Albania from the Sky

Take in these stunning aerial views of the Southeast European country of Albania, compliments of AirVuz contributor gezimmavric.  The video features footage from all over this small nation, including some beautiful spots on its Adriatic Sea coastline as well as its mostly mountainous interior.  Some of the highlights include the Albanian Riviera town of Ksamil at the :35 mark, Gjirokastër Fortress near the country's southern border (1:00), the medieval city of Korçë (2:05), Osum Canyon (3:05), and more.   

For an aerial tour of some of the most scenic parts of Albania, it's hard to beat this production by contributor and pilot Gezimavric.  It captures the stunning beauty of this mountainous nation on the Balkan Peninsula, one of the least understood countries in Europe.  Watch it to get some epic bird's eye views of the country's mountaintop fortresses, medieval churches, and pristine Adriatic coastline.  The highlight may be the shot at around the :38 mark of the gorgeous medieval city of Korçë.

Take an aerial tour of Albania in this excellent travel video from Gabika Travel, which was shot with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.  The video provides bird's eye views of some of the most well known spots in this small Balkan country on the Adriatic Sea.  Some of the highlights include shots of Berat (an important cultural center), Saranda (a beach town on the southern coast), Tirana (the Albanian capital), Butrint (an ancient city on the Adriatic), and Ksamil (one of the main towns of the Albanian Riviera).

Contributor and pilot DronAlb created this marvelous aerial overview of Tirana, the capital city of Albania.  The city lies a bit west of the geographic center of the Balkan country, still some distance from the Adriatic coastline.  Like much of the country, it is surrounded by mountains and hills.  Founded in the early 17th century, Tirana has seen its tourism grow since the civil war in the former Yugoslavia (immediately to Albania's north) subsided.   The city is home to about 600,000 Albanians.  

Albania's second-largest city, Durrës was near the epicenter of a devastating 6.4 magnitude earthquake which struck the northwestern part of this Balkan country on November 26, 2019.  The quake caused over 50 fatalities and at least 2,000 injuries, most of which occurred in and around Durrës.  The city also saw hundreds of buildings damaged by the quake, which caused an estimated US $2 billion in property losses.  In this drone video by duli kasmi, you'll see how the city is recovering from the tragedy.  

Albania is a country very much defined by its mountains.  The Balkan country is covered with them, covering most of its interior with a line which runs roughly parallel to its Adriatic coastline.  All of the country's ranges are part of the Balkan Mountains system, and several sometimes go under different names.  In this video, contributor Studio Shahini gives us a drone's eye view of the mountains around Kukës in the country's northeastern corner.  It was shot with a DJI Phantom 2 drone.

Check out this awesome drone video of Berat, Albania, compliments of brand-new AirVuz contributor and pilot World of Albania.  The ninth-largest city in this small Southeast European country, Berat lies on the Osum River in south-central Albania.  Surrounded by mountains, the city was founded during the Antiquity.  Absorbed by the Ottoman Empire in the early 15th century, it went on to become one of the most important Muslim-majority cities in Europe; its city center has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

Contributor and drone pilot Albertvaja brings us this beautiful aerial tour of the Albanian city of Elbasan.  Located near the exact geographic center of the country, it's the third largest city in the country after the capital Tirana and Durres.  The area around the city is believed to have been inhabited since the second century BC.  During the period of Ottoman occupation, Elbasan was considered a strategically important area, and it changed hands several times during the First World War.   

Take in these stunning drone views of Albania, compliments of brand-new contributor MaximBobritsky.  The video was filmed using footage from a DJI Air 2 drone combined with ground camera footage.  The first part of the video was filmed in the mountains of northern Albania, in the Valbonë Valley and around Theth National Park.  At around the 3:18 mark, you'll see the city of Berat in the south-central part of the country, one of Albania's most important cultural centers.  Then it's on to the beach town of Himarë on the Albanian Riviera. 

