Travel Guide Korca

Korça/Korçë (pronounced "kortcha"/"kortcheu") has a population of around 50,000. It is the capital of the municipality and district of Korça. Also known as Κορυτσά/Koritza in Greek and Curceauă in Aroumain, the town lies 40 km southeast of Pogradec, 65 km northwest of Kastoria (Greece), 134 km northeast of Përmet and 163 km southeast of Tirana(via Elbasan and Pogradec).Beautiful and cultural, Korça is the most pleasant city in Albania, probably because it is the most cosmopolitan, with a large Aromanian minority and strong traditions inherited from the Greeks, Ottomans and French. Known as the "Little Paris", the city has preserved its early 20th-century downtown layout, with a special place for pedestrians. Albanians also love it for its singers, its clean air and its beer festival held in mid-August. Albania's museums and landscapes are a delight. Albania's highest city, it lies on a large plateau in the Morava massif, 850 m above sea level. This vast, fertile area was one of the first centers of Balkan agriculture in the Neolithic period. Despite the region's rather harsh continental climate (0°C on average at night in winter), the Merlot grape is grown here today to produce complex wines. Finally, Korça is an excellent base from which to explore the beautiful neighboring villages and the cross-border region of Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa.