Central Albania: Vlora, Berat and return to Tirana

As I promised, after northern Albania, I finished the continuation of our Albanian trip, this time focusing on the central part. While planning, the coastal Vlora (although it may fall more in southern Albania, but never mind) and its surroundings made its way onto the itinerary, plus of course the beautiful Berat, which I was really looking forward to. After that we had to catch our flight back to Tirana, but on the way we still managed to stop in the not so well known lake area of Belsh. The capital as such didn't appeal to us much, so our program there was more limited to just hanging out at the playgrounds :) So let's go into some details...

Vlora

I included this city in the program mainly because of the possibility of swimming. It was clear to me that the shade of the water here would not be as azure as in the southern part of Albania (e.g. Ksamil or Saranda), but I didn't care about it for a short swim. 

In the end, we were pleasantly surprised by the sandy and very gradual entrance to the water, which suited the kids in every way. On the first day after arriving, we just walked from our accommodation (see below) to check out the town's Vjeter beach - ok, but no miracle. On the other hand, on the second day on the way from Zvernec island we stopped at Narta beach, a bit more distant, where it was really great: beautiful sand, playground and not a foot in sight.

If the beaches don't quite interest you, head to the centre of Vlora, where you'll find countless restaurants and pleasant cafés. You probably won't know which place to choose first :) Type Vlora Old Town on google maps, you can find free parking in this area too.

Where to stay in Vlora

We spent only one night in Vlora, so we chose the new apartments within walking distance of the sea. It is specifically the Arial Penthouse Suites and the price I would say is absolutely unbeatable - €38/night including a great breakfast, parking + cot rental. There are plenty of room types and suites to choose from, however if you fancy something different, check out my other picks here:

• cheaper: Anel Studios or Vila Anxhelo - both newly renovated for a very good price (you can fit in €40 / night)

• more expensive: Azar Luxury Suites or Yacht hotel - well rated and not particularly overpriced stylish accommodation

Trips from Vlora

• Manastiri i Ardenices - Byzantine monastery, which today is the only one in Albania still occupied by monks. It is especially famous for the fact that the national hero Skanderbeg is said to have married here, which is why he was not torn down during the communist attempts at atheism. The complex is beautifully landscaped and overall it feels like a complete oasis of calm. You can park for free under the monastery, then it's just a short climb on cobblestones. There is no entrance fee, but you can make a voluntary contribution by buying a booklet for €1.

• Apollonia - The largest archaeological site in Albania is located just half an hour away from Vlora and is definitely worth a trip. You park in the free parking lot, walk about 200 meters to the entrance, where I recommend having 600 leks in cash ready, as they don't take cards (children under 12 are free), and then it's up to the site. The first part consists of the inside of the monastery (museum, gallery, church) which you can basically run through pretty quickly. The second, however, covers several square kilometers, so it will depend on how much time you want to devote to it. For me, the outdoor exhibit was a bit cluttered, often lacking directional signs and labels, so many times you had no idea where you were and where to go next. From a practical point of view, you can also find a restaurant inside (again, cash only payment) + more info regarding opening hours and availability, if any, on the official website here.

• Zvernec - a monastery located on an island right in the middle of the Narta lagoon. It is particularly interesting because it is connected to the mainland by a 250-metre long wooden pedestrian bridge. And no, don't worry, it's stable :) You can park for free in front of the bridge, but there are only a few spaces. There is also no charge to enter the island and the monastery.

Berat

A breathtaking city that will surely impress you with its oriental look as much as it did us. Berat also has the nickname "the city of a thousand windows", which probably doesn't need much elaboration, you'll understand it immediately. The river Osum flows through it, which in the past divided it into the Muslim part of Mangalem and the Christian part of Gorica. Both harbour historical monuments so well preserved that Berat has even earned a place on the UNESCO list of monuments.

Mangalem is characterized mainly by the fact that it is situated on a steep hill, and when you look at it, you feel that the houses are standing on top of each other... and it almost does. We have stayed here and can confirm that when you leave one house, you actually find yourself on the roof of the other :) 

Of course, you'll also find the biggest local attraction here - the Berat fortress surrounded by high walls, which offers a great view of the opposite Gorica and the newer buildings. There's a lot to see in the fortress, you'll come across many towers, several churches and mosques or even a unique water tank. Interestingly, the houses in the area are still inhabited + of course some of them offer accommodation, refreshments or souvenirs.

