ALBANIA IS THE NEW CROATIA!!

Albania. It's the country I've been hearing more and more about recently, especially the Albanian Riviera, a stretch of coastline along the southwestern Ionian Sea directly across from the Greek island of Corfu. Apparently, it's the land of traditional Mediterranean villages, ancient castles, Roman ruins, turquoise beaches, and dramatic pine-covered mountains. But not so long ago, Albania was almost completely cut off from the outside world, spending nearly 50 years under communist rule. Today, it's being talked about as one of the hottest new summer destinations in the Balkans, attracting visitors from all over the world. So, I've finally come to Albania to experience it for myself. I'm starting my journey in Himara, a picturesque coastal town on the Albanian Riviera known for its crystal-clear Ionian waters, dramatic mountain backdrop, and lively seaside promenade. I chose Himara because, despite its growing popularity, it hasn't been overdeveloped and still retains the character of an authentic Albanian seaside town. This part of the Riviera is famous for its rugged coastal cliffs, hidden coves, and clear blue waters. So, I'm meeting Fadi, one of the captains from Himara Beach Hopping Tours, and he's taking me to discover some of the most spectacular spots along the coastline. The beautiful Ionian Sea. We're gonna be checking out lots of little secret coves and caves, and I'm gonna be seeing whether or not all of this fame that the Albanian Riviera is receiving is justified or not. But first impressions from here, looking out at the coastline of Himara, is that it's absolutely breathtaking. We're beginning the trip by heading north of Himara, where some of the Riviera's most beautiful beaches and hidden coves can be found. Many of them are only accessible by boat, making them feel even more secluded and untouched. This is Aquarium Beach Pole, and this one, the next one, is called Fusa. They are both very beautiful, just very busy in this time. This is absolutely beautiful. I can't get over the color of this water. It is so transparent. Along the way, Foddy pointed out the many captivating caves carved into this stretch of coastline, which would become a popular spot for boat tours exploring the Riviera, and for good reason. Some are wide enough to swim through before emerging from another opening, while others are large enough to explore by boat. This is our most famous cave, Pirate's Cave. And why is it called Pirate's Cave? Because many years ago, the people of the sea, with the small boats that they had, the wooden boats, they were entering inside for hiding the treasure. Amazing. This is insane! It's absolutely massive, this cave. You can see the vegetation growing at the top of the gap, and the way the sun just hits the walls of this cave. Oh my God. It's got a very kind of movie-like feel to it, and just an amazing energy. I just think cave energy is magical. We then headed south of Hamara, passing by the famous Filikuli Beach, a hidden strip of sand and enclosed on every side by steep cliffs. This is Filikuli Beach, so it's really close to the center of Hamara. You can only get here by boat, and it looks fantastic. Further along the coast, we reached the imposing ruins of Porto Palermo Castle, which dates back to the period of Ottoman rule under the ruler Ali Pasha. What's amazing is that you come across these ruins of centuries-old castles, like this one, for example, the Castle of Ali Pasha, and he's apparently built it for his wife. So this is an Ottoman-era castle, and it's just standing there majestically overlooking the sea. One of the most unexpected moments of the trip was arriving at a tunnel, which leads to an abandoned submarine bunker. Unfortunately, access isn't permitted, but its huge rusted doors and graffitied stone entrance created an eerie atmosphere that felt almost unreal. Together with the mushroom-shaped military bunkers I spotted along the coastline, it served as a striking reminder of Albania's communist past and just how isolated the country was from the outside world during much of its recent history. The last stop of our epic boat ride was a secluded little bay to the south of Himara. This is Fadi's favorite little beach, and it is so beautiful. Nice trees around, and I enjoy spending time there with friends, families, everyone. Look how idyllic it is. You've literally got so many different kinds of trees and plants. Like, it's crazy. You've got sort of like the, it's like a heniken or a palm tree. This is apparently a perfect place to go for a dip, and according to Fadi, the water's actually colder here because you've got fresh water that comes down from the mountains. Okay, let's see what it's like. I'm sure it's going to be amazing. Wow, you're right. It's freezing cold, but it's nice. It's lovely. So refreshing. After a fun morning exploring the coastline and swimming in the crystal clear waters, I'd worked up quite an appetite. I found what looked like the perfect authentic lunch spot to sample some of the fresh seafood this part of Albania is known for. I just love authentic places, and it's run by a really cute Albanian woman. She doesn't speak that much English, I don't think, but I'm going to try and communicate with her. It looks like a little fish joint. Sea joint. Valo's fish. And you are Valo. Okay. And it's just you? Yes. Oh, yes, yes. You made it all yourself? You chef, you chef. Wow, you're a chef. Restaurant familial. Yes. Wow. So it's a restaurant. It's so, it's just very cute. Okay. This is what it's all about. It's like homely, family-run places. Okay. That's the sardinas. Sardina, yes. Wow. Fresh. Fresh, fresh. We use this way. Sardines are in season, so this is the best time to eat