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0While visiting Kosovo we most definitely wanted to take advantage of our proximity to other countries in Europe. Mysterious Albania Read on to find out more about how we spent our day trip from Kosovo to Albania and maybe you’ll find inspiration for your own adventures!
We started our morning driving out of the city center of Prishtina in our rented Skoda. On the way out of town we passed many of the city’s main sights, the Kosovo National Library (which has been deemed – we think unfairly – one of the ugliest buildings in the world), the statue of Bill Clinton, and skirted the main city walking street where many locals will come out to stroll as the sun goes down.
Heading out of the city toward Prizren, the scenes turn from Prishtina’s somewhat gloomy skyline to gorgeous mountainscapes, some still snow-capped in April. Not quite as impressive as Colorado, or the Swiss alps, but elements of the scenes reminded us of both. The rolling foothills turning into taller mountains reminding us of many times driving West on I-70 from Denver, while the green spring fields set against the snowy peaks brought us back to last summer, adventuring through the Swiss countryside.
Our destination is Albania, a somewhat forgotten country in the Balkans, long isolated from much of the rest of the world, the country is open now, but remains one of the poorest countries in Europe. We were headed out on a day trip from Kosovo to Albania to buy rugs and see the Adriatic Coast and planned to be back in Prishtina by bedtime.
The highway quality between Prishtina and Prizren on the R7 is great. The highway is quite new and well maintained with speed limits as high as 130 km/h on the straightaways making travel quick between Kosovo’s capital and the western border. The highway here is lined with Albanian flags (at least when we visited) which shows just how closely tied Kosovo feels with their neighbors and ethnic brothers and sisters. Once you get close to the Albanian border, the highway begins to follow the banks of a river which was mostly dry when we visited.
Border Crossing from Kosovo to Albania
It was our first time driving ourselves across a country border anywhere in the world, and one of only a few times I’ve crossed a country border by land. The border crossing was straightforward and efficient. There were about 7 cars in front of us when we arrived at around 10:30 am. The entire process took about 10-15 minutes and we were quickly off to Albania.
We rented a car from Hertz at the Prishtina airport and the unlimited mileage included travel into Albania. The insurance that was required for Kosovo covered Albania as well. Not all rental companies at Prishtina airport allow you to cross the border. Make sure to check with your rental company about any border crossings you plan to take while visiting the Balkans.
The road seemed mostly empty as we entered Albania, there was a lot of construction on the road, and some somewhat treacherous turns with very small guard rails. However for the most part the road was well maintained. We passed a toll booth where we paid a 5 euro toll, and then soon after entered an impressive 5.7km tunnel. For much of the route the road follows a wide river which was mostly dry when we were visiting.
Service stations are spaced a pretty good distance apart on the route, but they are decently outfitted with typically clean bathrooms, fuel and food.
We used the maps.me app for driving in Kosovo and Albania. it works offline and is somewhat more reliable than Google Maps. Even though we got a SIM card in Kosovo and thought we had set it up to work with internet in Albania, in actuality when we arrived the internet didn’t work (but we were able to connect to ALBTelecom for phone service).
Lunch and Shopping in Kruje, Albania
The closer we got to Kruje (and by default Tirana, the country’s capital) the landscape became more developed and urbanized, with a bit more industry and traffic, but still quite rural by many standards. The short drive from the main highway to Kruje was curvy and could easily turn quite dangerous, so if you decide to drive up there, make sure you take it slow. We found parking near the market up a super steep narrow hill, right at the base of the castle.
One of my goals in Albania was to go shopping in Kruje’s Old Bazaar which I had heard amazing things about. It is said to be one of the best places to buy handicrafts in Albania. The market was small but certainly did not disappoint. We were on the lookout for rugs and ended up with two, but had we had unlimited luggage space, I would have had a hard time not buying many more things. From beautiful painted bowls, to wooden platters, traditional clothing, silver and of course, hand-woven rugs, there were so many tempting items. The market is charming and has an authentic feel about it.
We had lunch at the Panorama Hotel. The view of the palace, the mountains, Tirana, and the Adriatic sea in the distance was stunning from our table and the food was tasty as well. The nicely appointed interior and stunning view made me think the meal would be on the pricey side, but we had an appetizer, two mains and drinks for less than $10USD. I’m loving Albania!
Enjoying the Adriatic Sea and Roman Ruins in Durres
We didn’t have a lot of time left in our day trip to Albania as we were hoping to be back in Kosovo by bedtime, but I wanted to see the Adriatic Sea since we were so close and I had never been. So, we headed to Durres. A historically significant port city, Durres is a seaside town that remains a popular holiday destination for locals and has some interesting Roman ruins. We headed straight for the beach south of town to dip our toes in the sand, but if you’d like to see the ruins, head into the city center. The Durres Amphitheatre and the archeological museum are well worth checking out.
If you are looking for a hotel in Durres, check out Booking.com
After all of this we were ready to head back to Kosovo with warm memories of a day well spent on our day trip to Albania. I had just enough taste of Albanian friendliness and the beauty of the country to not even hesitate to say yes if I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to return.
If you’d like to to take a day trip from Kosovo to Albania but prefer to leave most of the planning to the pros, check out these Albania tours on Klook.com and find everything from a short walking tour of Tirana to a 6 day 5 night food and walking tour of Albania or an exciting 2 week tour of Albania and Kosovo
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