Travel to Albania

Browse listings of  Home Exchange, Vacation Rentals, B&B, Homestay (furnished apartments, villas, cottages, condos, farmhouses and other types of accommodations) of Albania:

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Last Minute Tips Before you Travel to Albania

• Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1
• Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz (bring an adapter/transformer for your hair drier, laptop, cellular phone etc.)
• Currency: Albania Lekë (Lekë)
• Country Dialing Code: 355

Must See - Properties on UNESCO World Heritage List 

• Butrint
• Museum-City of Gjirokastra

Albania

Location
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro

Capital
Tirana

Population
3,002,859 (July 2012 est.)

Regions
12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Qarku i Beratit, Qarku i Dibres, Qarku i Durresit, Qarku i Elbasanit, Qarku i Fierit, Qarku i Gjirokastres, Qarku i Korces, Qarku i Kukesit, Qarku i Lezhes, Qarku i Shkodres, Qarku i Tiranes, Qarku i Vlores

Largest cities of Albania
Tirana, Durrës, Elbasan, Vlorë, Shkodër, Fier-Çifçi, Fier, Berat, Lushnjë, Kavajë, Laç

Climate
mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

Ethnic groups
Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.) note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)

Religions
Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10% note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

Languages
Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects

Government type
parliamentary democracy

Background
Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, there have been claims of electoral fraud in every one of Albania's post-Communist elections. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure.

Flag of Albania

Red with a black two-headed eagle in the center; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero George Castriota Skanderberg, who led a successful uprising against the Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-78); an unsubstantiated explanation for the eagle symbol is the tradition that Albanians see themselves as descendants of the eagle; they refer to themselves as "Shkypetars," which translates as "sons of the eagle"

Albania Travel and Accommodation – Your Tips for Travelers

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Seventy percent of the surface of Albania is covered by the mountains of the Dinaric and Pindus Alps.
The 1,230-meter tall Mount Dajti of the Dinaric range overlooks Tirana.
Source: Central Intelligence Agency.

Kruje- hometown of Skanderbeg, Albania's national hero.
The 15th-century military leader is remembered for his prolonged but successful struggle against the Ottoman Empire.
Source: Central Intelligence Agency.

Mosaics in the Durres Amphitheater.
Discovered in the late 1900's, the amphitheater is only half unearthed. 
Constructed in the 2nd century A.D., the structure could seat 20,000 people. 
Source: Central Intelligence Agency.

Source: Central Intelligence Agency.
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