Southeast Europe

Albania

A small, mountainous land on the Adriatic and Ionian seas, with Ottoman stone towns, Roman ruins, a wild coast and a language unlike any other.

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Neighbours

Montenegro

Greece

North Macedonia

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Overview

Albania at a glance

Albania lies in the south-west of the Balkan Peninsula, facing Italy across the Adriatic and Ionian seas. It is only about 148 km wide from east to west and around 340 km long from north to south, yet it packs in the snowy Albanian Alps, deep river valleys, the great lakes of Shkodër, Ohrid and Prespa, flat coastal plains and the rocky Albanian Riviera in the south-west.

Illyrian tribes lived here in ancient times, Greek colonists founded ports such as Epidamnos, today's Durrës, and Apollonia, and the land later became part of the Roman and Byzantine empires. In the 15th century Skanderbeg led a long resistance against the Ottoman Empire, which then ruled Albania for more than four centuries. Albania declared independence in Vlorë on 28 November 1912.

The 20th century brought a king, occupation by Italy and Germany, and more than four decades of strict and isolated communist rule under Enver Hoxha. Since 1991 Albania has been a parliamentary republic. It joined NATO in 2009 and, as of September 2026, is a candidate for membership of the European Union, negotiating since 2022. At the 2023 census it had about 2.4 million people.

CapitalTirana

PopulationAbout 2.4 million (2023 census)

Official languageAlbanian

CurrencyAlbanian lek (ALL)

Area28,748 km²

GovernmentParliamentary republic

Highest mountainKorab, 2,764 m, on the border with North Macedonia

Longest riverThe Drin, about 285 km including its headwaters, flowing into the Adriatic

NeighboursMontenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Greece by land. Italy lies across the Strait of Otranto, linked by ferries

Drives on theRight

Calling code+355

Next: Story

The story

A short history of Albania

Albania's story runs from Illyrian kingdoms and Greek colonies on the coast, through Rome, Byzantium and the hero Skanderbeg, to four centuries of Ottoman rule, independence in 1912 and a hard road from communism to democracy.

627 BC
Greeks found Epidamnos
Greek colonists from Corinth and Corcyra (Corfu), working with the local Illyrian Taulantii, founded the port of Epidamnos. It later became Roman Dyrrachium and is today's Durrës.
168 BC
Rome defeats King Gentius
Gentius, the last known Illyrian king, went to war with Rome in 168 BC. He was defeated, and by 167 BC the Romans had conquered the region and divided it into three parts.
1190
The Principality of Arbanon
Progon of Kruja founded the Principality of Arbanon, with its centre at Krujë. It is seen as the first sketch of an Albanian state, and lasted into the 13th century.
1444
The League of Lezhë
In March 1444 Skanderbeg, who had left the Ottoman army and taken Krujë the year before, united Albanian noble families in the League of Lezhë against the Ottoman Empire.
1468
Death of Skanderbeg
Skanderbeg died on 17 January 1468 after about 25 years of resistance. Krujë fell to the Ottomans ten years later, and Albania remained under Ottoman rule until 1912.
1878
The League of Prizren
On 10 June 1878 Albanian leaders met in Prizren to defend Albanian-populated lands that treaties were about to give to neighbouring states. The league later worked for Albanian self-rule.
1908
The Congress of Manastir
Albanian scholars meeting in Manastir, today's Bitola in North Macedonia, agreed on a Latin alphabet for Albanian. It became the basis of the 36-letter alphabet used today.
1912
Independence declared in Vlorë
On 28 November 1912 an assembly led by Ismail Qemali declared Albania independent from the Ottoman Empire in the port city of Vlorë, and the flag with the black eagle was raised.
1920
Tirana chosen as capital
On 8 February 1920 the Congress of Lushnjë proclaimed Tirana the temporary capital of Albania. Until then the small Ottoman town had played only a minor role. It has been the capital ever since.
1928
Zog becomes king
Ahmet Zogu, who had been prime minister and then president, turned Albania into a monarchy in 1928 and took the title King Zog I.
1939
Italy invades Albania
On 7 April 1939 Mussolini's troops landed in all of Albania's ports at once. King Zog went into exile, never to return, and Italy made Albania a protectorate.
1944
Communist rule begins
In 1944 partisan forces led by communists drove out the German army, which had replaced the Italians in 1943. Enver Hoxha led Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985.
1967
Religion is banned
In 1967 the regime launched a campaign against all religions, closed mosques and churches and declared Albania an atheist state. Worship was allowed again only in the early 1990s.
1991
First multi-party elections
After student protests and the fall of communism across Eastern Europe, Albania held its first multi-party elections on 31 March 1991. The Republic of Albania was proclaimed on 29 April 1991.
1997
Pyramid schemes collapse
Huge pyramid investment schemes, which had drawn in a large part of the population, collapsed in late 1996 and early 1997. Protests turned into armed unrest in 1997, and in April an Italian-led international force, Operation Alba, arrived to help.
2009
Albania joins NATO
Albania became a full member of NATO on 1 April 2009 and applied to join the European Union later the same month. It became an official EU candidate in 2014.

