What is the perception of Albania by the average Russian citizen? I learned about this when I shared my plans to visit this country with my friends. From calm surprise to horror in the eyes - Are you out of your mind? There is also devastation, poverty and crime. What a sin to conceal, when, three years ago, thoughts about Albania only began to visit me, a similar perception was inherent in me.
Eight years ago, being on the island of Corfu, I looked at the Albanian coast, confident that I would never visit there.
However, delving deeper into the study of the material, I fundamentally changed my mind. In recent years, Albania has been actively developing, isolationism has been left in the distant past, roads are being built, and many hotels on the coast.
The coastline of the country is one of its best assets, along with climatic conditions and location directly in Europe. If Croatia and Montenegro have made places of mass tourism on their sea coasts, then why not neighboring Albania?
A conversation with Serbian acquaintances in Greece, who drive their own car to Albania, and this does not harm them in any way, also prompted me to make a decision. Serbs! To Albania!
And now, finally, it is decided, we go there. The route has been worked out only approximately, we largely rely on our own perception on the spot - in which case we change the paradigm right on the go, because a) we drive our own car (Russian license plates) and b) are not limited in time. Initially, we expect to stay there for two to four weeks. We leave Greece (Halkidiki), there are two of us - husband and wife. Travel time is mid-July.
We chose a weekday and leave in the morning. The first stop is planned in Saranda, we have booked an apartment there for 2 days. We cross the border at Konispol, to the north of Igoumenitsa. A shorter way lies through the Kakavia border crossing, but we decided to stop at Ksamil on the way, it is south of Saranda.
We crossed the border quite quickly, there are cars, but there are not very many of them, we were not inspected.
Immediately we found the first surprise - the navigator into which I loaded newest maps, in Albania I showed only the main roads, which is why we went to the "upper" highway, separated from the sea by a mountain ridge, Ksamil remained on the sidelines. Looking ahead, this is good, because on the road that leads to Ksamil from the south, we would have to cross a small strait on an archaic ferry, which would take a lot of time.
This first surprise resulted in a consequence - we cannot find the booked apartment in Saranda, the navigator does not show the house by number. It's good that the address turned out to be simple, this is one of the main streets of the city, we arrived on a whim. On the way, I tried to find out the route from the policeman, the uncle did not understand a word in English, but the next surprise opened up - many here know Greek. My wife and I do not know him, but we teach, we can express ourselves at a primitive level. It helped a lot afterwards. In general, at the very least, they found their own apartment. It is located so-so - on the edge of the city, but its own parking, a good view, low price, clean and comfortable. The owners speak Greek, their daughter, a schoolgirl, knows English well. There are practically no communication problems.
The time of our check-in turned out to be relatively early, you can take a leisurely break from the road and go for a walk around the city.
Saranda (photo 1) is a resort. A beach with sun loungers-umbrellas stretches continuously along the entire city, there are a lot of people, but you can find a place if you want, after all, the crowded beaches are slightly lower than in our Greek town. There are showers, there are breakwaters, some of which have towers for jumping into the sea. The water is quite clean, the beaches are pebbly. But we still don't like such beaches, in Greece we leave the town for several kilometers to settle down on the unequipped coast. However, today the walk is still an introductory one, we were not going to swim.
2. City beach 
3.
The embankment as a whole is beautiful, in the center there are many modern buildings in the average international resort style, many restaurants, cafes and shops. In general, everything is like everywhere else.
4.
We need internet, we need to buy a SIM card, here's the next surprise, a pleasant one - 4G internet with unlimited traffic (but without phone capabilities) costs only ~ 5.5 euros for a month (in terms of value). This is after the Greek 30 euros for 5 Gig per month (Kosmote).
In about 20 minutes we walked the entire embankment. The city is not big, it is located on a slope, buildings under construction are visible everywhere above - it grows in breadth. It seemed to us that the southern part of the city coast is more "elite" (if you can use this word here), hotels are more meaningfully located here, because the embankment and the road leave the coast, leaving room for the concept of a hotel-beach, and in general it is somehow more comfortable here.
5. View from the southern part of the city to the north 
There are a lot of cars with European numbers, most of all Swiss, Italian and Polish. But there are cars from everywhere: right-hand drive British, and Scandinavians, and Greek neighbors. The first car with Russian license plates was also spotted here.
Since we settled not in a hotel, but in an apartment, there is the problem of tomorrow's breakfast, we have to buy something. There are many shops, the average Albanian shop is very chaotic, usually small, but everything you need is there. Closer to home, Carefour met, the prices are slightly higher, but the staff speaks English, and everything is organized as usual. The goods are both Albanian and neighbors, Greece and Italy. There are also international goods - alcohol, household chemicals, etc.
The most common Albanian cheese is kashkaval, which is familiar to us in Romania and Serbia. There are dozens of varieties of it, the language barrier makes it difficult to understand the subtleties of the differences. We buy purely by appearance.
But buying regular black tea is a problem. Lots of all kinds of teas, herbal, mountain tea, fruit, but black (green, too) no. You can find it, but not everywhere, you have to search.
It is a pity that the cherries have already departed, they say that in Albania they are especially tasty.
We took our purchases home, hung on the Internet a bit, and went to have dinner at a restaurant. I read a lot about Albanian cuisine, in general, I concluded that everything is average Mediterranean, meat-fish-vegetables. Lots of pizza, lots of grills. Before leaving, we asked the owners what restaurant they would recommend, they thought for a long time, gave out the name, but, alas, we did not find it.
And they just found a restaurant on the waterfront, it looks good, people are sitting, there are places.
I do spearfishing, in Greece we eat fresh fish almost every day, so I prefer meat in restaurants. Ordered lamb with okra.
I will not delve into food matters, I will just share a conclusion that has been further confirmed more than once - in Albania, you need to be careful about visiting a restaurant, namely, always look at what they eat at neighboring tables, how large the portions are, do not order dishes that fall out of the mainstream, do not go to uncrowded restaurants. I don’t know, maybe in the north of the country (Durres, Tirana, Shkoder) everything is different, but in the south, in resort areas, the portions are unexpectedly small, the meat can be rubbery, and the dough in pizza resembles bread. This does not apply to all establishments without exception, but that's what I'm talking about, you have to choose carefully.
