You can’t be an ‘influencer’ if only 20 people read your blog. Can you 🙂 ? I want to say this because what follows are only my views on the country just visited, and thankfully we all experience things in such different ways. Tirana for me was a lovely surprise and a capital city that…

I know there is a theme here. If there is a UNESCO site in close proximity I want to visit it and Berat, designated as such in 2008, was a town on route back up north and a half way house to the airport back in Tirana. Berat UNESCO is made up of 3 areas…

Wow this place is something else! Firstly, I need to set the scene. This is a village built in geographically the most stunning of all places. I question if I have ever been in a U shaped valley of this size before. Dropping down in to the valley from Sarandë to the south west you…

The Albanian Riviera is the costal stretch between Vlorë, half way down the coast, and Ksamil near the Greek Border. Leaving Ksamil driving north you first hit Sarandë and my favourite coastal resort of those seen. It had that sunny disposition of a seaside town, small architecturally interesting hotels, tree lined streets, a nice beach,…

Albania came on to my wish list in 2023 when I watched the wonderful Bettany Hughes, the Oxford historian and broadcaster, this time on the BBC, wax lycricing about the Butrint Archaeological Site in the furthest reaches of Albania, close to the Greek border. You always wonder if you will get as much out of…

Before coming here I had visions that Albania would be like Croatia and Montenegro. Inland, broad tracts of rural land, and by the sea beachy inlets of newly built tourism centred around historical seaside villages. It really is too early to say, but my first impressions is that Albania is not quite like this. Travelling…

Tirana, in my view, needs three days. One to do a walking tour and the central sights around the main Skanderbeg Square, another day to do the Grand Park, museums and galleries and a third to do Bunk’Art 1 and Dajti Express on the outskirts of the city. Such a shame, with only one full…

As soon as you get off the main drag from the airport hitting the city for real, you are immediately struck by the ambience of the light if you arrive early in the evening. It is warm, low key and instantly soothing. The city roads are straight, tree lined and short lamp posts sneak out…