Next: At the table

At the table

What to eat in Albania

Albanian food is Mediterranean at heart, built on olive oil, fresh vegetables, herbs, yogurt, cheese and meat, with strong Ottoman and Italian touches. The north cooks with maize, beans and cabbage, the centre is known for baked dishes, and the south for olive oil, dairy and seafood. Bread is on every table, and lunch is traditionally the main meal of the day: often a slow-cooked meat and vegetable dish with a fresh salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and olives, followed by fruit.

Tavë kosi — Photo: MirelaAndoni, CC BY-SA 4.0

Main courseRecipe

Baked lamb with yogurt

tavë kosi

Elbasan, in central Albania

Pieces of lamb and a little rice baked under a thick layer of yogurt beaten with eggs, butter and flour, which sets into a golden, slightly tangy crust. It is seen as one of Albania's national dishes.

In Turkey, Greece and North Macedonia the dish is often called Elbasan tava, after the city it is thought to come from.

See the recipe

Serves 4 2 h

Ingredients

700 g lamb on the bone (shoulder or leg), cut in serving pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano, salt and black pepper
50 g rice and 150 ml hot meat or chicken stock
For the topping: 1 litre thick plain yogurt, 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons plain flour and 80 g butter

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C. Rub the lamb with the oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and lay it in a baking dish.
Bake for about 1 hour, basting now and then with the juices, until the meat is tender.
Scatter the rice around the meat, pour in the hot stock and bake for 15 minutes more.
Meanwhile melt the butter in a small pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then let it cool a little. Whisk the yogurt with a pinch of salt, beat in the eggs one at a time, then whisk in the butter and flour.
Pour the yogurt mixture over the meat and rice and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is set and golden in places. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Open the recipe on its own page

Main courseRecipe

Fërgesë

fërgesë

Tirana and central Albania

A thick, creamy bake of peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic cooked in olive oil with gjizë, a salted Albanian curd cheese. It is eaten hot with bread, as a main dish or on the side of grilled meat.

A Tirana version is made with liver instead of cheese, and is known as fërgesë of Tirana.

See the recipe

Serves 4 45 min

Ingredients

3 to 4 green or red peppers, chopped
5 to 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped, and 3 garlic cloves, crushed
350 g salted curd cheese (gjizë), or crumbled feta
100 ml olive oil
2 to 3 bay leaves, salt and black pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 175°C.
Warm the olive oil in a wide pan and cook the onion and peppers gently for about 10 minutes, until soft.
Add the tomatoes, garlic and bay leaves and simmer for 10 minutes, until thick.
Stir in the cheese until it melts into a creamy sauce. Taste before adding salt, as the cheese is salty, then season with pepper.
Spoon into an ovenproof dish, ideally clay, and bake for about 15 minutes, until bubbling. Remove the bay leaves and serve hot with bread.

Open the recipe on its own page

Qifqi — Photo: MirelaAndoni, CC BY-SA 4.0

StarterRecipe

Rice balls with mint

qifqi

Gjirokastër, in the south

Small round patties of cooked rice, egg and dried mint, fried until golden and crisp. They are served warm with white cheese or yogurt, as a starter or light meal.

In Gjirokastër qifqi are fried in a special pan with four to seven round hollows. One story says they began as a way to use up leftover wedding pilaf.