Access roads to the fortress - in short, there are many of them and they are certainly better visible on mapy.cz than on google maps. If you're interested in our experience, we made our way there from our accommodation (Hotel Villa Edis see below for its description) and returned via the walking route from Kisha e Shen Gjergjit, which looked friendlier on the navigation than in reality :) In real life, the staircase was pretty crumbled and overgrown, which could still be done, but the other part was slippery sand, but that wasn't quite ideal with the kids (Nina on foot, Jony in a carrier). Nevertheless, we reached the little church of Shen Mehilli and from there the path was paved. So to sum up: for views and without small children great, with little ones I would rather choose another option if I were you.

Where to stay in Berat

I definitely recommend spending the night in Berat, as the illuminated riverbanks and the vibrant modern centre are definitely worth an evening stroll. We opted to stay in lower castle area, specifically Hotel Villa Edis, which we can easily recommend further afield. Very nice and hospitable owner, nice rooms, good breakfast and a beautiful view right from the balcony. The location was also an advantage, where you can walk to the castle in a few minutes. The price of this stay in a triple room cost us €40 including breakfast. Alternatively, check out other accommodations here:

• cheaper: Hotel Kalaja located directly in the castle or Hotel Demaj with a fantastic rating, both priced at about €34/night with breakfast

• more expensive: beautiful stylish Beratino Hotel in the old part of town or, on the contrary, modern Hotel Plaza Berat, where you can still get in under €80 a night for this beauty

Belsh

Originally it was not planned at all, but compared to the itinerary we ended up with some time left, which we didn't really want to devote to Tirana. But there are not that many interesting places on the Berat-Tirana route, if you don't count the oil fields and the huge crumbling building of the former power plant - both near the town of Fier, both of which you can probably see from the car :), so Belsh was the obvious choice...

Is located in the Dumreja (or Dumrea) region, the centre of which is Belsh. The local attractions are the karst lakes, of which there are more than 80 and counting. This region is not yet well known for tourism, but thanks to the lakes with surrounding vineyards and orchards, and the generally low elevation, it is gradually becoming a popular location for cyclists. Belsh itself is situated on the shores of the lake of the same name, which can be circumnavigated entirely along a pleasant modern promenade. The other very popular destination is Lake Seferan, where you'll come across this viewpoint with a statue of Aphrodite.

Tirana

The very last stop of our trip was the capital city - Tirana. I tried to avoid it from the beginning, but on the last night before our flight we wanted to be somewhere close to it just in case. So we spend the night in the great new Hotel SIBB, which we recommend with all ten of us. Beautiful large rooms, friendly staff, a children's corner in the hotel restaurant, free parking and a very good breakfast - all for €60 for a junior suite (cot for Jony is also free).

And now what did we manage to see in Tirana? I ruled out the center right away, because walking around with kids in a concrete construction site and "admiring" socialist monuments was not exactly my idea of a nice day out. Plus, the car ride through the capital itself proved to be a solid time and nerve waster. The traffic here really isn't completely seamless, so take that into account when planning. So what next?

• Mount Dajti - where the Dajti Ekspres cable car will take you - info on the official website here. When planning, please note that the cable car does not run on Tuesdays. But the top of the mountain with the observation deck, hotel and amusement park didn't impress me that much, and of course it was Tuesday, so the situation actually solved itself :)

• Lake Bovilla - more than Dajti, I had my eye on this incredibly azure and photogenic lake (actually a reservoir of drinking water) located just outside Tirana. However, the road to it is no honey. The last 7 kilometers or so are on a road full of potholes created by moving quarried rocks. The problem is that rental car insurance only covers paved roads, which is not really the case here. If you didn't know that, you're welcome :) The discretion is yours, of course. But for those who don't want to miss this wonderful view and lunch in a panoramic restaurant, there is a second option => organized trip from Tirana... which, unfortunately, we didn't have time for. Maybe next time.

Source: GetYourGuide - www.getyourguide.com

• Bunk´Art - an unusual museum where you can get an idea of the history of communism in Albania. It has two exhibitions in two different locations - Bunk'Art 1 near the cable car and Bunk'Art 2 right in the heart of Tirana. We chose to visit "one" (site here), which has its premises in a giant fallout shelter. You will walk through five floors of this underground monster and learn a lot of interesting information. Definitely worth a visit for me. In practical terms, parking is free and admission costs 500 lek (you can pay by card). If you visit Bunk´Art 1 with a small child, be sure not to take a stroller, because there are a lot of steps and high thresholds inside and it is not at all realistic to handle it in such small spaces. And the second thing: it's quite cold inside, so you'll need a sweatshirt.

• Park Lojrash per Femije - we still needed to tire the kids out before our flight, so we spent the morning at this playground by the lake. There's a beautiful new one with a bike track a little further on, which you can find on google maps as Akademia e Çiklizmit.

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