Some 1,000 cruise ship tourists visit Albania

TIRANA, Sept. 24 – Around 1,000 cruise ship tourists have visited Albania during September, Durres Port Authorities say. The Azamara Quest cruise ship which visited Albania for the first time bringing 660 tourists became the second biggest ship to have visited Durres Port. The 190-metre long ship arrived in Durres Port on Wednesday as part of a Mediterranean tour.
Earlier this month, the Durres Port was also visited by the Kristina Katerina Finnish cruise ship with around 300 tourists on board.
In their stop to Durres Port, cruise ship tourists visit Durres, Kruja and the UNESCO World Heritage town of Berat.
After picking Albania as a top destination for 2012, the Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest national newspaper, has also put the coastal city of Durres, Albania’s second biggest city, on top of the eight exciting new cruise ports to explore. Featuring a picture of crowded Durres beach, the Canadian newspaper describes Durres as “a handy jumping off point for tours of the coast and castle tours.”
“Durres, Albania: Here’s your chance to see Adriatic beach resorts that for years were heavily guarded enclaves of the country’s elite. Albania second-largest city is a handy jumping off point for tours of the coast and castle tours,” writes the Globe and Mail.
Founded in the 7th century BC under the name Epidamnos, it has been continuously inhabited for 27 centuries and is one of the oldest cities in Albania. The city boasts a Roman amphitheatre of the 2nd century A.D, one of the largest in the Balkan.
The city boasts a Roman amphitheatre of the 2nd century A.D, one of the largest in the Balkan.
Archaeologists have discovered some of the country’s most beautiful mosaics in the ancient city of Durres and its suburbs. Apart from the “Durres Beauty” mosaic which is on display at the National Historical Museum in Tirana, Durres is also known for its mosaic at the ancient Roman amphitheatre, the Arapaj Basilica and several others which are being preserved pending to be displayed.