See the recipe

Serves 4 1 h

Ingredients

150 g rice and 20 g butter
300 ml chicken stock or hot water
3 eggs
1 tablespoon dried mint
1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
100 ml olive oil for frying

Method

Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the rice, then add the stock or water and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook gently until all the liquid is absorbed. Leave to cool.
Mix the cooled rice with the eggs, mint, salt and pepper into a soft mixture.
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Without the special qifqi pan, drop in heaped tablespoons of the mixture and flatten them slightly.
Fry over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden all over and cooked through.
Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm with white cheese or yogurt.

Open the recipe on its own page

Commons: Byrek — Photo: RoyalHeritageAlb, CC0

SnackRecipe

Byrek (filo pie)

byrek

All of Albania

A pie of thin layers of pastry filled with spinach, cheese, meat, onion or tomato. There is the large home-made byrek baked in a round tray, and the triangle byrek sold as street food, often eaten with a glass of yogurt.

Byrek belongs to a family of pastries found from Turkey across the Balkans, known in many countries as börek or burek.

See the recipe

Serves 6 1 h 15 min

Ingredients

500 g filo pastry
500 g fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
250 g gjizë or feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs and 150 ml plain yogurt
120 ml olive oil or melted butter, salt and pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 190°C. Cook the onion in 2 tablespoons of the oil until soft, add the spinach and stir until it wilts. Let it cool, then squeeze out the extra water.
Mix the spinach with the cheese, eggs and yogurt, and season with pepper and a little salt.
Brush a round or square baking tray with oil. Lay in half the filo sheets one by one, brushing each with oil.
Spread the filling evenly, then cover with the rest of the filo, brushing each sheet. Score the top into portions with a sharp knife.
Bake for about 40 minutes, until deep golden and crisp. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, cut and serve warm or cold.

Shop-bought rakia is usually about 40% alcohol, and homemade raki can be much stronger, so it is sipped slowly. Anyone who does not drink alcohol can politely say no.

Drink

Mountain tea

çaj mali

The Albanian mountains

A herbal tea made from the dried flowers and stems of a mountain plant, Sideritis. It has no caffeine and is often drunk with honey and lemon.

Albania is one of the world's big producers of herbs such as sage, thyme and oregano, and bunches of mountain tea are sold in almost every market.

Table manners

Guests are treated with great honour, and visitors are often invited to eat and drink with a family. The old saying offers guests 'bread, salt and heart' (bukë, kripë e zemër).
Bread is on the table at every meal. The Albanian way of saying 'to go and eat a meal' is literally 'to go and eat bread'.
When glasses are raised, people say 'Gëzuar!' (cheers).
Lunch is traditionally the biggest meal of the day. A fresh salad dressed with olive oil, salt and vinegar or lemon comes with almost every lunch and dinner.
Café life is a big part of the day: friends meet over coffee, and business is often done in cafés, especially in Tirana.

Next: Cities

Cities

11 cities to know

Albania's towns range from busy, colourful Tirana and the old ports of Durrës and Vlorë to the Ottoman stone towns of Berat and Gjirokastër, the castle town of Krujë, and Korçë and Pogradec in the south-eastern highlands by the lakes.

Tirana Capital

Tirana County

The capital and largest city, with about 600,000 people in the municipality at the 2023 census. Founded in 1614 around a mosque, bazaar and bath, it became the capital in 1920 and is now known for its lively café life, with Mount Dajti rising to the east.

Skanderbeg Square
The Et'hem Bey Mosque
The Pyramid of Tirana

Durrës

Durrës County

Albania's second-largest city and main port, on the Adriatic. Founded by Greek colonists as Epidamnos, it was the starting point of the Roman road Via Egnatia, which led east to Constantinople.

The Roman amphitheatre
Its busy port
The start of the Via Egnatia

Vlorë

Vlorë County

The third-largest city, on the Bay of Vlorë where the Adriatic meets the Ionian Sea. Albanian independence was declared here on 28 November 1912, and Vlorë became the first capital of the new state.

The 1912 Declaration of Independence
The Albanian Riviera to the south
Ferries to Italy

Shkodër

Shkodër County

The main city of the north, between Lake Shkodër and the foothills of the Albanian Alps. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, once the capital of an Illyrian kingdom, and a centre of Albanian culture.

