Korce Travel Guide, Albania

Korce, Travel Guide – Location

The city is located in the district with the same name in the eastern part of Albania, 48 miles from Ohrid and 113 miles from Skopie.

Korce, Travel Guide – Topography and Climate

The beautiful city of Korce is placed in a basin with an average height of 850 m offering a beautiful view over the surrounding Morava Mountains. The region has a continental climate with Mediterranean influences, characterized by warm summers and cold and snowy winters. Precipitations are moderate; the most humid period being November while summer months remain rather dry.

The area also has a rich hydrographic network represented by the Devolli River with its tributaries Dunavec and Osumi. The basin houses the springs of Devoll, Shkumbin and Osum Rivers and two important lakes: the Big and Small Prespa.

Korce, Travel Guide – Flora and Fauna

The flora and fauna used to be varied and rich but intensive agriculture has changed that. Nowadays this is one of the most important agricultural regions of the country, cultivating wheat and grapes. The original remaining flora is represented by small areas of forests and the characteristic fauna can be found both on land and in the waters of the rivers and lakes.

Korce, Travel Guide – Population

The city of Korce alone numbered 69.000 people at the last census in 2001, the figures increasing due to positive migration. Most of the people are Albanians, followed by Slavs and Romanians. The dominant religion is Orthodox followed by the Muslim, both living in good understanding.

Korce has always been an important economic center, from the eighteen century’s bazaars to the nowadays still developing industry. Today most of the population is working in light industry, agriculture and commerce.

Korce, Travel Guide – Culture and Arts

Korce has a rich cultural life, most of the events taking place at the local museums such as the National Museum of Medieval Art, National Museum of Archeology or the Oriental Museum.

The “Guri Madhi” art gallery also houses numerous painting and photography exhibitions and the few local theatres offer captivating plays all year round, representative being the “Andon Zako Çajupi” Theatre.

Korce, Travel Guide – Transports

The easiest way to get to Korce is by bus. There are many buses from the major cities of Albania and the nearby Greek cities. In Albania there are no bus stations, so most of the buses would arrive to and depart from the central bazaar of the town. Korce doesn't have a rail station, the closest one is in Pogradec where buses wait to take to Korce the passengers of the trains coming from Tirana.

You can get around in Korce with buses, there are five routes taking people to the suburbs. Taxis are all individual, so there are no fix rates in the official sense of the word. An average ride within the city would cost about 200 lek ( around $2 in 2010), but all other rides are subject to negotiation.

Korce, Travel Guide – Accommodation

Korce is a tourist city attracting visitors with its beautiful buildings, museums, archeological sites, ancient bazaar and captivating nightlife.

For a first class business trip the best accommodation in town can be found at the Regency Hotel which offers fully equipped rooms, business facilities and well trained personnel, all in the center of Korce, overlooking the beautiful mountainous surroundings.

If you are looking for spending a relaxing vacation and trying to feel the Albanian atmosphere then “Han of Elbasan” is the perfect choice. It is a picturesque inn, housed in an eighteen century traditional Turkish building with a central courtyard and the wonderful vicinity of the Ottoman Market Square, offering clean rooms with few facilities but a lot of history.

Korce, Travel Guide – Festivals

The general atmosphere in Korce is very relaxed and joyful all year round due to the large number of festivals, carnivals and fairs that take place here. The major events of the summer are the Pie Fest in July, Beer Fest taking place in August, the Summer Carnival from June and the International Sympozium “Sculpture in the Park”. In autumn there is another important art related event, “Mio’s Days” named after the famous Albanese painter Vangjush Mio and the year ends with the jolly “Santa’s Parade” gathering important numbers of children dressed up as Santa and singing on the streets of Korce.

This Korce travel guide gives you only a glimpse, find out more by visiting this wonderful city!