Albania is a European state, which every year attracts more and more tourists from all over the world, but so far the infrastructure of this country is under development. On the one hand, this can cause certain inconveniences on vacation, but they are fully offset by affordable prices for vacations.
The popularity of this country is due not only to good opportunities for a beach holiday, but also to beautiful nature, combined with a large number of different attractions. Not the last role is played by the fact that there is no need to apply for a visa to visit the country for a period of 90 days. Directly in the country, you will be pleasantly surprised by low (even low) prices for food, accommodation and transport, although the public transport system between cities is not very well developed (there are few bus stations, the quality of roads and buses leaves much to be desired). You can safely travel around the country on your own without overpaying for excursions.
If we analyze each item separately, then first of all you should pay attention to housing. Every year the number of housing offers increases, and therefore now you can find the option that suits you on different sites that provide online booking services. Yes, this will take a little time, but personally I don’t see any particular problem in this. On average, renting a room in Albanian cities will cost you from 12 to 20 euros per day, including a hearty breakfast.
A hearty meal (with meat, potatoes and salad) in a decent cafe can be within five euros or even cheaper, and if we are talking about ordinary snacks, it will cost only 1-2 euros. For one person per day, 15 euros will be enough for food.
Despite the fact that in terms of its size Albania is a small European state, but in terms of the number of attractions it can give odds to many European countries. You can travel around the country for several weeks and still not see all the most interesting things.
In the program of your trip around the country, you should definitely include the largest city in the north of the country – Shkodra, the tourist attraction of which is primarily due to the Rozafa fortress located here, whose history dates back to the third century BC. The fortress has an impressive size and you will have to pay about one euro to enter its territory.
As for the city itself, it makes a double impression on tourists. Along with various interesting places, the city is not clean, besides, spontaneous markets spoil the picture, but this does not apply to the Old Town and the embankment of Lake Skadar.
A visit to Albania is impossible without getting to know the capital of the country, the city of Tirana. This is the largest city in the country, in which the socialist past of the country is first of all striking. Many buildings, public institutions and squares are reminiscent of that recent past. At the same time, changes for the better are constantly taking place in the city, the public transport system is well developed, there are many mosques, churches, etc. The city is surrounded by areas for outdoor activities, picnics and mountains. It is best to move around Tirana and the outskirts of the city on a rented bike.
The city of Gjirokastra is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and this fact alone makes it a must-see in this European country. People come here to see the fortress built in the 12th century and a number of interesting military and historical museums. From time to time the fortress becomes a venue for various festivals.
Albanians are very proud of their mountains, which are called the Albanian Alps. In reality, we are talking about a mountain range called Prokletije, which passes not only through the territory of Albania, but also through neighboring Kosovo and Montenegro. If this area interests you, then pay attention to the mountain village of Ses, which is located just 70 kilometers from the aforementioned city of Shkodra. The problem is that there is no full-fledged road to this village, and this distance will have to be overcome along a dirt mountain serpentine, which in itself is another adventure. In winter, you can’t get here at all for several months due to bad weather conditions. And tourists come here in order to see the beauty of the local mountains, crystal clear rivers in all their glory, breathe clean air and get to know the locals, whose lifestyle has not changed much over the past few decades. Conventionally, this place is also called one of the most beautiful and cheapest in Europe.
Contrary to the fears of many tourists, the vast majority of local residents do not show any aggression towards foreign tourists, but on the contrary, treat them very positively and kindly. The only thing that can cause problems is the knowledge of English, which is spoken by a small percentage of the population in the country and often tourists literally have to explain themselves on their fingers.
One of the important components of a budget trip to Albania is the cost of travel. As far as I know, there are no direct flights from Russian cities to Albania and you will have to get there with transfers. Perhaps there are some proposals about charter flights from travel companies, but these issues need to be discussed individually with representatives of these companies. The fastest way to get to Albania is through the Montenegrin city of Tivat, flights there are operated by many domestic and foreign airlines. The distance between these cities is about 200 kilometers and it can be overcome in about 5-7 hours by regular bus. There are other options with car rental, but it is much more expensive and not very convenient.