In the summer of ’22, Wessel and I Interrailed across Europe. We spent most of our time in the Balkans, and Albania was the first country on our list. Last week I took you along with us while hitchhiking to Vlorë and walking around Berat. After a lightning quick visit to the city of a thousand windows, it was time to take not one, but two more buses to get to our next stop. For this city we had a couple of plans, but as usual things did not go quite the way we expected them to. But if you ask us, that oftentimes is the fun of travel!
Our next stop was Shkodër, known for being the closest larger city to the Albanese Alpes. It lies close to the border with Montenegro, on the Lake of Shkodër, and is a great place to relax before or after a multi-day hike close to the famous town of Theth. We just had one day here, and were planning to rent a car to go to that very town, but plans change and we spend the entire day in the city instead. Shkodër really surprised us! A laid-back city with tons of history: we were not disappointed. So, keep on reading to find out what we did in this northern Albanian City.
Travel day from Berat to Shkodër
After having had a lovely breakfast with home-made marmalade, bright and early, we took yet another bus on our Albanian trip. This one would take us to Tirana. We walked to the bus station, where soon we were approached by a creepy guy who told us he loved Amsterdam, because it was a very profitable city for him (he was a drug dealer). He kept talking about wanting to make babies with me if he got the chance. We tried to be very polite and calm but were relieved once our bus showed up! While Wessel had to fight the urge to slap him for all the things he was saying about me, I had to fight the urge to run. Needless to say, we could relax again once the bus started driving.
A couple of hours later, we arrived in Tirana. Here we found a huge parking lot with a gazillion buses! To us, they seemed to all take in random spots, and we had to ask around to find the bus to Shkodër. Luckily, we found the people of Albania (apart from the creepy guy) very helpful, and got to the bus in no-time! There, we took yet another multiple hour bus ride to our final destination in Albania. As usual, this was pretty cramped, as they try to fit more people into a bus than allowed, and as we as tall Dutchies are usually too big for the chairs.
The Best Airbnb Ever, But Where Are All the Cars?
Finally, we rolled out of the bus at the end of the afternoon, and directly walked towards our lovely Airbnb. The streets of Shkodër quickly charmed us with her quaint streets and neighboring mountains. But once we entered our new apartment, we were truly surprised! The shower was huge, the bed was the most comfortable one we had slept in all week, and the living room was quite big, with a comfy couch and a Chromecast. We had to fight the urge to keep sitting on that green velvet couch, but managed to peel our butts off it and explore a little.
Our plan was to explore the city that afternoon, and to do a hike in the mountains the next day. There were no fast buses going to Theth, so we needed a car to take us there. We visited every car rental in the city, but to no avail: all cars were rented out for the coming week. I guess all tourists in Albania that year had the same idea. A little disappointed, because I love the mountains and had heard such amazing things about the Albanian Alps, we went sightseeing instead. The cobble-stone streets of the small city center were very romantic, with little and big churches all around it. After having some ice-cream at an adorable parlor, we went home to chill a little before going out for dinner.
After having watched some Family Guy, we walked around the city center, looking for a restaurant that we might fancy. We found one called Bar Restaurant San Francisco on the main street with an upstairs terrace overlooking the city. Shkodër, which was quiet during the day, was now bustling with life! We heard tons of music, and many people were strolling along. The prices were so good at the restaurant, we ended up ordering way too much food! A mixed salad, an entire fish and a traditional stew cooked in yoghurt. The food here was a lot heavier than in the south, so we ended up taking most of it home with us, for the next day.
As we finished our food, we were planning on going back to the apartment, but ended up walking into a street with a live DJ playing very good, summery music, and groups of friends sitting down or standing at the bar tables, all on the street, while nursing some good-looking drinks. The chairs were mid-century modern, and the interior had a fun ‘MC meets loft’-vibe. I still think Goje Gaditese made our night in Shkodër! Wessel ordered a beer, I ordered a margarita, and we danced and chatted until it was time to go to bed, tired after the long day we had. If you come to Shkodër, you should come here at any time of the day! They not only serve drinks, but also have a wide variety of (unfortunately not gluten-free) food and bakes.
