Albania: This Country Will Surprise You! (Road Trip)

Video Statistics and Information

Video
Captions Word Cloud
Reddit Comments
Captions
This is our story about going to Albania. On our 7-day road trip we explored the Albanian heartland, Riviera and the mountains. We discovered great places like Berat, Vlora, Himara, Gjirokastra, Shkodra and more! And we learned a lot about how Albania is behind the scenes. Our road trip starts from Tirana – where we have spent a couple of weeks. Be sure to check out our separate video about Tirana, if you plan to go there. We are on the way to Berat – the first destination on our itinerary. It lies 100 kilometers south of Tirana in the mountainous region of central Albania. Berat is also called the "City of a Thousand Windows" and is considered one of the most important sights in Albania! It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is under special protection: In three districts with the historic white Ottoman houses, new buildings are prohibited. Albania is a safe country to travel. The greatest risks do not come from criminals, but lie in everyday life. We spend the night in our next destination Vlora, which is a 1.5 hour drive from Berat. Vlora has a vibrant nightlife you can definitely enjoy. – Let's see what we get for 35 Euros in Albania … I'm curious … ooh wow … it's a very big room … let's see … oh my god … 35 Euros including breakfast … and parking … bathroom … wow … very cool bathroom … and a big balcony … with sea view! – Good morning! – This is the sea view … by daylight. For the price of 35 Euros you obviously don’t get the best sea view in Vlora which is in summer a popular tourist destination. Although Albania has vibrant cities and shiny new hotels, it’s still has a long way to go to achieve a healthy economy. In 2022 Albania ranks among the poorest countries in Europe. Many are unemployed or unable to make a living from their regular occupation. One third of Albania's population lives below the poverty line. An Albanian saying goes: „Poverty and wealth are twins“. And in fact, we do also see the wealthy sides of Albania – as the country is characterized by sharp contrasts. The promenade in Vlora is a 5 kilometer long paved street and stretches along the coast. We can very well imagine what’s going on here in the summer time. We leave Vlora and continue our road trip towards the Albanian Riviera. The Riviera is located on the Ionian Sea and starts south of Vlora, where the Adriatic Sea ends. We drive up to the mountain pass Llogara. It’s a high mountain pass – more than 1,000 meters above sea level – within the Ceraunian Mountains along the Albanian Riviera. From here we start to discover the whole Albanian Riviera up to Saranda, the southernmost coastal town on the Riviera. In spring, we have this beautiful area all to ourselves like this picturesque mountain village Dhërmi. In summer, it’s crowded with tourists. The majority of tourists come from Albania and the neighboring countries. Himara is one of the most preferred tourist villages. We stay one night and have dinner in a Greek Albanian restaurant. By the way, Greeks make up the largest ethnic minority in Albania and a number of them live in this region. – Buonissimo! – Grandmother's zucchini balls … with Tsatsiki. – Very good. – Enjoy … The next morning we fall in love with Himara and this incredible coast of the Ionian Sea, with its turquoise waters. The castle ruins of Old Himara are also worth a visit. We walk up the cobblestone streets. From the top we will have a great view. Sweet sheep everywhere. No wonder, because sheep are one of the most important livestock in Albania. Yes! Himara Castle offers a stunning view in all directions with the Greek island Corfu and other islands on the horizon. The castle is beautifully set with the Ceraunian Mountains in the background. One thing must be said: Albania's scenic beauty is not at all second to that of neighboring Greece or Croatia. We continue our road trip towards Saranda. Before we continue: Please don’t forget to let us know in the comments what's your opinion about Albania. We feel that Albania is an underrated country, a secret tip if you don’t know where to go in Europe. We reach Saranda, a famous seaside resort on the Albanian Riviera in the south of the country. In recent years, the development of tourism has triggered a construction boom. Numerous hotels and vacation apartments have been built. Saranda is visited annually by about 500,000 tourists. We move on in the direction of Gjirokastra. It’s located land inwards. We have to drive through mountainous regions to get there. Can you imagine? Half of the Albanian country is covered by mountains with altitudes above 600 meters above sea level. A small part of them are high alpine regions. We arrive in the evening and go for a quick dinner, tomorrow we’ll see more. Coming out of our hotel we were impressed by a huge soccer field right in the center of the new town. Albanians love soccer! And here we finally see the full beauty of the old town of Gjirokastra with its fortress and stone houses that climb up the mountain range. Gjirokastra’s old town is a Unesco World Heritage Site and impresses with its beautiful location … its charming old bazaar surrounded by historic Ottoman houses … and its majestic fortress. We don’t want to leave this place, it’s beautiful. But on our onward journey the next highlight is already waiting for us – the Ottoman stone bridge Ura e Kordhocës. Our road trip continues to Erseke located high up in the mountains. On our way we pass little villages and diverse landscapes. If you dream of a unique road trip, you should come to Albania. The country is certainly a bit adventurous, but safe and most roads are well drivable, except for some obstacles. The Vjosa River is Europe’s last wild river outside of Russia. It flows untamed and free on the entire course