Important Info

Air border crossings:

Tirana International Airport Nene Tereza (Mother Teresa) (TIA), is currently Albania‘s only international airport. It is commonly known as Rinas International Airport, as it is located in the village of Rinas 6 nautical miles (11 kilometres; 6.9 miles) northwest of Tirana.

The airport was named in 2001, after the Albanian Roman Catholic nun and missionary Mother Teresa. It is the 8th busiest airport in the Balkans that handles over 2 million passengers per year. It serves as a hub for local carrier Albawings and as a focus city for Blue Panorama Airlines, Adria Airways, Alitalia and Mistral Air.

Sea border crossings:

Port of Shengjin:  The Port of Shëngjin or Shëngjin Harbor (Albanian: Porti i Shëngjinit) is a port of Albania in the city of Shëngjin, Albania.

Port of Durresi: The Port of Durrës or Durrës Harbor (Albanian: Porti i Durrësit) is the largest port of Albania. Located in the city of Durrës it is an artificial basin that is formed between two moles, with a west-northwesterly oriented entrance approximately 183 metres (600 ft) wide as it passes between the ends of the moles.

Port of Vlora: The Port of Vlorë or Vlorë Harbor (Albanian: Porti i Vlorës) is a port of Albania in the city of Vlorë, Albania. The Port of Vlora is the second largest in the country. Vlore comprises a dry cargo port, the Vlore 1 petroleum port and a fishing harbour.

Port of Saranda: The Port of Sarandë or Sarandë Harbor (Albanian: Porti i Sarandës) is a port of Albania in the city of Sarandë, Albania. As of 2012, the port is undergoing an expansion to include a cruise line terminal.

Terrestrial border crossings:

Albania – Greece

1) You can access Albania from the southern borders of Kakavije (Greek: Κακαβιά) and Qafe Bote (Greek: Μαύρο Μάτι).

• The Kakavia or Kakavijë border crossing (Greek: Κακαβιά) is a major road border crossing between southern Albania and northwestern Greece. The closest cities to the border are Gjirokastra and Saranda from the Albanian side and Ioannina from Greek side. It works 24 hours.
• The Qafe Bote (Greek: ΜαύροΜάτι) border crossing is not as busy as the Kakavije. From there you can go to Saranda from the Albanian side and Igumenica Greek side. It works from 06:00 a.m to 00:00 a.m, the working times differ on season times.

2) Kapshtica border is on the East side of Albania and also the second most used land border after Kakavije. The closest city from Albanian side is Korca. People in Albania use this border when they want to visit Thessaloniki which is in the North-East of Greece.

Albania – FYROM

3) Qafë Thanë (Albanian: Qafë Thanë; Macedonian: Ќафасан) is a mountain pass on the shores of Lake Ohrid in Albania.[1] It is located in the southeastern Albanian mountains, close to the border between Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. The border crossing point between the two countries is also named Qafë Thanë and is a “primary gateway” between the two countries.

4) Pogradec of Saint Naum, 19 km from Ohrid to Skopje.

Albania – Kosovo

Qafë Morinë (Tropojë) – Gjakovë

Qafë Prush (Has) – Gjakovë

Morinë (Kukës) – Vërmicë (Prizren, the main border crossing)

Orgjost (Kukës) – Orqushë (pedestrian only, not frequently used)

Shishtavec (Kukës) – Dragash, opened as normal border crossing on May 10, 2013

Albania – Montenegro

Muriqan (Shkodër) – Sukobin (Ulcinj)

Han i Hotit (Malësi e Madhe) – Božaj (Podgorica, the main border crossing)

Vermosh (Malësi e Madhe) – Gusinje (Plav)

Geography of Albania

Albania is a country in South-Eastern Europe, in the West of the Balkan Peninsula, between the geographical coordinates: 39 16′ latitude and 42 39′ longitude. Albania is almost midway between the Equator and the North Pole, and covers a surface of 28.748 km2. The overall length of the borderline of the Republic of Albania is 1094 km; out of which 657-km is land-border, 316-km sea-border, 48-km river-border and 73 km lake-border. The Republic of Albania, on the North borders with Montenegro and North-East with Kosovo, on the East with Macedonia, and in the South and South-East with Greece. On the West, Albania is washed by the Adriatic and Ionian seas. The average altitude is 708 m, i.e. two times higher than that of Europe. Albania is included in the humid sub-tropical zone of the Northern Hemisphere, and it belongs to the Mediterranean climatic zone.

Albanian Language

Albania is an ethnically homogeneous country, where the overwhelming majority of the population speaks Albanian, which is also the official language. It has two distinct dialects: Tosk, spoken in the south, and Gheg, spoken in the north. However many Albanians speak Italian, Greek, French, German, English, amongst other languages too, due to the high numbers of Albanian diaspora.

Albania is one of the most polyglot nations in Europe. Italian is widely spoken throughout Albania. Greek, the language of the Greek minority of the south, is also very widespread in that region. Nowadays, knowledge of English is growing very rapidly, especially among the youth. Various languages are spoken by ethnic minorities: Greek, Macedonian, etc.

(Source)

Currency of Albania

The currency of the country is Leke. Banknotes with a nominal value of 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 5000 Lek of various modifications and coins with a nominal value of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Lek circulate here. There are banknotes with an equal nominal value of three different issuance and different appearance in Albania. One Lek is equal to 100 quindarkas.

Approximate rate of exchange to the world currencies is 105 Lek = 1 US$ and 135 Lek = 1 Euro.

Albania Climate

Coastal areas: Central Mediterranean, mild and wet winter, hot and dry summer.
Alpine areas: Central Continental, cold and wild winter, wet summer.

A mild subtropical climate with a dry hot summer (the average temperature is +27C) and humid cool winter (the average temperature is +5C), typical of the whole Mediterranean region, prevails in Albania. In general, the temperature depends directly upon the altitude above the sea level

The hottest month: August
The coldest month: January

Safety in Albania

If you come to Albania, here are some tips that will help you have a safe and pleasant experience:

When visiting the country, and just like in every other major city in the world you must look after your bags and suitcases to avoid theft and have a safe experience in Albania. Do not carry large amounts of cash in your wallet, purse or bag. Take only small amounts in the country’s currency for daily expenditures. Always carry a map with you and the address of the place you’re staying at. Whenever you need to open your wallet in public, avoid exposing big cash notes. Do not place your wallet or your phone in the back pockets of your pants, especially in places that are very busy and full. Leave your passport where you are staying and take only a certified copy of it.

Most thefts occur in places where there are large concentrations of people, like markets, subway stations, bus stations and full buses. Luggage theft is also common in airport lounges. Keep an eye out.

Avoid walking through empty places or neighborhoods indicated as dangerous by the local residents. This advice is especially important in large cities and to people who are traveling alone. If you go to the beach, don’t leave your belongings in the sand while you go into the water. If you rent a car, don’t leave any luggage or bags visible inside. If this is unavoidable, try to park the vehicle in a safe place, where there is policing.

Visa information Albania

All foreigners who have a valid multi – entry Schengen visa, type “C” or “D”, or a valid residence permit in one of the Schengen member states, can enter, stay and transit Albania without visa, within the validity term of the visa or the residence permit.

* Can enter the Republic of Albania even with ID card