Rozafa Castle
Lake Shkodër
The gateway to the Albanian Alps

Elbasan

Elbasan County

A city in central Albania on the Shkumbin river, which grew from a Roman stop on the Via Egnatia. The Ottomans built a fortress here in 1466.

Tavë kosi
Summer Day on 14 March
The Ottoman fortress

Korçë

Korçë County

The largest city of eastern Albania, on a plateau about 850 m above sea level. One of the first Albanian-language schools opened here in 1887, and the city is known for its old bazaar and romantic serenata songs.

The Old Bazaar
Birra Korça beer
Lakror pies

Berat

Berat County

A town on the Osum river whose Ottoman houses climb the hillside, their many windows looking out over the valley. Albanians call it the town of 'one window above the other'. Its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Berat Castle and its churches
The Mangalem and Gorica quarters
Mount Tomorr, rising to the east

Gjirokastër

Gjirokastër County

A hillside town in the Drino valley, nicknamed the 'City of Stone' because most of its old houses are roofed with flat stone slabs. It is the birthplace of the writer Ismail Kadare and of the communist leader Enver Hoxha.

Gjirokastër Castle
Stone-roofed tower houses
The National Folk Festival, held every five years

Sarandë

Vlorë County

A seaside town on the Ionian coast in the far south, facing the Greek island of Corfu. It has more than 300 sunny days a year and is the base for visiting Butrint and the Blue Eye spring.

Views across to Corfu
Trips to Butrint
The beaches and islets of Ksamil

Krujë

Durrës County

A small town on a mountainside north of Tirana. It was the centre of the medieval Principality of Arbanon and later Skanderbeg's stronghold, which withstood three Ottoman sieges.

Krujë Castle
The Skanderbeg Museum
Its old bazaar of crafts

Pogradec

Korçë County

A lakeside town on the south-western shore of Lake Ohrid, near the border with North Macedonia. The town and its surroundings are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared by both countries.

Lake Ohrid
Koran trout
Lakeside walks

Next: Landmarks

Landmarks

Places everyone should see once

Near Sarandë

Butrint

The ruins of an ancient city on a hill above the Vivari Channel, about 14 km south of Sarandë near the Greek border. Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian remains stand side by side, including a Greek theatre, Roman baths and an early Christian baptistery. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.

UNESCO World Heritage

Berat

Berat Castle

A hilltop citadel, called the Kala, built mostly in the 13th century on much older foundations. People still live inside its walls, among Byzantine churches and the remains of Ottoman mosques. It is part of the UNESCO site of Berat and Gjirokastra.

UNESCO World Heritage

Gjirokastër

Gjirokastër Castle

A huge fortress above the stone town of Gjirokastër, looking down the Drino valley. It holds a military museum and hosts the National Folk Festival every five years. The old town below was listed by UNESCO in 2005.

UNESCO World Heritage

Krujë

Krujë Castle and the Skanderbeg Museum

The fortress where Skanderbeg held out against three great Ottoman sieges, in 1450, 1466 and 1467. Inside its walls stands the Skanderbeg Museum, opened in 1982 in a building inspired by old Albanian stone towers.

Shkodër

Rozafa Castle

A castle on a rocky hill 130 m above sea level beside Shkodër, surrounded by the Buna and Drin rivers near the lake. A famous legend tells of three brothers whose walls fell down every night, until Rozafa, the wife of the youngest brother, was walled into the castle.

Tirana

The Et'hem Bey Mosque

A small mosque on Skanderbeg Square, famous for the painted trees, waterfalls and bridges on its walls. Closed under communism, it reopened in 1991, when 10,000 people came to pray without official permission.

Durrës

The Durrës Amphitheatre

A Roman amphitheatre begun under Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century AD, which once held about 20,000 people. It is the largest Roman amphitheatre in the Balkan Peninsula, and the modern city has grown up all around it.

Blue Eye, Albania — Photo: Holger Adams, CC BY-SA 4.0

Near Sarandë

The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër)

A spring of startlingly clear, deep blue water rising from a karst hole in the hills inland from Sarandë. Divers have gone down 50 metres without finding the bottom. It is the source of the Bistricë river.

Pogradec

Lake Ohrid

One of the oldest and deepest lakes in Europe, up to 288 m deep, shared by Albania and North Macedonia. The Albanian shore was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ohrid region in 2019.

