Latest news with #UndiscoveredBalkans
Times
4 days ago
- Times
The secret, scenic side of southern Albania
The cat's out of the bag. Almost 12 million people visited Albania last year, many of them heading to the riviera on the promise of an affordable, sun-soaked beach break. But the truth is that overtourism is already looming, prices are rising and international investment — including from Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law — means traditional villages are being developed into beach resorts. If the prospect of sunbathing a few yards away from the Trumps or being in a hotel that could be anywhere in the world puts you off, there's a part of the Albanian riviera that package holiday giants and hotel tycoons tend to miss. Undiscovered Balkans, a small British travel company that specialises in offbeat adventures, has introduced a small-group tour to highlight some of southern Albania's less-trumpeted treasures. I joined the trip in May and spent a week exploring lesser-known coastal towns before dipping into the hinterland, where I visited Unesco world heritage sites, swam in hidden waterfalls, stayed with farmers high in the mountains and rafted on one of Europe's last truly wild rivers. We finished on crowd-free pebble beaches 200m above sea level in a fishing hamlet on the shores of Lake Ohrid. I arrived in Qeparo, one of the quieter seaside villages in Vlore county, under darkness after a three-hour drive from Tirana. I woke to views of Old Qeparo, the original farming village in the hillside, spilling down the mountain to meet New Qeparo on the seafront, where beach bars and boat rental centres were gearing up for the season. The first of many feasts of the holiday commenced on the patio overlooking all of this. Our host was the lovely Mirella Kokedhima, an empty nester who runs the guesthouse at her hilltop farm somewhere between the two Qeparos. What she could cook up following a belter of a thunderstorm and resulting power cut was impressive, and done with a smile. Eggs, goat's cheese, yoghurt, salad, homemade chocolate pastries, sausages, and Turkish coffee so thick you could chew it, all came our way. • Read our full guide to Albania This early in the season, the sea was too choppy for kayaking, so we spent the first day hiking along the coast. Our group of eight Brits, ranging in age from thirties to sixties, rambled along karst limestone cliffs with epic views of traditional villages and sparkling water, Corfu a hazy mound across the bay. The scent of wildflowers and thyme hung in the air and birds chirped from nearby branches. Nine miles later we descended to Borsh beach and dipped our weary feet in the crisp Ionian water, a well-earned beer in hand. The next day we turned our backs on the seaside and joined our guide, Alfi Pepaj, in a 4×4 for a scenic off-road adventure through the mountains to Gjirokaster, a Unesco-listed Ottoman-era town. The scenery was all dramatic, green carpeted peaks and wide, open meadows, with nobody around for miles. Along the way, we pulled up seemingly in the middle of nowhere and followed Pepaj down into a canyon, where a waterfall cascaded. As we swam a chorus of Albanian water frogs spectated from their moss perch. An hour or so later we arrived in Gjirokaster and were immediately charmed. Our accommodation was a characterful hotel inside an Ottoman house with furnishings to match. Nowadays, most will know Gjirokaster for its traditional old town and bazaar, which draws similarities with Bosnia's Mostar or northern Albania's Kruje. But the town was also the birthplace of Enver Hoxha, the brutal communist dictator who ruled Albania for 40 years until his death in 1985. It's a wonder how such an evil man could come from such a beautiful and peaceful place. • 10 of the best places to visit in Albania Gjirokaster's remarkably preserved 13th-century fortress gives far-reaching views of the region and its cool stone walls offer respite from the summer heat. The town is very clearly popular with tourists, but prices were reasonable and an Aperol spritz set me back just £6. The following morning we once again headed for the mountains on another 4×4 tour where more of that spectacular karst scenery awaited. We drove along dizzying passes to the village of Hoshteve in Zagoria, the neighbouring county. Several photo stops later, we wandered down the hill to a 12th-century village church which houses some of Albania's best-preserved frescoes and icons, surviving several wars, the Ottoman Empire and Hoxha's dictatorship. We sauntered back up to Kristina and Ladi Telo's guesthouse for another Albanian feast. We ate on their wraparound porch, which was adorned with flowers, citrus trees and swallows nests, not a sound or another soul in sight for miles. I couldn't believe the amount of food (all fresh) that was coming from a kitchen no bigger than most people's pantries. • 16 of the best things to do in Albania Suitably stuffed and with Pepaj translating, I got talking to Kristina and found out they had converted their home into