Cycling Albania

Door: Gerrit

Geplaatst op Oct 15, 2009

I made a cycling trip through Albania with 4 friends.
Albania is a country without mass tourism although it has a beautiful coastline - like the Riviera, old towns with cobbed streets and ancient ottoman houses,mosks and byzantine churches. There are wonderful archeogical sites and for all there is a beautiful unspoiled mountainous nature with bears and wolves still wandering around.
There are a lot of stories about Albania being a dangerous country even with a lot of crime and an unfriendly poor people. We've been encountered with friendly curiosity by very friendly people everywhere we went.
Albania is a cheap country to travel. It's hard to spend more than 30€ and then you can sleep in a hotel eat two times in a restaurant and drink what ever you like in between.
The cycling was great. It was warm the first days, 34-36 degrees. The roads are putholed and the hills moderate long and steep. There is hardly traffic - only Mercedeses, strange enough - and the nature is splendid.
We went to the beautiful town of Kruje with a great citadel on top and from there we passed the industrial town of Elbasan. A real recommended place is Berat, with its huge castle and ottoman houses built against the hill. The best part was the coastal road from Vlore to Himare and further to Saranda and the little resortvillage of Ksamil. There is a hotel which was the house of the former communist dictator Enver Hoxha from which you have a great view on the Greek Isle of Corfu. 4 kilometers south is the beautiful and interesting site of Butrint. Another place not to miss is the charming old town of Gjirokaster.
Albania is a place to discover and you better hurry because in 10 years it will be a touristic destination as Croatia is now.