Always wanted to get up close and personal with a camel? Now’s your chance. Live displays of local culture and craft here include a camel and goats – both of which to the pre-oil Emirati economy. Find out more about pearl diving, local fishing techniques, fiber and basket weaving as you explore the traditional village buildings. Note that unlike elsewhere,...
Sitka’s historical Castle Hill was once the site of both Tlingit and Russian forts and thus gives visitors a grand view of the surrounding city, Sound, and mountains. Take a short walk to the top of the hill, move among the cannons and plaques as you take in one of the greatest views of the area without full-on climbing a...
Between the end of Lincoln Street and a rocky beach sits Sitka National Historical Park. This patch of forest is centered around an old Russian fort site with Tlingit and Haida totem poles erected along the way. While you walk along the beach path, keep an eye out for distant whale spouts on the water. Watch for running salmon and...
The original structure of St. Michael’s Cathedral was built in the mid-1800s, when Sitka and the rest of Alaska were under Russian control. Though destroyed in a fire in 1966, the new structure has been built to replicate the original church, allowing the iconic copper domes and Russian architecture to live on and beautify the city center. Tours of the...
Butrint is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and with the remains of at least three empires it is easy to see why. The amphitheatre and baptistery with its mosaic floor are the biggest photo-opportunities, but the whole setting of the site. amid the marshes and lagoons, is a treat to wander round. You can get a sense of the layers...
The ranks of elegant Ottoman-era houses climbing up the hillside to Berat’s citadel offers a photogenic view which is famous in Albania. The neighbourhood of Mangalemi, just below the citadel, is under protection as a site of cultural heritage meaning that its cobbled alleys have been preserved, and there are a number of great boutique hotels to stay in here....
Korca is a great stop for a gentle overnight stay in a civilised old-style atmosphere ont found elsewhere in Albania. The grandeur has faded but a stroll through town will show some charming buildings with Art Deco features, Socialist Realist monuments and a thriving market of local produce. You’ll not go hungry here – the town is known for its grills...
As you approach Kruja and look up at the town perched high on an escarpment you’ll understand immediately why the Albania hero of resistance against the Ottomans built his castle here. The castle can still be explored, together with the ‘Historical Museum’ designed in mock-castle style by Enver Hoxha’s daughter. There is also an interesting Ethnological Museum. But a more...
A visit to Albania’s National Gallery is a must not only for those interested in art, but also those who want to understand the country’s history, and in particular the Communist regime which dominated the second half of the twentieth century. As well as rotating exhibitions of local and international artists, the gallery has a permanent collection of all-Albanian art....
Shkodra is considered the cultural capital of the Northern Albanians and has a gently civilised atmosphere which makes it nice for strolling. Above the town sits the dramatic Rozafa castle, dating back to Illyrian times when it was used against the Romans, and which gives great views of the three rivers which converge at this point. There’s not much interpretation...
Spac was built as a prison on the model of the Stalinist gulag, combining imprisonment with forced labour in the nearby mines. It was just one of Albania’s prisons but the vicious conditions of the mine and the high profile of some of the political prisoners, many of them intellectuals, has given it a particular symbolic importance for Albanians. There...
Tepelena was the site of the castle built by Ali Pasha – the Albanian warlord who pushed back against the Ottomans and at whose castle Lord Byron stayed on his journey through Albania. The castle is now in ruins with families living within the site, so it is hard – but romantic – to conjure the world of luxury and...
Blood feuds are not an entirely historical part of Albanian life as there are still families ‘in blood’ with one another, and the ancient ‘Kanun’ law which requires revenge killings is still invoked. The impact of this can be well appreciated by a visit to this historical stone tower where families in blood could be protected. It was necessary for...
The Martyrs’ Cemetery (in Albanian ‘Varreza e Deshmoreve’) is just outside town, about a 15 minute drive along Rr Elbasan. It is dominated by the enormous and rather marvellous statue of ‘Mother Albania’ which can be seen from the city. Visit at sunset for particularly dramatic photographs of this landmark. She watches over the graves of 900 people killed during...
In 1912 Albanian independence was declared in the port of Vlora and the city became the first capital of the new country. A small museum on independence and the work of the first government stands by the port and there’s a dramatic statue in town commemorating the struggle for independence. But Vlora has plenty going on in the present as...
It seems unbelievable that sleepy Voskopoja was once the largest city in the Balkans – bigger even than Athens – or that it had the only printing press in the region outside Istanbul. Seven churches remain as a legacy from that eighteenth century heyday and although they have intricate frescoes, it is not always easy to gain access to them....
This charming plaza has been central to the community since Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdez founded Albuquerque in 1706. Today, Old Town spans ten blocks of historic adobe buildings, many of which are occupied by galleries, boutiques, and souvenir shops. San Felipe de Neri Church, the oldest building in Albuquerque dating to 1793, stands on the north side of the...
Carved by Native American and Hispanic settlers 400 to 700 years ago, the petroglyph here make up one of the largest collections of carved rock art in North America. Explore the park via one or more of several trails, including the widely accessible Boca Negra Canyon trail and the longer, 2.2-mile, Rinconada Canyon trail. Located on the western edge of the...
Professional guides from the Colmar Tourist Office conduct walking tours in several languages, including English, for groups and individuals. In addition to town walks, you can arrange a guided tour out to the nearby villages, vineyards, and mountains. Each local guide is trained in Alsatian art, history, architecture, and culture, so you’ll be getting the inside story as well as...
Dominican clergy started this church in 1283, but the building has been renovated several times. In the early 18th century the Gothic structure took on a Baroque style, and today your attention will be drawn to the church’s beautiful portals and stained-glass windows. The church is a bit bare and doesn’t have a bell, but the carved doors and stained-glass windows are beautiful. Inside,...