a guesthouse 12 years ago after spotting a market for feeding and sheltering hikers passing through. One thing led to another as Kristina showed me around and the next thing I knew, I was trying on her traditional shepherdess dress and modelling it to the rest of the group. Our next stay was at a 120-year-old restored farmhouse overlooking the Vjosa valley, where the Vjosa, one of Europe's last truly wild rivers flows. To get there we had driven up a rocky dirt track, just centimetres from a sheer drop at some points, but it was well worth the effort. Now a listed building, Kristaq Cullufe's family home was lucky not to have been seized by the communists and for a long time it lay abandoned. The village is a shadow of its former self, with many having left to find work elsewhere. Following the collapse of communism in 1991, Cullufe's family returned from nearby Permet city and set about restoring the farmhouse. In the first-floor bedroom stood his mother's peja, a wooden chest Albanian brides would fill with things to take to their marital home. On the patio, where we ate to the sound of the Vjosa gushing through the valley below, were more artefacts, including old farming tools, sewing machines and telephones. More of that bucolic mountain scenery filled our windows the following day as we drove to Lake Ohrid, our final stop. But not before we had some fun on the Vjosa, whitewater rafting, cliff diving and wild swimming. We arrived under darkness once again, leaving the lakeside views a surprise until morning. Straddling the border with North Macedonia, the Unesco-protected Ohrid is one of Europe's oldest lakes. We stayed in the sleepy fishing village of Lin, which is a tourism destination well and truly in its infancy and the kind of place where people own a boat rather than a car. Our final day was an active one, hiking and kayaking to secluded pebble beaches in the morning and cycling the length of Albania's share of the lake in the afternoon. There are no overpriced sunbeds to fight over here. The pleasant 12-mile ride took us past allotments, overgrown bunkers, quiet enclaves where ducks quacked from behind the reeds, and fishermen selling their catch on the roadside. We stopped in the larger town of Pogradec, which has a real British seaside feel to it: children giggled on the fairground rides, the smell of candyfloss and doughnuts wafted in the air and old men puffed cigarettes and sipped raki as they played checkers on the promenade. Pogradec is a resort town that's got the balance right with tourism — buzzing, but not too crowded. If you prefer to spend your holiday flopping on the beach sipping cocktails, this trip probably isn't for you. But if you're looking to experience a more authentic side to Albania, with outdoor adventures and priceless cultural exchanges, it just might Sanders was a guest of Undiscovered Balkans, which has seven nights' full board from £1,195pp on a South Albania Activity Holiday ( Fly to Tirana
Sydney Morning Herald
14-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ten places in Europe ruined by overtourism (and where to go instead)
Adorned with the prerequisite canals, bordered by shady arches and faded palazzos (as well as medieval walls and fresco-trimmed churches), this underrated city is less busy than Venice but shares its cicchetti culture as well as its watery thoroughfares. Stay at Palazzo Bortolan, with its roof terrace overlooking the river Sile. Doubles from €130 ($225), room only. The overdone: Mykonos Two million tourists per year flock to Greece's party island for pricey cocktails and posh meals but during summer, you'll need to book ahead and pay through the nose. The alternative: Tinos A ferry hop from its popular neighbour, Tinos, has been taking off for almost a decade, but it's never quite hit the big time. Larger, but with less tourists, it's great for 'some of the best local food and wine, excellent beaches and mountain hiking – though for clubbing, you'll need to head over to Mykonos,' says Peter Marston who owns the meticulously-restored Xinara House and Blacksmith's Villa, in a car-free village on the island. Three nights cost from $1430, self-catering. The overdone: Cinque Terre One-way routes and bans on thongs are just a couple of ways the authorities have tried to increase safety on the Cinque Terre's packed hiking routes, which connect its five cliff-hugging villages. The alternative: Aeolian Islands A sleepy Italian secret, this string of seven rocky outcrops is a ferry hop from Sicily. Like the Cinque Terre's villages, each island has a distinct character – from Salina's vine-crossed landscape to the wilds of Filicudi, which come topped by Bronze Age ruins. Outside of August, they're quiet too. Expect peaceful hikes to secret beaches along cactus-scattered cliff-side paths or, for something more extreme, head 400m up fumarole-topped Stromboli. On Salina, Hotel Punta Scario has rooms from about $430. The overdone: Dubrovnik It was already known for its August crowds, but these grew 3 per cent year-on-year in 2024, according to The Dubrovnik Times. The alternative: Ston Emma Heywood, founder of Undiscovered Balkans, recommends the town of Ston, on Croatia's Peljesac peninsula, as a worthy swap for the country's capital. 