Balkan Experience - Greece & Albania - Onwards to Tirana - 2 Sep 2026

The flight to Tirana from Athens international airport was scheduled at 8.40 am. I am habituated to being early to check-in. With this in mind, I left the apartment by 4 am for the bus station. Since the lift was not working it was some task to lug the suitcase and backpack down four flights of winding stairs.

It took me about 20 minutes to get to the Syntagma bus station by foot. Traffic was sparse, but a few cafes were open and some of them were already doing decent business. I passed the Arch of Hadrian and the National Garden and reached the ticket booth for the X95 bus service. I paid 6€ for a one-way ticket and settled into one of the seats. Unfortunately, the bus didn't have any separate enclosure for baggage; surprising for an airport service.

The fully crowded bus left for the airport at 4.35 am. The bus stopped at multiple stops en route and got to the airport in about 50 minutes. I was early and decided to have a cup of coffee before getting through the entrance gate. While waiting for the coffee I casually examined my web check-in document. My eyeballs popped. My flight to Tirana was the following day and I had my accommodation reservation in Tirana from today. I had to summon all my reserves of calm to think through the next steps.

If I decide to fly as scheduled, the next day, I will have to go back to the city, find a suitable place to stay and forgo the accommodation reservation for the day in Tirana. The alternative was to find out if my flight schedule could be rearranged to this day. I had booked my flight through Trip.com. The carrier was Aegean Air.

I went to their airport counter and explained my predicament. While they said they could do nothing about the refund of the already booked ticket, I was offered a ticket for this morning's flight for 91€! A costly mistake, indeed. But that was the only solution to put the schedule back on track.

I paid for the ticket and was asked to go to the check-in counter for my boarding pass. While my luggage was accepted, the affable counter clerk told me that he would not be able to give me a seat number as the flight is overbooked! I would have to be allocated one at the gate. I went through immigration, where they asked me the document on which I was traveling to Albania. I showed the lady my Schengen visa. Greece is the first country I have been to on the visa where the passport was not stamped during either entry or exit.

I passed a couple of tense hours at the gate before boarding was announced. I was finally given a confirmed seat at the gate. The flight was full and it landed in Tirana airport on time. It was sheer chaos in the queues at immigration. Three flights had landed almost the same time and the queues snakes as far as it could right up to the entrance of the immigration hall. There were limited counters and I watched the behaviour of a few queues before I found one that moved quicker than the rest.

The immigration officers were doing a good job. Here too, there was no immigration stamping in the passport. As soon as I came to the baggage carrousel, I spotted my suitcase and claimed it. Soon I exited the airport, sought directions to the bus stand and reached the bus a few minutes before the scheduled departure. If I had missed that one I would have had to wait for another hour. Fortunately, the bus had a separate luggage hold.

The bus left on time, but it took more than 30 minutes to get to the highway. Traffic was extremely dense. The one-hour ride took 15 minutes more. From the bus stand I walked to the accommodation I had booked. The owner had sent me a video of how I could reach the apartment. I got somewhere near it but couldn't locate it.

Finally, the owner sent her mother to where I was. I felt so embarrassed that I profusely apologised to the owner and her mother. After all the tension and unnecessary extra payment for the flight the cosy two-bedroom home was a place to rest a while before venturing out for the scheduled sightseeing.

I took some time to get a snapshot of the country. Albania is a mountainous country in Southeast Europe located on the Balkan Peninsula along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. 51 per cent of the country's 2.4 million people observe Islam as their main religion. But they have over 30 percent of atheists and people professing no religion at all. The official language is Albanian, and the currency is Albanian Lek; an Albanian Lek is about 1.2 INR. The Albanian Riviera is a huge attraction for tourism and so are some of the over 70 per cent mountainous area of the country.

The GDP per capita on PPP basis is over $25,000, which is double that of India. Albania has a developing upper-middle-income mixed economy that is currently among the fastest-growing in Europe. Services make up over 54% of the economy. A massive post-pandemic tourism boom has driven recent growth, with tourism revenue exceeding billions of Euros and accounting for over a quarter of the GDP. Agriculture contributes about 20 percent to GDP.

