Last month we spent a weekend in Vermosh, a charming little village in Albania, close to the Montenegrin border. Vermosh is a real paradise, first of all for hikers, but also for nature lovers who are interested in a quiet and relaxing stay in the wild nature of the Albanian Alps. And it is so […]
Albania
A FAIRY-TALE DINNER AT MRIZI I ZANAVE
In the last few years I have heard many fabulous stories about ‘Mrizi i Zanave’, a popular slow food restaurant in Albania. When our Albanian friends invited us to join them last week, it goes without saying that we were very happy to get the opportunity to have dinner at this famous farmhouse. I must […]
SOCIALIST REALISTIC MONUMENTS IN ALBANIA
During our round trips through Albania, I could not help noticing that there are still a lot of socialist realistic monuments, bas-reliefs and sculptures to be found in every corner of the country. One of the finest examples of socialist realism is the huge mosaic called ‘The Albanians’ that decorates the façade of the National […]
THE CAPE OF RODON – A HIDDEN JEWEL ON THE ALBANIAN COAST
Albania is getting more and more popular as a tourist country, but there are still plenty of undiscovered places. One of them is the Cape of Rodon (in Albanian: Kepi i Rodonit), a rocky, 10 km long cape on the Adriatic Sea, north of Durres. We visited the cape last year in May and I […]
DISCOVER HIMARË ON THE ALBANIAN COAST
Although we have crisscrossed Albania many times, there are still a lot of hidden secrets to be discovered. One of them is Himarë, a place that offers great sandy beaches, but also historical sights like Himarë Fasht (Old Himarë) and the fortress of Porto Palermo . Last spring we took a few days to visit […]
HIKING TO THE BLUE EYE OF KAPREJA (THETH)
Did you know that Albania has at least two “blue eyes”? The Blue Eye of Saranda in the southern part of the country is the most famous one, but the Blue Eye of Kapreja/Theth is rapidly gaining in popularity. A few weeks ago we made a hiking tour to this breathtaking place with a group […]
5 WEEKEND TRIPS TO NORTH ALBANIA
Although Montenegro is a wonderful country, many expats and inhabitants of Podgorica have been asking me how and where to spend a nice weekend in North Albania. No wonder, the distance to the Božaj/Hani i Hotit border is 20 km only. Although the border crossing is still under reconstruction at the moment, new control points […]
ALBANIA BY CAMPER
Apart from Montenegro, there is another country in the Balkans that is very interesting and attractive for adventurous camper tourists: Albania. During the last decade, many good camping sites have been opened in all parts of Albania. Parking lots or camper sites in front of hotels, restaurants or gas stations are another possibility. But maybe […]
MY 5 FAVORITE CAMPSITES IN THE BALKANS
Are you traveling the Balkans by camper van this summer? In that case you might need some tips about “special” campsites. We have accompanied two camper groups from the Netherlands through Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia last month and this seems to be a good reason to share our experience and give some recommendations. MONTENEGRO Ethno-village […]
5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ROADS IN ALBANIA
We are just back from a short round trip through Albania and, although we have crisscrossed the country many times, it was another extraordinary experience. If you want to visit Albania, you should know that getting around to see this undiscovered tourist destination with its stunning landscape, unspoiled by mass tourism, is not always easy; […]