Contributor Dronalb used a DJI drone to create this beautiful view of one of the more significant cultural landmarks in Albania.  Krujë Castle lies in a town of the same name in the north central part of the country, a short distance due north from the capital city Tirana.  The castle played a key role during an early struggle by Albanian rebels against Ottoman rule.  It's considered one of the most important cultural treasures in this Southeast European country, and one of its biggest tourist destinations. 

The Southeast European nation of Albania is blessed with a plethora of beautiful beaches along its Adriatic Sea coastline.  With few major cities, the Albanian coast is home to a few towns and numerous small villages and resorts.  In this drone video by contributor Tigger_81, you'll get an aerial glimpse of this coastline.  The video features dazzling footage of Saranda, Blue Eye, Butrim, and Ksamil, all of which lie on the southern end of the Balkan nation's coastline in the area known as the Albanian Riviera.

Check out this beautiful drone video of a salt lagoon in the Southeast European country of Albania, compliments of contributor and pilot iOlti Films.  Lake Butrint is located near Sarandë in Vlorë, the southernmost of Albania's 12 counties.  The lake covers about 16 square km (about 6 square mi.) and has a maximum depth of just under 25 meters (about 80 ft.).  Due to the variety of flora and fauna sustained by it, the lake is a protected wetland under an agreement known as the Ramsar Convention.  

AirVuz contributor and drone pilot NED Horizon Tech created this beautiful 4k aerial video of a well known church in northern Albania.  It's called the St. Anthony Church, and it's located in the town of Laç.  The original Franciscan church dates to about 1300.  However, it was destroyed during the years of the Communist regime, and rebuilt in its current form in the 1990's.  The town and church are located in Lezhë County, one of the northernmost of the 12 counties which make up this Southeast European country.  

Check out this beautiful 4k video from one of Albania's most well-known mountains, compliments of AirVuz contributor duli kasmi.  Shot using a combination of drone and ground camera footage, the video covers a hike to the top of Dajti Mountain.  Situated on the northeastern outskirts of the city of Tirana, the mountain is part the Dajti Mountain National Park.  With a peak elevation of 1.6k meters above sea level (about 5.3k ft.), Dajti Mountain affords excellent views of the Albanian capital city.  

DronAlb created this awesome drone video of Durrës, the second largest city in Albania after the capital Tirana.  Durrës is is situated roughly in the middle of the country's Adriatic coastline, due west from Tirana.  The city was founded by Greek colonists in the first millennium BC, and is one of the oldest cities in Albania.  The city's port is the country's largest and one of the largest in the Adriatic Sea.  Its most recognized landmark is the Amphitheatre of Durrës, which dates to the second century AD.

Top contributor and pilot NGreyTravels brings us this marvelous drone video from Albania, one of Europe's most off-the-beaten-path destinations.  Most of the footage was filmed in and around the town of Gjirokastër, near the country's southern border with Greece.  The town's well-preserved center is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  You'll also be treated to some particularly good shots of the town's hilltop (namesake) fortress, which overlooks the town and which hosts the Gjirokastër National Folklore Festival every five years.  

Petrelë Castle sits perched atop a hill in its namesake town in central Albania.  Located just a few km/mi south of the Albanian capital city Tirana, the castle's distinctive looking tower dates to the 6th century AD.  At one point, the castle served as part of a defensive system anchored by nearby the Castle of Krujë.  Overlooking the Erzen Valley, the castle is open to the public and features a restaurant.  You can check it out from above in this drone video by contributor and pilot DroneDisaster.  

Contributor and pilot DroneDisaster created this memorable drone video of the northern reaches of Albania.  Most of the footage was taken in and around Valbonë Valley National Park, home to the Valbonë River and the valley through which it runs.  The beautiful mountains here are sometimes called the Albanian Alps.  The video features spectacular aerial views of the natural scenery of this area which lies just a short distance from the country's northern border with Montenegro.

