Is Shkoder Worth Visiting? A Shkoder Travel Guide
(Note this blog is a repost from my trip in 2018 so some of the information may have changed)
Oh, Shkoder what can I say about you? This was my last stop on my adventure through the Albanian countryside and Shkoder did not disappoint. A city at the base of the Albanian Alps surrounded by beautiful landscapes and to top it off a cool castle. What could be bad about that? Much like the rest of Albania the people were amazing and the city itself was perfect for a good long stroll as well, but let's talk about why you are here…where’d I stay and what did I get up to…
Accommodations…Florian’s Guesthouse
When I began looking for accommodations in Shkoder I sifted through many great candidates, but Florian’s Guesthouse just sounded amazing. I mean how can you beat a place with gardens and orchards you can walk through. This guesthouse is situated outside the city, just a beautiful 30-minute walk into Shkoder, so it is surrounded by farms and fields dotted with houses built decades ago.
On top of the amazing atmosphere, you get breakfast and could set up lunch and dinner meals too. The meals were amazing all ingredients used were homegrown, organic, and made with loving care by Florian’s mother. Speaking of Florian’s parents if you think the food his momma cooks is good, wait until he brings out the good stuff…homemade wine and raki (an Albanian liquor..be warned it is strong!) made by his dad.
All this wrapped up with Florian’s helpful and knowledgeable presence makes this a winning location to spend your time in Shkoder. Now let’s talk about more fun stuff and see what I got up to as well as some things I didn’t get to but definitely think you should check out while staying in Shkoder…
Things to do…
So much to do…so little time! Like the rest of Albania, I spent just three days in Shkoder, so like the others I had to pick and choose what was a must-see. Being the beginning of my adventure I was also over-cautious with my money (I later realized you need to loosen up those purse strings every now and then..lol) Unfortunately that means I missed a few things, but let’s talk about what I did get to do …
Rozafa Castle
The fortress or castle whatever you want to call it sits on top of a hill overlooking the city as well as two rivers. Florian guided us to this location as well as the next one we talk about and highly suggests getting here at sunset for an Instagram-worthy picture. The hike up to the castle, like so many other places in Albania, was quite steep. But at least you will be rewarded with an amazing view. The entrance was only 200 Leke and as I entered the castle I knew the small fee was well worth it.
Unfortunately, we got there on time but the weather decided it wanted to be stormy so we didn't quite get that epic sunset shot. But even with the heavy cloud cover, the pictures were still amazing. The one drawback is that unlike other locations there are no explanation plaques anywhere so you are pretty much left to wonder and come up with what exactly everything was. I would definitely suggest giving yourself at least 45 minutes if not more in this outstanding ruin.
Mesi Bridge
On the excursion to the castle we just talked about Florian also took us to this amazing old bridge with a backdrop that was simply astonishing. Walk across Mesi bridge and look down on the crystal blue water of the Kir River.
Though it isn’t a place to spend much time as it is just simply the bridge if you want to hike some there are a couple of paths that will take you into the hills surrounding this ancient stone bridge from the 18th century. The best thing is all this beauty is free, so yeah!!
Roam the City
One of my favorite things to do is simply roam the city streets and see what I can see. Most of the time I have one or two things I want to see but half of the time they fall by the wayside as I am entranced with the city itself. That is exactly what happened in Shkoder…I intended to go to a museum and found myself scrapping it for meandering down streets and alleyways. Though I say be alert when doing this especially if you are a solo female traveler like I was and just be smart about which alleys and streets you go down.
Shkoder itself reminded me of a little of Tirana without the tree-lined streets and traffic. The people were super friendly wanting to have conversations with me every place I stopped (despite our language barrier). Along the streets, there are vendors selling food, fresh fruits, and typical tourist trinkets. Make sure you allow a few hours to explore the city before maybe checking out the stuff I didn’t get to.
Things I didn’t get to…
Besides not hitting any museums there were a couple of outdoorsy excursions that I seriously regret not getting round to…
Lake Skadar
The lake itself lies on the border between Albania and Montenegro and is chock full of amazing nature. So if you are into nature hikes and breathtaking views this is your place…or at least that’s what some of the other travelers at the guesthouse told me. You can also take cruises across as well which brings me to Florian’s excursion business…
North Albanian Tours
As well as running an amazing guesthouse Florian is also an entrepreneur and runs an expedition company. Just like with the lake a couple of my fellow guesthouse inhabitants relayed their experiences with the tour company. All had nothing but glowing recommendations and that’s why when I come back I will loosen those purse strings (it’s not really that expensive but I was being a penny pincher at the time) and sign up for some adventure.
Well, guys that wrap up my Albanian adventures and I have to say I am so happy that I included this magnificent country in my journey. Now it’s on to Montenegro and until that post, as always I wish you safe journeys.
Check out my Shkoder vlog…
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