Albania Travel Guide

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Country Facts

Location

Southeastern Europe, Western Balkans.

Language

The official language is Albanian. Greek is widely spoken in the south of the country, and some state schools there use Greek as the medium of education. Many Albanians speak Italian; some also know French or English.

Area

28,748 sq km (11,100 sq miles).

Time Zone

GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Electricity

220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Population

3.6 million (2008 estimate).

Population Density

126 per sq km.

Capital City

Tirana. Population: 602,000 (2008).

Government

Parliamentary republic, under a constitution passed in 1998.

Head of Government

Prime Minister Sali Berisha since 2005.

Head of State

President Bamir Topi since 2007.

Religion

Albania is an extremely secular society. The traditional breakdown is 70% Muslim, 20% Orthodox (the autocephalous Albanian church) and 10% Catholic, but at best these figures indicate nothing more than nominal attachment to each faith.

Recent History

Albania was the last country in Europe to hold multi-party elections, in March 1991. The first year of democracy was turbulent; the country stabilized after the March 1992 elections, but the collapse of pyramid-banking schemes brought Albania to the brink of civil war in early 1997. Since then, Albania has gradually become more politically stable and economically prosperous. The 2005 parliamentary elections resulted in the first peaceful handover of power from one governing party to another.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +355. City codes: Tirana 042, Durresi 0522, Elbasani 0542, Shkodra 0222, Gjirokastra 0842, Korça 0822.

Mobile Telephone

Coverage is good, except in the most remote, mountainous areas.

Internet

Almost every sizeable town in Albania has public Internet access, usually via an Internet cafe. Some hotels, especially in Tirana, have broadband connections in the guest rooms; a few have Wi-Fi.

Media

Albania has a good diversity of print and electronic media, although the market is undeveloped which means that all privately-owned outlets are dependent to at least some extent on government advertising. Newspapers are often very partisan; indeed, three widely available papers are published by political parties. Political parties, religious groups and state bodies aren't allowed to own private TV and radio stations. The Albanian Daily News and Tirana Times are English-language newspapers; some Albanian newspapers contain a few pages in English; these include Gazeta Shqiptare.

Post

The Albanian postal service is not 100% reliable, although it is not especially bad either. Important documents should be sent by courier. DHL and Federal Express have offices in Tirana and a few other cities. An internal courier service called ACS operates within Albania.The central post office in Tirana is open from 0730 to 2000 Mon-Sun.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
7 Jan Orthodox Christmas
15 Mar Summer Day
22 Mar Nevruz
22 Apr Good Friday
24 Apr Orthodox Easter
25 Apr Easter Monday
1 May May Day
30 Aug - 31 Aug Lesser Bajram (Eid al-Fitr)
19 Oct Beatification of Mother Teresa
6 Nov - 7 Nov Greater Bajram (Eid ul-Adha)
28 Nov Independence
30 Nov Liberation (at the end of World War II)
25 Dec Christmas Day

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
7 Jan Orthodox Christmas
15 Mar Summer Day
22 Mar Nevruz
6 Apr Good Friday
9 Apr Easter Monday
15 Apr Orthodox Easter
1 May May Day
19 Aug Lesser Bairam (End of Ramadan)
19 Oct Beatification of Mother Teresa
25 Oct Greater Bairam (Feast of the Sacrifice)
28 Nov Independence
29 Nov Liberation (at the end of World War II)
25 Dec Christmas Day
When a holiday falls on a Sunday, it is taken on the following Monday. The dates of Orthodox and Catholic Easter and the Muslim festivals of Eid ul-Adha and Eid al-Fitr vary from one year to another.

Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Lesser Bairam (Eid al-Fitr), Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Some disruption may continue into Lesser Bairam itself. Lesser Bairam and Greater Bairam (Eid al-Adha) may last anything from two to 10 days, depending on the region.

Contact Information

British Embassy in Albania

Rruga Skenderbeg 12, Tirana, Albania
Tel: (4) 223 4973.
Website: www.ukinalbania.fco.gov.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 0830-1700, Fri 0830-1430.

Embassy of the Republic of Albania in the UK

2nd Floor, 24 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB, UK
Tel: 020 7828 8897.
Website: www.albanianembassy.co.uk
Opening hours: Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri 0900-1200 (consular services).

Embassy of the Republic of Albania in the USA

2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 223 4942.
Website: www.embassyofalbania.org
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700.