The first visit to the restaurant on the waterfront left complex feelings, the portions were small, the meat was so-so, but I tried the stuffed peppers from my wife - very tasty. Prices, however, are low, on average with our further dinners, the bill is somewhere in the 20-25 euros for two, this includes beer and tips.
By the way, about beer. Local varieties have not been rolled to me personally, all have a low density and a dull taste. However, such beer is good for daytime consumption, for quenching thirst.
We returned home through the city at night, I must say, there was no sense of danger and some kind of discomfort.
An ordinary city by the sea.
In the morning we have breakfast with the products we bought the day before, then, according to the plan, we have a trip to the Blue Eye, then to Butrint and Ksamil.
When I just started thinking about a trip to Albania, I was interested in the country, nature, I remembered the main must-see place - Blue Eye, aka Blue Eye, aka Syri I kalter.
It is located some half an hour drive from Saranda. There is a sign at the bend off the road. The entrance is paid, something around 5 euros per car, I don't remember more precisely. After paying for another couple of kilometers on a bad dirt road around the lake, then we arrive at the place, there is parking, there is space. We leave the car, then walk a little.
It is green around, the air is clean, the birds are singing, and although there are many people from all over the world, this does not interfere with the feeling of pristine nature. The trail in three minutes leads to the desired point, this is a source flowing out of the ground and giving rise to a river. The water is crystal clear, cold (+10 g), the depth in the very epicenter is unknown, they say, more than 50 meters, in appearance - 3-4 meters.
6. Blue eye: 
Above this area, there is a platform from where you can jump directly into the source. Despite the water temperature, there are many who want to do this, there is a small queue. I love such fun (in Mexico I dived into cenotes with a diameter of 2 meters), my wife glances reproachfully beforehand, but 10 degrees is too cold for me, alas.
7. Jumping into the Blue Eye: 
8.
9.
The rivulet, originating from the source, soon merges with another, then they together form a small lake, after which they turn into a river with the Slavic name of Bistritsa.
10.
11.
12.
13. A couple of hundred meters from the source, over a calm section of the river, there is a cafe in the form of pavilions on piles above the water. 
14. Local flora: 
15. And fauna: 
We ordered freshly squeezed orange juice, sat for a while among the murmur of water and the chirping of cicadas, and went to the car, butrint was next.
Optional - a small video about Blue Eye.
16. The road towards the sea lies just along the Bistritsa river and through the village of the same name, it is also in the picture: 
17. A Christian monastery is visible on the mountain in the distance (photo with a strong zoom): 
Unlike Blue Eye, I had not heard of Butrint until this year. These are ancient ruins, with an amphitheater and an acropolis, the city was once founded by the ancient Greeks, then it became Roman, it was mentioned by Virgil, the name of Julius Caesar is associated with the foundation of the colony. Located south of Saranda and Ksamil, in close proximity to the Greek border. The complex is under the protection of UNESCO.
There is a spacious parking lot, the entrance to the complex itself is paid (something like 6 euros per person). The city consists of two parts - lower and upper (acropolis). In the lower amphitheater, a former port, there are ruins from the Christian period, the most significant of which is the remains of a baptistery. Upstairs there is a former fortress and a modern small museum.
These, of course, are not the ruins of Pompeii or Ephesus, you can walk around the whole complex slowly in an hour, however, in some places it is quite interesting.
18. Tower and column near the entrance: 
19. Butrint, lower part of town: 
20.
21.
22. Amphitheater: 
23. Former bathhouse: 
24. Baptistery with mosaics on the floor: 
25. View from the Acropolis to the lower city: 
Here you can see the strait that would have to be crossed by a ferry if from Greece we went by the lower road.
26. Fortress on the other side: 
27. Sculpture in the courtyard of the museum 
The inspection is over, then we go to Ksamil. It is not even a city, but a collection of beaches and modern buildings, mainly hotels and apartments. The place is everywhere described as "gorgeous sandy beaches with crystal clear blue waters." Well, let's see, we have all the beach attributes with us, we want to swim and lie on the beach for a while.
The first negative - it is simply unrealistic to park. Having circled in vain through the crowded streets by the sea, I returned closer to the highway, where I managed to stick myself near a freshly built mosque. The beaches are visible from afar, they are overcrowded. We left all the beach things in the car, went just for a walk and look at the famous beaches of Ksamil.
28. Mosque in Ksamil (one of two that we saw in Albania in 18 days): 
29. Beaches of Ksamil: 
30.
31.
The sand is loose, the beaches may be nice, but filled to capacity. We looked longingly at the sea teeming with bathers, breathed in the exhaust of countless boats and aquabikes, enough, it's time to blame.
Yes, one more interesting thing. In Ksamil, many houses were built illegally. V recent times they began to actively fight against such buildings, to the extent that illegally built houses are being overwhelmed.
32. Perhaps this is one of these: 
But you still need to swim somewhere. Not far from Ksamil, from afar, you can see a deserted place with an access road, a rocky gentle coast, miniature coves, clear blue water, and a little further away - pine trees.
We arrived, we are not the only lovers of secluded rocky shores, there are few cars, but there are.
We settled down, squeezing an umbrella into the gap between the stones, and took a dip. Another discovery - the water is colder than in Halkidiki by two degrees. Looking ahead - this is all over the coast. If you just come here and do not compare anything, then the water will seem normal, but after Greece the difference is noticeable.
After swimming, we go back to Saranda. Evening is approaching, but it is still light and sunny. On the way, we slow down from time to time, then have a snack, then be distracted by the views.
33. Corfu Island 
34. View of Ksamil: 
Closer to Saranda on the mountain there is the monastery of St. George, how not to get up? He left his wife downstairs and climbed up in a race with the goats grazing here.
