Ksamil is a village located in Southern Albania and from all accounts is a beautiful hidden gem. Situated along a stretch of the Albanian Riviera, it offers crystal clear waters, secluded beaches and peaceful restaurants. Nearby sights include Syri I Kaltër (the Blue Eye) – a lake where bubbles create colours that look like an eye, and Butrint, an ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage Site…
One hour flight distance from European capitals. Stretches along seashores of the Adriatic and Ionian seas. More than 300km of coastline. Memorable holidays. Unexplored shores. A varying landscape of nature. More than 2700m high mountains. More than 7700 acres of forests. Hidden Valleys. In the heart of mountains, tall-stone architecture, guest houses. More than 3200 plant species. Among Europe’s biggest water resources. More than 500 lakes. 12 National parks spreading across 39% of the country. More than 20 underwater caves. Sport and adventure. More than 5000 years of history. 7 Ancient theatres. Unesco heritage. More than 95 cultural monuments. More than 250 days of sunshine per year. More than 160 castles and fortresses. Fresh bio food. Capital city Tirana is a dynamic vibrant metropol. Youngest population in Europe…
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Why? Why is the question I hear the most. Our long weekend was upon us and my co-workers know that I’m going to go someplace. Where? Many would ask, and then their eyes glaze over at the answer, “Albania”, because it’s a place they do not understand. They politely tell me to have a good trip and they’re off. Some, the curious ones, usually stop, shake the glaze from their eyes to look at me real hard, and ask why…
When we decided to travel to Albania, we had absolutely no idea what to expect. We’d heard a few sound bites about bad roads and transportation challenges and a few vague assertions that it was an inexpensive place to visit – nothing to help us form any good ideas about what we would be experiencing…
‘It’s good to appreciate how far Albania has come since the dictatorship ended in 1991’… Some 40 minutes’ drive from Tirana is the town of Kruja, set on a dramatic escarpment and home to the country’s largest antiques and handcrafts market. Handwoven kilims, bold and sometimes gaudy traditional costumes and carved wood utensils can all […]
When people think of Kosovo, they probably remember the war-torn country in the late 1990s. What they probably don’t think of is the fact that there is no place in Europe that can boast as many popstars per capital as Kosovo. Before telling you who those popstars are, let me emphasise that this was not […]
Albania is coming in from the cold. After decades of isolation, Europe’s last undiscovered country is set on modernising and attracting visitors. Its capital, Tirana, is at the heart of this plan. The first ever low-cost flights between the UK and Albania started in April 2018, when Wizz Air opened its new London Luton-Tirana route. […]
Albanian-American Singer-songwriter Ava Max has had a remarkable few months since the release of her breakout single Sweet But Psycho, which narrowly missed becoming the UK Christmas number one. Ava Max is buzzing. She’s bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and raring to go at the start of what many critics are already predicting will be a stellar pop […]
TEPELENA, Albania—Simon Mirakaj was 4 years old in 1949 when, together with his mother and two siblings, he was transferred to an internment camp a few miles from the town of Tepelena in southern Albania. His family’s odyssey of displacement first started in July 1945, when the communist government of Albania, headed by dictator Enver […]
