07.07.25
(I touched on some of these towns in my last blog, but now I’ll provide more detail)
Spending the entire summer in Albania was not part of the plan, but when our motorcycle was stolen in Sicily, we were forced to adjust our travels. We recognized that spending 3 months in Tirana made the most sense: use it as a base and check out other places in Albania that would be worth visiting, so here’s what I did.
The same Albania towns came up all the time, so I mapped them in some type of logical order, so I could visit them without backtracking.
New towns kept being added to the list, so instead of one LONG road trip, I created two: one north, and one south, and used Tirana as a base. I rented a Honda 500cx from Loreli Motor in Tirana (who I highly recommend), and hit the road. Four towns over four days, and I loved almost all of them.Part I: South
Pogradec (population 46,070 municipality/ 17,371 city per 2023 census/ elevation: 735 meters (2,411 feet)
Mileage Tirana> Pogradec: 128 km
The drive from Tirana to Pogradec is pretty easy, and quite beautiful, but there ARE a few sections under construction, so you’re driving on gravel at 5 KPH.
This is a cool 3D video: https://www.relive.com/view/vWqBdAMBXYO
clear water!
First impressions of coming into Pogradec were very good. Everything looked pretty, well maintained, and my room was right around the corner from the beach at Lake Ohrid. There were a fair number of people at the beach, but I walked around to see what else the town had to offer and it was insanely quiet- almost dead. Mind you this was 4:00 in the afternoon, but afternoons in many places are pretty slow. The beauty of this lake cannot be described; it’s sensational. I sat at a park bench looking towards the north end, and all around me were mountains. Not hills, but good sized mountains, made even more fascinating since I was looking at three different countries at one time; Macedonia to the north; Greece to the east, and Albania all around me. There were a fair number of people in the water, so I suspect it’s not intolerable, but I didn’t jump in.
Their signature food dish is a lake trout called a Koran, and since I love trout I tried it and was not disappointed. By the way, the town DID come to life after 7:00, which is a typical European thing. Overall I think that Pogradec is a place we could stay for a month. It’s a higher elevation than many towns, so cooler, but I don’t see a lot to keep us busy for long-term.
Korce (population 60,754 municipality area/ 43,254 city/ elevation/ 850 meters (2,790 feet)
Mileage: Pogradec> Korce: 49 km
The distance was not great, but the driving was fun, with great views!
from the highest point in Korce
Korce is definitely a more lively town than Pogradec! Pulling in I saw the (new) large bus terminal, the busy streets with traffic of all kinds, plus several large grocery stores and retail centers. I was looking forward to Korce since many spoke so highly of it, and with a higher elevation than many other low lying towns, it tends to run cooler, so good during the summer months.
I had lunch with fellow expat, Penny, and her son, Mark, who’ve lived there for two years, and they shared their insight as to why they’ve stayed. Between the cooler weather, the lovely people, and the affordable costs, I think I see their point.
Permet (7,980 municipality area/ 4809 city/ elevation/ 246 meters (807 feet)
Mileage Korce> Permet: 130 km
First, I’ll start with a ride, which was beyond spectacular. Of the hundreds of thousands of miles I’ve ridden on a motorcycle, this 2.5 hour trip, which was only 130 km, was probably one of the most exhilarating in my life. You can take a look at the 3D video and be entertained! And if you are a driving fanatic, it would still be a blast.
As I got closer to Permet I was following the Vjosa River. For those who have not been to Albania, the rivers here are quite unusual; they have a blue-green aqua color, which is beyond beautiful. This city of Permet is known for its river rafting and hot springs, neither of which I did, but will at a later date. The downtown area was insanely cute and charming, and considering this town was the smallest of those I visited, it was much more lively and busy than I expected. It also offered great food options. So far so good.
After visiting hundreds of different towns over the years, I rely on my gut and how I feel about the vibe of the town. Both Permet and Korce made me want to return. Which brings us to number four, my last stop on this mini road trip- Vlore.
Vlore (population 83683 municipality area/ 66320 city/ elevation: sea level)
Mileage Permet> Vlore 147 km
I was so looking forward to Vlore since I liked the idea of a “larger” waterfront town that offered more features that Saranda, where we used to live. But truthfully, the town did not work for me and my impressions were not favorable. Bear in in mind, these are MY thoughts and I share the good as well as the bad.
The ride to get there from Permet was easy and open, mostly state highways without a lot of twisties. But the first section, about an hour, had me following the course of the Vjosa River again, which was truly beautiful.
First off, the town was busy, busy, with lots of traffic, and it seemed a lot more chaotic than Tirana, which is much larger. My thoughts on the town didn’t get any better when I got to my room, which was one of the most bizarre experiences over a dozen years using Airbnb! I felt like I was staying at the Addams family house, just very weird vibes, but not in a good way… I didn’t want the ROOM to affect my thoughts about the town, so I walked over to the beach.
Another disappointment.
Lots of concrete, little landscape, beach, personality, or character. And boring. The bottom line, Vlore is off my “check it out as a place to live” list.
Next!
Vlore> Fier> Qerret & home
On my way home I stopped in Fier, another town that many talk about, but didn’t feel compelled to stay. But I did stop in the small beach community of Qerret, which is a handful of miles south of Durres. The area is THE up and coming beach close resort location, and I may help market the units there. I was totally floored with how cool it was, even though it’s still at the early stages of growth. More to come on that.
Over the course of four days I rode 633 km total (393 miles) and was blown away at how beautiful this country is. The roads overall are engineered and well maintained, and there is construction everywhere! Albania is an up and coming location, and will only get more popular.
A few random notes:
Drivers in Albania tend to be really, really slow, and they park where they want, and stop where they want. BUT they are extremely courteous to pedestrians, and crossing the street is a breeze. Unlike many places in Asia!
In a few weeks I’ll hit the towns NORTH of Tirana and see if they are inviting.
