Feedback on Tirana?

[JVNYC]

Hi everyone. I'm looking at some of the Adriatic ports and haven't seen any Cruise Critic comments on Tirana (Durres). Has anyone been there or have any feedback? In looking at some of the photos on Google it looks slightly depressing. I'm all for visiting new cities and new cultures but is this one worth the visit? Thanks for your info!

[capecodder2]

We stopped at Saranda for Tirena about 4 years ago. It is a depressing city; however, we took the excursion out to the ancient ruins at Butrint (UNESCO) and found them very interesting and we enjoyed the Day. The drive to was through pretty countryside, extreme poverty, rubbish everywhere, and you could imagine you had gone 100 years back in time looking at the living and farming ways. We were the only excursion that had positive feedback after. If ancient history and ruins aren't your thing, or if that excursion isn't offered, you might consider making it your own "sea day".

[JVNYC]

Thanks for the info! Looks like Saranda and Butrint are much further south than Tirana (Durres). The Albanian coast looks very pretty (at least the area you were in). Haven't received many comments on here so I'm assuming this is a relatively unknown port with not much cruise tourism. All the other Adriatic ports are fantastic...this one I'm just unsure of. Thanks again!

[CintiPam]

You are correct that Saranda is nowhere near Tirana, so you will not have the opportunity to visit Butrint, which indeed is worth a 1/2 day visit, which we did on an excellent private tour a few years ago.

 

We are scheduled to port near Tirana on our September Azamara cruise, and all of the excursions offered go elsewhere for the day. We will take one because you certainly cannot travel easily around Albania on your own.

[china addict]

I'm reviving this thread because I'll be visiting this port on Riviera in August 2014. From what I've read, the reaction is mostly negative, and I've already seen enough trash, graffiti and abject poverty to last me a lifetime. Yet there must be a reason Oceania continues to dock in Albania. Our short cruise is very port-intensive so it might be the ideal day to relax on board, yet it seems narrow minded to not even give the place a shot. Is there anyone out there who has visited recently and is willing to share feedback? Thanks in advance.

[SellaVee]

I'm visiting then too. I asked about Tirana several weeks ago and my post was removed. I don't know why.

 

No one on the roll call seems to have any information. I found a previous post of CintPam's and thought Butrint was interesting but it's too far away. I'm not sure I want to hire a guide if there isn't much to see.

 

Here's hoping someone has been there recently and can give us feedback.

[CintiPam]

We had a port day in Durres (near Tirana) last September on an Azamara Dalmatian coast cruise, and it truly is depressing, even more so than I expected. It certainly made me appreciate our good fortune and the rest of our ports of call.

 

We had taken a private tour to Butrint five years earlier when we were in Sarande, but our tour guide now was teaching at a far away university so I did not contact him. Big mistake!!

 

We took a day-long ship's tour inland to an old city and then stopped at a winery on the way back. The roads are horrible, and you still see many people plowing fields with donkeys and much poverty. The roads were so bad (with dirt washouts forcing you to crawl) that you need a lot of time to get anywhere.

 

Anyway, I found out from our tour guide that our previous tour guide was on another shore excursion that day for our ship. Tourism is so important that guides will travel great distances to get work. He called our former guide and we met with him outside our last stop, an old Roman arena in Tirana.

 

So I highly suggest you plan a private tour for your day and would be very happy to provide the name and contact information for this wonderful young man. I guarantee you a very special day with him. His rates are very reasonable so even a tour for just two of you will not cost much. I originally found his name on the ports of call section of this website, and he just is so charming and knowledgeable.

Edited June 12, 2014 by CintiPam

[CHUCKIE50]

I also will be visiting Durres in August on the Riviera and found the following report on the Dept of State website https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=15380.

I will be taking a tour but I think for me I will chose an Oceania tour rather than a private tour as I usually do. Personally I would have preferred a stop in Dubrovnik but this is the destination O choose for us. The rest of the ports are amazing.

[china addict]

I appreciate all the feedback, specially the government link. I think we'll be "boots on the ground" for a few minutes just to say we've been to Albania, but will spend most of the day on board. What a pity, because I'm sure there are many other interesting ports that Oceania could have selected.