'It's known to Croatians as a mini-Dubrovnik, but without the cruise ships and yachts because one side is a protected marine park for oyster farming, and the other is salt pans,' she says. It's also surrounded by walkable, rambling medieval city walls such as the Wall of Ston (the second longest in the world after the Great Wall of China). A week-long multi-activity holiday with the town as its base costs from $2455 per person, including activities and some meals, excluding flights. The overdone: Lisbon The once-quiet Portuguese capital has morphed into one of Europe's busiest cities, where visitors cram the trams and queue around the block for the Santa Justa Lift. The alternative: Faro It seems strange to head to the Algarve to escape tourists, but the region's working towns bear no resemblance to its busy resorts. Faro's photogenic Old Town is largely pedestrianised, cobbled and surrounded by ancient walls, but its churches and cafes are quiet and calm. And while hundreds of Instagrammers take the ferry across Lisbon's Tagus River for social media-worthy dinners in waterside restaurants, from Faro you can hop to the breezy, white-sand beaches of the Ria Formosa islands and sunbathe in relative peace. Near the Old Town, Lemon Tree Stay has doubles from about $200 via The overdone: Mallorca In 2024, well-publicised anti-tourist demonstrations proved that Mallorca had had enough. This year's campaign has already kicked off, with an open letter from seven local organisations urging visitors to 'stay home'. The alternative: Santa Maria, Azores For island life without the animosity, fly further. The tamest and sunniest of the wild islands of the Azores, Santa Maria is a place of empty beaches, clifftop viewpoints and a lovable 15th-century island capital, Vila do Porto. Here, the cobbles of Main Street are rarely troubled by more than an occasional ambling maxi-taxi while the handful of restaurants are mum and dad affairs. In the town, Charming Blue has rooms from about $270. The overdone: Comino The aforementioned Comino made headlines recently for its rat-infested beach and crowds of influencers. The alternative: Lampedusa It may be Italian, but Spiaggia dei Conigli, or Rabbit Beach, on Lampedusa is a mere hour from Comino by hydrofoil and regularly called the most beautiful beach in the world. Its A-list looks understandably draw holidaying hordes – but their numbers are now controlled by a bookings system in an effort to maintain its pristine perfection, as well as the loggerhead turtles who lay their eggs here. Nearby four-star Cupola Bianca has roms from about $230 a night. The overdone: Barcelona Violent (if you count water pistols) protests showed tourists exactly what city dwellers thought of them in 2024, but there were still 15.5 million overnight stays. The alternative: Girona It's only 40 minutes away by train, but Girona has escaped much of the tourist traffic. Far more walkable, it's a place to mooch along the river Onyar towards lunch at one of its increasingly lauded restaurants or spend long nights putting the world to rights in bars in ancient squares. There are museums and churches too (don't miss the Museu del Cinema). The city's chicest stay, Palau Fugit, has rooms from about $350. The overdone: Nice This Riviera city's mayor recently announced new legislation that he hopes will halve AirBnBs in its busiest neighbourhoods, stating 'I will not allow the people of Nice to be prevented from living in Nice!'. The alternative: Toulon An hour-and-a-half drive's west along the coast, Toulon has a long-standing image problem thanks to some ill-advised post-war architecture and its home as France's largest naval base. But visiting reveals Haussmann boulevards, a buzzy harbour lined with restaurants and a string of city beaches at Plages du Mourillon. Overlooking the port, L'Eautel has rooms from about $200. The overdone: Ibiza The party island has come a long way from its hippy roots, when pioneering ex-pats took pilgrimages to Es Vedra and traipsed into the interior to make calls from its only pay phone at Bar Anita. Now, only multi-millionaires can afford property and party goers pack the coastline. The alternative: La Graciosa Head back in time to the Canaries, specifically the lesser-visited island of La Graciosa, half an hour by ferry from Lanzarote. There are no paved roads on this tiny dollop, just long sweeps of sand bordered by neon blue water and linked by meandering hiking and biking trails. Loading Don't expect glam hotels either. Instead, holidaymakers rent apartments in the island's two teeny towns, Pedro Barba, with its cobalt shutters and looping paths of palms, and slightly bigger Caleta de Sebo, where neat white terraces line sandy pathways towards the sea. Evita Beach has apartments from about $520 a night for a two-night minimum stay.
