8 Things To Know BEFORE Traveling To Albania 🇦🇱
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- Опубліковано 17 тра 2024
- Here are 8 important things to know before planning a trip to Albania. Albania is a country on the Balkan peninsula of Europe that is starting to become a popular tourist destination. These 8 things will make your first trip to Albania much smoother.
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We decided to retire in Albania and have residency. Albania has everything as far as variety in landscape from mountains, seas and Europe's last wild River. The food is of high quality. People are friendly and like to talk to foreigners especially Americans. On Albania Americans can stay a full year. It's because the US led the the NATO response to stop the genocide of the Kosovars (ethnic Albanians) by Serbia. They are very grateful and value freedom because of their Communist past.
What an interesting place to retire, I imagine it’s a very high quality of life! We were only there a short time, we’d definitely like to visit again!
Yes it is well known that usa has prevented many genocides. Except for those that they commit themselves.
Its a great place to retire because its still cheap to live,and because you are close to Italy or Greece if you want to travel
@@dondardha1993 half the albanians don't live there and according to polls 70% of the albanians under 25 want to leave the country and yet somehow you think its great place to retire.
@@georgestamatakis697 because a 20 year old doesnt want to retire,you smart a**. Greek youngsters are moving out also. Youngsters are moving out from Balkans because want more opportunites. But to Retire is the best place,its Safe,Cheap,Great food and Climate..what do you want more??
I'm Irish- went to Albania in April. Really liked the country.
Same here! It is a really beautiful place!
I went to Albania a few months ago! I loved the coffee culture there. They have a ton of coffee houses, and they are all local.
We found a few great coffee shops in Tirana! Definitely not chains and great coffee! We were impressed with Albania too, such a cool place! Thanks for checking out the video 😁👍
100% I'm an American Ex Pat...I live here now...and this Place is the NEXT SPOT to see!!! The food is awesome and the people are very accommodating to Americans in Particular. The Coastline is Unparalleled to insane crystal clear waters and beautiful Beaches! Albania is General will become the leading country in the Balkans...Hands Down!
Wow, that must be such an awesome place to live! We definitely want to see more of the coast next time. Can’t wait to return!
@@MaxandSidney Southern Albania is insanely beautiful. Especially Saranda and Ksamil. Ksamil has four small islands very close to the coast. So you can even swim to one of them if you are a secure swimmer.
Albania will be first depopulated country in Europe soon because of corrupt state in those last 30 years,i come back from usa have 5 year here now i think to immigratr again in usa ,everywere corruption and evil
@capitalpoint4618 would love to know more. We're looking for potential landing spots in the area and facinated to know more about the American Ex Pat community in Albania
Driving in Albania is way easier to navigate than in New York. As a North Dakotan, I drove perfectly fine in Albania, but in New York, I almost cried.
Very good point! Driving in New York might be the scariest thing of all! I would definitely take Albania 🇦🇱 😁
I was working in Minot ND for the last 3 months roads are ok there also, but I am still impressed that you didn't mind the roads in Albania, I am from Albania by the way😂
@fluzz2222 thank you for this information. We are planning a trip to Albania next month and were wondering if we should rent a car at Sarande to maximize what we can see during our visit. I hope it is safe to park the rental car on the street at night.
@ChipyRose yes its very safe. Just make sure you lock your car and don't leave anything that would make a thief want to break into your car. No pursues or backpacks that might give the thief a reason to break in. I drove from Kosova all the way to Saranda, Ksamil, dhermi, and so on. On the way from Ksamil to Saranda and back, the roads were a little crowded but not bad at all. I had no problem driving in Albania, but when I drove in New York, my anxiety was skyrocket high. When in New York, I thought I was gonna get hit they way they would cut you off to get into your lane.
@@fluz2222 oh wow! Yes NYC traffic can be chaotic (we were just there but someone else drove). Thank you for your tips on Albania driving. We can’t wait for our upcoming trip.
Thanks for this review. I'm an Albanian living in U.S but definitely agree with the way you explained it all. I would also add that Albania is cheaper than Italy, Greece and Croatia. 😊
Thanks for watching, we’re so glad you approve! It’s very helpful to get input from Albanians. And yes, that is a great point! Far cheaper and just as beautiful in many areas!
For people working remotely Albania will save you a ton of money and give your life a new meaning. For around €600-700 in Tirana (much cheaper in other cities and towns)there’s rent and food covered for a month compared to say London on average to rent a house alone will set you back £2000+ a month let alone other expenses.
The quality of life seems very high for the prices! We were very impressed with Albania!
