Best of Albania

Welcome to Albania!

Meet our guide at Tirana Airport and transfer to the hotel, in the capital city of Albania, Tirana.
We will explore through a walking tour some of the historical highlights of the city.
Scanderbeg Square, The Clock Tower, Ethem Bey Mosque, National Historic Museum, Orthodox Church, and Italian buildings will display the pecularitites of the city.
In the evening, we will have dinner together and will spend the night in Tirana.

After breakfast in Tirana, we will depart to Shkodra.
We will drive for about 2 hours towards the most important city of the North of Albania.
Upon arrival in Shkodra, we will visit the Rozafa Castle and enjoy the panoramic view of Skadar Lake, Drini, Buna and Kir rivers.
Afterwards, we will have the pleasure to go through the pedestrian area of the city, which is a lively evidence of the historic influence of Italy and Austria.
To know more about the lifestyle of the locals in the 19th century, we will visit Marubi Photographic Museum. It exhibits a selection of 500.000 negatives in various techniques and formats.
While having the panoramic view of Shkodra in mind, we will drive for about 1 hour and 30 min to reach Kruja.
This city personifies the Albanian resistance against the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of our national hero, Scanderbeg.
We will have lunch in a local restaurant in Kruja and will proceed with a visit at the Ethnographic Museum, very rich in original and functional objects since the Early Middle Ages.
While walking at the Old Bazaar of the city we will go back 600 years in time, where traditional handicraft items identify the Albanian heritage and folklore.
We will drive back for about 1 hour to Tirana where we will have dinner, spend the night and relax for the next day.

The breakfast in Tirana will be followed by 1 hour drive towards Durres, a city established 3000 years ago.
Famous for Via Egnatia (a roman road connecting Durres to Constantinople), Durres invites us to learn more about its millennial history.
The Roman Amphitheater, known as the “Beauty of Durres” and the Archaeological Museum which serves as a mirror of Antiquity, will be the main spots that unfold the glorious days of this destination.
As we get a feeling of what Durres has to offer, we will discover more about the Albanian history in another city under the protection of UNESCO.
Only 1 hour from Durres, we will head to BERAT!
This 2400 year old city represents a unique architecture.
In Berat, we will visit the Castle and the Onufri Museum.
Interesting is the fact that people still live within the walls of the castle in their traditional houses, same as their ancestors.
Onufri Museum took its name from Onufri, a well-known Albanian Icon master painter of the 16th century who painted several orthodox churches in Albania and Greece, using a special red colour.
We will have dinner and spend the night in Berat in a traditional hotel.

After breakfast in Berat, check out and depart to Vlora, where Albanian Independence was proclaimed. On the way, we will stop at Apollonia Archaelogical Park.
An ancient city, one of the biggest in Adriatic basin and the most distinguished among 30 others that bore the same name during antiquity. During its first years of existence, Apollonia kept close contacts with Corcyra and Corinth and played the part of a trade negotiator between Helenians and Illyrians. During 5th century BC, it became an advanced economic center with numerous crafts and extended its relations with both the Illyrian world and Attica.
The walking tour of the ancient Apollonian site includes the Encircling Wall, the monuments of Agonothetes, the Library, the Odeon, the Portico, the house with mosaics, Archaeological museum and the Church of St. Mary.
Continue to Vlora, and enjoy a panoramic tour of the city that includes the Muradie Mosque and the Independence Museum, situated in the original house where the First Independent Albanian Government had its offices.
Have dinner in a local restaurant and spend the night in Vlora.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will depart to Zvernec Monastery. It will take only 30 min. by bus. The Island of Zvernec, is connected with the mainland through a wooden bridge, built in 1995. The walking tour will include ruins of a monastery and a 13th century Byzantine church dedicated to St. Holy Mary. On August 15th, Orthodox Christians congregate here to celebrate the birthday of St. Mary.
We will drive for about 3.5 hours towards Butrint, passing by the villages of Albanian Riviera.
We will stop on our way to have lunch in a local restaurant and then will proceed with a walking tour of Butrint Archaeological Park.It reveals the ancient world during the peak of the Roman power and the classical Greek mythology. This ancient city dates between the 10th and 8th century BC. Asclepius temple, theatre, early Christian baptistery, Roman portico and baths, byzantine basilica, defensive walls and their gatesare only a few sites that you might want to explore.

The breakfast in Saranda will be followed by around 30 min drive to reach Blue Eye – named as such due to its eye shape and deep blue color. The depth of the karst spring has not yet been reached, but it is thought to be more than 50 m. As we enjoy the wonderful nature picture, we will transfer to Gjirokastra. The drive will take approximately 1 hour.
Gjirokastra, a UNESCO site offers a unique experience to his visitors. The Castle of Gjirokastra, the Museum of Weapons and the Ethnographic Museum, or known as Enver Hoxha house, will only be a few treasures of the city.
In the evening, we will explore the old town, the bazaar with its traditional shops, and houses with their distinctive style.

Overnight in Gjirokastra.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will drive to Korça via Permet city. It is a long journey (around 5 hours) through river valleys, mountain passes and wonderful landscapes. In Permet, we will stop to recover some energies and then will continue our drive to Korça. Have lunch in a local restaurant in Korça and then proceed with a walking tour of this city, known as “Little Paris”. Education Museum and the renewed National Museum of Medial Art are only a few treasures that display the rich history and culture of the city.
In the evening, we will have dinner together and will spend the night in Korça.

After breakfast in Korça, check out and depart to Pogradec, on the shores of Lake Ohrid.
We will visit the Park of Drilon and Villa Art which was the lakeside summer house of Enver Hoxha, the dictator of communist Albania.
Have lunch in Pogradec while enjoying the scenic view and continue the journey to Elbasan.
We will take a short visit to Elbasani Castle and then will continue our journey towards Tirana, where we will enjoy the farewell dinner and get accommodated.

Depending on your flight schedule, we may have a coffee break and talk about the trip in Albania.
Otherwise, you must get ready to go to the airport and catch the flight.
We hope that you have enjoyed your stay in Albania and hopefully we will see you soon 😀
We wish you a pleasant journey!