching. I think everyone on the bus was just so startled that I had chosen to visit Albania that they wanted to show their appreciation. It was nice.
Johanna Black, Australia (Jul 02)
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