Visitors from around the world flock to countries on the Mediterranean. The climate combined with excellent food and a generally laid back way of life is certainly attractive to vacation goers at any time of year. But there are some places that seem to be less and less enthused by all the love.
Barcelona, Spain or Venice, Italy are prime examples. Decades of over tourism, which has only gotten worse since the pandemic, have led their governments to look at ways to mitigate the problem. This has included limits on docking cruise ships or cutting back the number of travelers allowed per day.
While tourists will continue to travel to these ever-popular destinations in droves, there are other options out there. Smaller European countries like Albania offer similar experiences, just without the scorching heat or the plentiful numbers of fellow travelers.
Let's learn about Albania
This is not a country that many people talk about or comes up in regular conversations. As such, you can definitely be forgiven if you don't know much about Albania. That being said, it is smack dab in the middle of some of Europe's most popular destinations.
Albania is a Baltic country with Greece directly to the south and Italy just across the Adriatic Sea. It's not a huge country, both in geography and population. Less than 2.5 million people call Albania home, 600,000 of whom live in the capital city of Tirana.
There are numerous resorts and beach towns along the coastline as well as several mountain ranges throughout the country. The climate varies greatly depending on the geography but it can generally be described as a mix between Mediterranean and Continental.
What to do in Albania
There are a few larger cities with Tirana being the biggest of them. It has several landmarks in addition to markets and restaurants that highlight Albanian cuisine. You can also find more than a few interesting museums in the city that highlight the country's art scene and history.
Albania also has a lot of opportunities to explore nature. Considered a hot spot for biodiversity, looking for wildlife in one of their several stunning national parks is always fun. Almost 30% of the country is covered by forest, so animals thrive here.
The hottest average temperature in Albania in the coastal regions is just a shade under 22 degrees Celsius. It's not a hot holiday kind of place, more of a cool-cation destination. Still, watersports, snorkeling, and relaxing on the beach are still great things to do in the warmer months,