Rental Bikes, No Cash Equals No Rozafa Castle, and Finding Hidden Swimming Pools
After sleeping so well in the gorgeous bad of our Airbnb, we had a slow breakfast and then headed out for the day, set on exploring Shkodër’s surroundings. Instead of renting a car, we decided to rent bicycles, because us Dutchies cannot survive without touching a bike once every two weeks. Just kidding! It was the only mode of transport left for us to rent (except for taking more buses) on which we could go on an adventure. On our busride the previous day, we came across a castle on a hill, which we decided to visit.
The Rozafa Castle originated as an Illyrian stronghold, but now is a well-kept ruin on a rocky hill. Interested in its history, we were excited to enter it. However, the way there was up that steep hill, and the bikes we rented were pretty bad. Without working gears and sketchy breaks, it was impossible to cycle up, so we walked most of it, bike in hand. After our cycle through the city on the actual roads for motor vehicles where I thought we could be hit by a car any second, I was also a little bit shaky, and happy to be walking for a bit. When we finally made it, they told us we could only pay the entrance fee in cash, which we did not have. The nearest ATM was in the city, and we were not ready to cycle down and back up again when it was nearly 40 degrees celsius outside.
On the way back to our bikes, we met a lovely young couple with whom we chatted for over an hour. They were on a big European trip in their van, and were kind of taking the same route as us. When it started to get too hot in the sun, we said our goodbyes and ‘maybe-see-you-laters’, and went back to our apartment to get our swimsuits to go swimming at the closest camping site’s pool. We only had to pay five euros for a day, which was not too bad, and we had the best time ever chilling in the water and reading our books in the shade. We even met another Dutch couple with their family, who were doing a roadtrip through Albania, which gave us inspiration for the next time we would visit this country!
Where to Stay in Shkodër
After a relaxing pool day, we did some groceries, cooked ourselves a meal, and sat down in front of the tv with the AC on to watch some YouTube videos on the history of Albania and the other countries we were about to visit. Although our stay in Shkodër did not go as planned, we thoroughly enjoyed its laid-back energy and historical city center. Our amazing Airbnb also made these two nights very special, and got us well-rested for yet another bus ride the next day, to our next destination.
Besides our charming apartment, Shkodër has many more accommodation options for any type of traveler. I have listed my favorite ones for you below:
- For the budget traveler: The Wanderers Hostel looks like the hostel where you come back to, to chill after a long day of exploring the city. With its many indoor and outdoor lounge areas, you will be sure to meet fellow travelers and make friends in no time.
- For the mid-range guesthouse lover: This place looks absolutely adorable, and the reviews are raving. InTown Guesthouse Shkodër seems like the perfect spot to learn more about the Albanian culture from your hosts, and make new connections.
- For the independent mid- to high-range travelers: Sometimes you just want to find a safe haven to escape from the rush of travel. Cooking your own meals and sleeping in the Centropolis Apartments’ modern interior would definitely soothe your nerves.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
All in all, Shkodër is the perfect city for a relaxing getaway. Even though it is one of the largest cities in Albania, it has got a laid-back charm to it that is hard to resist. The food scene and nightlife also seems to be buzzing, and the history of this place is literally in the bones of the city. It also seems to be very different from the southern part of Albania, and after some asking around we figured out this part of the country usually is a lot wealthier, which explained the clean streets and luxe feel of the place. For your future Albania trip, though, I would recommend only spending a couple of nights here, as the city center is pretty small, and using it as your base from which to head into the Albanese Alpes.
Next week will bring another special blog to your screen: this time we will be leaving Albania and heading to a different country. Can you guess where? If not, keep looking out for next week’s blog or follow me on Instagram to catch the latest updates. Prefer to get monthly summaries and other bits and bobs? Then sign up to my newsletter and get a gluten-free world map for free!
