Albania, thanks again for the memories ❤ If you guys have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask us! We love Albania and we want you to love it too! Thanks for watching our videos and for being here :) Oh and remember you can download your PDF with all the details about some restaurants, rankings for each city and all of our Airbnb's here: creative-producer-4467.ck.page/ad93c1a832 (we hope it helps you plan your perfect trip!) - check the description for other links! And if you are planning to visit Albania, read this blog post too: www.waysoftheworldblog.com/albania-travel/ (we hope you find it useful!)
I just wanted to say that '" everything you need to know" is fucking pretentious coming from a couple of foreigners who were there for a minute or so! Glad you had a good time though 👊🏻
As a British citizen do you need visa to visit Albania and if you don how long do you have to wait to be granted the visa. Or do you apply for Shenanigans visa to travel to this country? Thank you for prompt reply
I just came from Albania a couple of days ago. Great video. Thanks for sharing your experience. My experience was a bit different; people stared a lot, and it was uncomfortable. Before communism, people were isolated from the world, and thus, some people lack the maturity of seeing a person who may not look like them. Other than the constant stares, I was called inappropriate names that I will not write here. A few sad moments that I will not forget 😢... I had a good time, indeed, because I focused on the people around me who made my trip the best.
I think you are asking about actual prayer visits to mosques? And not the call to prayer over the loud speakers? I think only some select mosques have active prayers during the day - in general it isn't a particularly religious country.
Gordons pronounviations of albanian cities are spot on And realy a nice video over all so far If you like hiking thou you can go to Erseke wich is a very good experience now that winter is coming
You guys are awsome! Great observations of our country. Your food observations need a little uplift. If you go back and see yourselves in videos where you show your impressions while eating our food you may notice the difference of those videos and this one. However, you seem to have had sometimes disappointing experiences in certain restaurants and that is true. Most restaurants owners think that our traditional cuisine is not good for tourists and they are wrong. And for "byrek" we are Champions of the World haha which we make it in all kinds and shapes imaginable. But most importantly are the basic ingredients that make our food exceptional. That is during communist rule the country was totally shutdown from western world so everything was kept as it was for thousands of years although some pesticizing and chemicals were used mainly in lowlands near the sea. However, the mountains were kept clean and most crops were kept truly organic. Now all that is changing rapidly unfortunately but you still can find that taste of the old world which you cannot find in any other country be that around Mediterranean or around the world. Another factor is our land is very fertile. Haha and the "no" is not "yo" but "jo" haha. Thank you very much for giving our country such a positive overview. Cheers and good luck in your future travels.
The food really does taste different in Albania - specially the vegetables and salads, they were really so so good!!! And yes, the food you saw in the videos of course were the incredible experiences we had, but we had a lot of bad experiences too. We chose not to share that in our videos because it's really such a small part of our travels and does not compare to all the positive and amazing experiences we had in Albania, but we feel like for this type of video it's better to share the good and the bad too. We miss the Albanian byrek! We had really good one in Sarande and in Elbasan. hahaha and happy to hear you were entertained by our Albanian 😂 that was the case for everyone we interacted with in Albania hahaha we like to try :) Take care and thanks so much for the well wishes :) Thanks for being Albanian! Your country was really really good to us! 🇦🇱 It's a very special place.
Congratulations if you are rich and can spend 2 or 3 months in every single country; unfortunately, most of others can spend a maximum of 3 weeks to visit 4 or even 5 of the Balkan countries and try to make the most of it with limited tine and resources. I do appreciate your comments which provide ideas...txs .... hooe you can talk about wifi....since my cel phone does not comply with minimum standards for virtual wifi cards...and its not old... a samsung galaxy 54
Know you did not visit Bosnia, but whats the problem with transport from Montenegro going there? No trains or a train per week and a bus per week to go from Podgorica to Mostar??? Places far away as Washington is from NY City....not far at all
We've been to Bosnia, but haven't released those videos yet. Podgorica to Mostar must not be a popular route if the bus options are limited... There should be many more buses from Podgorica to Sarajevo, and then you can take a train/bus from Sarajevo to Mostar (or drive). Also look into Dubrovnik if that's somewhere you want to go, it's very easy to travel between Mostar & Dubrovnik.
Guys just to clarified, Berat and Gjirokaster are NOT Ottoman cities. This cities are at list 2000 years old way before the Ottomans came to Albania in 15th century. Glad to hear that you enjoyed your experience to my beautiful country. We are the best. hahaha
Hi Martin! Thanks so much for clearing that up, we learned that later. It's confusing because even local guides call them that... 🙈 but anyways, yes! We love your country so much!!! 🇦🇱 We had the best time!
