Albania - Facts

Mar 03, 2024

Albania (known as Shqiperia in Albanian) is situated in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe on the Adriatic Sea. It shares borders with Montenegro and Kosovo to the north and northeast, Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south. Tirana is the capital and largest city of Albania.
After World War II, Albania became a Stalinist state under Enver Hoxha, and remained staunchly isolationist until its transition to democracy after 1990. The 1992 elections ended 47 years of communist rule, but the latter half of the decade saw a quick turnover of presidents and prime ministers. Many Albanians left the country in search of work
Albania has now opened its doors to foreign tourists and the number of visiting cruising yachts is steadily increasing. Whilst the welcome may be warm, visiting yachts can still be treated with some suspicion by officials.
The population is approximately 3.2 million inhabitants.
The official language is Albanian, recognized for its two distinct dialects, “Gheg” and “Tosk”. The Shkumbin River, which divides the country into two almost equal parts, is the natural border of these two dialects. Gheg is spoken in the north, while Tosk is spoken in the south.
The monetary unit of the Republic of Albania is the "Lek”.
In Albania, the standard time is Central European Time (CET; UTC+01:00).
Albania has a Mediterranean climate with each season offering distinct, yet pleasant weather. Some features of the climate vary by region. On average, Albanians enjoy a great deal of sunshine, second only to Spain (in Europe) in average annual sunny days.
The main ports of entry, Durres, Vlore and Saranda (Sarandë) are all commercial ports with few or no facilities for visiting yachts. There is a new, basic marina at Orikum, near Vlore, a marina under constructions in Vlore port and a marina planned for Durres.
Albania doesn't have a huge coastline - 155NMs - and it is exposed to any south or west winds, so cruisers should keep an eye on wind and swell conditions.
In southern Albania, apart from the marina in Vlore, there are only poorly protected anchorages. During the Summer these are popular with day-tripper party boats.
Cruising along the coast offers possibilities, although permission to do so must be obtained when clearing in. One of the main attractions inland is the remarkably well preserved Greek and Roman ruins at Butrint, which is best reached from Saranda. The capital Tirana is 38.6 kms (24 miles) inland from the port of Durres.

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Albania was last updated 2 years ago

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