Albania

Albania is a country in Southeast Europe on the Adriatic and Ionian Sea that borders to Montenegro in the northwest, Kosovo  in the northeast, North Macedonia in the east and Greece in the south.

It has a very diverse landscape with everything from snow-capped mountains in the Albanian Alps to a 350km long coastline with beautiful beaches along the Mediterranean Sea, and its climate is Mediterranean and continental with four distinct seasons. One quite specific feature is that Albania, despite its relatively small area, has so many big lakes, e.g. the Lake of Shkodër (located in northwestern part) which is Southern Europe’s largest.

Albania’s landscape is filled with castles, forts and citadels – a legacy of the historic past of Albania. They come in many styles of architecture and most of them have been renovated throughout history as they were originally made of earth and wood.

The history of country goes back all the way back to the 7th century BC, but today’s Republic of Albania was “founded” as recent as in 1991 and the capital is Tirana (dubbed as ‘The Place Beyond Belief’ by local authorities) with approx. 420,000 inhabitants.

You get here most easliy by flying to Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (TIA), which is often also referred to as the Rinas International Airport

Good to know and/or just interesting facts:

• The currency in Albania is called lek (ALL) and the exchange rate is approx 120-130 ALL : 1 Euro.
• The official language is Albanian, spoken by the vast majority of the population.
• Albania’s flag is red with a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center. It was established as the national flag when Albania became independent from the Ottoman empire in 1912. If you know your Tintin you may have noted that the black pelican of Syldavia’s flag in King Ottokar’s Sceptre resembles the black eagle of Albania’s flag…
• Fish, crustaceans and seafood are popular and big parts of the Albanian diet. Otherwise lamb is the traditional meat for different holidays and religious festivals for both Christians and Muslims. Try Tavë Kosi, national dish in Albania, which is garlicky lamb and rice baked under a tart veil of yogurt
• Albania’s second largest city is Durrës, and it’s also one of the oldest cities in the world.

Enjoy your trip to Albania!