Country Information

Albanian cuisine is excellent, with both Ottoman and Italian influences evident. There are many good restaurants throughout the country, although obviously in smaller towns the choice is more limited than in the cities. Vegetarians will find themselves eating a lot of salad; luckily for them, Albanian tomatoes and cucumber are delicious.

Albanian vineyards produce high-quality wine, some from indigenous grapes such as Kallmet (red) and Shesh (red and white). Grapes are also used to make raki, a clear spirit which is the country's national drink.

National specialities:
• Mediterranean fish such as sea-bream and sea-bass, as well as eels.
• Koran (a species of trout unique to the Ohrid and Prespa lakes).
• Traditional dishes often use vegetables and yoghurt or curd cheese to make the meat go further.
• Paçë koke (sheep's head soup).
• Kukurec (sheep's innards in a gut casing).

National drinks:
• Apart from raki (see above), Albania's other national drink is coffee. In bars and restaurants, this usually means espresso or cappuccino.
• In private homes, kafe turke (Turkish coffee) is made in the traditional Balkan way, with grounds and sugar brewed together.

Tipping: The usual tipping practice is to round the bill up by about 10%.

Nightclubs in Tirana stay open until very late. The music is sometimes live, especially at weekends. Outside Tirana, clubs of this sort are less common; in the coastal towns during the summer tourist season, music and dancing is laid on in the big hotels.

The local cinema chain, Millennium, has branches in all the large towns. They usually screen Hollywood films with Albanian subtitles.

Albania has a high standard of classical music. Opera, ballet and concert performances take place throughout the year in Tirana.

The best place in Albania to shop for traditional crafts is Kruja, less than an hour from Tirana. The bazaar there has felt-makers, rug-weavers and antique dealers. Many of the Kruja shops sell small souvenirs such as Albanian flags, copper plates and ashtrays in the shape of bunkers. Apart from Kruja, there are a few souvenir shops in Tirana, an artisans' co-operative in Gjirokastra and a souvenir stall at Butrint.

Shopping hours: Generally Mon-Sun 0900-1500 and then again for a couple of hours in the early evening (variable according to the time of year). Not all shops open on Sundays.