Tirana is the vibrant capital and largest city of Albania, known for its colourful buildings, lively cafe culture, and rich history. The city was founded in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini Pasha. Tirana was proclaimed the capital of the country in 1920.

Post WWII, Albania was a tightly controlled communist state between 1944 and 1990. Following the collapse of communism in 1990, Albania became a parliamentary democracy. Mother Teresa, who was born in Skopje, was of Albanian descent.

What ensued was a five-hour walking tour that made me appreciate the city thoroughly. I didn't realise how much I would cover in the walking tour, because most of what I had planned to do, and more, were so proximate to each other and within easy reach. I started with the most talked about place in Tirana, the Skanderbeg Square, less than 15 minutes by foot from my accommodation.

Balkan Experience - Greece & Albania - Day Trip to Delphi - 1 Sep 2026

It promised to be another bright and sunny day, albeit hot. The saving grace being that the day tour would be substantially spent in an AC bus as the one-way distance to Delphi from Athens is 200 km. Even though I had booked the tour through GetYourGuide, the tour was operated by Key Tours.

We were 44 on board when we set off at 8.15 am. The guide was Marianna Tsigaridou, a middle-aged woman, with an excellent command of the English language and with mountains of information and knowledge. Right through the route to Delphi, she kept up a steady flow of commentary.

She told us of how Thebes of Greece is different from the one in Egypt and how powerful the state was in the 4th century to even defeat Sparta in battle in 371 BC. The city was completely destroyed by Alexander the great in 335 BC. She pointed out vast stretches of cotton fields native to the region as well as the flowering oleander plants.

Marianna told us about the 2 rivers and 2 lakes that slaked the thirst of Athens. The waters were chlorinated and piped for the use of Athens. She made special mention of the Nine Muses and Three Graces. Mount Helicon was where the Nine Muses of ancient Greece, the goddess daughters of Zeus, who personified the arts, literature, and sciences were resident.

It is here that the Three Graces, also daughters of Zeus, known as the Charites in ancient Greece, minor goddesses who personified harmony, beauty and symmetry too resided. From this possibly the derivation of the words graceful and philharmonic.

An interesting story she narrated was about the abduction of Europa, a beautiful Phoenician princess. Zeus became infatuated with Europa and wanted possess her. He transformed into a tame, majestic white bull and mixed in with her father's cattle. When Europa climbed onto the bull's back, Zeus bolted into the sea and swam all the way to Crete, effectively "spiriting her away" to become the first queen of the island.

She told us about the Greek colonies of Africa, Turkey, etc, the name of which end with 'kale' 'polis' such as Canakkale, Pamukkale, Indianapolis, Minneapolis. Odessa was founded by Oracle of Delphi and so were Sevastipol, Marseille, Nice, Antiba all in France, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville in Spain.

Gibraltar is connected to the god Zeus through his son Heracles (Hercules), who created the Pillars of Hercules at the Strait of Gibraltar. The long and short of it is the vast influence that Greece possessed in the ancient times and that it was at the centre of lands from east to west and north to south.

We made a short stop for coffee and restrooms at Levadia before finally getting to Delphi, which is an ancient sacred precinct and the home of the legendary Oracle of Apollo situated on the southern slopes of Mount Parnassus. The Oracle existed from 700 BC to 393 AD, after which the spread of Christianity, rapacious vandals, natural disasters and ignorance amongst surviving locals swallowed up the myths and legends of Delphi.

The excavations in 19th and 20th centuries unearthed Delphi layer by layer, painstakingly. Facts emerged thanks to inscriptions. The last recorded prophecy of the Oracle at Delphi, delivered in 362 CE to an emissary of the pagan Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate, stated: "Tell the emperor that the Daidalic hall has fallen. No longer does Phoebus have his chamber, nor mantic laurel, nor prophetic spring, and the speaking water has been silenced."

The ancient Greeks considered Delphi to be the "navel of the earth" (centre of the world), marked by the sacred Omphalos stone. It is believed that Zeus determined the site of Delphi when he sought to find the centre of his "Grandmother Earth" (Gaia). He sent two eagles flying from the eastern and western extremities, and the path of the eagles crossed over Delphi where the omphalos, or navel of Gaia was found.