Been here 4 and half years, love it. And the Vlore long haul internantional airport will be complete 2025, 9 hrs from New York, 3 hrs from London
I enjoyed your Tirana videos.I plan to go to Paris in late Sept. and then on to Tirana to spend a few months after I retired early last November.I could save lots of money staying there a few months then travelling thru Europe.I'm an energetic,healthy 62yo and I want to visit as much of Europe as I can.This will be my 4th time in Europe and will be full time.
So glad you enjoyed the videos! That sounds like a fantastic adventure, and Tirana is definitely a good home base for it. Thanks for checking out our channel and have a great time exploring Europe! 😊👍
Welcome to Albania. We try to welcome any visitor that chooses our country to spend their precious holidays
Paris and Tirana? They share so many similarities.
im albanian and im happy to hear good things from tourists...try going in the summer to durres , vlore and sarande next time. Many beaches, many things to see , good food and everything is way cheaper.
We definitely want to come back to see the coast! Just from pictures, it looks absolutely beautiful! We will definitely be back 👍🇦🇱❤️
It is really weird that half the albanians don't actually live in Albania
@@georgestamatakis697 one could say the same thing about greece...and you're in europe.REALLY WEIRD ? didnt mitsotakis steal enough millions for you not LEAVE the country? oh wait he doesnt share it...hahahaha
I shall go to Albania and other Balkan countries in one shot. I travelled over 70 countries in the world and people are friendly everywhere in the world. It depends how you walk talk or move . If you are nice then trust me people will be nice . I never had any problem in the world. Think positive Z. Love 💕 from Buffalo New York. Kool video
Thanks for watching and best wishes on your adventures!
Well thats true , if u pay respect to the place u get respect in return i agree , but whats special about the Albanian hospitality is that for us the guesst is very importand , importand at the point that for example when we hosted jews in the 2ww none of them was handed to the nazis even though families lost their dear ones doin so , and we even saved 20k Italian soldiers from the nazis too , whome by the way not long ago invaded us , so , the " be respectfull and u'll be respected " is only the first layer of our hospitality , and this i dont think u can find it everywhere , but who knows maybe im wrong... Respect
@@iliadmalka it is what it is . Good rewards come later. No one knows when .
Nice description of Albania 🇦🇱. As an American Albanian, it was amazing to see how beautiful the country is, especially since my parents escaped from Communism as young teenagers with their families. It was horrendous back then. Definitely a beautiful country to see now. I saw it for myself in 2006…and was amazed at the beauty then. I believe they have made great strides to welcome people of all cultures now. ❤️🇦🇱
Thanks for watching! We really enjoyed our time there, it is a beautiful region of the world, and it is so nice that it is now open to rest of the world 🇦🇱❤️
At around 6:27, you say that albania was ripe with crime during communism. This is not true, and every albanian, communist or anti-communist can verify. It was actually after communism that albania became a crime paradise, and it even resulted into war (the 1997 war).
Thanks for checking out the video and for the info!
Albania has a wonderful climate, mountains, lakes, beaches, history and ancient places, I really like that country
Same here! Such a beautiful place and so much history! Thanks for checking out the video 😊
History? It was founded as an Italian protectorate in 1912. Unless you are referring to thieves, beggars and drug dealers. I forgot the communists.
@@georgestamatakis697 Someone jealous here ?
Of what? the most uncivilized country in Europe, with a 18B GDP and a "history" of thieves and drug dealers? Not likely@@streamal
@@georgestamatakis697Greeks and serbs are very jealous..relax greko ...RESPEKT your neighbours ..
Going to Albania next month. This has been very helpful. Can't wait.
In Albania no one disturb turist is safest more from others country also if u need help all albanias around will come to help u is beauty country and cheap also good food have a good life nite also in summer in north south everywhere u can enjoy beaches the ebauty of rivers lakes seas mountain depends what u want but albanian oferr all of this.
So true! It’s amazing how much Albania has to offer, and everyone we encountered was extremely kind to us!
Nice video, thanks! 👍
Great video ❤
It's an honor for us that you visited Albania thank you so much 😊
We really enjoyed it! Can’t wait to come back! 🇦🇱👍
Very informative video thank you so much!
Thank you for checking out our channel! So glad to hear the video was helpful 😁👍
I love how you described everything
Bravo 👏🏼
So glad it was helpful! Thanks for checking out our channel 😊
Albanian-American here. Nicely done! My family and I are headed to Albania in a few days, we were last there in 2021 & I had no issues driving. Tirana was a bit hairy, but very similar to some US cities. All the best!
