Albania Travel Guide - Communications

Country code: 355. City codes: Tirana 42, Durresi 52, Elbasan 545, Shkodra 224, Gjirokastra 726, Korça 824, Kavaja 574. For other regions, international connections are made through the nearest city.

Coverage is limited to main towns and coastal areas.

Internet cafes available in most towns.

All mail to and from Albania is subject to delays. Letters can be sent recorded delivery to avoid loss. There are DHL offices in Tirana and Durres, offering services between Albania and other countries. The postal and telecommunications systems are undergoing extensive modernisation.

Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0700-1400 and Sat 0800-1300.

The public broadcaster, Albanian Radio and TV (RTSh), operates national radio and TV networks. It faces competition from private stations, which have mushroomed since the late 1990s. Political parties, religious groups and state bodies are not allowed to own private TV and radio stations.

• There are now about 400 newspapers and periodicals, many of which are independent.
• The main newspapers are published daily.
• Rilindja Demokratike, the organ of the ruling Democratic Party, has a circulation of 50,000.
• English-language newspapers published in Albania include the Albanian Daily News.
• Some Albanian newspapers contain a few pages in English; these include Gazeta Shqiptare.
• Foreign newspapers are on sale in main towns.

Many viewers can also pick up Italian and Greek TV via terrestrial reception.

Radio services from the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio France Internationale, Radio Free Europe and the Voice of America are available on FM or mediumwave (AM).