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Shkodra - tourist awakening of Albania

Travel destinations , 0 Comments Nov 25, 2023

Rich in history, culture, and tradition, Shkodër belongs to a country that is still recognizable by the fact that it was completely isolated from the rest of the world until the beginning of the 90s. The material legacy of the policy of the repressive communist regime of the then president Enver Hoxha today is a kind of tourism potential of Albania, which has certainly changed in recent decades, opening up and offering opportunities for visitors to get acquainted with its culture and traditions, which have never died, but also with the new ones that followed.

The land of eagles, as it is locally perceived, has about three million inhabitants. Of that number, a third lives in the capital Tirana, while about 150,000 live in Shkodër. The fourth largest city in Albania, it is located in the north of the country, near the shore of Lake Skadar and the border with Montenegro. Year after year, Shkodër attracts more and more tourists, and in order for the tourism flywheel not to slack off, the authorities have renovated most of the city and arranged the promenade along the Bojana River, the natural border between Albania and Montenegro.

The majority of visitors to Shkodra come by bus, and it's quite easy, because the number of buses that drive to Shkodra is very large. You can get to Shkodër by bus from most Montenegrin cities, via Podgorica or via Ulcinj. You can check the bus ticket prices on our portal, where they are regularly updated, as well as the departure time. It is possible to travel to Shkodër every day of the week, with lines that operate several times a day.

The medieval fortress of Rozafa is on the list of must-see attractions in Shkodra. It is a fortress on a hill above Shkodër, surrounded by the rivers Bun and Drina. It has been renovated several times and originates from antiquity. Rozafa is also famous for the song "Zidanje Skadra na Bojana". Legend has it that it was built by three Mrnjavčević brothers, and the wife of the youngest of them was built into the fortress alive.

The Mes stone bridge is a legacy of Mahmud Pasha Bušatlija from 1770. The bridge is 108 meters long, 3.4 meters wide, 12.5 meters high and has 13 arches, and its purpose was to connect Shkodër and the village of Drisht. The river Kir, which flows under the bridge, dries up completely in the summer months.

Ebu Bekër Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque, and its appearance justifies that name. It was built between 1994 and 1995 on the site of the previous Fushë Çelës mosque and is the main Skadar mosque with a capacity for 1,300 worshippers. The old mosque, although not of significant dimensions, had exceptional importance and visual value.

Shkodër is also recognizable by its concrete bunkers, of which there are around 750,000 on the territory of the entire country. Dictator Hoxha installed them out of fear of attacks during his reign. The bunkers were never used for defense purposes and most of them lie forgotten, although recently the authorities have begun to approve the conversion of buildings for tourist purposes, so restaurants, mini-hostels, etc. have been opened in some of them.

You can choose a one-way ticket or a return ticket to Shkodra, and from there visit the surrounding rural areas. The timetable on busticket4.me will show the rural places you can reach by bus.

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