Thanks for watching! We didn't get the chance to drive, but it definitely didn't seem bad outside of the central city! Hopefully we can rent a car next time and drive down the beautiful coast 😊
Thanks 4 the video. Im going there next month as well as several other countries near by.
Thanks for watching! Have a great time, we want to go back, there is so much more to see!
Great information
Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for your honesty about albania. And your are always welcome in Albania and to see you soon in Albania and have a lovely time
Thank you for being so welcoming! It’s such a beautiful country with really cool cities! We didn’t have enough time, we definitely want to come back! 🇦🇱❤️
My Parents are Albanians but I was born and raised in Germany. I love Germany, yet I am very happy to see Albania get somewhat of a little Hype Boost. It is still a Work in Progress, but i have noticed significant Change in the last 10 years when i visited the country. You support the Trend Up and I can not thank you enough ❤
Great Video. Next I will look up your Videos about Germany :)
Thanks so much for watching our videos! We definitely enjoyed Albania, and we hope to go back to see more of the countryside and coastline!
your parents seem to have failed to raise their child based on their identity and origin, not on papers.
We are flying to Albania in a few days and this video is awesome! Thanks for the tips!
So glad it was helpful! Have a fantastic time in Albania! 😊👍
Nice video, after 3 minutes into it we realised you were saying Tirana and not Toronto ! gave us a good chuckle. thanks for sharing
Hahaha, I can definitely see my Midwestern American accent would make it hard to differentiate between Tirana and Toronto 😂 thanks so much for watching!
I enjoyed the format of this video - learned a lot about Albania! Thank you!!
So glad you enjoyed it! It’s a mysterious country and so underrated!
I'm Albanian ❤️🇦🇱 thank you for this
thank you for this :D
Thank you for watching! So glad you enjoyed it! 👍
Great video, thank you for making this.
We're excited to head there this week! We're thinking of renting a car whilst we're visiting Tirana and now we know we've got to take that more seriously
Absolutely, thanks for checking out our channel! Have a great time in Albania, it sounds like you will get to see more than we did. Can’t wait to come back!
@@MaxandSidney I like your channel! We're nearly a week in and loving it. The roads in Tirana make getting a car less appealing but we've spoken with several folks about pretty legit (and cheap!) bus routes so that might be our best best.... we'll see
Yes yes yes and yes i am relocated in Albania not long time ago🇦🇱 , everything true))))))
thank you❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks for watching!!
Great video Max and Sid 👍🏻 Albania is so awesome 😍 I uploaded yesterday a short Albania travel video too 🎥 best cinematic greetings from Germany
Thank you so much, we’re so excited that you liked it! We will check out your video as well. Couldn’t agree more, it’s such a cool country!
Agree about the food. So fresh and delicious. Next time we are going to some of the out of the city farm to table places.
Definitely! The farm to table places are probably so delicious, we definitely want to explore more out of the city next time 😁
Those poor Albanians suffered the most during communism. The country was like north korea or even worse. I'm hungarian, live not that far away, but know not too much about this country, worth a visit I guess. Thx 4 the vid
Thanks for your nice words about Albania ❤
Of course! Thanks for watching 😊
If your ever heading back to Albania and want to explore beaches culture mountains I recommend going to Tropoje
Thank you for sharing this video. The information provided is excellent! I have a question for you. I'll be traveling to Tirana in two weeks, and I'm concerned about the popularity of the contactless/card payment system in Albania. Would it be wiser to carry Euros with me, or should I opt to withdraw Albanian Lek at the Tirana airport?
Thanks for watching! We took out Albanian Leke at the airport. A lot of places are cash only, but you will still find card payments here and there. I would assume some places accept euros too, but not entirely sure about that one. Have a great time in Tirana!
The conversion rate from Albanian Leke to USD and EUR is pretty close to 100:1. I understand that for Americans this must be really difficult.
My best friend is Albanian American and I'm so intrigued by her culture, this was a Good Video and Editing! 10/10
Thank you! So happy you enjoyed it 😄 Albanian culture is very unique! We definitely want to go back and see more
I left Tirana almost 30 years ago and have followed all these years Albania's progress from far away beautiful Naples, Florida.
My family can't wait to start spending summers there in a yearly basis.
It seems like a fantastic place to spend the summer!!
You and all are welcome in Albania, come to Gjirokastra, the most beautiful city of Albania.
Thank you, we absolutely loved visiting! We will have to add Gjirokastra to our list for next time!
I am coming next week to Albania. Planning to stay one day in gjirokaster. Any other recomendation? Good restaurants name, hidden attractions etc
I would say from personal experience living there to go out to the south like korce and visit the smaller towns around it
There is so much of the country that we did not get the chance to explore last time around. We are hoping to be able to come back and see more!