[Paulchili]

We visited Albania on a short land trip from Istanbul in 2007. While it isn't the most beautiful or interesting place we have visited in our travels, we have NO regrets about visiting. One must take each place for what it is and not compare it to others. IMO, you may not have chosen to visit Albania but as long as you are there, you might as well make the most of it.

FWIW, here is what our tour consisted of:

 

Day 1 Tirana. We spend the day exploring the city of Tirana. Tirana is located on a plain on the site of a Byzantine fortress and has been the capital since 1920. Included are visits to the Mosque of Ethem Bey, the Clock Tower, the National Museum, National Art Gallery, Skanderbeg Square, the Martyrs Cemetery, Grand Park and government buildings. We include lunch in your tour. We return to hotel late afternoon/early evening.

Day 2 Kruja - Durres - Tirana. Today we travel to Kruja, a small town perched high on the face of a hill. Kruja was the centre of 15th century Albanian resistance to the Ottoman Turks under the national hero, Skanderbeg. We visit the unique Skanderbeg Museum inside the restored castle. The street leading up to the castle is built in the style of a Turkish bazaar; we can stroll along the old bazaar which has a wonderful selection of authentic antiques and souvenirs.

After lunch we travel to Durres on the Adriatic coast and main commercial port of Albania. Durres, Albania's second largest city was known formerly as Durrazzo and is one of the oldest towns in the country. Legend says that it was founded by Epidamnos, the Illyrian King of the area, who called it by his own name and named the port area after his grandson, Dyrrah. It was for centuries the largest port on the Adriatic, and the start of the Via Egnatia to Constantinople. Landings here by Italian troops in 1939 met brief but fierce resistance, and those killed defending it are now regarded as the first martyrs of the War of National Liberation.

We visit the Roman amphitheatre and the Archaeological Museum, situated near the sea and rich in objects excavated in Durres. We also visit the Roman Baths behind the Aleksander Moisiu Theatre on the central square. If time we can see the Palace of the former King Zog. Return to hotel in Tirana early evening.

Hope some of this information may help you.

[CintiPam]

I appreciate all the feedback, specially the government link. I think we'll be "boots on the ground" for a few minutes just to say we've been to Albania, but will spend most of the day on board. What a pity, because I'm sure there are many other interesting ports that Oceania could have selected.

 

I am sorry you feel that way. While I have preferred my days in other ports, it still is interesting to visit this once closed-off country.

 

For the benefit of others, the guide I highly recommend for any time you spend in Albania is Luis Seiti. Back in 2008, we had an afternoon in Saranda and he took us over to wonderful Butrint.

 

We returned to Albania last September, this time for a full day at Durres port near the main city of Tirana, and we took a ship's tour because I thought Luis would not travel that far for a tour. But he was leading one of our ship's tours! He remembered us, and we spent some time together at the end of the day.

 

I believe that his email address is financer22002@yahoo.com but he also can be contacted via facebook.

 

His charges are very reasonable. Check him out!

Edited June 14, 2014 by CintiPam

[silkman]

I am sorry you feel that way. While I have preferred my days in other ports, it still is interesting to visit this once closed-off country.

 

For the benefit of others, the guide I highly recommend for any time you spend in Albania is Luis Seiti. Back in 2008, we had an afternoon in Saranda and he took us over to wonderful Butrint.

 

We returned to Albania last September, this time for a full day at Durres port near the main city of Tirana, and we took a ship's tour because I thought Luis would not travel that far for a tour. But he was leading one of our ship's tours! He remembered us, and we spent some time together at the end of the day.

 

I believe that his email address is financer22002@yahoo.com but he also can be contacted via facebook.

 

His charges are very reasonable. Check him out!

 

We will also be stopping in Durres on the June 30th Adriatic Medley cruise. I also had the impression that there was little to see(do) there. At most of the other ports i have a private guide. Our roll call is rather sparse, but those I did meet on it with whom I arranged to share private excursions shared this impression.