The major features at the archaeological site include the Temple of Apollo, the ancient theatre, the stadium and the nearby sanctuary of Athena Pronoia (which is closed for archaeological reasons). The present-day road divides and delineates the two ancient sanctuaries, namely the Sanctuary of Athena Pronoia and the Sanctuary of Apollo.

The sanctuary of Athena Pronoia comprises the Tholos, the temples of Athena and two treasuries, whereas next to it is situated the impressive gymnasium. All that's left of the Temple of Athena are three massive columns.

Immediately after the official entrance to the archaeological site of the Temple of Apollo is the Sacred Way of Delphi, the historic, 200-meter ascending path that leads visitors to the Temple of Apollo. It winds up the mountain slope in a series of gentle, serpentine curves. The path was once lined with statues and war memorials showcasing Greek history and rivalries.

On the way are the Polygonal Wall, the Athenian Treasury, and the Rock of the Sibyl. Wealthy Greek city-states built elaborate small buildings (treasuries) along the sacred path to store rich offerings and display their power. Nearly 100 such treasury houses used to be housed there.

Delphi is best known for its oracle, the Pythia, or Sibyl, the priestess prophesying from one of the two rooms of the building with a thin wall in between. The Pythia was known as a spokesperson for Apollo.

She was a woman of blameless life chosen from the peasants of the area. Alone in an enclosed inner sanctum, the priestess washed in the Castalian spring and drank from a sacred stream before the session. Then she sat on a tripod seat over an opening in the earth (the "chasm").

According to legend, when Apollo slew Python, its body fell into this fissure, and fumes arose from its decomposing body. Intoxicated by the vapours, the sibyl would fall into a trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit. In addition, the priestess used to chew the laurel leaf to inspire her prophecies. In this state she prophesied.

What she prophesied had to be studied carefully and acted upon wisely. A sibyllic answer has to be used with discretion and after much thought. It meant listening to your conscience with enthusiasm, the Greek roots being en (within) theos (God).

People in the ancient, visited Delphi for three reasons. Firstly, politics, which gave the Oracle it's primary purpose. The Temple of Apollo reinforced religion and belief in theos. Secondly, art, exemplified by the theatre of Delphi. The theatre was about 'we' and not 'I', exemplified by socialism and development of civilised behaviour. Thirdly, sports exemplified by the stadium and the training facilities in Athena Pronoia.

Athleticism promoted fair play and involved no killing of the vanquished. It was about strength, about being better and faster. Every four years, Delphi hosted major athletic and musical competitions that were second in importance only to the Olympic Games.

From the archaeological site we walked to the Delphi Archaeological Museum. Founded in 1903, it houses the discoveries made at the sanctuary of Delphi. The exhibition floor space is more than 2270 m2. The museum has fourteen rooms on two levels and mainly displays statues, including the famous Charioteer of Delphi, architectural elements, like the frieze of the Siphnian Treasury and ex votos dedicated to the sanctuary of Pythian Apollo, like the Sphinx of Naxos.

The rooms contain archaic male statues known also as Cleobis and Biton, fragmented statue of a bull, torsos of the sculpture of Artemis, Apollo and their mother, Leto made of gold and ivory. Interesting to note are that the space missions of NASA were named after Apollo and his sister, Artemis. The statue of Apollo also has another notable feature. It has, on its forehead, what resembles the third eye of Shiva.

The lunch stop was at the quaint and important village of Arachova. Situated at an altitude of approximately 970 metres, Arachova is one of the most famous and popular mountain resorts in Greece. The village is like an amphitheatre on the ridge of Mount Parnassus. It has a traditional feel with narrow alleys teeming with cafes as well as a cosmopolitan aura with gourmet restaurants and bars.

From the balcony of Arachova, one can soak in the enchanting views of the peaks of Parnassus. The village becomes extremely busy during winter with the Mt Parnassus ski centre a major attraction. It was told that children are taught skiing from a young age, free of cost.

The village also has a bronze bust of the Dr. Georgios Papanicolaou (1883–1962), the famous Greek physician and pioneer in cytopathology. He invented the Pap test, for early detection of cervical cancer.