them. That is delicious. So crispy. I can't help but feel so healthy when I'm in the Mediterranean eating this kind of food. Oh, the calamari. Everything's beautiful. Buon amore. So now we've got some plump-looking shrimp and deep-fried calamari. All so delicious and fresh and she's really sweet. You can tell she makes everything with love. It's adorable. The boat trip had revealed just how many beautiful coves and beaches are hidden along this stretch of the Albanian Riviera. So after lunch, I set off to explore some of the ones that have stood out to me from the water and are, luckily, also accessible by land. This is another one of the gorgeous coves in Albania, Aquarium Beach. So there are two coves here, Aquarium and Guma, right next to it. You kind of have to do a little hike to get here from Livadi Beach. It looks amazing from up here. I'm gonna go down. The water looks insane. Honestly, it's like a picture-perfect turquoise cove. I have to say, I've gone a bit crazy with the amount of drone shots that I've taken in Albania because the beaches and the coastline are just so breathtaking. But none of these drone shots are going to be wasted because I've got an amazing website where I have all of my YouTube videos and I've got my social media and Instagram integrated. And to be honest, I think in this day and age, we all need to have websites if it's for our passion projects, our hobbies. So don't forget to take advantage of the amazing 10% off that I've got in this video for Squarespace. They're an online website design service and I've used them to create my beautiful website. They've got hundreds of beautiful, ready-made website templates, whether you're a photographer, a blogger, somebody who's selling online products or services. 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You get a 14-day free trial and once you're ready to launch a website or domain, use my code NALINIANGELICA, you get an amazing 10% off your first website or domain. So have fun building your amazing website. Just north of Hamara is Jipi Beach. Considered one of Albania's best beaches, it's a raw, unspoiled strip of land framed by craggy headlands and backed by the dramatic Jipi Canyon. A 30-minute hike along a rocky, unpaved path leads to the beach and the sea views you get along the way are well worth the trek. But for me, the true highlight was exploring the canyon behind the beach with its huge limestone walls, lush greenery and the sounds of the birds and cicadas. It's a wilder, lesser-known side of the Albanian Riviera and it really took me by surprise. I am just blown away by the natural beauty of Albania and the coastline. These are some of the best beaches I have visited in the whole of Europe and I would have never thought that Albania of all countries was going to have such stunning natural beauty. After an amazing day exploring the coastline by both boat and land, I headed up to Hamara's 2,500-year-old castle to catch the sunset. The views from up here are mesmerizing, but even more impressive are the remnants of Albania's rich and complex history. This place is magical. It's 3,500 years of history in this fortress. A lot of it is in ruins, but it's so atmospheric. These are all the old stone homes and buildings of inhabitants that used to live within the walls of this fortress. And today, there are still a dozen families that live here. I love exploring these ruins and seeing what's through these doors. Wow, this looks like an old church. It's incredible. It looks so old. I think it dates back to the Byzantine period. So we're talking over 1,000 years old and it's still remarkably well-preserved. It's really dark through the altar, but I never thought I was gonna see this. You literally have the original religious imagery, murals still painted on the walls. I mean, wow, it's mind-blowing. This place at sunset is so beautiful. You've just got this glow over the Ionian Sea and the views from here are outstanding. You can even see the island of Corfu in the distance. Honestly, Albania just continues to surprise me. I never knew they had this history that stretched back to the Roman and Byzantine eras, let alone ruins like this. It quite literally is breathtaking. After an unforgettable time exploring Hamara, it was time to leave the Riviera behind and head towards central Albania. The journey first follows the coast, passing picturesque villages perched high above the sea, before turning inland and winding through dramatic mountain passes surrounded by some of the country's most spectacular scenery. After a few hours, I arrived at the ancient city of Berat, famous as a UNESCO-listed city of 1,000 windows because of its cascading Ottoman-era houses. From the bridge, you get amazing views of the old town of Berat, and it's quite a unique city because you've got two old neighborhoods and they're basically split by the river in the middle, the river Ossoumi, and it's known as the town of 1,000 windows, and when you look up at the views, you understand why. So this place is really famous because of the old, really well-preserved style of Ottoman architecture. It's a very unique town, I must say, especially with the mountains in the background and the fact that the stone houses have been built quite literally into the cliffs. It's really picturesque. Once you come into the old neighborhoods, it's very much quite narrow, cobblestone streets, and it's all on a slope, up a hill, but it's incredibly charming. This is Mangalemi. This is the larger neighborhood of the two, and then across the river, you've got Gorica, but what's very interesting is that these towns kind of were configured according to religious affiliation, so Mangalemi was largely inhabited by the incoming Muslim majority