However, i just did E-mail Luis to ask for a suggested itinerary,and may take a private tour. It seems ashamed to travel all that way and just call it a "sea day"...so thanks for the guide's name ,citipam.

[mrstravel]

Hi,

I will be in Durres in August. I was wondering if anyone has a street map? Does anyone know if you can just walk off the ship and be right in town? Is it doable to get off the ship and spend the day walking around Durres and seeing the sights? Also, does anyone know if the beaches are public and you can rent chairs or if they are private and belong to the hotels?

Info is very hard to find on this port.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Cheryl

[SellaVee]

You can use Google maps to find a fairly comprehensive street map of Durres. It shows the amphitheatre, various hotels and also the bailiff's office should you need it :) . Until you asked the question I hadn't thought of doing that - thank you.

 

There are ferries to Durres from Corfu and several Italian ports so I'm hoping the port is fairly central. I agree that it's hard to find information on Durres. Tripadvisor's top attraction is the amphitheatre and it's second from top attraction is a shoe shop with a gaming centre in third place.

 

The beach is an interesting suggestion. I shall look into that further as we enjoy swimming in the sea. I've been considering a tour but we have such a port intensive itinerary that some time at the beach night be just the thing.

[CintiPam]

I certainly would not plan to spend my day in Durres; that ampitheater is not much IMO. I hope Luis comes up with some suggestions; with a small van, I think you really could enjoy a lovely day visiting some of the nearby historic sights.

[SellaVee]

I'm waiting for a reply from Luis. However I don't want to exhaust myself travelling to sights that are unexceptional compared to Venice, Istanbul, Santorini, Dubrovnik and Kotor. There are no sea days on our cruise and after a while I just might feel as if I've overdosed on churches, ruins and museums. Sometimes it's nice just to be.

 

Living in the UK it's very easy for us to visit the Greek Islands and Durres is a day trip from Corfu so the chance may come again. Visiting Albania while spending a couple of weeks on Corfu or in Croatia might, for us, be a better option. I also fear Luis may already be booked.

 

As I'm typing this the phrase "first world problems" keeps popping into my mind.

[spindrift]

We, too, are on the June 30th Adriatic Medley cruise stopping in Tirana (Durres). We booked the O tour to Berat, the city of a thousand windows. I understand it is quite interesting located on a hillside. We also go to the castle, Kala; enjoy an Albanian lunch, and other various stops. It is a longer tour than we usually take (8-1/2 hrs.) but we thought this would give us an opportunity to see a bit about Albania.

 

We love going to places where we have not been (but are not dangerous right now) and meet and learn about cultures elsewhere. This is one great big world and so much to learn about others and see. Please don't get preconceived ideas about a place. It shades your opinion to a degree, I think. We can learn from comments, but go with an open mind. The Albanians will be glad that you are there and maybe helping to improve their economy.

 

We dn;t have that many years being in our 80's and 70's, so we want to see what we can. If you don't want to tour on your own, take advantage of one of O's tours. I'm sure you have many of the same on your trip as we do.

 

I will certainly report back when we return.

[CintiPam]

We, too, are on the June 30th Adriatic Medley cruise stopping in Tirana (Durres). We booked the O tour to Berat, the city of a thousand windows. I understand it is quite interesting located on a hillside. We also go to the castle, Kala; enjoy an Albanian lunch, and other various stops. It is a longer tour than we usually take (8-1/2 hrs.) but we thought this would give us an opportunity to see a bit about Albania.

 

We love going to places where we have not been (but are not dangerous right now) and meet and learn about cultures elsewhere. This is one great big world and so much to learn about others and see. Please don't get preconceived ideas about a place. It shades your opinion to a degree, I think. We can learn from comments, but go with an open mind. The Albanians will be glad that you are there and maybe helping to improve their economy.

 

We dn;t have that many years being in our 80's and 70's, so we want to see what we can. If you don't want to tour on your own, take advantage of one of O's tours. I'm sure you have many of the same on your trip as we do.

 

I will certainly report back when we return.

 

That is the same tour we took last September from Quest, and I did enjoy our day. However, be prepared for much more bus time that you would expect because the roads are so bad, with dozens of washouts, that the bus has to come to a crawl to go over each of them. Turns what should be a one-hour bus rised into a two-hour one.

