ALBANIA ( EUROPE )

15 THE BEST PLACE TO VISIT IN ALBANIA















BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN ALBANIA

Albania has got to be one of Europe’s best-kept travel secrets. With a long western coastline along the Adriatic Sea, just 45 miles from the boot of Italy, and bordering Greece on the south and southeast, there are some extraordinary places to visit in Albania.

The country has a truly fascinating history. The home of a hardy people who love their freedom and speak a language whose roots can be traced back five thousand years, Albania only became a nation in 1912. The region had been invaded by Alexander the Great, colonized by the Romans, ruled for centuries from Constantinople, and incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. Its cultural roots go deep.

But Albania did not recover from World War II as quickly as other Balkan countries. It remains a region scarcely familiar to travelers, although this situation is rapidly changing. Nowadays the question of what to see in Albania needs to be asked less frequently.

There are some amazing places to visit in Albania, extraordinary things to do, and breathtaking sights to see. Here’s a list of the top 15 must-visit sites for all who undertake to travel to Albania.






1. Porto Palermo

Albania’s southern coastline is known as the “Albanian Riviera”. Blessed with ancient monuments, tiny traditional villages, pristine beaches, and secluded sea caves and coves, the area is truly one of the jewel’s in Albania’s crown. In 2014 the Huffington Post named the Porto Palermo, one of this region’s prettiest places, first among Europe’s undiscovered destinations. The southern entrance to the bay of Porto Palermo is dominated by its castle, built originally by Venetians but later rebuilt by Ottoman Turks.






2. Dhermi

Not far from Porto Palermo lies the village of Dhermi, a small place packed with centuries of history. The people here speak a dialect of Greek that fascinates historical linguists. The place is packed with Orthodox churches, all exhibiting distinctive Mediterranean architecture; there are three major monasteries as well. Dhermi is rich in local folklore.

The village itself perches on rocks that plummet almost vertically into the sea. Dhermi’s beach is one of the most breathtaking in Europe: its golden sands and turquoise waters are interrupted by rocky outcroppings – the Pirate’s Cave, for example, whose mysterious rocky columns have fascinated tourists for centuries and is one of the most unforgettable places to visit in Albania.






3. Blue Eye

Not far from the coast of the Albania Riviera rises the Bistrice River, which flows down into the sea. The river bubbles up from a deep cleft in the rock, forming a 50-meter deep pool of startling clarity and a deep blue color. The pool, known as the Blue Eye from its color and circularity, is cited in every Albania tourist guide as a place truly deserving a visit. The area around the pool has been designated a nature reserve and is richly overgrown with oak and sycamore trees.






4. Butrint National Park

If you travel south down the coast from the Albanian Riviera, you’ll arrive at a region that deserves to be ranked as one of the most fascinating places to visit in Albania. This is the site of the ancient Greek colony of Buthrotum, which now forms Butrint National Park. The park’s 94 square kilometers contain archaeological, historical, and natural treasures that you’ll find completely irresistible.

The archaeological excavations have unearthed remains from the Bronze Age, remains of the ancient city walls, the Roman theater, and a number of ancient ecclesiastical buildings. There’s a Venetian castle on the site as well. The excavations are surrounded by natural woodlands, through which flows the Vivari Channel. In addition to the park’s status as an Albanian national park, it has also been named a UNESCO World Heritage site.






5. Gjirokaster Castle

Still in southern Albania but inland from the Albanian Riviera, the Gjirokaster Castle has stood guard over the town and surrounding countryside of Gjirokaster since at least the thirteenth century. Like so many of the other places to visit in Albania, the Gjirokaster Castle has had a series of identities through the ages: the home of a noble Albanian family in origin, it was later to become a fortress used by the Turks to suppress local rebellion. The castle was used by the local people during World Wars I and II as a bomb shelter.






6. Apollonia

You’ll have figured out by now that Albania is a country rich in historical monuments and fascinating archaeological sites. One of the most striking of these is Apollonia, an ancient city that lies up the coast from the Albanian Riviera but still near the sea. It lies about 7 miles from the village of Pojani, and truly deserves to have a day or two reserved for a visit.