UNESCO World Heritage

Near Shkodër

Theth

A remote village in the Albanian Alps, part of the municipality of Shkodër, at the heart of Theth National Park. It has one of the very few remaining lock-in towers, where families caught in a blood feud once sheltered.

Next: Fun facts

Fun facts

Things you might not know

01
Albanians call their country Shqipëria, a name often explained as 'Land of the Eagles'. A black double-headed eagle on a red field is the country's flag, and the golden eagle is its national animal.
02
Albanian is an Indo-European language, but it forms a branch of its own, with no close relatives among living languages.
03
Under Enver Hoxha, Albania was covered with concrete bunkers built from the 1960s to the 1980s against an invasion that never came. Counts vary widely, from about 173,000 to more than 750,000, and many still stand in fields, on beaches and in towns.
04
Mother Teresa was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in Skopje in 1910. Gonxhe means 'flower bud' in Albanian, and Tirana's international airport is named after her.
05
During the Second World War, Albanian families hid Jewish residents and refugees, guided in part by besa, the Albanian code of honour and keeping one's word. Albania was one of the few occupied countries in Europe with more Jews at the end of the war than at the start.
06
In 1967 communist Albania declared itself an atheist state and closed its mosques and churches. When Tirana's Et'hem Bey Mosque reopened in 1991, 10,000 people came to pray.
07
Albania loves its coffee. In 2016 it was reported to have more coffee houses per person than any other country, about 654 for every 100,000 people.
08
Albanian iso-polyphony, a traditional form of many-voiced folk singing over a held drone, is on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
09
The xhubleta, a bell-shaped woollen skirt worn by women in the northern mountains, was added to UNESCO's list of heritage in need of urgent safeguarding in 2022.
10
The lek, Albania's currency since 1926, has two stories behind its name. Officially it honours the medieval lord Lekë Dukagjini. Many say it is named after Alexander the Great, called Leka in Albanian, whose head appeared on the first 1 lek coin.
11
Mount Korab, 2,764 m, is the highest point of both Albania and North Macedonia, as the border runs across its summit.
12
In 2023 Albania made the Vjosa, one of Europe's last large wild rivers flowing freely without dams, into the Vjosa Wild River National Park.
13
Skanderbeg's helmet and sword are kept in the Imperial Armoury in Vienna. The Skanderbeg Museum in Krujë shows a copy of the helmet.

Next: Words

Albanian words

22 words to start with

Pronunciation is written the way it sounds; the capital letters show where the stress goes. Audio is coming soon.

Basics

poPOHyes
joYOHno
faleminderitfah-leh-meen-DEH-reetthank you
ju lutemyoo LOO-templease
tungTOONGhi, or bye (informal)
mirëMEERgood, well

Food and drink

bukëBOOKbread
ujëOO-yuhwater
verëVEHRwine
kafekah-FEHcoffee
çajCHAItea
peshkPESHKfish
djathëDYAHTHcheese

Getting around

autobusow-toh-BOOSbus
varkëVAHRKboat
majtasMY-tahsleft
djathtasDYAHTH-tahsright
drejtDRAYTstraight ahead

Shopping

i lirëee LEERcheap
i shtrenjtëee SHTRENYTexpensive

Time

sotSOHTtoday
nesërNEH-surtomorrow

Next: Phrases

Say it like a local

Useful phrases

Tungjatjeta

toon-jah-TYEH-tah

Hello

A warm greeting at any time of day

Mirëmëngjes

meer-muhn-JESS

Good morning

Greeting someone in the morning

Mirëdita

meer-DEE-tah

Good day, hello

The polite greeting for most of the day, in shops and with strangers

Mirëmbrëma

meer-MBRUH-mah

Good evening

Greeting someone in the evening

Natën e mirë

NAH-tuhn eh MEER

Good night

Saying goodbye late at night or before bed

Mirupafshim

mee-roo-PAHF-sheem

Goodbye

Leaving a shop, a restaurant or people you don't know well

Si jeni?

see YEH-nee

How are you? (polite)

Asking an older person or a stranger how they are

Jam mirë, faleminderit

yahm MEER, fah-leh-meen-DEH-reet

I'm fine, thank you

Answering 'How are you?'