Where this cable car goes?
How much the return tickets costs?
Saranda is my favorite place.
We didn’t get over there! Definitely want to check it out at some point!
Rent a car in Albania which is pretty cheap compared to other countries in Europe and the transport issues are no more. Albania really has it all you name it we have it except for desert anything else you will find in Albania
It is an amazing country, we wished we had more time to explore! We definitely want to visit again!
Do you recommend a car rental company in Sarande? I’m getting quotes of about $100/day with Enterprise (which is the only international car rental I can find in that city). Maybe it’s because it will be in peak August time.
Albania is the safest country for a non oblivious person. We have some crazies roaming through the streets, vendettas and organized crime. So all you need to be worried about is don't engage with mentally ill people, don't get in very serious beef with anyone and don't go on an adventure looking for a marijuana field deep in the woods that someone told you. On the other hand here in Albania, it's actually safe to get in a stranger's car, you are not getting lured in some back alley, there are no kkk type cults, there are no shop scams, no red light districts, no bodyguards, no enforcers, no loan sharks.
A quick fact , Albania is bordered by 2 seas , the Adriatic and the Ionian , Adriatic ends up in Vlore and the the Ionian starts.
While the Adriatic is cool and all that , the Ionian sea part is a whole other level.
Dishes i would suggest is , speca me gjize, fli(northern part), speca te mbushur , byrek ,ajke speci(bro its soooo gooood its like a souce made from milk cream and salt my favourite , just cant eat too much bcs its so heavy !!) , suxhuk, and a lot more, also sea food is great here.
U can really eat anything in Albania and it will be really good , bcs we have heavy influence from Greece , Italy and Turkey wich are the best cuisines in the world.
Also white fetta chesse.
As far as desserts go my favourite is Trilece!!
Thanks for all of the info! We will definitely have to check out the Ionian coast next time! And we will definitely seek out all of those dishes you suggest, they all sound amazing! Thanks for checking out the video 😁👍
Plsss, try byrek, bakllava and tavë kosi
Looks delicious! 😋
I staying for a year as a retire. Can I use my US driver license or I have to get international license?
Thoughts on Durres?
Try bürek! It's very nice
We tried it in Bosnia and Croatia, we will definitely have to try the Albanian version next time we are in the region!
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🇦🇱❤️👍
There’s an Albania ‘American Idol’ type of show starting soon. The mayor of NYC son is a judge. Lol
Can you please Visit Pogradec there are a lot of Beautyfull playses fountins arcades and a Lake not a artificiale one Luke the Tirana Pogradec is very small but there are si many scary places and drunks
We will definitely have to look into it next time we are in Albania!
Going to Albania and just staying in capital is like not good Albania at all 😂The country has absolutely everything a tourist wants .
We saw a little bit outside the capital, but definitely not enough! Can't wait to return and explore more of this beautiful country!
How much is the average salary in the hospitality industry in Albania
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I don't have an idea I am traveling there but I have only 7 days but I'm still stuck in my idea where to go....
Just in case you missed it: Albanian currency is called Aleksander (Lek nick name) to remind Albanian Emperor Alexander the Great. 350 BC. Ps : Word Aleksander (A+le+ne+ander) has a meaning in albanian lenguage only. ❤❤❤✍✍✍🧠🧠🧠🦅🦅🦅
Oh wow! We didn’t know that, thanks for the info! That’s really cool!
@@MaxandSidney A+le+ne+ander (albanian geg) means: He was born in his mother (Mirtle aka Olimpia) dream.
Very interesting thank you
I love and agree with you on everything you have said and you seem to have a very unbiased review and showing. But would you ask for albanian food in India
? Lol I'm glad you've enjoyed them, nice of you to give an amazing review.
Thanks for watching the video, so glad you enjoyed it! Albania is a really interesting country, and we were glad we got to experience it!
Can one live and work there?
Whats up with the napoleon dynamite background music?
6:30, something you confused. During the communism, the only unsafely you could get yourself in was if you did something against the government of that time. There were tourists during that time, but you needed permission to enter. Same as North Korea now. The period between 1992-2005-6 (more or less), was the most unsafe time for a tourist in Albania. Especially 95-2000. Before and after that, it was and is a safe place for a tourist.
And as you said, you might get scammed (especially from Taxi drivers), so it's best to have somebody to speak for you, but other than that, nothing I haven't seen on other West European Countries
Next time you're in Albania you should go to a traditional restaurant and order a "Fli". Although the best fli is in the Accursed Mountains in Kosova😅🇽🇰❤️🇦🇱
We will definitely add that to the list for next time! Thanks for the suggestion!