The Age
14-05-2025
- The Age
Ten places in Europe ruined by overtourism (and where to go instead)
Adorned with the prerequisite canals, bordered by shady arches and faded palazzos (as well as medieval walls and fresco-trimmed churches), this underrated city is less busy than Venice but shares its cicchetti culture as well as its watery thoroughfares. Stay at Palazzo Bortolan, with its roof terrace overlooking the river Sile. Doubles from €130 ($225), room only. The overdone: Mykonos Two million tourists per year flock to Greece's party island for pricey cocktails and posh meals but during summer, you'll need to book ahead and pay through the nose. The alternative: Tinos A ferry hop from its popular neighbour, Tinos, has been taking off for almost a decade, but it's never quite hit the big time. Larger, but with less tourists, it's great for 'some of the best local food and wine, excellent beaches and mountain hiking – though for clubbing, you'll need to head over to Mykonos,' says Peter Marston who owns the meticulously-restored Xinara House and Blacksmith's Villa, in a car-free village on the island. Three nights cost from $1430, self-catering. The overdone: Cinque Terre One-way routes and bans on thongs are just a couple of ways the authorities have tried to increase safety on the Cinque Terre's packed hiking routes, which connect its five cliff-hugging villages. The alternative: Aeolian Islands A sleepy Italian secret, this string of seven rocky outcrops is a ferry hop from Sicily. Like the Cinque Terre's villages, each island has a distinct character – from Salina's vine-crossed landscape to the wilds of Filicudi, which come topped by Bronze Age ruins. Outside of August, they're quiet too. Expect peaceful hikes to secret beaches along cactus-scattered cliff-side paths or, for something more extreme, head 400m up fumarole-topped Stromboli. On Salina, Hotel Punta Scario has rooms from about $430. The overdone: Dubrovnik It was already known for its August crowds, but these grew 3 per cent year-on-year in 2024, according to The Dubrovnik Times. The alternative: Ston Emma Heywood, founder of Undiscovered Balkans, recommends the town of Ston, on Croatia's Peljesac peninsula, as a worthy swap for the country's capital. 'It's known to Croatians as a mini-Dubrovnik, but without the cruise ships and yachts because one side is a protected marine park for oyster farming, and the other is salt pans,' she says. It's also surrounded by walkable, rambling medieval city walls such as the Wall of Ston (the second longest in the world after the Great Wall of China). A week-long multi-activity holiday with the town as its base costs from $2455 per person, including activities and some meals, excluding flights. The overdone: Lisbon The once-quiet Portuguese capital has morphed into one of Europe's busiest cities, where visitors cram the trams and queue around the block for the Santa Justa Lift. The alternative: Faro It seems strange to head to the Algarve to escape tourists, but the region's working towns bear no resemblance to its busy resorts. Faro's photogenic Old Town is largely pedestrianised, cobbled and surrounded by ancient walls, but its churches and cafes are quiet and calm. And while hundreds of Instagrammers take the ferry across Lisbon's Tagus River for social media-worthy dinners in waterside restaurants, from Faro you can hop to the breezy, white-sand beaches of the Ria Formosa islands and sunbathe in relative peace. Near the Old Town, Lemon Tree Stay has doubles from about $200 via The