@@waysoftheworld_The architecture of towns is ottoman style (infrastructure wise) but the towns itself are inhabited since antiquity and have many layers of historical periods (Illyrian/Roman/Byzantine/Ottoman).So ottomans are literally the last that’s why it’s what smn can visibly see. Ps: the churches inside the castle are of Byzantine time. The walls of the castle are of Illyrian times.Roads like via Egnatia crossing close by is of Roman time.
hahaha we try to learn some words everywhere we go :) We wish we learned more words in Albanian hahaha but it was hard 🙈 hopefully next time we will pick up more words!
You forgot to mention the great Tirana nightlife. I was flabbergasted. Beautiful people having fun and dancing until really late. Young Albanians dress and look sharp despite limited resources. Tirana puts many larger cities to shame in the nightlife department.
1. How did you get around by bus with your luggage? Do the busses have luggage storage? 2. Is getting your leftovers to go a thing there? 3. Can you drink the tap water? 4. Do all the people speak or understand a little English?
Hi :) 1. So, from city to city all buses had luggage storage, so we had no issues with that when moving around in the country... a lot of the buses are small, but they have space in the back for suitcases.. 2. Yes, you can. But as the replied stated, the places where they had no menus and served a lot of food were in very small villages. In most cases honestly, the food wasn't great, so we were not interested in taking leftovers with us. 3. This depends on the city.. some airbnbs had filters installed. We always ask our host. In a lot of the places in the mountains the water was super fresh and safe to drink from the tap. But in the places where this is not possible, you can buy water drinking water at the grocery store. 4. For the most part, younger people speak enough English. Some older people we talked to spoke Italian or German, but rarely English. However, our hosts at guest houses and airbnb's did speak enough and we were able to communicate with no issues. At restaurants I think most people speak enough so you can order and you can always learn a couple extra words :) but people are so extremely nice that they will go out of the way to make sure you understand them or that they understand you. It really is crazy to see how helpful people are in Albania!
@@rookiemaquillage you're welcome! feel free to reach out if you need anything else or are planning to visit Albania. We can answer any questions you may have via email or IG too 🥰
Hello - Lin is the name of the town...Lake Ohrid is the name of the lake. It's super beautiful out there and you can cross the border into Macedonia if that sounds interesting to you 😎
Groceries here are very expensive compared to other Europian cities like Dusseldorf, London, Pisa etc.. (i have visited) same goes for gas, and mind you what you spent for groceries in two months and a half - $500 is the average monthly salary for people here, and there are people who make less than that for a 9 to 5.. All of the taxis have meters they just dont use them so they could scam you they do this with albanian people as well.. As tourists you 100% get overcharged though but because of the tourists everything is overpriced in albania but you can notice that only when you visit the country often or if you are a local.. Yes it is illegal to not get an itemized receipt so you should always ask them for one whoever refuses to give one wants to scam you so keep that in mind.. As per the currency $5 - 500 ALL (5 thousand lek) / $10 - 1000 (ten thousand lek)
Iam traveling this country right now. I love it so much i like the people, but what the video dont shows how many trash is in this beautifull places and the worst are the stray dogs in every city everywere i go. I bring packs of dog food it breaks my heart
I'm traveling in French and Belgium and asking for information about bus train and I'm stoping 10 people and 10 people not help me to mach stupid people I'm not saying all people is stupid.only help me is homeless people help me about bus train information
hi guys, i congratulate you for the video, but there are some incorrect info about history. 17:33. Berat was never an ottoman city. but Illyrian City, dating from over 3500 years ago. while ceramics find from 7th century BCE. initially attest to a settlement of the rocky hill of Berat by the Illyrians, and Berat has been called with ancient name Antipatrea. and Albanorum Oppidum from the roman empire, it is the city where the Ptolemy was born. even though the place where he was born is still unknown from world history, and some call him of greek ethnicity, while some others as roman egyptian , but the evidence and facts prove that he was born in Berat . even the name itself have meaning only in Albanian LANGUAGE . thats why it is important to know that manipulatet history is now over. as we know, greeks was never exist, they was just an Albanian tribe that was separated and created a new language which is Greek language today. and the term of hellenic helen or macedonia have nothing to do with greeks today, they are clearly connected with ILLYRIAN ALBANIAN origin. we know that Albanian language is the oldest in world, from where even SUMMERIAN language cames from. sorry for my english. have a nice day
I've been researching Albania for the past two months and have watched a gazillion You Tube videos in the process. Yours is the best ever! I learned a few tips that I haven't seen in any other videos. Now I need to go back and view all your other Albania videos. Subscribed.
Nice video. If tipping is not expected… Keep it that way. I don't understand the western obsession with wrecking a good thing. If the economy is set up where that's not normal, don't do it. And of course anyone who gets more money than expected is happy. That's no surprise and true in any human endeavor. Surprised about the expensive prices for food. I'm wondering if that was in tourist areas.
Thank you soo much for this wonderful video. I have a question about the money. Nowadays I always travel with my wise card without problems, but I've checked and it doesn't have the Albania currency. With which bank did you travel to Albania for withdraw without problems at the Credins Bank?
