Albania and surrounding countries, other than Greece

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Message Submitted by retired2013 on Sun, 02/22/2015 - 10:30
<p>My wife and I are considering a trip to Eastern Europe next fall, emphasizing Albania but including one or more surrounding countries as well, other than Greece.&nbsp; We are seniors in good health and physical condition, seeking a fully guided tour of ten to fourteen days.&nbsp; I have searched the web and am familiar with the offerings of many tour operators.&nbsp; They all sound great, but the prices vary so significantly that I want to be careful.&nbsp; I suppose some of the differences are due to hotel quality, how many meals are included, etc., but there may be other things going on as well.&nbsp; I would appreciate feedback from readers who have visited this area on a tour.&nbsp; Whom did your use?&nbsp; Would you recommend them?&nbsp; Were there any significant things I should be aware of?&nbsp; Any pertinent help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.&nbsp; Thanks!</p><p>Hank</p>

Reply Submitted by Jack M on Sun, 02/22/2015 - 14:52

Try going to the link "Destinations" above on this page and in the countries drop down list selectAlbania.  There are 2 and 1/2 pages of articles on this subject.  

Reply Submitted by Wanda on Fri, 02/27/2015 - 07:23

If you follow Jack's suggestion, you'll find my ITN article "Eating our way along the Dalmatian Coast."   Our trip was up the Dalmatian Coast on a 50 passenger ship with Grand Circle.  I loved the region and would happily return.   Since we traveled, Overseas Adventure Travel [www,oattravel.com] initiated a land tour "Crossroads of the Adriatic: Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia."   The itinerary includes my favorite cities [Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Kotor]  as well as inland areas we didn't get to visit.   In addition, they have a pre-trip to Tirana, Albania.   Enjoy your time there!

Reply Submitted by rodnik36 on Sat, 03/14/2015 - 08:38

Hank, I don't have any recommendations for a fully guided tour of the Balkans, but one place you'd do yourself a favor to visit while you're over here is Ohrid, Macedonia. Really a lovely, picturesque town on the edge of Lake Ohrid, the 36th largest lake in Europe, with Albania visible across the way. I'm a retired American living here with my Ukrainian wife and we love the place. Cheap rents, fairly low prices, taxis $1-2 anywhere around town. Lots of old churches and monasteries in the area, plus a large fortress on a hill overlooking the town. Other Balkan countries are close at hand: Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Montenegro, and, of course, Albania. My wife and I usually plot our own trips, using the internet, plus buy a guide book, a phrasebook, maybe a map. There are some good video clips of the various countries on YouTube. The one about Slovenia was especially inspiring. That's going to be our next trip. Well, just thought I'd toss this morsel of information out to you. Wherever you go, I hope you have a safe, enjoyable and memorable time. Bob