Some questions about a 9 day trip through Southern Albania this fall.
Replies: 2 - Last Post: Aug 23, 2012 7:39 AM Last Post By: scabbedsaint
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Some questions about a 9 day trip through Southern Albania this fall.
Hey all, it looks like I'm going to have nine days in Southern Albania this fall, leaving Corfu for Saranda on the 25th of October and catching a flight out back out of Corfu on the 3rd of November. From what I've seen, the next logical destination after Sarandë would be Gjirokastër, which looks like a really cool city. If I take two days in Sarandë and two days in Gjirokastër, I've still got about another half of my time to burn. Where would you guys suggest I spend the rest of it, without getting too far away from Sarandë to get back easily? Anyway, I suppose the main thing all others are contingent on is going to be transportation, as I won't be renting a car. Could I find public transportation between around Southern Albania in November, if only between major cities? Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance!1
9 days is plenty of time for the south of the country. Saranda is just a transfer point; arrive, eat a pizza on the harbourside, visit Butrint and leave. Public transport is easy to use, though in November there's less traffic up and down the coast, ask in advance at each place to be sure of departures. I'd suggest:1 arrive on the morning ferry, check into hotel, bus/taxi to visit Butrint
2 bus up the coast to Himara or Dhermi; beach destinations but the ride is beautiful, and old stone villages like Vuno are worth exploring
3 bus via Vlora to Berat
4 Berat: citadel, lower town, mosques, ethnographic museum
5 bus via Elbasan (worth an hour) to Pogradec (fish lunch) to Korca
6 Korca: medieval chapel, icon museum, perhaps afternoon trip to Voskopoja village
7 bus via the mountains to Gjirokastra.
8 few more hours in Gjirokastra, bus to Saranda, perhaps stop off at Siti i Kalter spring, 10mins walk from the main road
9 ferry to Corfu
Depending on your flight times you can add another day. Perhaps add a day in Tirana by traveling Berat - Tirana - Pogradec instead, or from Korca go to Dardha village and spend a night there for good food in the stone village and walks in the forest, though it'll be pretty chilly by then.
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