Seafront Vlore, Palm trees in the Albanian Riviera

 

Colourful wave shape roundabouts in seaside Vlore, on the SW coast of Albania. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Palm trees along the seafront road at Vlore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

A tour of towns, cities and resorts in Albania - for city break in Tirana or a beach holiday on the Albanian Riviera

Tirana Airport

Albania map from poster in Albania.

CENTRAL ALBANIA

Airport Area

We flew to Albania's capital, Tirana, on budget airline Whizzair. To take advantage of the cheapest fare you have to cut down on your luggage. A friend of mine did just that, with one linen blouse which she washed out every night and it was dry by next day. 

The full name of Tirana's main airport is Mother Teresa airport, Meme Teresa. Her statue is on the roundabout at the airport exit. 

Half a dozen hotels are a short walk around the perimeter if you want to stay overnight, because on your return flight you are leaving from the airport early.

We hired a car from Whiz Cars, which has a hut office outside the perimeter fence. But in June 2023 the airport was being rebuilt without correct car park numbers so we wasted half looking for our Whiz Car office. We should have asked for a map of it first. They said it was next to a hotel, but there were four hotels in sight on the right, and two other airport staff sent us in other directions including the obscured left.  

Tirana's Delights - walking

Tirana

Tirana, the capital, highly recommended, has many multi-storey international hotels overlooking tree lined squares. We indulged by staying a couple of night in a fabulous luxury hotel, The Crown Hotel, with a marble staircase with  a wide marble bannister. The bedrooms had clockwork curtains. We could not get the clockwaork to work, but it was just the idea which was so exciting. The dining room's last night treat was a tasting menu of seven courses for fifty pounds each would have cost twice that in London. We also had drinks in their rooftop restaurant.

Crown Hotel Rooftop drinks and dining in Tirana, capital of Albania. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The Crown's indoor restaurant had a tasting menu  of several courses for about 50 pounds sterling. Also a private jacuzzi and sauna and power shower which you had to book.

The bedroom had

The markble bannisters and light fittings with millions of fairy lights were amazing, impressive. The curtains oeprated from a switch. It didn't work, but we were impressed.

Delightful Tirana

Day 1 We walked to one of the half a dozen many attractions, The House Of Leaves, the museum nearest our hotel.

It is a private museum and did not take Euros. All about methods of surveillance during the time when the country was cut off from the world under dictator Xhosa. (Proouced Hoxer).

Our next stop was Bunk Art 2, a dome over a staircase leading to a labyrinth of underground rooms, all about torture in the bad old days. It ended with a room of music and abstract art.  Much friendlier to tourists. Took Euros. .Lots of discount options such as family tickets and student tickets and press tickets or at least if they were not available.

We could not find Bunk Art 1, a drive to the north.

Walking, however, was very pleasant. We started at the street of restaurants and shops in the ground floor alley of the old castle. 

Owner of Cobo winery, at his restaurant in Tirana, restaurant called 

We ate in a wine owners restaurant. It was good to meet the owner.

The Pyramid

The next day we walked to the Pyramid. it looks like a modern artwork. It was originally designed as a museum to celebrate the achievements of Hosa, designed by his daughter, an architect, three years after he died. The structure was later made into a conference centre. After assorted changes, clashing parties had different ideas. 

But those defying threats to demolish it had it turned into a tourist attraction which you could climb. You can photograph yourself on the steps, yourself on the top, and the view from the top.  

Our last stop was walking to the Holocaust Memorial. Misleadingly signed from the map at the park. Ask the attendant in the car park.

Languages, Menus, Translations

I took with   a translator which I cut out from a Lonely Planet Eastern European guide.

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NORTHERN ALBANIA

THETH

The far south and north both of the country have tiring and scary if you are easily scared, long drives up and down mountains. The Balkans in the north to Theth for hiking were remote. We had rain. 

Things to see that way, not much. 

Meme Bridge, Side Trip from  Theth

Hike to the Blue Eye water

Hike to the waterfall

One picturesque old bridge, Meme. One ruined hilltop castle.

The road out of Tirana going north passes numerous multi story car and tyre show rooms and wedding dress boutiques and isolated wedding venues like white Disney castles. 

Once in the mountains, the hiking trails were not marked. 

