Independent travel to Albania
I recently returned from a trip to Montenegro and Albania and now I want to share my experience, maybe it will be useful to someone else.
So. Albania is a country between Montenegro and Greece. The climate there is quite hot, there are many beaches and a significant length of the Adriatic coast. It has its own currency - the Albanian lek, although it is quite cheap. The exchange rate against the euro is approximately 140:1, that is, for 1 euro they give about 140 Albanian leks. The standard of living is quite low compared to the rest of Europe, closer to the Egyptian one, which is good for tourists. For unknown reasons, our compatriots ignore this country like Bosnia, but in vain, there is something to see here.
You can get to Albania in 2 ways: by plane to Tirana (the capital) or by bus (or on foot) from Montenegro. Both options are quite suitable. If you want to relax in Albania, then it is better to fly there immediately, to Tirana, and then by bus to the sea. But if you just want to visit this country, it is easier and cheaper to fly to Podgorica (the capital of Montenegro) or Budva (a major port city in Montenegro), and from there take a bus or taxi. It should be taken into account that the taxi only travels to the border, and then on foot across the border and again by taxi, but in Albanian, to the nearest city. This is how we crossed the border. There are at least 2 advantages of such a border crossing. Firstly, if you go from Podgorica, then the whole way will lie through the beautiful Skadar Lake National Park. Secondly, you can personally communicate with the border guards without giving your passport to strangers such as a bus driver or a guide (if you go on a tour). In addition, in this way you will visit 2 countries at once and you can see much more. You can also take an excursion from Montenegro, for example from Petrovac, for one day and see half the country at once, having visited 2 capitals of Albania and looking around the coast. You can cross the border of Albania without any fear. The people there are quite friendly and, moreover, they are waiting for us there. Russians do not require visas, and the Albanians themselves are very happy that we are going to visit them again. Many remember Soviet times and speak Russian, which they then learned at school. However, this country is quite distinctive, since the Albanians are the last descendants of the Paleo-Balkan peoples, in particular the Illyrians. This means that their language is not similar to any of the modern languages. Therefore, when planning a trip to this country, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with it at least a little. In addition, this is mainly an Islamic country, and you need to follow some rules of Islamic culture. Well, in general, Albania is more like Egypt than European countries, so you can safely relax there and much cheaper and more comfortable than in Europe. For example, in the city of Shkodra (Skadar) a room in a five-star hotel (with all the necessary attributes) costs about 100 euros per day. For comparison, in Italy for this money you can only rent a kennel for the night. So welcome to Albania!