All in all, a day well spent. The fantastic commentary of Marianne was the highlight. The nuggets gleaned from the vast amount of information she placed before the group were indeed precious. That brought to an end the four days’ stay in the home of one of the greatest civilisations of human history.

Balkan Experience - Greece & Albania - Athens - 31 Aug 2026

I walked to Acropoli metro and changed at Syntagma for Evangelismos. From the metro it is just 700 metres to the funicular station. But, those 700 metres felt like 7000 meters! It was a steady climb for about half the way and then a series of steps that looked more like the funicular itself. Huffing and puffing, and muttering under my breath for the poor state of my health, I finally reached the funicular station.

I learnt that the funicular operates 365 days of the year between 9 am and 2 am! The alternative to the funicular is to take the paved paths and stairways that wind up the hill through pine trees. The walk takes about 20 to 30 minutes from the base. I would not do that, even if I were told that I would have to drink the hemlock.

I bought the 13€ return ticket - a one-way ride costs 10€ - and took a place in one of the cabins. The funicular ride is less than 5 minutes through a 210-meter tunnel. Lycabettus Hill is a high limestone peak that rises right out of the Kolonaki neighbourhood in central Athens.

It stands slightly over 900 feet tall and offers panoramic views of the city and the Aegean Sea. From the summit, I spotted the places I had visited in Athens over the past days like the Acropolis, Parthenon, Panathenaic stadium, National Garden, Syntagma square, etc.

The small 19th-century Chapel of Saint George, an open-air theatre, and a restaurant sit at the summit. The white-washed church with three blue domes dates back to the 19th century and opens daily at 11 am.

I walked around for some time soaking in the glorious views of the city and its neighbourhoods. Every morning, over a cup of coffee, the first sight I have had from the balcony of my apartment was the Lycabettus Hill. I used to wonder if I would be at its summit one day.

After the return trip on the funicular, I sauntered around the Kolonaki neighbourhood for some time. While it is today one of the city’s poshest areas, it had been grazing lands during time of Ottoman rule. However, Kolonaki has changed over the years too with high street retailers yielding space to a new crop of Greek designers to move in.

Quite suddenly I came across the St Dionysius Catholic Church. Dionysius the Areopagite was an Athenian judge who lived in the first century and was converted to Christianity by the preaching of St. Paul, the apostle. After his conversion, Dionysius became the first Bishop of Athens.

He is the patron saint of Athens and is venerated as the protector of judges and the judiciary. His memory is celebrated on October 3. In the place of the present-day church, there used to be a smaller one, which was demolished in 1900. 

The construction of the new church began in 1925 and was completed in 1931. The church is a three-aisle basilica in the neo-Renaissance style. A team of the finest artists and craftsmen combined their forces for its decoration. Their fruitful collaboration is stunning, especially the impressive illustrations, exquisite mosaics, and the breathtaking woodwork exemplified by the wooden carved chandelier of the church.

My next destination was the Central Market of Athens. Along the way I came across the Vallianeio Megaron, the historic neoclassical building that served as the National Library of Greece. The building features a grand Doric portico modelled after the Temple of Hephaestus and a striking Renaissance-style double-curved staircase.

It forms one part of a harmonious three-building complex known as the Athenian Trilogy, which also includes the neighbouring Academy of Athens and the National University of Athens.

Another monument I chanced by in the direction of the Central Market is the Monument of National Reconciliation, a prominent public sculpture located in the centre of Klafthmonos Square. The massive structure standing 26 feet tall statue features three abstract human figures embracing one another with one arm while raising their opposite hands high into the sky. This composition represents unity, healing, and an optimistic outlook for the future. The monument commemorates the formal legal end and healing of the deep political divides resulting from the Greek Civil War between 1946 and 1949.

The next surprise came in the form of the Church of Agioi Theodoroi, an 11th-century Greek Orthodox church. It is widely celebrated as one of the city's finest and most distinct examples of middle Byzantine architecture. While the church claims its founding in the 11th century AD, the impressive frescos in the church are much more recent.

Finally, after all the above pleasant diversions, my nostrils hinted to me that I may be somewhere in the vicinity of the Central Market. One of the shops had displayed fridge magnets in the footpath. That when I met Sakish from Bangladesh, who has been doing business in Athens for 25 years. We had a small chat on the political situation in both countries - he was upset that Indian narrative of Hindu vs Muslim, whereas I pointed out the persecution of minorities in Bangladesh. However, on one thing we agreed. Left to themselves, without religiosity and ultra nationalism, people in both countries can lead better lives.