 

You will get to see a lot of the countryside, including all the bunkers scattered around. Also, the dictator had his name imprinted in huge letters on the hillside opposite the wonderful old castle (with its excellent art museum); quite nauseating.

 

Really made me appreciate my life here.

Edited June 16, 2014 by CintiPam

[SellaVee]

That is the same tour we took last September from Quest, and I did enjoy our day. However, be prepared for much more bus time that you would expect because the roads are so bad, with dozens of washouts, that the bus has to come to a crawl to go over each of them. Turns what should be a one-hour bus rised into a two-hour one.

 

You will get to see a lot of the countryside, including all the bunkers scattered around. Also, the dictator had his name imprinted in huge letters on the hillside opposite the wonderful old castle (with its excellent art museum); quite nauseating.

 

Really made me appreciate my life here.

 

You're not really selling it to me here, Pam :o. One of the reasons I cruise is to avoid hours on a bus!

[spindrift]

Yes CintiPam, it does say at least a 2 hour bus ride and transportation not of the quality we would be used to normally. We do understand what we might encounter, but that is part of it. Maybe they put in the long ride time due to past trips such as yours. You set the bar--ha ha. :p

 

Thanks for your info. Yes, some of it could be quite depressing,but I guess that is what is there and what we will see. Is there air conditioning, or do we need it?

 

Other than the bus ride and the graffiti (you might say), how did you enjoy it overall?

[CintiPam]

Yes CintiPam, it does say at least a 2 hour bus ride and transportation not of the quality we would be used to normally. We do understand what we might encounter, but that is part of it. Maybe they put in the long ride time due to past trips such as yours. You set the bar--ha ha. :p

 

Thanks for your info. Yes, some of it could be quite depressing,but I guess that is what is there and what we will see. Is there air conditioning, or do we need it?

 

Other than the bus ride and the graffiti (you might say), how did you enjoy it overall?

 

Oh, the bus itself indeed is up to standards, with a/c. I guess although I enjoyed seeing the countryside and the small art museum, I thought it was a lot of driving for not much. I had so much enjoyed our visit to Butrint from Saranda in 2008 (and only 30 minutes by car!:)) that I was a bit disappointed. The sights simply are not that exciting and certainly overhyped in the literature. (The city of a thousand windows, for example.)

 

That's why I would hope that a private tour would be much better because I assume Luis could better recommend good stops from Durres. Perhaps Kruja over Berat simply because it is a lot closer so less frustrating by bus.

 

Also, Albania really suffers in comparison to other stops on that cruise; the Dalmatian coast is so lovely. Split and Dubrovnik are marvelous.

Edited June 17, 2014 by CintiPam

[CintiPam]

You're not really selling it to me here, Pam :o. One of the reasons I cruise is to avoid hours on a bus!

 

Well, how many of your friends can say they have been to Albania? :D

[Twiga]

I was just in Albania on the Nautica two weeks ago. We took the Oceania tour called "Berat: City of a Thousand Windows." I really enjoyed the tour. It was the most unusual tour of our trip. (We did both the May 16th and May 26th cruises.) What a great day we had! It was like nothing we’ve ever seen. We docked in the port of Durres.

 

Here is a report I emailed home while on the ship:

 

Our tour was called “Berat: City of One Thousand Windows.” We were warned by the Cruise Director and in the Currents that in Albania the quality of the bus and guides might not be up to the standards we’ve had so far. But it was the exact opposite was true. Our guide, Ervin, spoke terrific English and was extremely knowledgeable about the tour and world politics in general. The coach was the same as all of the others we’ve been on, huge and with A/C, and the driver was great.

 

Albania is a happy and sad, good and bad place. The guide was very happy that the communists were thrown out in the late 1990’s, but sad that the country is still in extreme disrepair. There are partially finished buildings everywhere. There are building skeletons everywhere. They are crumbling and unlikely to be completed. The guide said that a lot of people cannot get mortgages, so they build the first and second stories of their houses, and then leave the third story unfinished so that the kids can someday complete it and move in.