35. Shën Gjergjit (St. George) Monastery: 
Is he female or male? Looking around, I discovered a volleyball court, it was difficult to imagine the nuns in their clothes playing volleyball. Hence, the monastery is male. Although the men in robes ... you will not play very much either, but still.
36. View from the monastery to Saranda, below - the so-called. monastery beach: 
37. In the mountains behind the estuary, a fire center is visible, grass and bushes are burning: 
I decided to drive to the northern edge of Saranda to see what was there. Not far from our apartment there is a small bay with a port and a couple of ships. We drove closer - everything is fenced there and there are signs everywhere that it is forbidden to shoot, something military. Although no one is visible around, he did not take pictures. I drove even further, the road turned into a dirt road, getting worse and worse. We passed the cemetery, next to it there is a hotel with a pretty beach:
38. Hotel by the cemetery: 
39. Beach of this hotel: 
I drove even further, around some dull buildings, dusty, there is no entrance to the sea. We returned to our place.
In the evening we decided not to go to dinner on the embankment, but to visit a restaurant not far from us, there are a lot of visitors, everything looks good. Alas, this was not without disappointment. Half of the dishes from the menu were not in reality, I took grilled dorada, my wife fish soup and something else small. My dorada was excellent, but her soup was just water with an inexpressive smell (I was joking - not a single fish was harmed when cooking this fish soup), her wife did not eat. The waiter inquired later, is there something wrong? The wife explained, they say, of course not, it's just water. The waiter thoughtfully plunged a spoon into it, moved it around, and then carried it away. To be fair, this soup was not included in the bill.
Well, Saranda has been explored, as has the area around it. You can go further.
In the morning we leave for Himaru. Booked an apartment there with good reviews, let's look at the Albanian Riviera.
End of the 1st part.
Second part
October 26, 2016 15:21 Saranda, Butrint - Albania 2016 July
1
1. What does an ordinary Russian citizen know about Albania? I got an idea of this when I shared my plans to visit Albania with my acquaintances. From calm surprise to horror in the eyes - Are you out of your mind? There is also devastation, poverty and crime. What a sin to conceal, when three years ago thoughts about Albania just started to visit me, a similar perception was inherent in me. Once, being on the island of Corfu, I looked at the Albanian coast, confident that I would never visit there. However, delving into the study of the material, I fundamentally changed my mind.
In recent years, Albania has been actively developing, isolationism has been left in the distant past, roads are being built, many hotels on the coast. The coastline of the country is one of its best assets, along with climatic conditions and location directly in Europe. If Croatia and Montenegro have made places of mass tourism on their sea coasts, then why not neighboring Albania? A conversation with Serbian acquaintances in Greece, who drive their own car to Albania, and this does not harm them in any way, also prompted me to make a decision. Serbs! To Albania! And now, finally, it is decided, we go there. The route has been worked out only approximately, we largely rely on our own perception on the spot - in which case we change the paradigm right on the go, because, a) we drive our own car (Russian license plates) and b) are not limited in time. Initially, we expect to stay there for two to four weeks. We leave Greece (Halkidiki), there are two of us - husband and wife. Travel time is the second half of July. We chose a weekday and leave in the morning. The first stop is planned in Saranda, we have booked an apartment there for 2 days. We cross the border at Konispol, to the north of Igoumenitsa. The shorter route lies through the Kakavia border crossing, but we decided to stop at Ksamil on the way, it is south of Saranda. We crossed the border quite quickly, there are cars, but there are not very many of them, we were not inspected.
We immediately discovered the first surprise - the navigator, into which I loaded the latest maps, showed only the main roads in Albania, which is why we drove onto the "upper" highway, separated from the sea by a mountain ridge, Ksamil remained on the sidelines. Looking ahead, this is good, because on the road that leads to Ksamil from the south, we would have to cross a small strait on an archaic ferry, which would take a lot of time. This first surprise resulted in a consequence - we cannot find the booked apartment in Saranda, the navigator does not show the house by number. It's good that the address turned out to be simple, this is one of the main streets of the city, we arrived on a whim. On the way, I tried to find out the route from the policeman, the uncle did not understand a word in English, but the next surprise opened - many here know Greek. My wife and I do not know him, but we teach, we can express ourselves at a primitive level. This helped a lot afterwards. In general, at the very least, they found their own apartment. It is located so-so - on the edge of the city, but its own parking, good view, low price, clean and comfortable. The owners speak Greek, their daughter, a schoolgirl, knows English well. There are practically no communication problems. The time of our check-in turned out to be relatively early, you can take a leisurely break from the road and go for a walk around the city.
Saranda (photo 1) is a resort. A beach with sun loungers-umbrellas stretches continuously along the entire city, there are a lot of people, but you can find a place if you want, after all, the crowded beaches are slightly lower than in our Greek town. There are showers, there are breakwaters, some of which have towers for jumping into the sea. The water is quite clean, the beaches are pebbly. But we still don't like such beaches, in Greece we leave the town for several kilometers to settle down on the unequipped coast. However, today the walk is still an introductory one, we were not going to swim.
2. City beach
The embankment as a whole is beautiful, in the center there are many modern buildings in the average international resort style, many restaurants, cafes and shops. In general, everything is like everywhere else.
We need internet, we need to buy a SIM card, here's the next surprise, a pleasant one - 4G internet with unlimited traffic (but without phone capabilities) costs only ~ 5.5 euros for a month (in terms of value). This is after the Greek 30 euros for 5 Gig per month (Kosmote). In about 20 minutes we walked the entire embankment. The city is not big, it is located on a slope, buildings under construction are visible everywhere above - it grows in breadth. It seemed to us that the southern part of the city coast is more "elite" (if you can use this word here), hotels are more meaningfully located here, since the embankment and the road leave the coast, leaving room for the concept of a hotel-beach, and in in general, it is somehow more comfortable here.
