On the morning of my last day in Albania, I caught a bus from Berat to Tirana, the…
Times visited: 1 (5 days in 2017)
Cities visited: Gjirokastra, Saranda, Berat and Tirana
Villages visited: Ksamil
UNESCO sites visited: Butrint and Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra
In the middle of a busy semester at uni in 2017, I suddenly found myself having four days off in a row from my studies and job, so I decided to go somewhere. I wanted to go somewhere new and I had my heart set on Eastern Europe. I looked up flights and figured the undiscovered Albania would make the perfect March getaway. I spent a lot of time researching as I knew almost nothing about the country beforehand, and I ended up with a long list of places to see. Four days would not be enough for it all, but I made the most of my days. I rarely slept, caught early busses and walked from sunrise to sunset every day. I managed to fit in four amazing cities/towns plus a trip to the archaeological site of Butrint and a sunset in Ksamil. It may have been fast-paced, but I experienced so much and met many wonderful people. The trip gave me a great insight into one of Europe’s least visited countries and left me wanting more.
Albania is an incredibly beautiful country with interesting historic towns and friendly and helpful locals. It also has some of the prettiest coastal villages on the Mediterranean. I feel sure that it will become more popular with vacationers and backpackers in the future!
