Albania

Albania, the last undiscovered corner of Europe

For much of the twentieth century, Albania was sealed off behind one of the most isolated and repressive regimes in Europe, a country so cut off from the outside world it was sometimes likened to North Korea. It has only been open to travellers for a little over thirty years, and it shows: Albania remains one of the least visited countries in Europe, poised on the cusp between East and West, with a history, cuisine and landscape as rich as any of its better known neighbours.

Illyrian cities, Roman roads and Ottoman towns

Long before communism, this land sat at a crossroads of empires. Shkodra, one of the oldest cities in the Balkans, was once the capital of an Illyrian kingdom, while Apollonia and Butrint, both extraordinary Greek and Roman ruins, thrived on Albania’s azure Adriatic and Ionian coasts. The ancient Via Egnatia, the Roman road that carried St Paul, Cicero and Mark Antony from Durrës all the way to Constantinople, began its journey here too. Later came the Ottomans, whose legacy survives in the honeyed stone houses of Gjirokastra and the white houses of Berat, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and in Kruja, whose castle still guards the memory of Skanderbeg, the national hero who held out against Ottoman rule for twenty-five years and, according to local tradition, was married at the Byzantine monastery of Ardenica.

Tirana, Bunk Art and the shadow of communism

Tirana itself is a city of contrasts: the grand Skanderbeg Square and the elegant Et’hem Bey Mosque sit within walking distance of Bunk Art, a vast Cold War bunker built for the ruling elite and now a museum to the paranoia of Albania’s communist decades. It is here, more than anywhere, that Albania’s recent history feels close enough to touch, and where the contrast with the country’s new openness, its cafes, galleries and rapidly changing skyline, feels most striking.

The mountains, beaches and hidden villages of Albania

Beyond the cities, Albania is astonishingly beautiful. The road south from Vlora climbs through the pinewoods of the Llogara Pass before dropping to the beaches of Dhermi and Himara, among the finest on the Albanian Riviera, and further along the shore, the castle of Ali Pasha stands guard over the bay of Porto Palermo, one of the loveliest natural harbours on the coast. Inland, the Blue Eye, a natural spring of impossibly clear water, and the thermal pools of Benja reward those willing to leave the sea behind, while higher still, the mountain village of Voskopoja, once a thriving city of scholars and merchants, keeps some of the finest eighteenth-century Orthodox frescoes in southern Europe.

The best small group tours of Albania

Travelling alone, you can only scratch the surface. Travelling with us, on one of our expert-led small group tours, gives you the chance to properly get under the skin of a country most travellers have yet to discover, from its Ottoman towns to its mountain villages, guided by the thoughtful knowledge and anecdotes only local experts can offer. Small enough to feel personal, expert enough to go far beyond the obvious: that is how we like our guests to experience an unforgettable Albania.

• For the latest official travel advice and up-to-date information before travelling to Albania, please visit the UK Government’s FCDO Travel Advice page.