Classical Albania

Duration: 8 days

Pricing

Price: From 1015 Euro per person

Pricing Description

Group Tour Price

Minimum 10 pax

1015€ per person sharing a double or twin room for a minimum 2 paying participants.

Single supplement 150€ (Single rooms will usually be double or twin for single use.)

For smaller groups or lower prices in 3-star hotels (HB, FB, B.B.), do not hesitate to  contact us  to get the best price in real time.

Overview

In this tour, we tried to make a combination of history, archaeology, biodiversity, the art of Byzantine churches, a huge value of Albania, and of course the traditional cuisine.

Tour plan

1. Day 1: Trane-Kruje-Durres +

   After your arrival at Tirana International Airport, you will be welcomed by your professional tour guide and transferred to Kruja. This small town speaks a lot about Albanian history. The name of Albania comes from this area, and the resistance of Albanians against the Ottoman Empire started exactly here at the beginning of the 15th century, and at that time, Kruja became the first capital of Albania.
   The visit starts with the historical museum in honor of our national hero, "Gjergj Kastriot Skenderbeg", the first most visited museum in Albania, located inside the castle, which has an outstanding view of the Adriatic Sea.
   Optional is a visit to the ethnographic museum.
   Lunch in a local restaurant just next to the old bazar. After lunch, we will spend some free time to walk in the characteristic bazar dates back to the 15th century, where you can admire artisans with their handmade crafts and take some souvenirs as memories.
   Departure to Durres in the afternoon.
   Check-in to the hotel, dinner on the seaside, and a short walk to go back to the hotel.

2. Day 2: Durres–Ardenice-Apoloni-Vlore +

   After breakfast, we leave for the next city, the city of Durres. Today, it is the second-largest city in Albania. Founded in the 13th century BC, the city has an interesting history. Considered the balcony of the Adriatic, Durres became a very important city in the Roman and Byzantine eras. We will visit what remains of the amphitheater of Durres, the second largest in the Balkans with a capacity of about 20,000 spectators, built in the 2nd century AD, the ruins of the Roman baths, the Byzantine forum, fragments of the walls from the same period, and the Venetian tower, a symbol of the city built in the Venetian era.
   From Durres to Ardenice.
   At the crossroads of the "Egnatia Road" that connected Constantinople to Rome, in the ruins of the ancient city called Arnica, there is the Monastery of Ardenica, and the Church of the of the Nativity of the Theotokos, built in the 13th century, is one of the best examples of Byzantine art, with a unique iconostasis and wall paintings that tell us about the revered saints of that time. The monastery had an extraordinary library of 32,000 volumes, which was completely destroyed by fire in 1932.

3. Day 3: Vlore-Butrint-Sarande +

   The journey from Vlora to Saranda along the coast of the Ionian Sea is a great pleasure with the natural beauty of the National Park of Llogara, where we reach the top of the road up to 1000 m above sea level, where the top of Mount Cike is located. wonderfully intertwined with the sea as the closest point in Europe. In Himare we stop to visit the fortress of Porto Palermo. We continued the journey to arrive in Butrint to visit another archaeological and natural park listed in the UNESCO heritage list. Overnight and dinner at the hotel.

4. Day 4: Sarande-Gjirokaster +

   After breakfast, we will walk along the iconic promenade of Saranda, and we will talk about the history of the city, starting with the old port of "Onhezmi", the ruins of the castle, as well as the synagogue and the Paleo-Christian church. Let's stop at the small harbor "LIMANI" where one of the most important figures stopped and disembarked, such as Colonel Zhukov, during the period of Albania's alliance with the former Soviet Union. After we walk inside the city, we stop at the pepper tree, bunker, etc. We continue our journey towards the city of Girokaster. When we arrive, we will have a traditional lunch, and after that, we will start our visits.
   Gjirokaster is one of the most interesting and beautiful cities in Albania and belongs to the world heritage of UNESCO. The magnificent castle stands out, as do the characteristic bazaar, the tower houses, etc., which we will figure out during our tour. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

5. Day 5: Gjirokaster–Berat +

   After breakfast, we leave for another city that also belongs to the UNESCO heritage, another city with architectural, artistic, cultural values, but above all, very important for church art and icons. The city of one over one window is located on the banks of the Osum River, near the sacred mountain of Tomori. The icon of the city is the 18th century Gorica Bridge and the magnificent castle. Berat Castle is the only castle where life has never stopped inside it. More than 200 families live inside the castle. There are six Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches as well as two mosques from the Ottoman era, the red one and the white one. During our visit, we will see all of them, including the icon museum named after the 16th century icon master Onufri, which is located inside the Church of the Dormition of Saint Mary. We will have the traditional lunch inside the castle. Our afternoon will be free to enjoy Berat throughout the evening, walking in the new part of the city and discovering other beauties of this unique city. Dinner and night at the hotel.

6. Day 6: Berat-Tirane +

   After breakfast, we leave again for Tirana to continue with other visits: Skanderbeg Square, the National Museum, Ethem Bei Mosque, one of the rare examples of mosques painted inside and out from the period of the 18th century, etc. Lunch and free time to enjoy Tirana. Dinner in a traditional restaurant, then a walk around the block. The end of the day.

7. Day 7: Tirane-Shkoder-Tirane +

   After breakfast, we will leave for Shkoder, one of the oldest cities of life in the Albanian territory. It is a very interesting city in terms of culture and architecture.
   Is distinguishes like the city of art, music, bicycles, humor, etc.
   The large castle that rises on the hill is one of the largest castles in the Balkans, dating from the 4th century BC. It has fallen under the domination of the Venetians, the Turks, and the Albanian rulers. Shkodra is washed by the Adriatic Sea as well as by Lake Scadar, which is the largest lake in the Balkans. There are three rivers in Shkoder: Buna, Kiri, and Drini. We will visit the castle, and then we will have lunch in a lakeside restaurant with traditional dishes. We will continue with the promenade of Shkodra; we will visit the Venetian mask factory, etc. Return in the evening to Tirana. Dinner and night at the hotel.
   

8. Day 8: Tirane-Airport–End of the tour. +

   After breakfast, departure to the airport, and the end of the service.

Included:

• Transportation with comfortable, spacious modern vehicle with a/c including airport pick up.
• 1 Bottles of water per person x day in the vehicle.
• Professional tour guide and driver.
• Accommodation for 7 nights in 4* hotels with breakfast.
• Transfer to the airport on the last day.
• All taxes included.

Excluded:

• Flight Tickets
• Lunches and dinners
• Gratuities/Tip to Driver, Guide
• Entrance fees (approx. 40-50 Euro PP depending on interests)
• Everything else not mentioned in the included section.

How can you join the tour?

Joining the tour is easy!  Cantact us  anytime and we will assist you with detailed information.