Lots of cheap guest houses. Power went off in the two restaurants by the bridge, and staff in the supemrket disappeared when we wanted to pay. Our hotel at Theth has a Jacuzzi in the indoor pool and a sauna. Made a great birthday cake for 40 dollars. No toilet roll holders and small rooms. Lovely owner family. 

We visited one winery, Medaur, which was a bit slow in replying, but did a tasting for a small charge including cheese, bread and salami.

Next door is an aromatic herb factory, lavender and sage.

LAKESIDE

Restaurant Syri i Sheganit

The Schkoder lake has a lakeside restaurant with ducks. I loved the ducks, but was not thrilled by the food.

The big hotel is the DeLuxe with an outdoor pool. on the plain by the motorway and near the prison with high walls and towers and around the outside in English motivational mottoes.

The Motorway North

The buildings are all multi coloured and every building different. Looks like six students designed every building, orange on the left and yellow on the right, or all window frames different colours, or oblongs on the ground floor circles on the middle floor and waves on the balconies of the top floor.

The same goes for the hotels going south along the Albanian Riviera. 

On the way back we drove inland to see Berat, a hillside town with a hilltop ruined castle. I had read so much about the town with a thousand windows that I was disappointed in Berat. Few places to eat for those in a car. Worth seeing but not worth going to see. 

SOUTH OF TIRANA

Berat's Wineries

Berat has two major attractions are two wineries geared up for coach parties. In the centre of town is Luana, a huge hotel with coaches outside a small lobby and a huge dining room the size of a wedding hall with everybody eating the same white dessert  is a glass. 

We went to small, quaint, traditional Cobo Winery on the road into town, having met the owner's family at their restaurant in Tirana. It is an old rustic house with beams. 

Much more life in the south in the Riviera.

What to eat? They are across the sea from Italy and you get pizza everywhere and ice cream.

THE FAR SOUTH WEST

Dhermi

We stayed at La Brisa hotel, which opened to fanfare in 2022. 

We had breakfast included at adjoining Arthur restaurant. The owner is Arthur. It is Thai style. A model elephant in by the beach bar. Rooftop pool.

A kosher hotel, Solomon's, was up the hillside, nooky and full of vintage items and stained glass. They are builign a rooftop swimming pool for next year, 2024, hopefully.

Vlore, en route, a coastal strip with skyscraper hotels in colourful and varied styles. Hard to park.

Further South

Sander, sloping, character, remote so less expensive.

Isak Winery, loved it. Saw the fruit and vegetables as well as wines. Fig jam.

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Porto Palermo bar restaurant, cliff top coffee stop. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Porto Palermo, clifftop restaurant, on the z bend road was a coffee stop, cliffside on the road (cross the road on foot to see the view on foot), large orange-red flowers arched over the windows in June.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Tirana

Beach and Beach bars in Dhermi, on the west coast of Albania, called the Albanian Riviera

 

The beach bars at Dhermi blare out throbbing music from about 9 am to about 11.15 pm. For example, the song Macarena. 

Some bars have bean bags on the sand, in neat rows under the thatched umbrellas (closed at closing time). Flames are in between the drinkers. 

Our hotel, La Brisa, meaning the breeze, has a private beach across the pedestrian promenade. 

The stylish restaurant Artur, (Arthur's) is Balinese style. The owner had another style of restaurant in the capital Tirana.  

And a row of cigar shaped links cordoning off a square of the sea. A public beach is at the far end.

Angela On the shingle beach with hotel loungers and parasols at Dhermi Beach, SW coast of Albania. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Hotels are along the promenade and up the hillsides. More are being built. 

All good news. For the hoteliers, Albanians, and visitors.

Useful Websites

https://hefinde.com/products/water-shoes-2?dicbo=v4-6r1NEpn-1077638467

Cows On the Mountain road to Dhermi, south west coast of Albania

 

Cows on the z bend, steep mountain roads in South west Albania. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.

The roads have barriers. All the same, you don't want to get in a confrontation with a cow.

A tunnel for cars is being built through one of the mountains at ground level. This will save half an hour on the journey from Tirana to Dhermi. Good news for hoteliers, locals from capital Tirana who come to the beach for the weekend, and foreign visitors who will spend less time driving to Dhermi beach, or driving even further south  to cheaper Sarander seaside which is more distant from the capital.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albania