overdone: Mallorca In 2024, well-publicised anti-tourist demonstrations proved that Mallorca had had enough. This year's campaign has already kicked off, with an open letter from seven local organisations urging visitors to 'stay home'. The alternative: Santa Maria, Azores For island life without the animosity, fly further. The tamest and sunniest of the wild islands of the Azores, Santa Maria is a place of empty beaches, clifftop viewpoints and a lovable 15th-century island capital, Vila do Porto. Here, the cobbles of Main Street are rarely troubled by more than an occasional ambling maxi-taxi while the handful of restaurants are mum and dad affairs. In the town, Charming Blue has rooms from about $270. The overdone: Comino The aforementioned Comino made headlines recently for its rat-infested beach and crowds of influencers. The alternative: Lampedusa It may be Italian, but Spiaggia dei Conigli, or Rabbit Beach, on Lampedusa is a mere hour from Comino by hydrofoil and regularly called the most beautiful beach in the world. Its A-list looks understandably draw holidaying hordes – but their numbers are now controlled by a bookings system in an effort to maintain its pristine perfection, as well as the loggerhead turtles who lay their eggs here. Nearby four-star Cupola Bianca has roms from about $230 a night. The overdone: Barcelona Violent (if you count water pistols) protests showed tourists exactly what city dwellers thought of them in 2024, but there were still 15.5 million overnight stays. The alternative: Girona It's only 40 minutes away by train, but Girona has escaped much of the tourist traffic. Far more walkable, it's a place to mooch along the river Onyar towards lunch at one of its increasingly lauded restaurants or spend long nights putting the world to rights in bars in ancient squares. There are museums and churches too (don't miss the Museu del Cinema). The city's chicest stay, Palau Fugit, has rooms from about $350. The overdone: Nice This Riviera city's mayor recently announced new legislation that he hopes will halve AirBnBs in its busiest neighbourhoods, stating 'I will not allow the people of Nice to be prevented from living in Nice!'. The alternative: Toulon An hour-and-a-half drive's west along the coast, Toulon has a long-standing image problem thanks to some ill-advised post-war architecture and its home as France's largest naval base. But visiting reveals Haussmann boulevards, a buzzy harbour lined with restaurants and a string of city beaches at Plages du Mourillon. Overlooking the port, L'Eautel has rooms from about $200. The overdone: Ibiza The party island has come a long way from its hippy roots, when pioneering ex-pats took pilgrimages to Es Vedra and traipsed into the interior to make calls from its only pay phone at Bar Anita. Now, only multi-millionaires can afford property and party goers pack the coastline. The alternative: La Graciosa Head back in time to the Canaries, specifically the lesser-visited island of La Graciosa, half an hour by ferry from Lanzarote. There are no paved roads on this tiny dollop, just long sweeps of sand bordered by neon blue water and linked by meandering hiking and biking trails. Loading Don't expect glam hotels either. Instead, holidaymakers rent apartments in the island's two teeny towns, Pedro Barba, with its cobalt shutters and looping paths of palms, and slightly bigger Caleta de Sebo, where neat white terraces line sandy pathways towards the sea. Evita Beach has apartments from about $520 a night for a two-night minimum stay.