Apollonia was a famous and wealthy metropolis in antiquity. You can visit the remains of the city walls, the library, a triumphal arch, and a temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis. Don’t miss the archaeological museum featuring some of the excavated materials from the site. This is located in the fourteenth-century monastery of Saint Mary in the Apollonia archaeological park.






7. Berat and Berat Fortress

Some way inland from the Albanian Riviera lies the city of Berat; the old town of Berat is another of Albania’ UNESCO World Heritage sites. Berat was built on the right bank of the Osum River at a place that formed a kind of natural rocky fortress on the slopes of the Tomorr Mountains. Berat Castle towers over the river, with its fortification walls enclosing a substantial part of the hillside. The buildings inside the walls date from the thirteenth century and have been preserved as cultural treasures. The Church of Saint Mary of Blachernae well deserves a special visit. The church buildings date from the thirteenth century, and contain murals painted in the sixteenth century by Nikolle Onufri, an important Albanian icon painter.






8. National Ethnographic Museum in Berat

Visiting the Berat Fortress complex is one of the most exciting things to do in Albania. Once you’ve had the opportunity to see the castle and its extraordinary buildings, don’t miss the National Ethnographic Museum. Here’s the place where you’ll find the everyday objects of Albanian culture on display: wooden furniture, ceramic plates, a loom, and reconstructions of domestic interiors from past centuries.







9. Kruje

Nestled in the mountains of central Albania, the town of Kruje is filled with historical monuments and legends of its medieval past. The original capital of the Kingdom of Albania, medieval Kruje was the citadel of Skanderbeg, the Albanian hero who valiantly resisted the encroachments of the Ottoman Turks from Kruje Castle. The castle now houses a museum dedicated to the memory of Skanderbeg, as well as the remains of the Fatih Sultan mosque, a Turkish bath, and the National Ethnographic Museum of Kruje.






10. National History Museum, Tirana

Tirana, the capital and largest city of Albania, is not only the major cultural center of the country but also a place rich in history and legend. The site of the city has enjoyed continual human occupation since the Old Stone Age. Start your visit to Tirana by touring the National History Museum, since in this way you’ll get a feel for the sheer antiquity of the place.

The museum consists of eight “pavilions,” seven dedicated to historical eras and the eighth to one of the most famous of Albanians, Mother Teresa (now Saint Teresa of Calcutta). The Pavilions of Antiquity and the Middle Ages contains many valuable relics. But if you want to get a true flavor for the modern country, don’t miss the areas dedicated to Albanian history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.






11. Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania, Tirana

While visiting Albania’s capital city, don’t miss the stately cathedral that forms the center of the independent (autocephalous) Church of Albania. Named the Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral of Tirana, the building is strikingly modern in architecture, having been constructed in 2012.






12. Et’hem Bey Mosque, Tirana

Approximately 58% of the Albanian population is Muslim. Only since 1991, however, have Albanians regained the right openly to follow the religion of their choice. The Et’hem Bey Mosque, constructed in the eighteenth century, is once again a center of Islamic worship and culture in Tirana. Its exquisite architecture and beautiful frescoes are among the outstanding places in the capital city to visit.






13. Skanderbeg Square and Museum

While strolling the streets of Tirana you’re sure to find yourself in Skanderbeg Square, the city’s main plaza. The beautiful square, carefully landscaped and lit by a myriad of lamps at night, is dominated by the mounted statue of Albania’s national hero, Skanderbeg.






14. Mount Dajti National Park

Once you’ve had an opportunity to tour Tirana, be sure to schedule a trip to nearby Mount Dajti National Park, less than an hour’s drive from the city. Familiarly termed the “balcony of Tirana,” Mount Dajti looms over the cityscape, and at its height offers a spectacular view of the capital. The park is a nature reserve, dominated by oak and beech groves. You’re sure to spy foxes, wild boars, and brown bears while visiting the nature preserve.






15. Rozafa Castle

Tucked away in the northwest corner of Albania is one of the most spectacular architectural sights of all: rugged and majestic Rozafa Castle. Its story is the stuff of legend as it stands guard over the rugged Albanian terrain. A visit to this site is truly one of the things to do in Albania.