The Athens Municipal Central Market, or Varvakios Agora, is a complex combination of flavours and aromas, where you can find anything from oxtail to mackerel, quail and royal jelly.

The cost of construction of the market was borne by Ioannis Varvakis, a caviar importer. The Central Market, inaugurated in 1884. Some of the displays in the meat section can be disturbing for people from countries like India.

The centre of the building houses the fish market—the largest fresh fish market in Europe. About five to 10 tons of fresh fish arrive here daily, most of it from Greek islands.

The most common fish in display were sardines, anchovies, and mackerel, besides calamari, octopus, cuttlefish, crabs, shrimp and lobsters. There are many eateries within the market that serve fresh catches and cuts. You buy, I cook, concept. The Athens Central Market is open daily from 8am to 6pm. It is closed on Sundays.

The blocks surrounding the central market are lined with stalls and speciality food shops, selling a variety of nuts, dried fruit, spices, honey, vegetables and fruits.

600 meters away on foot from the Central Market is the vibrant and historic neighbourhood in central Athens, famous for its lively nightlife, traditional tavernas with live music, and colourful street art.

Iroon Square is the main social hub here surrounded by bustling cafes and eateries. There are many small artisan shops selling handmade leather goods and indie fashion. The highlight here is its creative graffiti and gritty, artistic charm. Tavernas serve traditional specialties like meatballs and Greek salad.

Little Kook is an eccentric dessert parlour in the centre of Athens in the Psyri neighbourhood. They first opened in 2015 but, it is said that, their fairytale displays keep getting bigger and better every year. Their street is packed full of decorations that often go viral on social media.

It is promoted as one of the most Instagramable places in Athens and one of the most magical cafes in existence. Walking through the almost street sized cafe one is transported into Alice in Kookland and other fairytale themes.

Another short walk from the themes cafe is the Holy Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary and often referred to locally as the Mitropoli. The construction of the church spanned 20 years under scrupulous design and the watchful supervision of three top notch architects of the day. The church was dedicated in 1862.

A fascinating historical detail is that workers used salvaged marble from 72 demolished or abandoned Byzantine churches throughout Athens to construct its immense walls. Its significance is that as the seat of the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, it serves as the spiritual headquarters for the Greek Orthodox Church and hosts major national and official state ceremonies. The structure and the interiors are truly impressive.

By the side of the huge Mitropoli is the small church of St. Eleftherios, also widely known as the Little Mitropoli. This tiny Byzantine church dates back to the late 12th or 13th century. Its walls are built using ancient Greek, Roman, and early Christian marble reliefs and stones recycled from older monuments. The church was closed at the time of my visit.

I had saved the best for the last. The Monastiraki is a vibrant, historic neighbourhood and major shopping district in the old town of Athens, famous for its bustling daily flea market, rooftop cocktail bars with Acropolis views, and proximity to ancient ruins like Hadrian's Library and the Ancient Agora.

The Monastiraki Square is the central social hub featuring the 10th-century Church of Pantanassa and the Ottoman-era Tzistarakis Mosque. The flea market is a maze of pedestrian alleys selling antiques, vintage clothes, handmade crafts, and souvenirs.

Traditional tavernas were busy with visitors enjoying classic Greek dishes like souvlaki, moussaka, and gyros. From one of the bust tavernas I bought a portion of pork Gyros. The prices displayed on the menu are for dine in customers. As my order was a takeaway, I enjoyed a 25 percent discount over the displayed price of 5.90€

Walking back to the accommodation I dropped by to check on the bus schedule for Athens airport. Metro schedule begin at around 6.15 am on weekdays. Since I intended to be at the airport earlier than that for the 8.40 am flight to Tirana, I sought out the bus schedule. In the early hours, buses for the airport leave from Syntagma square almost every 15 minutes.

A can of Alfa beer kept the gyros company before a well-deserved overnight rest. Thus, sightseeing in Athens city was complete. I have booked a tour to Delphi for the last day in Greece.