Your morning city tour begins from Skanderbeg Square, named after the Albanian hero the main landmark of the city. Pilgrims from far and wide reach the Et'hem Bey Mosque to offer prayers. The Clock Tower next to the Et'hem Bey Mosque, National Museum- north of Scanderbeg Square, The Palace of Culture, The monument to Mother Albania and The National Historical Museum are the significant spots that catch up the attention of one and all who make a visit to the city.
The route continues through Kruja–one of the biggest cities in Northern Albania is the “city of history” and the best known as hometown of Albanian’s National Hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg.
Then, we will go on with a visit to the Castle, Skanderbeg Museum and Ethnographic Museum. After the visit of the castle, you can choose to explore Kruja’s old bazaar with authentic and antique shops.
After thatm we will drive back to Tirana.
Your morning city tour begins from Skanderbeg Square, named after the Albanian hero the main landmark of the city. Pilgrims from far and wide reach the Et'hem Bey Mosque to offer prayers. The Clock Tower next to the Et'hem Bey Mosque, National Museum- north of Scanderbeg Square, The Palace of Culture, The monument to Mother Albania and The National Historical Museum are the significant spots that catch up the attention of one and all who make a visit to the city.
The route continues through Durres– the ancient Greco-Roman port city of Dyrrachium. Formerly Durrazzo is one of the oldest towns in Albania. The legend says that it was founded by Epidamnos, the Illyrian King of the area, who called it by his own name and named the port area after his grandson - Dyrrah.
Visit the town including the Byzantine city walls, Roman amphitheater and the Archaeological Museum. The route continues through Kruja–one of the biggest cities in Northern Albania is the “city of history” and the best known as hometown of Albanian’s National Hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg. Then, visit the Castle, the Skanderbeg Museum and the Ethnographic Museum.
After the visit of the castle, is free for you to explore Kruja’s old bazaar with authentic and antique shops. Drive back to Tirana.
Your morning city tour begins from Skanderbeg Square, named after the Albanian hero the main landmark of the city. Pilgrims from far and wide reach the Et'hem Bey Mosque to offer prayers. The Clock Tower next to the Et'hem Bey Mosque, National Museum- north of Skanderbeg Square, The Palace of Culture, The monument to Mother Albania and The National Historical Museum are the significant spots that catch up the attention of one and all who make a visit to the city.
The route continues to marvelous city of Berat - known as “the city of thousand windows”.
Visit the lovely painted Mosque of the Bachelors and the Tekke of the Helvetis with its beautiful portico. Visit to Onuphri Icon Museum that contains some of the finest examples of his work as well as other outstanding Albanian artists. Stop for the lunch at restaurant in the Fortress where you will enjoy a rustic lunch and a wine tasting of Berat cellar.
Drive back to Tirana.
Your morning city tour begins from Skanderbeg Square, named after the Albanian hero the main landmark of the city. Pilgrims from far and wide reach the Et'hem Bey Mosque to offer prayers. The Clock Tower next to the Et'hem Bey Mosque, National Museum- north of Scanderbeg Square, The Palace of Culture, The monument to Mother Albania and The National Historical Museum are the significant spots that catch up the attention of one and all who make a visit to the city.
Continue the visit to Dajti Mountain. It offers numerous opportunities all year round for excursions and recreation. Its UN spoilt nature, attracts many visitors during all seasons. Dajti is also a National Park, rich in diversity of flora and fauna. You can enjoy the beautiful view from the cable car leads to nearly to the top of Dajti Mountain. This afternoon is free for you to explore Tirana’s lovely shops and boutiques.
Your morning city tour begins from marvelous city of Berat - known as “the city of thousand windows”. Visit the lovely painted Mosque of the Bachelors and the Tekke of the Helvetis with its beautiful portico. Visit to Onuphri Icon Museum that contains some of the finest examples of his work as well as other outstanding Albanian artists. Stop for the lunch at restaurant in the Fortress where you will enjoy a rustic lunch and a wine tasting of Berat cellar. (Optional) Drive back to Tirana.