Hi, so sorry, we will put the text next time!! Here you have the names: Lin, Lake Koman, Berat, Gjirokaster, Farm Stay (in Nepravishe) and Tirana :) There's a link to a PDF in the description where you can see all the stops (ranked) and links to our accommodations, more info on each stop and restaurant recs ;) Hope it helps!
Hi Natalia! Thanks so much for the kind words! Full disclosure, we do like to eat a lot hahaha but we like to show and talk about other stuff as well. Let us know if you have any questions planning your trip to Albania 🇦🇱
@@waysoftheworld_ Thank you. I am planning to go there for few months but waiting till the war ends . Europe is uneasy now due to possible nuclear attack.
from what we noticed, the preferred second language spoken by Albanian's will vary based on their age and where in Albania you are. Older Albanians are more likely to speak German and/or Russian, and younger Albanians in the cities are more likely to speak English. And then Italian and Greek also are relatively common - but more so along the coast. All that said, I think English and Italian are the best combo of second languages to get around Albania - but definitely don't expect everyone to speak it.
When traveling to sites outside of main cities are there public restroom facilities and if so, are they clean, etc. And, while i'm asking, how does this issue play out in the cities as well?
No, as far as I can remember, Albania isn't really much of a public restroom place. Not in the cities, not on the highways, not anywhere that I can remember 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks for the great information. I have a question about the weather, how was it?too hot or ok?😅 I’m going in a day there and it is supposed to be 30 degrees, is it humid or dry kinda weather? And i heard there are many seafood , but you didn’t mention anything about that
Hi! Yeah it's hot and humid, but it depends on where you're going too :) I guess seafood is in a lot of their dishes, but honestly we didn't notice that much because we don't eat seafood at all. That's why we didn't mention it. But you will love Sri Lanka, of that we are sure 😊
New subscriber here. I'm also Albanian. Albania is such a beautiful country and the people are friendly!!! I thought this was great! Plus both of you spoke Albanian really well!!! All the best!! 🇦🇱🇦🇱🇦🇱
Yes, there are mini-buses that can take you from Skoder to Theth. They are organized for tourists, so not public transport. In less touristy places there might only be sporadic public buses from the nearest major town/city to mountain villages.
Do any of the grocery shops have self checkouts? Or are there supermarket chains even? I am visiting Sarandë if that makes a difference 😊 your video is super helpful
There was definitely no self checkout when we were there, and I doubt it has been introduced since leaving. There are some chains, but not many. I think Spar is the biggest, and then there is Conad, which is typically more expensive and not necessarily that much better. Look for a Spar in Sarande, they should have it :) thanks!!
I just want to ask I want to settle down in usbakistan or Albania first usbakistan which person we can meet for my papper work please guide me thanking you
hi there, I'm Albanian and haven't been in a while but plan to go this summer with my girlfriend. she's from Kurdistan (Iraqi region) and I've been trying to find a proper source for visa requirements for Iraqi passport holders. do they need to apply for an e-visa, if so, how?
O my God. You stayed 2 months and speaking only for pricessss!!!!! You could summarize this part ans speak more about human, cultural and nature based experience
You probably didn't watch the whole video lol - but ok. We made about 22 videos in Albania that cover each destination in more detail ;) This video is not about that.
Hello - there are private guides to Kruje which you can book through Viator.com . We can't recommend any specific car rental company in Tirana, but there are a lot - especially at the airport. We traveled to Kruje by bus from Tirana and it was affordable and relatively easy.
Hi! Thanks for watching :) We never rented scooters in Albania, so we really don't know. We don't remember seeing a lot of rental scooters honestly... but maybe there's something in the more touristy cities...? I would look into Sarande or the other popular towns down the coast!
Some towns have handmade rugs, traditional wool hats/shoes and that kind of stuff. And you'll find a lot of antiques and vintage items in bazaars in towns like Kruja and Gjirokastra.
Did you guys felt safe as us citizens in albania, I heard it has good beaches and its cheap. To go to albania as us citizen, besides my us passport and plane ticket and hotel where I'm going to stay, do I have to bring where I work, my income, my bank acount to prove that I'm going to albania, do they check my phone once I arrive at the airport, or I just show my us passport, my plane ticket and the hotel where I am staying?
Yea we felt very safe - locals are generally fond of the US and Bill Clinton 😂 (because of Kosovo). Customs at the airport is happy to receive you, you can stay 12 months visa free with a US passport. We didn't have to show exit flight nor hotel, nor anything else besides for a passport. AndAlbanians are lovely and welcoming.
@@waysoftheworld_ that is good because starting in 2025 all the European union countries are going to require you to apply for the etias visa before booking the plane and hotel, European union countries are going to loose a lot of tourism because of the visa, the good thing about albania is that is not part of European union country
When we visited it was terrible, haha. I believe all the places we stayed in had Wifi - enough for basic usage... but not solid enough to take calls are anything like that. Our data coverage worked in the more populated areas, not in the countryside...
