Albania

[PiratePenguin]

14 year old and I are going away next year for a week in the summer. Has anyone been to Albania? Is Tirana an interesting city? Are there activities to do eg zip lining, rafting (not hiking!). What are the beaches like?

Ideally need- a niceish beach, things to do eg zip lining, rafting, a bit of culture (but not too much says teen), easy journeys between town and beach (train ? but also happy yo drive a couple of hours)

I'm drawn to it as I've not been there and it looks like it hasn't been 'tainted' too much by tourism yet.

Any advice welcome!

Also, any other suggestions of locations that would fit the bill. TIA

I wouldn't. Montenegro is just next door and I've been there.

I was planning to cross the Albanian border for a day trip and I was strongly advised not to by the English owner of the guest house I stayed at who'd live in the area for nearly a decade. He said I'd be hassled.

I didn't cross the border in the end so I have absolutely no idea how accurate this advice was but he does live there and had been to Albania many times.

I'd go to Montenegro. It will be similar terrain and it is absolutely stunning. Warm and friendly people. Cheap as it has adopted the euro but not in the EU. Great food.

Very mountainous. I spent most of my time hiking or wild swimming in mountain lakes.

Plenty of outdoor activities, ziplining, water water rafting, for sight seeing there is Kotor Bay and the old town is amazing.

It is also untouched by mass tourism. But I'd be quick before it does. Lovely beaches. Very small so everything driveable.

Stari Bar is a lovely small town with a medieval fortress.

Podgorica is not the most exciting capital but then neither will Tirana be I guess.

Budva is a lovely seaside town. Durmitor national park for all the outdoor stuff.

You can even drive over the border to Dubrovnik if you wanted.

The airport is tiny and you're out so quickly with little hassle. Same on the way in.

Sorry I can't advise about Albania but Montenegro would fit your criteria too.

Look up The Travel Mum on instagram - she’s just done a trip there and loved it.

This is so interesting, I’ve started looking at Albania for next year as well! Me, DH and 16 yr old. We adore Italy, so it seems like an interesting similar but different place. I’ve started following #albaniatourism on Instagram to get an idea of the beauty of the country. My issue is how we would get there. It seems difficult to get there relatively easily unless you’re going from London. That adds a day onto our journey!
I’d love to hear about any plans you make or discoveries about the country, so please keep the thread updated 😊

We have been to Sarande its opposite Corfu.
Nice little seaside town plenty of bars, went to Blue Eye its spectacular clearest water we have ever seen.
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/albania/articles/why-visiting-the-blue-eye-in-albania-should-be-on-every-travellers-list

Stopped here for a drink , stunning views
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%ABkur%C3%ABsi_Castle

I would suggest hiring a tour guide to take you around

There are a lot of internet articles about Albania being the next big thing in tourism. I was looking into it as intrigued but think there is a lot of pr going into overdrive. Have a careful look on Google earth for hotels etc you’re interested in. I was intrigued about a few I’d seen in travel mags but the satellite view tells a slightly different story to the v glossy photos I’d been seeing.

I've been on holiday there a few times with ds when he was younger - and we both really enjoyed ourselves. Beach holidays mostly, rather shockingly I've never been to Tirana (traffic was too hectic and I had a hire car) but will do one day. Look for beachside accommodation in the Golem area south of Durres - and for an easy life just arrange a pick-up at the Airport.

Haven't been for a few years now - it's probably a bit more modernized? You used to not be able to get any Albanian currency (Lek) outside of Albania and if this is still true, just exchange some £s at the Airport when you get there.

Lovely people, lovely country.

@Newname2308 if you can get a direct flight to Bari you can take the overnight ferry to Durres - which is great fun, make sure you book a cabin, the return ferry to Bari is also overnight.

I think Albania is great! Really lovely beaches and also beautiful cultural places such as Berat and Gjirokaster. Also some good places for hiking in the North. Tirana is nice but not that much to do/see in my opinion, half a day is enough. Only downside to an Albania holiday is that it isn’t easy to get around. Public transportation is not great (buses between cities with slightly unreliable timetables) and driving by yourself is…well, adventurous. But other than that, I love it. It’s very good value for money.

Beautiful place according to someone I know that visited whilst holidaying in Corfu.

Update - I think we have now decided to go to Montenegro. Having looked at Albanian further, I think the distances between the places I want to see are too great.
I think we will fly to Dubrovnik for 2 nights, drive to Durmitor national park area fro paddling, kayaking, zip line, canyoning and then drive to Kotor area for some beach before flying out. I think it will give us a good balance of culture, activity and lounging around in the sun.
Any advice or thoughts on the plan so far would be greatly appreciated!!

Sounds an amazing trip OP. Enjoy.

Yay I've been there to Montenegro only last year. What would you like to know?

Crossing the border is a bit hit and miss. We were stuck in a queue for ages going from Croatia to Montenegro, coming back slightly better. The driving in Montenegro was interesting to say the least, totally different from the relative normality of Croatia. We did a road trip from Zagreb.