Albania, 2nd: The Bradt Travel Guide (Paperback)

by Gillian Gloyer (Author) "Albania's surface area of 28,748 km2 (11,100 square miles) makes it slightly smaller than Belgium and slightly larger than the state of Maryland..." (more)
Key Phrases: trpl rooms, atheism campaign, dbl room, Enver Hoxha, Skanderbeg Square, Bajram Curri (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Albania is perhaps the last hidden corner of eastern Europe, newly opening its frontiers to travelers after decades of tyranny and instability. Written by an insider and Albania enthusiast, the Bradt guide to Albania takes a fresh look at how and where to explore the heritage of a country influenced by the Greeks, Romans, Italians, and Turks--who have all left their mark on the landscape and culture. Albania boasts a breathtaking natural beauty, splendid and empty beaches, excellent local wines, a Mediterranean climate, and a tradition of hospitality, making it a potentially prime holiday destination, easily accessible by air, ferry via the Greek islands and Italy, or even by road via mainland Greece, Montenegro, or Kosovo.

Features include:
>Archaeological attractions and museums plus historic background
>In-depth coverage of the capital, Tirana
>Cultural background including topics such as communist nostalgia and blood feuds
>Easy-to-follow guide to the Albanian language

About the Author

Gillian Gloyer is a linguist who spent four years in Albania from 1998 to 2002, when she was involved in the development of a democratic political infrastructure for the future of the country.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides; 2nd edition (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841621498
• ISBN-13: 978-1841621494
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #701,789 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Only Practical Guide to Albania!, September 3, 2006

By	Laszlo Wagner (Hungary) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you want to travel around Albania and do more than just hit the few most visited highlights, this is no doubt the book to take.

It is the only English-language guide devoted to Albania alone, and it offers a good coverage of the places and things to see, fairly up to date details of transport and accomodation options, decent maps of both regions and individual towns or cities, as well as well-written background information on culture and history. All the stuff you would expect from good practical guidebooks like the better-known Lonely Planet series (whose coverage of Albania is dismal!).
It is also fairly balanced in covering both budget and upmarket places to stay, something other books often fail at.

So why only 4 stars?
Well, some of the maps would need to be more accurate - they sometimes showed places on the wrong street or corner. Also, in a few cases, practical details were missing, with the existence of accomodation being mentioned, but not the usual details on how much it cost. Same goes for transport info.
Finally, and most mystifyingly, the author has chosen to use non-standard place names ("definite", conjugated forms) even though she herself admits this form is not what you will see in Albania on maps, destination signs of buses or road-signs!

However these shortcomings are well outweighed by all the useful info in the book. If you are planning to tour this little-visited country independently, don't leave home without a copy!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars travel guide works, January 11, 2007

By	R. Carr (albania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

i live in albania as a foreigner employed by the UN. we have found this guide to be mostly accurate. many guides on albania miss things or are just plain wrong. this is one of the better ones--take it fromo a resident who has bought many bad travel guides about this little explored country.

2.0 out of 5 stars Rich on interesting trivia and stories, but thin on practical information, October 9, 2008

By	Craig Buckley (Chanute, KS United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The guide has lots of side stories about history and people. However, the maps are very basic and show things in the wrong locations. Don't depend on the transportation information since most of it had changed since publishing. I ended up getting stuck since some of the bus connections it mentioned don't exist.