Turkish tourists visit Durres in cruise ship

TIRANA, June 20 – More than 500 Turkish tourists visited Albania this week in a cruise ship that anchored in Durres Port. The 521 tourists arrived in Ocean Majestic cruise ship on Monday in a stop as part of their Mediterranean journey which started from Ismir. Some of the tourists also visited the historic town of Kruja and Tirana, Durres Port authorities said in a statement.
Earlier this year, two cruise ships carrying more than 1,000 foreign tourists visited Albania’s Durres Port this week, opening the cruise ship season in the country’s biggest port. Port Authorities say Dutch Prinsendam and Finnish Kristina Katerina cruise ships brought some 1,090 tourists from around the world visiting the ancient cities of Durres and Kruja as well as Tirana.
The cruise ship tours in Durres include visits to the local archeological sites such as the ancient Roman amphitheatre and the local archeological museum, but also the neighbouring historic town of Kruja and capital Tirana.
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.
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.