Destination: Albania

Odyssey’s Albania small group tour travels by coach and occasionally uses local transport, including trains and ferries. Specifics are always outlined in your tour itinerary. Buses are cheap and commonplace in Albania, and are a fairly convenient way to get around.

Furgons (privately run minibuses) are also common, though they tend to become crowded and and timetables are not always strictly followed by drivers. The rail network is quite limited, so taking the train might not make the best option for transportation.

In Tirana the major city, Odyssey stays in centrally located 4 star hotels, close to the ancient city with easy access to public transport. In smaller towns or rural areas, we usually stay in family-run hotels or guesthouses.

On our longstay tours, during which you spend the length of the tour in a single location, we use serviced apartments.

Odyssey tour itinerary for a small group tour always engages local guides with regional knowledge to deliver the guided tour for a region to ensure an authentic experience during which you can learn as much as possible about the history and culture of places you visit in Albania as part of your escorted tour.

Much of Albania is comprised of hills and mountains, with several mountain ranges, such as the Albanian Alps, the Sharr Mountains, the Accursed Mountains, the Pindus and the Ceraunian Mountains running down the length of the country from Northern Albania. Numerous rivers run through the country, the longest of which is the Drin, which flows for 285 kilometres. Despite being a relatively small country, Albania is home to a diverse array of wildlife, with 799 protected areas in Albania.

Albania experiences variations in climate, depending on the region – the coastal areas tend to experience hot summers and cool winters, while the mountainous areas feature short, mild summers and cold winters. Depending on when and where you intend to travel, check the weather reports and dress accordingly.

Albania has 3 properties listed on the UNESCO World Heritage site list, with a further 4 places on the Tentative List. You can view the listed properties here: (https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/al). The listed properties include:

Butrint, an archaeological site containing the ruins of previous settlements of Greeks, Romans and Byzantines.

The Ottoman Empire is seen in the UNESCO world heritage site of Historic old town of Berat and Gjirokastra. Both ancient towns preserve the Ottoman architecture for a great walking tour

Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests, which stand as a prime example of undisturbed temperate forests and the remarkable ecological patterns characteristic to this tree species.

These sites are included in a tour itinerary of these small group tours of Albania.

Albania celebrates its heritage and cultural traditions through several festivals and events throughout the year. Every year, the National Festival of Urban Folk Songs is held in March, with the traditional folk songs and music of Albania celebrated through the staging of live performances and recitals. The Gjirokaster Folk Festival is another event of national significance – held every 5 years, it showcases traditional Albanian clothing, music, dance, and arts. More contemporary-minded events include the International Festival of Modern and Contemporary Dance and the Tirana International Film Festival.

• Modern Albania: From Dictatorship to Democracy in Europe, by Fred Abrahams
• The Albanians: A Modern History, by Miranda Vickers
• Albanian Folktales and Legends, by Robert Elsie,
• Broken April, by Ismail Kadare

Dairy, seafood, and meat feature prominently in Albanian cuisine offered in the local restaurant. Yogurt, whether sweet or sour, frequently appears in Albanian dishes, including tavë kosi, which is lamb baked in an earthenware dish with eggs and yogurt. Seafood is widely available and consumed along Albania‘s coastline, with mussels, shrimp, fish and grilled octopus featuring prominently in Albanian coastal food. Meats are important part of Albanian cooking, whether grilled and skewered, cooked as a stew or ground up and eaten as meatballs (kofta). Perhaps the most popular dish in Albania is byrek, which is made from sheets of filo pastry layered over spinach, cheese, and meat.

Like elsewhere in the southern Balkans, rakia (fruit brandy) is popularly consumed and is served as an apertif. Coffee remains a central part of social life in Albania, with Turkish coffee being particularly popular.

Generally speaking, Albania is safe to travel in, though always exercise common sense while travelling.

Whenever you travel overseas, it’s always wise to take an appropriate travel adaptor. Albania’s electricity supply runs at 230V and 50Hz. Albania uses Type C and Type F electric plugs, so make sure you have the right travel adaptor with you.