5. View from the southern part of the city to the north
There are a lot of cars with European numbers, most of all Swiss, Italian and Polish. But there are cars from everywhere: right-hand drive British, Scandinavians, and Greek neighbors. The first car with Russian license plates was also spotted here. Since we settled not in a hotel, but in an apartment, there is the problem of tomorrow's breakfast, we have to buy something. There are many shops, the average Albanian shop is very chaotic, usually small, but everything you need is there. Closer to home, Carefour met, the prices are slightly higher, but the staff speaks English, and everything is organized as usual. The goods are both Albanian and neighbors, Greece and Italy. There are also international goods - alcohol, household chemicals, etc. The most common Albanian cheese is kashkaval, which is familiar to us in Romania and Serbia. There are dozens of varieties of it, the language barrier makes it difficult to understand the subtleties of the differences. We buy purely in appearance. But buying regular black tea is a problem. Lots of all kinds of teas, herbal, mountain tea, fruit, but black (green, too) no. You can find it, but not everywhere, you have to search. It is a pity that the cherries have already departed, they say that in Albania they are especially tasty. We took our purchases home, hung on the Internet a bit, and went to have dinner at a restaurant. I read a lot about Albanian cuisine, in general, I concluded that everything is average Mediterranean, meat-fish-vegetables. Lots of pizza, lots of grills. Before leaving, we asked the owners what restaurant they would recommend, they thought for a long time, gave out the name, but, alas, we did not find it. And they just found a restaurant on the waterfront, it looks good, people are sitting, there are places. I do spearfishing, in Greece we eat fresh fish almost every day, so I prefer meat in restaurants. Ordered lamb with okra.
I will not delve into food matters, I will just share a conclusion that has been further confirmed more than once - in Albania, you need to be careful about visiting a restaurant, namely, to always look at what they eat at adjacent tables, how large the portions are, not to order dishes that fall out of the mainstream, do not go to uncrowded restaurants. I don’t know, maybe in the north of the country (Durres, Tirana, Shkoder) everything is different, but in the south, in resort areas, the portions are unexpectedly small, the meat can be rubbery, and the dough in pizza resembles bread. This does not apply to all establishments without exception, but that's what I'm talking about, you have to choose carefully. The first visit to the restaurant on the waterfront left complex feelings, the portions were small, the meat was so-so, but I tried the stuffed peppers from my wife - very tasty. Prices, however, are low, on average with our further dinners, the bill is somewhere in the 20-25 euros for two, this includes beer and tips. By the way, about beer. Local varieties have not been rolled to me personally, all have a low density and a dull taste. However, such beer is good for daytime consumption, for quenching thirst. We returned home through the city at night, I must say, there was no sense of danger and some kind of discomfort. An ordinary city by the sea.
In the morning we have breakfast with the products we bought the day before, then, according to the plan, we have a trip to the Blue Eye, then to Butrint and Ksamil. When I just started thinking about a trip to Albania, I was interested in the country, nature, I remembered the main must-see place - Blue Eye, aka Blue Eye, aka Syri I kalter. It is located some half an hour drive from Saranda. There is a sign at the bend off the road. The entrance is paid, something around 5 euros per car, I don't remember more precisely. After paying for another couple of kilometers on a bad dirt road around the lake, then we arrive at the place, there is parking, there is space. We leave the car, then walk a little. It is green around, the air is clean, the birds are singing, and although there are many people from all over the world, this does not interfere with the feeling of pristine nature. The trail in three minutes leads to the desired point, this is a source flowing out of the ground and giving rise to a river. The water is crystal clear, cold (+10 g), the depth in the very epicenter is unknown, they say, more than 50 meters, in appearance - 3-4 meters.
6. Blue eye:
2
Above this area, there is a platform from where you can jump directly into the source. Despite the water temperature, there are many who want to do this, there is a small queue. I love such fun (in Mexico I dived into cenotes with a diameter of 2 meters), my wife glances reproachfully beforehand, but 10 degrees is too cold for me, alas.
7. Jumping into the Blue Eye:
The rivulet, originating from the source, soon merges with another, then they together form a small lake, after which they turn into a river with the Slavic name of Bistritsa.
1
1
1
13. A couple of hundred meters from the source, over a calm section of the river, there is a cafe in the form of pavilions on piles above the water.
14. Local flora:
15. And fauna:
1
We ordered freshly squeezed orange juice, sat for a while among the murmur of water and the chirping of cicadas, and went to the car, butrint was next.
16. The road towards the sea lies just along the Bistritsa river and through the village of the same name, it is also in the picture:
17. A Christian monastery is visible on the mountain in the distance (photo with a strong zoom):
Unlike Blue Eye, I had not heard of Butrint until this year. These are ancient ruins, with an amphitheater and an acropolis, the city was once founded by the ancient Greeks, then it became Roman, it was mentioned by Virgil, the name of Julius Caesar is associated with the foundation of the colony. Located south of Saranda and Ksamil, in close proximity to the Greek border. The complex is under the protection of UNESCO. There is a spacious parking lot, the entrance to the complex itself is paid (something like 6 euros per person). The city consists of two parts - lower and upper (acropolis). In the lower amphitheater, a former port, there are ruins from the Christian period, the most significant of which is the remains of a baptistery. Upstairs there is a former fortress and a modern small museum. These, of course, are not the ruins of Pompeii or Ephesus, you can walk around the whole complex slowly in an hour, however, in some places it is quite interesting.
18. Tower and column near the entrance:
19. Butrint, lower part of town:
22. Amphitheater:
23. Former bathhouse:
24. Baptistery with mosaics on the floor:
25. View from the Acropolis to the lower city:
27. Sculpture in the courtyard of the museum
The inspection is over, then we go to Ksamil. It is not even a city, but a collection of beaches and modern buildings, mainly hotels and apartments. The place is everywhere described as "gorgeous sandy beaches with crystal clear blue waters." Well, let's see, we have all the beach attributes with us, we want to swim and lie on the beach for a while. The first negative - it's simply unrealistic to park. Having circled in vain through the crowded streets by the sea, I returned closer to the highway, where I managed to stick myself near a freshly built mosque. The beaches are visible from afar, they are overcrowded. We left all the beach things in the car, went just for a walk and look at the famous beaches of Ksamil.
