What is this site?
If the posts that regularly appear on Expat Facebook Groups are to be believed, there are a lot of people moving to Durrës to join the large number already here. From many parts of Europe, the US and across the globe, individuals and families are discovering that Albania, and Durrës specifically, is a very friendly and relatively inexpensive place to retire, escape to, or just hang out in before moving on.
With substantial differences in language and culture, it can sometimes seem hard for expats to get their bearings. Through curating the experiences of those living and passing through here, I hope to create a knowledge base that will assist others but also provide a glimpse of Albania beyond the usual expat enclaves (this is obviously a bit rich coming from someone who’s never strayed further than Peqin!).
The site currently has these four sections:
- Business Directory: a mix of expat and local shops and services, those included should be keen to help and converse with expats.
- Resources: Organisations. websites or other repositories of help and guidance.
- Insights: where expats’ and visitors’ experiences and accumulated knowledge can inform and guide others. Topics range from the quality of local beach water to where you can find the best local hikes.
- Voices: A chance for local Albanian writers, artists, business people, and maybe even politicians to speak directly to us. I hope to commission articles that reflect a wide array of topics. Also, maybe some that convey the experiences of expats themselves, whether they’ve found it simple or near-impossible to settle here.
Durrës Life is, and likely always will be, a work in progress. There’ll always be another aspect of life, a layer of culture or a nugget of wisdom to be uncovered and passed on. And while most cities in Europe don’t change that much over the years, Durrës is likely to be in a state of flux for some time. I’d like this site to capture that change dynamic while also acting as a record of how things were.
As is pointed out in the (lengthy) disclaimer, contributions to this site are largely anecdotal or ‘common sense’ opinion. If any of the information is useful, I’m glad but if you’re struggling with health, wealth, death or taxes, you’d best consult an expert.
Please enjoy the site and don’t hesitate to get involved.
Collaborate with Durrës Life
Send in your ideas, information and experiences.
Durrës Life Insights is an attempt to illuminate aspects of life in Durrës (and more broadly in Albania) that expats and visitors here find either joyous, perplexing, mysterious or even downright enraging.
If you have an Insight you'd like to share with site visitors, then follow the link and fill in the form. We can't promise to use all the material sent in, but if an Insight can add depth to a visitor's time here, then we will find a way to include it.