# Info on Montenegro, Albania & Greece wanted



## kiwistopher (Nov 5, 2007)

Hi
I would appreciate any info on obtaining insurance for Montenegro, any travel tips for Albania, anything to watch out for...thru to Greece by winter.
Any tips would be good  [align=center]


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## eddied (May 9, 2005)

*Albania*

 Ciao Kiwistopher,
a while since I last visited Albania, when road conditions were not very good, traffic was scarce and mainly made in China, police were badly paid and therefore needed palms greasing. I know things have changed a lot recently, and traffic is getting busy, mainly imported from Italy. However roads are also improving, with some motorway sections along the coast between Durazzo and Vlores. Further inland the road from Durazzo to Tirana has also been improved, and the road from Tirana to Kruje. Security is no longer a major issue. Campsites are few and far between, but Italian motorhomers are making inroads into persuading hotels; of which there are ever increasing numbers; to allow their property to be used as 'aree di sosta'.
For insurance I can't give you any advice - your insurance company should be able to help.
For more info have a look at these sites:
www.riveraircamping.com
www.camping-albania.eu
HTH
saluti,
eddied
:wave: Hi Peter


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## Armadillo (May 1, 2005)

*Montenegro, Albania*

We have just come back from a short visit to Montenegro , and a day hop into Albania from there on the motorbike.

green card was purchased at the Montenegran border. this was at the crossing you would use if driving from dubrovnik. there is a proper office ther, but I assume it is only open during office hours. we were charged 15Euros for the camper and 10euros for he motorbike, and the insurance was valid for2 weeks. However, you will also need to pay an Eco tax at the border, which we hadn't known about until someone mentioned it a few days previously. That is 30Euros for a camper less than 5 ton, and you get a windscreen sticker punched with the month of purchase. This is valid for 12 months from purchase. If you are interested, I have removed mine (easy, not like the swiss ones) and am trying to sell it on Ebay.

Because we only had 3rd party we confined ourselves to the more major roads running parallel to the coast as we didn't want to risk our van on the narrow country and mountain roads. Not so scenic as croatian coast----well, what is---but the beaches are sandy,. We spent 5 nights near Ulcinj at a site on Tropicana beach (part of the 7km of sandy beach close to the Montenegran border).

The Montenegro we saw, apart from the resorts like Budva, needs to get its act together if it wants to attract tourists to the less obvious areas. The roads are very poor and there is a major problem with litter.Having said that, I wouldn't have missed it and we would like to go back again to visit the interior, which I am told is spectacular. Don't miss Kotor either. You can cross the big lake on a flat bottomed ferry for 8Euros or drive around the 64 km lakeside instead. We'd had more than enough twisty turny roads in croatia by then, so took the ferry.

We visited Albania on the motorbike from the Ulcinj site. We could hardly believe that the road, which was little better than a cart track in places, was a major road between the 2 countries.Again, we were able to buy a Green card at the border. This was 13Euros for the bike and again valid for 2 weeks. I believe it's about the same for a camper also.

From what we saw there is not much sign of regeneration. The main form of transport is either a truly ancient Mercedes for the fortunate, or bike, scooter or horse /donkey and cart. The loads carried on 2 wheels have to be seen to be believed.

We visited Shkodra. At one point I got off the bike to take a photo, and when I turned round my husband was being mobbed by little street boys. All very friendly at first ..and then they started demanding money. After that we didn't stop the bike again until we were back at the border! The team from RoadPro have just visited Albania en route to Istanbul and they said they were happy to leave their van in the street. No way would we have done that. Whilst not exactly a big big money van, ours looks quite nice. I'd have felt much happier ther in a van conversion or a self-build. Something less "look at me", if you know what I mean.

I am aware of only 2 capsites in Albania, one of which has already been mentioned. the other one is http://www.kamping-paemer.com/English/albumi.htm. designed and built along eco lines by an albanian. the place is called "Camping No Name"

We had been to all the major western european countries prior to this trip, and apart from rural Portugal standards were pretty much the same everywhere.

This time it was very obvious that there was a change for the worse in every country as you are heading south from Austria through Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Albania.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world! That day in Albania will stay with me for ever. It's not so far away really if you have the time to spare, and it's good to have your eyes opened to other cultures. definite feel of "east meets west" in Albania.

Incidentally, if anyone else is interested we also took the motorbike into Bosnia from Opuzen in Croatia, to visit Mostar. Again we didn't take the van for insurance reasons. Here we thought it was a bit of a "rip off" at the border. 30Euros just for green card for the bike for a week . We only wanted to go for the day, and we paid up.

Enjoy your travels!


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*Info on Montenegro, Albania*

Sounds a bit like Morocco, though that feels safe, maybe because there are so very many French c.cars there.

We went to Kotor from Croatia, and really didn't like the fact that Kotor and Perast were such obvious tourist destinations and were in such contrast to the rest of the country. I know that is normal, though, and the country needs the income.

Had not thought of it, but going in a less-than-smart c.c., one might feel more comfortable.

Rebecca West "Black Lamb, Grey Falcon" is a fabulous read when travelling there - someone who clearly loved the country, recounting the history, and written in the 1930's.

Helen


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