FASCINATING ALBANIA
Indicative itinerary subject to changes until the departure date
Day 1 Tirana
Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Depending on the time of arrival, free time to start discovering the city surrounded by mountains. The city is the cultural and industrial center of Albania. Accommodation.
Day 2 Tirana / Pogradec / Korca
Breakfast. Departure for Pogradec, a city on the shores of Lake Ohrid, the deepest lake in the Balkans and one of the oldest on our planet. Continuation to Korça, an important cultural center in the southeast of the country, surrounded by high mountains and known for its beer and the serenades sung in taverns, which are said to be the most famous in the Balkans. Upon arrival, panoramic tour of the city, highlighting its historic center with stately homes from the early XX century. See, among others, the Orthodox cathedral and the old Ottoman bazaar. Accommodation.
Day 3 Korca / Përmet / Girokastra
Breakfast. Departure through the picturesque countryside between the mountains to Përmet, known as the “city of roses,” to visit the Orthodox church of St. Mary of Leusa, a Byzantine jewel built in the XVIII century. In the afternoon, arrival in Gjirokastra, a “museum city” declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Panoramic tour of the medieval historic center, which was rebuilt during the Ottoman period and still retains its characteristic tower-like houses. Accommodation.
Day 4 Girokastra / Butrint / Saranda
Breakfast. The day begins with a tour of the city known as the “City of Stones,” visiting the castle which, although only ruins remain of what was once a medieval fortification, offers the best views of the city and the mountains. It is the second largest castle in the entire Balkan Peninsula and, inside the fortress, the tour will take you among beautiful clock towers. Then, visit the Skenduli house, built in 1700 during the Ottoman period and considered one of the most beautiful houses in the Balkans. Continuation of the trip to Butrint to visit the ancient Greco-Roman city, which was inhabited until the end of the Middle Ages and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The day ends in the city of Saranda. Accommodation.
Day 5 Saranda / Porto Palermo / Berat
Breakfast. On this day, travel to the southern part of Albania, on the Albanian Riviera, which offers incredible views of the Ionian coast. Brief stop in Porto Palermo to visit an Ottoman fortress built by the famous tyrant Ali Pasha, who ruled these lands in the XIX century. Continuation to the Ardenitsa Monastery, built in the XIII century. Depart for Berat, whose historic center is characterized by numerous white stone houses with large wooden windows on the hillside, which is why it is known as the “City of a Thousand Windows” and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Accommodation.
Day 6 Berat / Durrës / Tirana
Breakfast. In the morning, panoramic tour of the city of Berat with entrance to the fortress. Visit to the Onufri Museum with its XVI century icons and the lower part of the city with its old neighborhoods of Mangalemi and Gorica, on the banks of the Osum River. After the visit, departure for Durrës, a port city on the Adriatic, to visit the ancient medieval walls, the Roman amphitheater, and the archaeological museum. Continuation of the trip to Tirana. Upon arrival, visit to the capital of Albania. Accommodation.
Day 7 Tirana / Kruja / Shkodra / Tirana
Breakfast. Departure for Kruja, a medieval village at the foot of the mountain, which at the end of the Middle Ages was the center of anti-Ottoman resistance. You will see the castle protected by the natural defense of the mountain slopes and the belt of walls and nine towers that enclose its perimeter. See also the old bazaar in the narrow streets of the town center below the castle. Visit the Scanderbeg Museum, dedicated to George Kastriot, Albania's XV century national hero. Continuation to Shkodra, one of the oldest cities in Europe. City tour with entrance to the Rozafa citadel castle. At 133m above sea level, the citadel, whose construction was completed in the Middle Ages, is one of the best preserved in the country. In the afternoon, return to Tirana. Accommodation.
Day 8 Tirana
Breakfast and transfer to the airport.