of over 270 kilometers. In rare cases and in rather remote mountainous areas, an off-road car could be recommended. After a 4-hour drive we reach Erseke, one of the highest alpine towns in Albania at an altitude of 1050 meters! It’s almost 10 pm and we are lucky to find a nice Albanian woman who prepares food for us even though the restaurant is already closed. Thank you! [in Albanian] – Good morning! – It's a new day in Albania … in the mountains. Let’s go shopping … The days when there was a shortage of goods are over, and Albania is developing into a modern market economy. In rural towns, most purchases are made at the market. Larger cities of course have nice department stores. As usual, we meet Albanians who are very welcoming. – Our new Albanian friend … speaks all languages: Italian, English, Albanian … So there is plenty to buy in Albania. But the problem lies in the finances. Many Albanians do not earn more than a couple of beers and cafés cost in a bar. In 2022, the minimum wage is 32,000 Albanian leks, which corresponds to about 280 U.S. dollars. We leave Erseke and travel on to Korca. The urban population of Albania today amounts to about 63%, while the countryside and some small towns are literally becoming deserted – especially in the mountains and in the south. We reach Korca. It’s famous for „Birra Korca“, a popular and delicious Albanian beer. The city center of Korca has beautiful wide streets and the Orthodox Cathedral "Resurrection of Christ" is stunning. While the rural surroundings of Korca are inhabited by a majority of Sunni Muslims and Bektashis, Orthodox Christians are strongly represented in the city itself. However, a large percentage of Albanians say that religion is "not important“, they lead a secular life and reject religious considerations to shape their way of life. Our road trip leads us further to Pogradec. By the way, the speed limit should always be respected because the police is very present throughout the country and strictly controls the speed of the vehicles. We arrive in Pogradec. It’s one of the most important tourist destinations in the country and beautifully located on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The lake is one of the deepest and oldest lakes on earth and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We enjoy the peaceful atmosphere that can be felt here during the off-season. The lake promenade offers a nice view of the lake. In summer, many Albanians spend their vacations here and go swimming in the lake. Thanks to its location at an altitude of over 700 meters, Pogradec is a well-liked place to escape the heat of the Albanian lowlands during the summer months. – Good morning … from Elbasan! The former industrial city of Elbasan is often left behind by travelers. [speaking Albanian] But in our opinion it is an interesting and authentic city. [speaking Albanian] The city has become a place for health tourism. Especially dental tourism. Many international guests come here to have their teeth done cheaply and enjoy a vacation at the same time. The transformation following the collapse of the communist system is still ongoing in Albania. Albania hopes to become a member of the European Union. It has been promised a place in the EU when it fulfills the required economic, political, social and legal reforms. Right now poor infrastructure, nepotism, corruption and unclear laws stand in the way. Inside the fortress of the city is one of the oldest preserved mosques in Albania. The King’s Mosque. Aqif Pasha Elbasani was an Ottoman Albanian politician and an activist for the Albanian national cause after the Young Turk revolution. Our road trip goes on to Shkodra – we pass Tirana and Kruja. For both cities we have a separate YouTube video that you should not miss. We are in Shkodra, the weather is bad, but you can still spot Rozafa Castle. – Let's see what we get for 45 Euros in Shkodra … – This is a great room … – I'm impressed by the view! The center of the city is like a „Little Italy“, it has a beautiful boulevard with many cafés, going there is a perfect bad-weather activity. At this point we would just like to say what we love about Albania. Albania is warm and hospitable, it's mysterious and not yet conquered by masses of tourists, it’s a perfect blend – Western modernity mixes with traditions. Shkodra is the so-called „bicycle capital“ of Albania. This is partly because of the communist past, when few people owned a car, and partly because the city is flat. We wish we had more time to explore Albania. But our journey is slowly coming to an end. If you ask yourself the question: Should we travel to Albania? The answer is YES! Our last highlight – the famous Ura e Mesit Bridge is located north of Shkodra. It is the largest bridge in Albania from the Ottoman period. Near the city is the wonderful Lake Shkodra and we sadly say good-bye to Albania, but we will be back one day. Please comment what you think about Albania. And if you enjoyed this video please like and subscribe. Our road trip ends in Tirana where it began.
Info
Channel: Going to World
Views: 375,972
Rating: undefined out of 5
Keywords: Albania 2022, Albania, Albania travel vlog, Albania Road Trip, Roadtrip, Balkans, Albania travel documentary, Travel vlog, Travel documentary, Albania best places, Travel video, Travel vlogger, Is Albania safe, Visit Albania, Balkan travel, Berat, Vlore, Himare, Sarande, Gjirokaster, Korça, Pogradec, Tirana, Shkoder, Albanian Riviera, Balkan, Shqipëria, Albanien Doku, Documentary 2022, Albania travel tips, Honest opinion Albania, Albania travel 2022, Albania vlog, Shqiptar, Albanien Urlaub
Id: nlQsCntrHn0
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 22min 50sec (1370 seconds)
Published: Thu Aug 04 2022
Related Videos
Note
Please note that this website is currently a work in progress! Lots of interesting data and statistics to come.