28. Mosque in Ksamil (one of the few that we saw in Albania in 18 days):
29. Beaches of Ksamil:
1
In my opinion, there are only two countries left in Europe that can be called the last unexplored corners of the Old World: Romania and Albania. Of course, everything is relative and the "unknown" of Albania cannot be compared with the exoticism of Nigeria or Burundi; nevertheless, these two European countries still hide a lot of interesting things, and this is with a good and tourist-friendly infrastructure that makes it possible to get to know them comfortably and inexpensively. If I traveled far and wide, I found myself in Albania for the third time in my life, and the previous two times I "flew" it too quickly and had little time to see. About two years ago I sailed on a ferry from the Greek Corfu to the Albanian Saranda (by the way, it turned out cool!) And then traveled by public transport along the coast to the border with Montenegro, visiting and even climbing. Now I decided to fly to Tirana by plane, rent a car and properly explore the remote mountainous regions of northern Albania, combining a trip with Kosovo, Macedonia, Bulgaria and other countries of the region. There will be a lot of reports, but for now I will tell you about one of the most difficult road routes of all that I have known in my life. And I have known them, I dare to assure you, a lot!
That day we started from Prizren, in the southern part of Kosovo, then proceeded northwest through Djakovica to the border with Albania in the town of Morina. Beauties there: mountains, snowy peaks, herds of sheep grazing on the green slopes. Switzerland is natural, perhaps not spoiled by the crowds of tourists. After the border, we head towards the Valbone National Park with the town of Bayram Kuri and then south to the hydroelectric power station and dam on the Drin River. Further, through the passes and hellish serpentine in the evening we arrive in Shkoder -
Albania is a small country, but keep in mind that the terrain is very mountainous, and the roads are mostly in poor condition, very narrow and extremely dangerous. If we remember that 25 years ago, under the dictator Enver Hoxha, there were less than 1000 cars in the country (owning a car was prohibited under the communists), then there was no need to build and expand roads. In recent years, the Albanians have put a lot of effort into road construction, but there is still a lot of work ahead.
Our entire route from the border with Kosovo to Shkoder is about 170 kilometers, isn't that nonsense? No it is not true! On the map below, you can fully appreciate that each "Albanian" kilometer corresponds to four or five ordinary ones. Your average speed will be at least 40 km / h, but even this is too fast for those roads. My companion was simply bad in all respects, both from the road as such, and from the cliffs and abysses at every turn. I confess that I drove faster than the road allowed, but there was an explanation for that - I had to have time to pass the serpentines before dark. Then it will become generally death-like to drive here, especially considering the icing of the road with periodically drizzling rain. The car slipped several times on sharp rises, hitting a frozen puddle and I would not want to get into such a puddle in a turn, but half a meter from the abyss. As you can imagine, in Albania no one is trifling on trifles and does not sprinkle sand with reagents on the roads.
The most difficult section of our route with elevation differences from 350 meters above sea level (hydroelectric power station) to 2150 meters on the passes is
At the exit from Kosovo, there was no control as such, they did not even ask for a passport, giving only the go-ahead, go through. That's good, because my companion and I were worried about the fact that she entered Kosovo on a Bulgarian visa (according to the rules, only Schengen is suitable) and, as it were, on the way out, we clung to. Do you remember how we were with little adventures?
There was a small queue on the Albanian side of the border, and while we were waiting, I went out and photographed the surrounding landscape -
In memory of entering Albania, will be for the collection. It is a pity that the Albanians switched to the seals of the European standard, the bottom used to have such beautiful ones with an eagle. Oh, for me this optimization of everything in the world -
After the border, there is an excellent new highway to the very town of Bayram-Tsurri -
Bayram-Tsurri is a small town, from where numerous routes to the mountains start. By the way, beyond this ridge is already Montenegro, and on their side the mountains are called "Prokletije" (Curse) -
After some time, we arrive at the town of Fierza, where the hydroelectric power station of the same name is located, and it is here that an interesting water route begins along the river downstream to the Koman pier, which is about 50 kilometers from here. A small ferry runs twice a day and used to be the only route connecting the extreme north of Albania with the center of the country. Now that a road has been built across the passes (150 km along serpentines), the importance of the ferry has decreased. Nevertheless, it is so picturesque there that tourists do not go on a trip to save time -
Closer -
We had an idea not to twist along the serpentines, but to drive the car onto a ferry and go down the river to Coman, but it turned out that he would not sail today. It's a shame! But okay, let's go along the road, which is no less interesting.
An almost abandoned town of power engineers next to a hydroelectric power station -
There was a rare Chinese truck in the yard -
Actually, the dam and the hydroelectric power station. Built in 1971 by the Chinese, with whom Enver Hoxha was fiercely friends after relations with the USSR finally deteriorated. In those years, the station provided more than half of all electricity in Albania and was one of the main strategic objects of the country. As you understand, mere mortals could not get here, and even more so they could not photograph in the country of total spy mania. And what did you expect from the leader of the country, who built himself a whole underground city in the eighth decade in case of a nuclear war, see "" -
After the hydroelectric power station, the road begins to twist serpentines to the pass -
Drin River -
One thing we did not take into account is that it gets dark early in winter, and the road is long. This photo was taken at about three o'clock in the afternoon, but because of the twilight I already had to "pull" it in Photoshop -
Here is such a road for more than a hundred kilometers -
With stones periodically crumbling on the road -
And how fast would you drive here?
By the way, this is my second driving experience in my life in the Romanian Dacia (Dacia), the first time I drove the previous model in Morocco -
After about three hours, we reached the small town of Fouche-Arrez, where, in theory, the road, judging by the map, is getting a little better. The town turned out to be very interesting for a lover of all kinds of abandonment and relics of the communist era. I'll tell you in a separate post later.