when the Ottomans conquered Albania, so that's why you have the three mosques situated in this neighborhood of Mangalemi, and then across the river in Gorica, you have the displaced Christian community. It very much has old-town European vibes, and it just goes to show how much history Albania has. The villages surrounding Berat offer a glimpse into traditional Albanian culture and a slower, more relaxed way of life. They're also home to family-run tavernas where recipes and cooking methods have been passed down through generations. I came across an authentic-looking restaurant and was immediately welcomed into the kitchen by the family to see the dishes being prepared using age-old methods. Wow, look at all this. We've got lots of big plates of what looks like chicken and lamb, so it's a very traditional way of cooking here in Albania, and they've got this very heavy iron sort of bell, so I guess they're kind of cooking that meat slowly, and, oh, it looks delicious, honestly. It's incredibly hot in here, though I cannot explain how hot it is. Are you part of the family? Yes. You're the son? Yeah. You speak some English? Yeah, yeah. A little English, oh. So this is a very traditional way of cooking in Albania. Yes. It's a saj. No, saj. It's not saj. We put the wood, dry wood over there. Dried wood, oh, it's wood. It's like food. Oh, I see. So, and that's the dad, you, and what's his name? Arbar. Arbar, family with a beautiful name. He's a busy man, he's a busy man. What would you recommend I try? Do you like potato? I like potato, yeah. Do you like chicken? Huh? Chicken. Yeah, I like chicken, yeah. So, chicken with potato. Chicken with potato. Yeah? We call this chicken in Albania with pul me patate. Pul me patate. Chicken with potato. Pul me patate. I'm gonna try that. Great, thank you. Very nice to meet you. Patate, looks delicious. Everything here is just so homemade, I love. Even the starters, the salads, the cheese spread, the bread, and the filo pastry, the burek, amazing. Crispy chicken skin is one of my favorite things and it is so good. The potatoes are so fluffy. This is such a great place, the food is delicious and the atmosphere is so local, like it's a great insight into traditional Albanian culture. Would you say thank you? Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, thank you. Very nice to meet you, very nice to meet your son. Tradita, really brilliant place. Thank you so much. Thank you, sir. Have a good day. Bye. Berat is also famous for its winemaking tradition, which spans over 2,000 years. And although many historic family vineyards were seized during the communist period, Berat's wine industry has experienced a rebirth, led by returning families like the Tjobo Winery, who are rebuilding the country's lost winemaking traditions. Here we have a very long history of making wine. My great-grandfather used to make wine before the communist regime. And even during the communist regime, my grandfather still continued to make some wine in Berat, in secret. Oh, in secret? Yes. And then when the communist regime was over, my father and uncle, they migrated to Italy. They worked in different places. And the first money they made is sent here to my grandfather. This is when my grandfather bought the land here and started with one hectare of grape, now have almost 40 hectares. So now you are like the youngest generation. Yes. So you are continuing the tradition. Starting. This here is the aging room. And also over here, we have our sparkling wine. It has also won the silver medal in the world competition in Belgium. And it is at the top 3% of sparkling wines in the world. Wow. It also has a very beautiful name. It's called Chandevere. Chandevere is a very old Albanian word to express the feeling when you are drinking wine, you are laughing a lot, you are a bit tipsy, but not quite drunk yet. You say, I'm feeling Chandevere. Oh, okay. Nice name. Thank you. It's very impressive. I don't think that many people know that Albania produces wines, let alone has won awards for wine. So it's very interesting. So if we finish here, then we can go upstairs for tasting. The bonus of having a cute dog at the winery, is a house dog. Hello. Beautiful. This is Kucha Berat, the red of Berat, and it's made with the grape Vloš. Vloš, it is a very special type of grape. And we're the only winery in the whole world that has this grape. So you'll never find this anywhere else. That's so special, Vloš. I like the name of that grape as well, Vloš. This is a good Christmas wine, I imagine. Really, really full-bodied wine. On the nose, you have some dark fruit, some dark cherry, some dark chocolate. Oh yeah, that's very full-bodied. I love that. It's smooth. It's incredibly smooth. I want an amazing spread to enjoy this wine with. Cheese, salami, everything's local. It's amazing. This here, it is our sparkling wine, and it's called Schendebeer. So this is your favourite? It's one of my favourites, yes. One of your favourites, okay. Is it a party wine? It is. It gets you into the mood. It gets you Schendebeer. Schendebeer. And how do you say cheers again? Gesundheit. Schendebeer. I was dreaming it was a grape. Very strong. Yeah. Well done. Mmm, delicious. Definitely a party wine. I think it will get you in the mood for a party. Thank you so much. What a beautiful wine tasting. You are welcome for everything. Thank you. And really hope to see you soon again. Thank you. After enjoying the local wine, I headed back to the town of Berat and found a much livelier atmosphere at this time of day. It seemed the whole town had come out onto the street. It's so nice in the evening because the Albanians have a tradition which is very similar to the Italians, passeggiata. So it's just