Not precisely defined, Albania's Riviera is a stretch of the country's southern Adriatic Sea coastline.  A popular regional beach destination for decades, the area gained more international exposure with the reconstruction of a new coastal road in 2009 and the road's subsequent appearance on the Top Gear TV show.  With numerous secluded beaches interspersed with giant cliffs, it's one of the most beautiful spots in the Balkans.  Check it out these aerial scenes of the Albanian Riviera, compliments of Mike Smith Projects.

Check out this beautiful drone video from southern Albania by contributor and drone pilot havazaje.  The country's Adriatic Sea coastline is oftentimes referred to as the Albanian Riviera, and it's home of some of the most beautiful (if less well known) beaches in Europe.  In this video, you'll get bird's eye views of Dhermi, Jale, and Vlore; these are three of the main beaches on the Riviera, which extends south from the area around Maja e Çikës and runs southwards to the Greek border.

Shkodra is one of the cultural treasures of Albania, a small Southeast European country which lies between the former Yugoslav Confederation members and Greece.  It's the fifth-largest city in the country, after Tirana, Durrës, Vlorë, and Elbasan.  Shkroda is located near the country's northern border with Montenegro, on the southern side of Lake Skadar.  Inhabited since the Bronze Age, the city has played an important role in the affairs of the region since Roman times.  Check it out from above in this drone video by elviszefi_photovideo.

Check out this drone video of a well-known fortification in the Southeast European country of Albania, compliments of contributor World of Albania.  Ali Pasha Castle is located in Butrint, the southernmost of the country's major cities, which lies just across an Adriatic Sea strait from the Greek island of Corfu.  The original structure dates to the 15th or 16th century, when the region was under control of the Venetian Empire.  The current structure dates to the early 19th century and is named after an important Ottoman vassal.  

Top contributor 1man created this spectacular drone video in connection with an electronic music festival in Albania.  The UNUM Festival is an open-air event that features some of the world's best electronic music.  It's held near the town of Shëngjin, which lies near the north end of Albania's Adriatic coastline.  It's part of the District of Lezhë, which in the past has been overshadowed by the more well known beach areas in the southern part of the country.  That's beginning to change with events like UNUM.  

Contributor and pilot Dronalb created this beautiful drone video of one of the most well known natural sites in Albania.  The Osum Canyon is created by the river of the same name.  It's located near the town of Çorovodë in Berat County, in the south-central part of this Balkan country.  The canyon is around 25 km (about 15 mi.) long, and when the waters are high in the spring the entire length can be explored by boat.  It's easily accessible from Berat, one of the main cities of the region. 

In this video by AirVuz contributor elviszefi_photovideo, you'll see the ancient city of Shkodra, Albania, as it was under quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic in the Spring of 2020.  Shkodra is the fourth-largest city in this Southeast European country, and one of its main cultural centers.  It's located at the northern end of the country, on the southern side of Lake Skadar.  Like the rest of the country, Shkodra was subject to a national quarantine order which went into effect on March 10, 2020.  

Albania's beautiful Adriatic Sea beaches are concentrated in the southern part of its coastline, in the area just north of the country's border with Greece.  Here, the crystal blue waters and white sand beaches which abound have led to the region being called the Albanian Riviera.  This drone video by contributor 1man gives us a bird's eye view of the Mediterranean beauty of this area in the southwestern Balkans, whose beaches are beginning to rival the better known spots of Croatia's Dalmatian Coast.

Contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot matt fpv took a four week road trip through the Southeast European country of Albania and brought back this fantastic trip reel, which was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list.  The video opens with some great landscape shots from the country's Adriatic Sea coastline as well as its mountainous interior.  At the 1:16 mark, you'll fly past the ruins of Apollonia on the Vjosa River.   Other highlights include the Bridge of Gorica in Berat (3:20), the Mesi Bridge near Shkodër (3:30), and more.