Euronews
09-02-2025
- Euronews
Wild wolves, monastic wine and blissful beaches: Five alternative escapes in 2025
Two years ago I spent a week wandering Montenegro's mountainous hinterland. Quite simply, it was spectacular. That's the thing about Europe: for all the popular resorts along the Mediterranean there are as many other special places to be discovered tucked a little bit further off the usual tourist routes. Where Europe's travel hotspots are grappling with the effects of overtourism, these growing destinations have a unique chance to manage increasing visitor numbers so they don't reach the same tipping point. How we explore Europe now – in a way that works for local people and nature – will help shape its future. Here are five places to try. 'Moments of small pleasure' in Bosnia and Herzegovina 'There's a less hurried way of life in Bosnia,' says Emma Heywood of Balkans-based travel company Undiscovered Balkans. 'Isn't that what holidays are all about? Learning to embrace the 'ćejf' (cheyf) as Bosnians call it: those moments of small pleasures.' And small pleasures reign here. The thrill of rafting on the icy waters of the Neretva River – some of the best rafting on the planet enthuses Emma – or the blissful silence on a hike through the spectacular Sutjeska National Park. Ottoman-era architecture and a majority-Muslim population mean there's plenty for cultural travellers as well as active ones. There are poignant reminders of its recent past, too. 2025 marks 30 years since the end of the Bosnian War and its influence lingers. Emma adds, 'It's raw, real and breathtakingly beautiful. You'll leave Bosnia with complete admiration for the overwhelming resilience and humour of its people.' How to do it: Take the train. A two-week round trip by rail and ferry from London St Pancras takes you to Mostar and Sarajevo via the unique 'city of caves' of Matera in Italy, and Albania on the way. Then on the way back stop off in Montenegro and Zagreb in Croatia. From wild wolves to its communist history, Romania is a world of contrast 'Wildlife watching and birdwatching are two of my favourite things to do - you could say I am on holiday all the time!' says Simona Muneanu of nature travel company, Absolute Carpathian. Simona's love of her home country is infectious. 'We have the oldest mountains and the newest lands' Simona continues, referring to the Carpathian Mountains and the sandbanks being constantly formed at the mouths of channels in the Danube Delta. The latter is Europe's largest wetland, and with over 300 species, one of the best places to go birdwatching on the continent. For Simona, the contrast is what makes Romania so special. 'Many of my guests say it's like a magical step back in time combined with high speed internet.' Expect old versus new: mountains so wild they're a stronghold for wolves and brown bears that act as a backdrop to communist-styled Black Sea resorts. How to do it: Choose a nature-based trip that helps Romania preserve its unique big predator habitats. Bear watching or wolf-tracking tours with Simona use locally-owned accommodations and work with wildlife researchers in the Carpathian Mountains to assess the impact tourism is having there. Hear old tales while tucking into traditional cuisine and wine in Georgia Georgia's appeal goes well beyond the towering Caucasus Mountains – the real draw is how natural beauty and human history intertwine. Come to learn about the birthplace of wine (monks have been making it here since the 8th Century), to hike in the Svaneti region in the shadow of 9th Century watchtowers, and to sample the trendy bars and restaurants tucked into the backdrop and balconies of Tbilisi Old Town. Tatev Manucharyan, who runs Caucasus specialist Arara Tour sums it up nicely: 'Sitting at a long table brimming with 'khinkali' (dumplings), 'khachapuri' (cheese-filled bread), and 'mtsvadi' (grilled meat), while a 'tamada' (toastmaster) leads toasts, is truly something special. It's a moment that captures the essence of Georgia - warm, inviting, and deeply rooted in tradition.' How to do it: With a local guide who can tease out the long-told stories that are woven into the fabric of the land – and who knows the best Georgian sweets and where to find them. Cycle along quiet coastal paths and quaint towns in the Baltics Want an alternative beach escape? Lithuania's UNESCO-listed Curonian Spit has sand for miles. Prefer a winter city escape? Tallinn's red-roofed Old Town is positively fairytale-like under a dusting of snow. Fascinated by Cold War history? Take in the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia in Riga. But what Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are particularly brilliant for is biking. Miles of – mostly flat – cycling trails and coastal paths take you through a mix of open quiet countryside, old-growth forests, national parks, and historic cities. Low traffic roads and well-maintained cycle paths lend themselves to days of leisurely cycling. How to do it: Locally-run bike tours connect the three capital cities, via national parks, islands, and picnic lunches with local people. Find your natural swimming spirit in Slovenia With some of the cleanest water in the world, Slovenia was made for swimming. And there's plenty of it too. A vast network of lakes and rivers bely Slovenia's relatively small size and make it one of the most water-rich countries in Europe. Travel here, and you're never far from somewhere to take a dip. Swimming spots like the emerald-green Soča River or Lake Bled are beautiful – as is much of the rest of the country. Designated as one of Europe's biodiversity hotspots, it has more Natura 2000 sites (areas protecting significant species and habitats) than any other EU nation and a government that is seemingly taking environmental stewardship seriously. How to do it: Local guides will help you find the best and safest places to swim where you won't disturb nature. This short trip includes a swim across Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj as well as a dip in the cavernous Kozjak Waterfall.