Permanent Albanian bunkers are found everywhere, here one of them fell victim to a landslide and "slipped" to the road -
Late in the evening we got to Shkoder and stopped at a motel at the entrance to the city. In the morning, a wonderful view of the Rozafa fortress opened from the balcony. We are not going there now, since we were exactly a year ago, see "
Just like last time. Booked specific car, not the class of the car.
There is more choice in Budva and Tivat, delivery is free. Many have paid delivery to Podgorica. Details about the service.
Rented Skoda Fabia 2018, automatic transmission, 1l for 8 days (6 drove in Albania and 2 in CG). It is exciting to take a small car for driving in the mountains, but it is not the volume of the engine that is important here, but power.
The car is ideal for two. The pictures are tiny, but the driver is 1.9m + comfortable. On the highway and in the mountains it goes briskly.
On one tank (50 l) covered 1000+ km... Delivery to the airport is free, the green card was included in the price.
20% online, balance and deposit in cash or by card when meeting with a representative of the rentakar.
Car rental in Montenegro:
▫ National rights(grew, bel, ukr) are suitable for Albania and Montenegro, no one asked international.
▫ Difference between CASCO and OSAGO insurance... CASCO - the driver pays for damage to the car, even if it is not his fault (deducted from the deposit). OSAGO - the driver pays only if he is guilty. SuperKASCO - any damage is covered by insurance. Our Skoda has CASCO by default, additional insurance cost 10 € / day (refused).
▫ Greencard is needed to leave the car outside Montenegro (to Albania, Croatia and any other country).
When booking a car, open “all filters” and put a tick in the box “Green card”. We look only at those cars that have it.
A green card can be free or cost 6-12 €, sometimes 30 €, the cost is indicated in the description of the car. Upon receipt of the car, we check the validity period of the green card - it must cover the period of the trip.
▫ Upon receipt of the car, mark the damage in the picture in the contract, remove the car for video.
▫ Provide in the contract that the car can travel outside Montenegro, seal next to this phrase. Looks like that:
Isn't it easier to fly to Tirana right away and rent a car there? No, for a number of reasons:
▫ it's cheaper to fly to Montenegro (Wizzair from Warsaw, "Pobeda" from Moscow)
▫ in Montenegro, new cars are rented at an adequate price (especially from October to May) without a deposit or with a deposit of 50-100 euros. In Albania, the car park is older, the prices and the size of the deposit are higher.
▫ It is extremely easy to rent a car in Montenegro. Everything is clear and understandable, there are no hidden fees, expensive compulsory insurances, etc. When returning cars that were booked through myrentacar, we have never received additional purchases
Petrol
In Montenegro: 95 benz 1.36-1.4€
, diesel 1.35€
In Albania: 95 benz and diesel 1.46€
(183 leke)
In Montenegro, cards are accepted, petrol is ok at any gas station, diesel is not super everywhere.
Fuel in Albania is not always the norm, so we fill a full tank in Montenegro.
In Albania, choose network type filling stations Kastrati(yellow goat). They often ask for cash (euros or local lekis).
Border of Montenegro and Albania
Basic transitions:
✓ Muriqan-Sukobin(42.01688, 19.37225) - queues 1-3 hours, especially in summer and on weekends. Arrive early in the morning.
✓ Hani i Hotit - Bozhaj(42.33062, 19.42055) - the closest to Podgorica, the border is not busy even in summer. In October, we passed in 15 minutes in the afternoon.
Albanian stamps are not being put now, we do not need them. Check that Montenegrins put a stamp on leaving Montenegro and on the way back stamp on entry to ChG.
* In Montenegro, tourists pay a tax of 1 euro for each day of their stay. If they do not put stamps, then there may be questions about paying for the tour. collection in ChG for the days spent in Albania.
Albania roads
Roads (all free) turned out to be even better than the Montenegrin ones - at least wider. There is asphalt everywhere.
There are serpentines in the mountains. There are holes in the villages, but if you wish, the whole country is driven along the highways. Because of the mountains, the average speed is 50 km / h, so 200 km in Albania is not two hours, but at least four.
Traffic lights only in Tirana, in the province of the ring. From the unusual: cyclists and people on carts. In the capital there are traffic jams and Albanians jumping under the wheels.
The traffic police are there, they fine the reckless drivers. We followed the rules, so we didn't get to know the traffic police.
We rented an apartment with parking and parked the car on the territory. Lots of free parking lots.
Internet
Wifi is everywhere in hotels, guesthouses, cafes.
Mobile operators in Albania: Vodafone, T-Mobile Albania, ALBtelecom... The first two have a wider coverage area. Tariffs are changing.
Sims are sold at Tirana airport and in any office (available in every city).
My Albanian sim card Vodafone cost 500 leke (4 €): 1 GB internet, 100 sms.
I bought it in Kruja (the city where we spent the first night). Activated by the consultant, the Internet appeared 10 minutes after the purchase.
Albania route map
V maps.me(works without the Internet) downloaded the maps of Montenegro and Albania, put the marks of the necessary places in advance. This was enough.
Application in Albania builds a route through the city center. Drive by signs even if the navigator states otherwise.
Day 1, October 9
200 km, 4 hours behind the wheel: Podgorica → Bozhaj border → Rrapsh Serpentine lookout → bridge in Mesa → Rozafa fortress in Shkoder → Kruja (1 night)
▫ 8.50 Arrival at Podgorica airport, control in 20 minutes.
▫ 9.30-10.30 We met a guy from the rentakar, checked the car. We signed the docks, paid for parking at the airport 0.6 €, filled 47 liters for 64.5€
▫ 11.00 Hani i Hotit - Bozhaj border... Line of 3 cars, 15 minutes. They put CG exit stamps, the Albanians scanned their passports. Coordinates: 42.332461, 19.420479
The formalities are over. The journey has begun.
Rrapsh Serpentine
GPS: 42.415926, 19.503609
11.40 New asphalt immediately after the border called to the observation Rrapsh Serpentine to look at the winding road.
The pictures look like the Romanian Transfagarash. A view of the endless mountain range, flocks of birds overhead. Not a soul around.
