Albania Guide · 6 articles
Albania, town by town
Our nights happen in Sarandë and Ksamil, but the country goes on well beyond them, and each place here has its own chapter. Heading north from Sarandë: the town itself by day, up to Lëkurës Castle; Himarë and the castle of Porto Palermo; Dhërmi, reached over the Llogara Pass or through the tunnel; then Durrës and Golem, the long beaches near the capital; and Tirana, once by day, from Skanderbeg Square to the Dajti cable car, and once at night in Blloku. Each article sticks to what the National Tourism Agency, the municipalities and the official sites publish, with the day we read them. For the clubs themselves, go to Sarandë and Ksamil.
Areas & towns
Over the Llogara Pass to Dhërmi: fir forest above, pebble beach below
The Llogara Pass is where the coast road from Vlorë climbs through Llogara National Park before dropping to the Ionian at Dhërmi. Since the tunnel opened, going over the top is a choice rather than a must: here is what the pass gives you, what Dhërmi is like, and how far it all is from Sarandë's nights.
Areas & towns
Durrës beach and Golem in summer: the sand, the amphitheatre and the evenings
Durrës is the capital's nearest seaside. Its beach is the largest and best known in Albania, Golem carries the sand further south, and between two swims there is a Roman amphitheatre in the middle of town. This is what the official sources say about each, and why our own nights happen much further south, in Sarandë and Ksamil.
Areas & towns
Himarë and Porto Palermo: castles, coves and the coast road to Sarandë
Halfway down the coast road from Dhërmi to Sarandë, Himarë is where the Riviera slows down: a town under a hilltop castle that people still live in, a string of coves, and a fortress on a peninsula in the next bay. Here is what the official sources say about each, and how it fits around a night in Sarandë.
Areas & towns
Sarandë by day, from the promenade up to Lëkurës Castle
Sarandë's day runs along the seafront and ends on a hill: Lëkurës Castle, also spelt Lekursi, was built in 1537 above the town and looks out over the coast and the Ionian Sea. Here is what Albania's National Tourism Agency (AKT) says about the castle, the promenade and the ruins in town, before you head down to Sarandë's night.
Areas & towns
Things to do in Tirana by day, from the bunkers to the Dajti cable car
One day is enough for Tirana's essentials: Skanderbeg Square in the morning, a communist-era bunker turned museum, and the Dajti Ekspres cable car in the afternoon. Every opening time below is the one each site publishes, and the evening ends where the city goes out, in Blloku after dark.
Areas & towns
Blloku: Tirana's night, in a quarter that was once closed
Our nights happen on the Riviera, far to the south. In Tirana, the capital, the night has its own address: Blloku, a few streets the communist leadership once kept for itself. If you spend a day in the city, Tirana by day ends right here.