 

The road to Berat was very narrow and under constant construction. It was a 50 mile drive that took two hours. Once outside Durres, there was barely enough room on the road for one bus to pass another. The guide said the roads were narrow so that, in the past, invaders could not get quickly to the main cities. There are various world organizations that have given Albania money to improve the roads, but there is still corruption and the money does not all get to the road repair. About every 1/2 mile or so there is roadwork on the side of the road that requires the bus to slow down to a crawl. But the slow speed gave us time to really see the area.

 

There were lots of small fields, farmed by people using hand scythes. We saw many donkey carts for carrying farm tools and crops. Along the way to and from Berat we saw lots of donkeys pulling carts and lots of people selling produce along the road.

 

There was a lot of trash stacked up, especially around bridges. The guide said that the people are used to having the government do everything for them, so it is hard for some people to change. That is why there is so much trash, the government used to pick it up, but no longer.

 

The guide, however, was very bright and hopeful for the future of the country. He explained the history. He said that there has been much war in Albania, corruption, communism, and now a socialist government, that it will take a long time for the country to improve.

 

We stopped at a winery called Cobo. It is a small family winery. We had a nice tour and then tasted wine. It was very good. In fact, it was our favorite wine of all the wine we had tasted previously in Italy and France. We bought some and enjoyed it on the ship. I wish we had bought more. The family was very proud of the winery.

 

Then, we drove on to a 13th century fort/castle high in the mountains. Most of the fort is ruins, but there is a church inside that is now the Onufri Museum that has the most spectacular religious icons that are carved of walnut wood and then covered in gold and paint. The original frescoed ceilings were still visible and gorgeous.

 

We then had lunch at a restaurant across from the fort. It was a typical Albanian meal and was fantastic! First, we had chicken rice soup, then a spanakopita-type appetizer with zucchini, then steak and a marvelous flat meatball of beef that was the tastiest ever! We had local wine with lunch and a dessert of a spice cake. We were really impressed.

 

Next, we drove down the mountain to the Osumi river and Berat to see the one thousand windows. The houses are terraced on the mountain and all look similar, giving the impression of thousands of windows. It was really pretty.

 

There were many brightly-colored houses. The guide said that houses during the communist era were all gray, but after the communists were thrown out, people began painting their houses bright colors. We saw some very nice houses and many sad, not so nice, houses.

 

It is really hard to describe what we saw. As I said at the beginning, we saw a lot of good and a lot of not so good. But, if there are enough people like Ervin, the country may recover and make something of itself in the future. I sure hope so.

 

At the end of our tour, Ervin sang the national anthem for us. When we said good-bye when we got off the bus and told him how much we enjoyed the tour, he had tears in his eyes. I certainly hope Albania can succeed. It will take a long time.

 

I hope you will take time to see the country and, perhaps, help the economy in a small way.

[mrstravel]

Thanks so much for that great trip report. Still trying to figure out what to do.

[Paulchili]

What a great trip report! Thank you.

FWIW, here are some pictures from Berat (they seem older as they are mostly not colorful):

https://www.google.com/search?q=berat+albania+photos&rlz=1T4GGHP_enUS429US429&tbm=isch&imgil=OQmVvRmPFRKhKM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcSMQqknvmoLnPqPlXDFVKbWxN1GpspVlRcoQmVTmBpLEEa_0qg1%253B3648%253B2736%253Bwg6gVem7pE8urM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fonestep4ward.com%25252Fvisiting-berat-albania-unesco-town-thousand-windows%25252F&source=iu&usg=__aBpxtvv9z0RdiVWkSrb_hplw4yE%3D&sa=X&ei=_rCgU6b0OsWfyATekYLgDA&ved=0CCMQ9QEwAQ&biw=1682&bih=821#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=OQmVvRmPFRKhKM%253A%3Bwg6gVem7pE8urM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fonestep4ward.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2012%252F07%252FBerat-Albania.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fonestep4ward.com%252Fvisiting-berat-albania-unesco-town-thousand-windows%252F%3B3648%3B2736

Edited June 17, 2014 by Paulchili