Bridge in Mesa
GPS: 42.114501, 19.575118
12.40-13.00 The bridge in Mesa is the oldest Ottoman bridge (1780) that has survived to this day. Length 108 meters.
The turquoise river Cyrus and landfills were expected under the bridge. The river dried up, the garbage was removed. There were only two black-haired guys with a drone and an Albanian with a donkey.
Shkoder
The road to Shkoder from Mesa through the villages
13.40. Shkoder (Skodёr) turned out to be flat and hot. Still obscenely cheap, but we learned this quality on the way back. And while the sky is hazy, the mountains are hidden. We are going in transit. It was planned:
▫ Rozafa fortress(Rozafa Castle), entrance 200 leke (1.6 €)... The fortress is 2400 years old, a hill on the outskirts of Shkodra. GPS: 42.046970, 19.493279
▫ Lead Mosque on the river, free of charge, 42.047038, 19.499336
Kruja
15.40 Krujё 41.508560, 19.795429
Day 2, October 10
210 km, 5h driving: Kruja → Durres → Karavasta Lagoon → Vlore → Orikum (1 night)
Lagoon Karavasta
GPS: 40.927873, 19.499685
Half a day had to cut along the highway. Boredom! We made a detour to the Karavasta lagoon. Divjaka Karavasta National Park is gorgeous. I want to eat the air.
Forest, observation tower (200 leke), Johnny the pelican. Lakes, sea, deserted beach, 3 cafes, two-meter high locusts.
In October, flocks of pink flamingos flock to the lagoon (they were not found).
Vlora
40.450234, 19.489930
Vlora is a resort with a refined embankment. The city beach is a C grade, but there is where to walk.
After Vlora, in the direction of Orikum, there are small lovely coves with turquoise water. Here the Adriatic Sea merges with the Ionian Sea, the landscape changes dramatically.
Orikum
Day 3, October 11
131 km, 4h: Orikum → Llogara National Park → Albanian Riviera → Saranda → Ksamil
National park and Llogara pass
The road through the Logara National Park 
Llogara National Park - healing air, forest, mountains, haikis. Hotels, campings, cafes. A delightful place. You come to life, you forget about fatigue.
We put the car in our pocket (40.197634, 19.592316), went up the mountain (lookout, old bunker).
Nearby: Llogara pass (pass 1027m), 40.192593, 19.612677, Healthy bunker 40.184785, 19.592696, overviews.
Albanian Riviera
Large bunker 
Albanian Riviera - the coast between the Llogara pass and Saranda (resort), southwest of Albania. The road along the riviera ranks among the top epic tracks in Europe. Mountain serpentine, the sea is far below.
According to the plan, descent to the beaches, inspection of the villages:
Dhërmi (40.142102, 19.639516), Jalë (40.119545, 19.701673), Livadhi (40.107517, 19.728431), Gjipe (40.142102, 19.639516), Borsh (40.047229, 19.848153)
As a result, we stopped only at the observation deck. And so we drove 130 km for 5 hours. If you swim in every bay, a week will not be enough.
Saranda
Sarandë is the main resort in the south of Albania, a ferry arrives here from Corfu (Greece). Beautiful embankment, but we are going further.
Day 4, October 12. Ksamil
Ksamil (southern Albania), 39.773005, 19.997244
Day 5, October 13
232 km, 5h: Ksamil → Blue Eye → Gjirokastra → Berat, 1 night
Tiring day. Partially along the highway, but the center of Albania after the bueee riviera. Dusty and bare. Mountains, then fields. Gypsies steal melons from them, sell them at the roadside.
People on bikes and carts pulled by donkeys returned. There are no complaints about the roads. The section of carelessness between Fier and Berat, but after 20 km, ended.
Blue eye
39.927726, 20.192280
Entry 200 leke or 2 €
Blue eye, also known as the source of Syri i Kaltër. I thought such acid colors were created in Photoshop, but no, nature draws better.
These are karst springs, water gushes out from under the ground under pressure. You can't swim.
To the "eye" go on a dirt road for 2 km, made a circle from the road for 40 minutes.
Gjirokastra
Lock: 40.073751, 20.140404
Gjirokaster is a “city of a thousand steps”, on the UNESCO list.
See the castle on the hill (200 leke), museum, mosques, tower-type houses built in the 17-19th centuries. 2 hours were enough for us.
Berat
Day 6, October 14
300 km, 8 hours in the car: Berat → Tirana → restaurant Mrizi i Zanave → Muriqan-Sukobin border → Petrovac (CG)
▫ Tirana - hit by accident, 2 hours getting out in traffic jams. They did not see the capital (there was no time and desire).
▫ 13.00 Mrizi i Zanave, 41.899401, 19.673045 - the best restaurant in Albania. You need to book in advance. We arrived without a reservation on Sunday, the tables are occupied for the next day. We walked around the farm.
▫ Bought olives, nuts, sweets in the Shkoder supermarket ( Big Market, 42.057666, 19.501236), lunch in a cafe, 4 dishes for 7 €
▫ 16.00 Border AL-CG Muriqan-Sukobin, 42.017327, 19.372380
We stood in line for 1 hour 30 minutes, 50 cars in front of us. There is a single point of control here. You give the passport to the Albanian border guard and you get it back in the window of the Montenegrin. Checking stamp on entry to ChG.
▫ 18.40 arrived in Montenegrin Petrovac.
Rings in Tirana suck About our route
When you (like me), cold and cold, only 6 days, you have to choose.
There is a struggle in my heart: the Albanian Alps (Lake Coman, Valbona) or the paradise beach (what a bad luck!) - it is on the other side of the country.
The beaches and the Albanian Riviera became the priority, so the route is as follows. Difficult, a lot of crossings, but we liked it.
The food is delicious, the nature is nice, the prices are adequate. People are happy and waiting, trying.