Morning departure to visit Pogradec - on the Roman via Egnatia route to the east Drive through Elbasan (ancient Scampa). Arrive at Lake Ohrid - one of the deepest freshwater lakes in Europe - it is the home to a number of fish and birds found nowhere else in the world. Enjoy the lunch at local restaurant in Drilon (nice spot not far from Ohrid Lake which has been a preferred holiday place for the ex-dictator Hoxha) – decorated with willow trees, and streams flowing down to the lake. (Optional) Drive back to Tirana.
Your morning city tour begins from Skanderbeg Square, named after the Albanian hero the main landmark of the city.
Pilgrims from far and wide reach the Et'hem Bey Mosque to offer prayers. The Clock Tower next to the Et'hem Bey Mosque, National Museum- north of Scanderbeg Square, The Palace of Culture, The monument to Mother Albania and The National Historical Museum are the significant spots that catch up the attention of one and all who make a visit to the city.
The route continues through Kruja–one of the biggest cities in Northern Albania is the “city of history” and the best known as hometown of Albanian’s National Hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg.
Visit to the Castle, Skanderbeg Museum and Ethnographic Museum. After the visit of the castle, is free for you to explore Kruja’s old bazaar with authentic and antique shops.
Drive back to Tirana.
You’ll start your Tirana tour at Skanderbeg Square, the city’s social and cultural centre, and a favourite place for people-watching and snapping photos of this city. From there, we’ll head to a little place that’s part café, part museum. You’ll discover a collection of souvenirs, knickknacks, and household items reflecting 1970s and 1980s Albania, and the communist regime. Old televisions, radios, armchairs, childhood items — it’s all gathered in this eclectic spot, and you’ll get to see an Albania that most visitors miss.
But of course, this is also a drinks tour, so while we’re here, we’ll enjoy a beverage! Different liquors are offered, but we recommend starting with an Albanian tradition, raki. Next up, we’ll tour around some of the city’s major sites, including a truly bizarre piece of Albanian history: the Pyramid of Tirana. This museum was built in honour of the Stalin-influenced dictator Enver Hoxha, but today is a run-down remnant of communism and a canvas for graffiti. Along your walk, you’ll also see the prime minister’s building, the Presidential Palace, and another treasure from Albania’s communist days, the Bunker.
Your Tirana tour will then take you to the Blloku district, considered to be the city’s hippest neighbourhood. We’ll hit up a club that plays a mix of throwback 90s music and is a great spot for good, cheap cocktails. We’ll chat with the bartenders and get a quick mixology lesson to learn how they make their drinks. After that, we’ll get a tour past the other hot spots and see what nightlife is like in this vibrant district with a stern past.
While today Blloku is a popular hangout for locals, 25 years ago it was a closed-off compound reserved for the communist leaders of Albania. You’ll hear the story of how it transformed from a dictator’s home to a thriving neighbourhood for the people. After we’ve explored the Blloku area, your Tirana tour will take you back to the city centre, where we’ll end the evening and you’ll be free to continue your night out in Tirana on your own.
After meeting with the guide and embarking on the jeeps, you will continue towards Shengjergj village which is located behind the Dajti Mountain. In Shengjergj you will make a short stop to stretch your legs before continuing towards Elbasan for 3 hours off road drive.
This exciting off-road excursion in search of adventure, will allow you to cover parts of southern Albania and appreciate sights that most visitors never get to discover. We’ll drive on dirt roads off the beaten track, through rivers and old plantations from the Ionian coast into the heart of the central Albania. You will see a variety of birds, old rural villages and typical Albanian houses and families. Learn the real life of the rural part of the small but charming country of Albania.
Once arrived in Elbasan, you will have lunch in a very special restaurant located inside the old castle of Elbasan. After lunch you will drive towards Tirana for the end of your journey.
After meeting with the guide and driver you will be transferred in Ohrid, Macedonia Ohrid, the so called Jerusalem of the Balkans, is a city in the Republic of Macedonia located in the Easter shores of Lake Ohrid. It has had a continuous inhabitation since its first settlements in 4th century BC from the Illyrian tribes of Enchelai and Dassaretae, mentioned as the city of Lychnidos. Since the first centuries of Christianity, here the faith set roots so much that once is has been noted that had 365 churches, one of each day of the year. The city and the area were colonized by the Slavs but the city continued its prosper under many Empires.
