Albania, Europe's next tourist hotspot

If you are thinking about visiting Albania, you are doing the right thing, and you are on the right website. Riveting Albania is a site for travelers interested in this fascinating Mediterranean country. From towering mountains to beautiful valleys, from gorgeous and serene beaches to a buzzing café culture, from fascinating medieval castles to Roman and Greek ruins, Albania has what it takes to amaze any visitor.

Until recently, Albania was a walled-off country. It was one of Eastern Europe's harshest communist states, isolated from the rest of the planet for much of the 1980s. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, Albanian communism crumbled and a democratic government was set in place. During the 1990s, Albania was still a difficult trip for visitors, especially due to the financial fallout of 1997, which caused considerable social havoc throughout the country.

But with the beginning of the new century, things are looking much brighter. Albania's weak road system is going through a rebuilding process, with roads being widened throughout the country and new highways being built. Transportation used to be one of the key deterrents. This is no longer the case. A trip from Tirana to the northern city of Shkodra, now takes just two and a half hours to complete. In the south of the country, one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the country, between Vlora and Saranda, has been widened.

Further, the tourism infrastructure throughout the country is in constant improvement. There are many small to medium-size hotels in much of the country, and most of them have very competitive prices and quality amenities. And now, at Riveting Albania, you can easily book rooms in many Albanian hotels. Check out the hotel section for more. For a list of things to do and places to go, we have several suggestions for you. You can start by looking at our map, which includes information on attractions and hotels throughout the country. We have information and pictures on tens of cultural and natural attractions, beaches, and other worthy sites.

Alternately, you can look at our top spots section, which lists the main spots and cities in the country. On each spot page, you can read more information on it as well as look at more pictures and nearby attractions.

For more timely information, we are going to use the blog section of this site. Here we will post links to newspapers and travel magazines that cover Albania as well as other information that could be useful to anybody who is thinking of visiting Albania. There is also a discussions section where you can discuss anything related to travel to Albania.

Thanks for reading, and we hope you have a good time on the site. For any questions, feel free to contact us.