If you highlight my TOP in Albania, then here is:
▫ sunset dinner in Kruja
▫ hike to the observation deck in Llogara National Park
▫ Ksamil beaches
▫ Blue eye
▫ fortress in Berat at night with a flashlight
🇦🇱 Answers to FAQ about holidays in Albania
Albania money
Currency of Albania - Albanian Lek, Leke (ALL)
Exchange rate: 1 $ = 110 lek, 1 € = 123 lek, 1 ruble = 1.7 lek
▫ In hotels, cafes, gas stations Euro take willingly and joyfully. Only in leks is cheaper. For example, the entrance to the fortress is 200 lek or 2 €.
▫ ATMs enough. I tried to shoot, saw a commission of 400-700 lek (3-6 €) and went to change the cash.
If you know ATMs that do not charge a commission, please share.
▫ By card you can pay in supermarkets, good hotels.
▫ Cash is needed anyway. At gas stations, in guest houses, apartments, cafes, cards may not be accepted.
🏠 Accommodation in Albania
Hotel prices: average 18-30€ for a double room. There are more / cheaper, depending on what you need.
If the amount of 20-25 euros per night does not scare you away, book on the booking.
On the forums, there are stories about housing on the spot for 5-10 euros. It is important when there is a lot of free time, there is absolutely no money and it does not matter in what conditions to spend the night.
A decent modern room or apartment with breakfast is easier to find online from reviews and photos.
🍲 Prices for food in cafes in Albania
Seafood on the Albanian coast 
Dinner at Kruja, 10 €
for two soup or salad 2-3€
hot dish with a side dish 5-7€
fish or seafood 7-10€
The gap in food prices is large. On the coast, prices are higher, in the north, near the border with Montenegro, you can 3€ eat a burger, salad and fries in a cafe.
They drink espresso, cappuccino, frappe, mali tea (mountain).
The average check for a dinner for two we got 10-16€ for 2 meals and tea / coffee. If you ordered seafood and wine, then 25-35€ for dinner.
Sample menu in Berat cafe (divide by 100 to get ≈ in euros)
🇦🇱 When is the best time to go to Albania?
Beach vacation on the sea: June-early October.
In mid-October, you can still swim in the south near the border with Greece (sea + 23C), but the beach season is already over. There are few people, sun loungers are removed, beach cafes may not work.
To avoid crowds, fly in June or late September.
Travel by country, sightseeing: April-May, September-November.
It's hot in Albania in summer.
Walking among the hot concrete at this time is uncomfortable. Even in October it was + 25 + 30C.
Autumn is perfect! 🇦🇱 Visa to Albania
An intergovernmental agreement is signed annually on visa-free entry for Russians and Belarusians.
In 2019, visa-free travel is valid since April 1 to October 31, you can spend up to 90 days in Albania during this period.
From November 1 to March 31, Belarusians and Russians need an Albanian visa. It is possible without a visa for up to 90 days, if there is a valid multishengen, a US or UK visa, and entered the country of destination with it at least once.
For example, you have a Polish cartoon for a year. We went to Poland once. Now welcome to Albania!
Citizens Of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Armenia need not visa all year round. You can spend 90 days in the country in half a year (tourism).
Info from the official site in Albanian: kryeministria.al
🇦🇱 Language
They speak Albanian, but not everyone knows English.
Gestures, online translator and crocodile games help.
🇦🇱 People
The main value of the country is nature and people. But not the ones that fit in Tirana and ask to gild the handle.
People are, for example, a man of about 50. He must wear a suit. He gently asks where they came from and quotes Lermontov's poem.
No, it doesn't sniff anything. I chatted for 5 minutes and went on to raise my pelican.
“They want nothing. They are just nice ”(They don't want anything, they are just nice).
Words of a familiar Israeli woman. If after two months in the country they say this about its people, it is a good sign.
Review of Albania
❤️ Pros
Having learned all the shades of Caucasian hospitality, you are looking for something similar in other countries.
Albania is just like that: welcoming, sincere, accessible.
Mass tourism has not yet been spoiled. It's time to go!
In Albania, you are a welcome guest. People start a conversation on the street, but they don't sell anything, they don't try to take them on a tour.
They are really interested in chatting with a foreigner.
The advantage of Albania is that it already has a ready-made infrastructure. Camping sites, cafes, hotels and guest houses are on every corner.
Free national parks. Entrances to attractions for 1.6 euros.
Food hangs in the trees and falls into your hands!
Stereotypes that I read about in preparation: a lot of garbage, theft, bad roads, refugees; Muslim country, you need closed clothes.
Maybe once this was true, but now Albania is striving to take its place in the tourist arena and is changing for the better.
You don't need to dress up in a hoodie and hide your face. This is how the girls in Tirana dress:
There is rubbish, but there is no more of it than on the beaches of Italy during the season.
Fortunately, we did not encounter theft.
Refugees did not see. Probably, if you look specifically, you will find it. In national parks, on beaches, in the provinces, there are no beggars and suspicious individuals.
Roads in excellent condition, asphalt everywhere. Albanians drive adequately (Tirana is not concerned).
😈 Cons
Are there any disadvantages in Albania? Probably like everywhere else.
For example, public transport. There is one, but minibuses do not run on schedule, there is no single station in Tirana.
But, if you travel for a short time without inflated requests and expectations, and also in a rented car, then there are no downsides.
Albania today is delicious food, kind people, beautiful nature, low prices for Europe. Sea and mountains. New impressions.
One-day group excursions from Montenegro to Albania are popular. They start from Budva at 6 am, return after 7 pm.
Imagine: 13 hours with a group of 50 people, 350 km along serpentines, cross the border twice.
Watching Shkoder and Tirana. Ok for show, but terribly tedious. Therefore, reviews in the spirit of "yes, okay" or "fu".
This is not the fault of the guide and not the country. The cities in the north are not the Albania you will be crazy about.
Ideally, take a car and go from Montenegro to Albania for at least two days, and better - for one or two weeks.
If you go to Albania with an excursion from Montenegro in one day, it is better with an individual guide. Examples of excursions:
Good-hearted Albanians to you!
Mila Demenkova