Hi Max, your video is spot on what to expect from a visit in Albania, congrats! Just a small clarification under the communist regime there were a lot of problems for the local people but crime was not one of them. Just saying cause you mentioned some problems with criminal gangs and so forth. Crime under the regime was virtually non existent, trouble started in the mid 90s after the collapse of communism since the country collapsed financially and was driven to what can merely be described as a civil war..
Thanks for the info, we’re always learning so much! We really enjoyed our visit, and we definitely want to come back and see more of the country, there is SO much we missed! Thank you for watching 😁
I want to go to Albania and see bunkers.
Përshëndetje Shqipëria, አልባኒያ 😄 🇦🇱
ሰላም From Ethiopia 🇪🇹
ua-cam.com/video/gJpsAnsjJd4/v-deo.htmlsi=B4naH91Kdh5RQQto
Good content. If you only stayed in the capital Tirana you have seen practically nothing of Albania. You should go back :D
Hahaha 😅 we definitely will!!
Although I heard its pretty racist towards " Naturally tanned" people im excited to visit this country in 2024. This video helps alot ❤
That’s a lie Albanian are over the world 🗺️ and they are not racist towards colored people,we are racist only about lands around us who did genecide in our population and that’s fair enough
Looks like Turkish riviera, and food😊
We will have to visit the Turkish riviera now!
About the albanian cuisine, you should definetly try these foods:
Japrak, a seasoned rice put inside a grape leaf
Trilece, a sort of cake made of three different types of milk, topped with caramel
Tullumba, some sort of spanish churros, dipped in sherbet, a typical albanian sweet topping
Bakllava and Kadaif, two sort of cakes, topped with sherbet aswell
Byrek, a typical albanian street food which is a sort of "salty cake", you can have different types of fillings 8spinach, cottage cheese, meat...)
Tave Kosi, a really famous albanian food which consists of lliver and yoghurt cooked in a clay dish
This is all i can remember honestly
Did you get sick from water
No! I don’t think so!
I thought they were all in London UK.
We love London! But we explored 30 countries last year, it's incredible how much there is to see in Europe!
the hotels by the water are not so good
Oh no! How so? We haven't been to the coast yet, so we will have to keep that in mind
600
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Mate not sure if any pickpockers are in albania lol
Go in Kosova !
Where to go in Kosovo?
Could I love a decent life for 1500 euros per month in Albania?
Probably!
cash is a must to have as going electronic fully literally means full control over your income AND soon - your expenses. Just read the numerous documents by the World Economic Forum and the miserable future of people who will be ruled by the click of a button.
😬
One more reason to fight demons worldwide
4:58 Its got such a bad name in the Uk because of illegal immigration from there makes people think its full of criminals ..but i guess thats not true these vids look good that ive looked t at .hink it will catch on in time
Thank god albania is not taken over bu google and mcdonalds
That was definitely noticeable!
The reason you couldn't find any routes via train on point 2, is because Albania has none!
After the fall of the communist regime, the country didn't have much money and the train transportation was considered an extra expense that the country couldn't afford at the moment. So they just cut them off, and adding the bus and train transportation on the internet seemed not necessary, because of the lack of tourism in the country.
I think that they'll update it soon, seeing how fast the tourism has been growing.
Rent a car
We definitely will next time!!
Yes and we are very racist!
Kosovo is serbia
Was and never will be 😉 welcome to rep of Kosovo 🇽🇰 👌🏻
Advice #4 could also be mentioned for Greece. If there are sidewalks they are mostly occupied by parked motrorcycles (sometimes cars also), trees, plant boxes, kiosks, cafeteria tables, and the occasional dumped sofa, matress, garbage bags.
That is definitely true, we noticed on a few of the islands and Athens! Great point
*Adriatic and partly ionian costline
VERY IMPORTANT: always call a taxi, not jump Un directly on the first you see ! And look for E- taxi’s, save up to -40% . Thanks me later .
Great tip! We'll definitely be sure to keep that in mind!
If you come in Albania you need to visit Shkoder,Lezhe,,Durres,Vlora,Berat,Gjirokaster,Pogradec,Korçë,Himara,Sarande ,Tirana has nothing for turist except airport 😂
don't use word "credit" use credit or debit.. European countries never require credit.
Tirana Tirana Tirana no tarana no tarana no nono tTarana
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We have crime in the US.. 😂
😂😂😂
Turkalbania!!