Më vjen mirë

muh VYEN MEER

Nice to meet you

Meeting someone for the first time

S'ka përse

skah pur-SEH

You're welcome

Answering when someone thanks you

Më falni

muh FAHL-nee

Excuse me

Getting someone's attention, or asking pardon

Më vjen keq

muh VYEN KETCH

I'm sorry

Apologising

A flisni anglisht?

ah FLEES-nee ahn-GLEESHT

Do you speak English?

Before asking for help

Nuk kuptoj

nook koop-TOY

I don't understand

When you can't follow what someone says

Sa është kjo?

sah UHSHT kyoh

How much is this?

Shopping at a market or in a shop

Ku është tualeti?

koo UHSHT twah-LEH-tee

Where is the toilet?

In a café, restaurant or station

Gëzuar!

guh-ZOO-ar

Cheers!

Raising a glass for a toast

Ishte e shijshme

EESH-teh eh SHEEY-shmeh

It was delicious

Thanking the cook or the waiter

Ndihmë!

NDEE-muh

Help!

In an emergency

Next: Local tips

Local tips

Before you go

Lek, cash and 'old' prices

Albania uses the lek. Cards work in supermarkets and many hotels, but many cafés, small shops and stalls take cash only, so carry some notes. Many people still count in 'old lek', ten times the real price: '2,000 lek' may mean 200 lek. If unsure, ask to see the price written down.

Tipping is not expected

Tipping is not a firm custom in Albania. In restaurants in Tirana, rounding up the bill is a kind gesture, but large tips are not expected.

Yes, no and nodding

In parts of southern Albania, a shake of the head can mean yes and a nod can mean no. To avoid mix-ups, listen for the words: po means yes and jo means no.

Buses and furgons, not trains

As of 2026, passenger trains are largely suspended, so buses and furgons (minibuses) are the way to travel between towns. Southbound buses to places like Gjirokastër and Sarandë often leave early in the morning.

Drive with great care

Albania drives on the right. The UK government warns that driving can be aggressive and erratic and that rural roads are often poor and unlit. Pedestrians, horses or donkeys may also be on the road. If you have any accident, wait at the scene for the police.

Emergency number: 112

Call 112 for the police and in any emergency. For an ambulance call 127, and for the fire service 128.

Visiting mosques and churches

Albania is a very mixed country of Muslims, Orthodox and Catholic Christians and people of no religion. At Tirana's Et'hem Bey Mosque, for example, visitors are shown around daily outside prayer times and must take off their shoes before entering the inner room.

In the mountains and the countryside

Stay on marked paths when hiking: a few remote areas near the northern border with Kosovo may still have old landmines. Wildfires are common from April to October, so never light fires outside marked places. Drink bottled water rather than tap water.

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MontenegroFull trip: food, cities, phrases

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ItalyFull trip: food, cities, phrases

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JapanFull trip: food, cities, phrases

Albania

Ready for the trip?

Neighbours

Print the Albania pack

Greeks found Epidamnos

Rome defeats King Gentius

The Principality of Arbanon

The League of Lezhë

Death of Skanderbeg

The League of Prizren

The Congress of Manastir

Independence declared in Vlorë

Tirana chosen as capital

Zog becomes king

Italy invades Albania

Communist rule begins

Religion is banned

First multi-party elections

Pyramid schemes collapse

Albania joins NATO

Baked lamb with yogurt

Ingredients

Method

Fërgesë

Ingredients

Method

Rice balls with mint

Ingredients

Method

Byrek (filo pie)

Ingredients

Method

Flija

Lakror

Meatballs

Ohrid trout

Turkey with përshesh

Tarator

Baklava

Three-milk cake

Ballokume

Raki

Mountain tea

Table manners

Tirana Capital

Durrës

Vlorë

Shkodër

Elbasan

Korçë

Berat

Gjirokastër

Sarandë

Krujë

Pogradec

Butrint

Berat Castle

Gjirokastër Castle

Krujë Castle and the Skanderbeg Museum

Rozafa Castle

The Et'hem Bey Mosque

The Durrës Amphitheatre

The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër)

Lake Ohrid

Theth

Basics

Food and drink

Getting around

Shopping

Time

Lek, cash and 'old' prices

Tipping is not expected

Yes, no and nodding

Buses and furgons, not trains

Drive with great care

Emergency number: 112

Visiting mosques and churches

In the mountains and the countryside

Where to next?