like a nice stroll once the sun sets and it's so much cooler. And it's just a really nice way to get to know what local life is all about. And it's so nice to see just like all the different generations and everybody's just together. It's got a very nice kind of old school vibe to it. I like that. An old school European vibe. Lots of men here like to play dominoes and cards. Really sweet in the evening to pass the time with their friends. Wow. Serious. Serious business. It's so nice to see like the older generation here still playing these old school games and together as a community, which is like the important thing. I think it's really kind of lost in modern society. Ciao, ciao, ciao, ciao. So cute. The final place I wanted to see before the sun disappeared. Perched high on a rocky hill above the Ossum River is the city's third neighborhood. And for me, it's most impressive. Kala, also known as the Castle Quarter. What makes it so remarkable is that this medieval fortress is still a living neighborhood. Families continue to inhabit the ancient stone houses within its walls, while visitors wander among the ruins of Byzantine churches and centuries of history. This is really where the origins of Berat started out. It was here that the Illyrians built a settlement and it got fortified later on by lots of different empires that conquered Albania, like the Romans and the Byzantines, the Ottomans. So this is where the majority of the town's population were living up until the Ottoman Empire conquered Albania. And that's really when Berat started to grow and it spread out to the towns around the river. It really is a joy to wander around this neighborhood and you come across relics from the past. For example, the ruins of this red mosque. They just look so majestic. You've still got the minaret, which is incredibly well-preserved. And of course, this would have dated back to the time of the Ottoman Empire when they were in power in Berat. So you can almost imagine the call to prayer from the minaret and the inhabitants of the city would have come here to pray. So it kind of shows off that very multicultural past of Albania. The views that you get from up here are absolutely breathtaking. You can see the town of Gorica below, across the river, and you can really appreciate that it's a city of a thousand windows. And just all around, you have 360-degree views of the valleys. They're so green, so lush. It is a perfect time of day to come up here at sunset and just enjoy the atmosphere. The final part of my journey has brought me back to the Riviera, but this time I'm in the southern coastal city of Sabul, often credited as being the town that gave Albania its nickname as the Maldives of Europe. This part of the Riviera has seen a lot of development in recent years, with the majority of beaches claimed by private beach clubs and full to capacity during peak summer months. I came here for another reason, though. One less well-known was visiting. Just outside of the town is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Butrint National Park, and it's one of Albania's most impressive historical sites. Sitting quietly at the edge of a lagoon, this ancient city spans 2,500 years of history, with mesmerizing Greek, Roman, and Byzantine ruins. And a walk through the park reveals Albania's layered history and the different people who lived, built, and worshipped here before it slowly disappeared from sight. This has to be one of the most amazing ruins in the park, the ancient theater. I cannot believe how well-preserved it still is, and you just walk in, and you're hit with thousands of years of history. We're talking about this place being built by the ancient Greeks, and you can just imagine the public debates, the religious ceremonies, and the events that took place here. It's just been like sitting here for thousands of years. This is absolutely incredible. I have just come across the baptistery, and this was built during the Byzantine period. You still have the stone columns and incredibly intact mosaics on the floor. The only place I've seen something like this is in Pompeii, and when you look at what they drew, for example, the mosaics depict the fish, the birds, so they were very much inspired by their surroundings. This place is so peaceful, and you literally have the sea right here. It looks like an estuary or maybe a river that leads to the sea, so it's probably why they built a city here, because you had easy access and transport options. Honestly, this place has just blown me away. I think it's so easy to think about Albania's history as just limited to its recent communist past, but then you come somewhere like this, and you realize it's actually got thousands of years of history dating back to the ancient Greek and Roman era, and then you stand in a place like this. This is a sixth-century basilica, so it's just like an amazing relic of Albania's past. Honestly, this country just continues to surprise me. I came to Albania expecting it to be beautiful from all the images I'd seen online, but what I discovered was the country was far more depth than its impressive scenery alone. Its history feels incredibly layered, from ancient settlements and Byzantine churches to Ottoman fortresses and the bunkers left behind by its communist past, and so much of that history is still part of everyday life. More than anything, I'll remember the warmth and generosity of the people and how willing they were to share their food, traditions, and stories with me. It's easy to see why Albania has become so popular, and while this trip may be over, I feel as though I've only scratched the surface of what this country has to offer. I'm already excited to return and discover more of Albania.