Due to the cultural inheritance from the centuries and being well preserved, Ohrid and the lake in 1978 were included in UNESCO World Heritage List. Today Ohrid is the jewel of Macedonia and the pearl of Lake Ohrid. Your visit will start to the old quarter of Ohrid. The traditional houses, build close to each other have created some cobbled narrow streets like a labyrinth. They will lead you to the churches of Ohrid where the most important and the most special one is St. Sophia Church, coming from 9th-10th century from Bulgarian Empire, housing important medieval art of paintings, icons and frescoes. Other special religious attractions are the churches of St. Bogorodica Perivlepta from 13th century, the St. Jovan Kaneo from 13th century, St. Pantelejmon Plaosnik Monastery from 10th century, etc. On the way up you will also see the Roman amphitheatre, a one of a kind in Macedonia coming since almost 2000 years ago. Up in the Saint Klement Pantelejmon Church, named after the saint patron of Ohrid, is one of the most beautiful mosaics of the Balkans, a Christian one, on the floor of the church.
Being in Ohrid, the best place to have lunch is, of course, by the lake. And before continuing the itinerary back to Tirana, you will have lunch in a fancy restaurant by the shores of Lake Ohrid. After lunch you will be transferred back to Tirana for the end of your jorney.
After meeting with the guide and driver you will depart for the tour today in Shkodra. Shkodra, also internationally known as Scutari and Skadar, is the largest city of the Northern Albania and administrative centre of the region. It is located surrounded by mountains on one side and on the shores of the largest lake in the Balkans on the other. The city was well known through history, since the time of the Illyrian kingdoms. Agron, Teuta and Gent had Shkodra (named Skodra by that time) as their capital.
Many other strongholds stood in the area but the Castle of Rozafa is the dominating one. The city lived through ages as always being an important city in the area for the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empire and as well during the 20th century. Your journey starts with the famous Castle of Rozafa. The legend says that the wife of the younger brother of the three brothers that build the castle was sacrificed for the castle to build up strong but half of her body was left out of the wall to take care of her new born son.
The Rozafa Castle was the most important stronghold of the Illyrian kingdoms of Ardians, located up the hill overlooking rivers Buna and Drin and the whole plain fields. After the visit of the city you will go in downtown Shkodra, in the main promenade, famous for a delightful walk for which Shkodra is known. During the walk you can see the main sights of Shkodra including the Democracy Square, the many fountains and monuments in the city, etc. The people of Shkodra are famous for their love for arts, starting with photography and you can experience it at the Marubi Phototheque, where besides numerous photographs depicting Albanian culture and social life, there is also the oldest photo of Albania coming from 1858.
The Ebu Beker Mosque, the Orthodox Cathedral and the Catholic Cathedral of Shkodra are as well good places to visit in Shkodra, as being one of the cities with the best combination of religions in Albania. Once you finished the visits in Shkodra you will have lunch in the oldest restaurant in the city, builded 200 years ago. After the tasteful lunch you will be transferred back in Tirana for the end of your jorney.
After meeting with the guide you will be transferred in Durres. Durres is the largest port of Albania. It also has the status of one of the oldest settlements in Albania being founded in 7th
century BC from Greek colonists. Being in such favorable position in the Adriatic Sea, Durres (named Epidamnum from Greeksand Dyrrachium from Romans) has always been envied and was a very influential city under the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires as an important connection point. It’s importance still lives today as being one of the most influential cities in
the country’s economy.
Arriving in Durres, the exploration of the city starts with a visit of the Roman Amphitheatre of Durres, the largest in the Balkans built since 2nd century BC. Roman influence here continues with the Trajan’s Baths and the Roman Forum. The famous road of Roman Empire, Via Egnatia, started from Durres as the gateway to the Balkans and hence the Romans fortified the stronghold in Durres which was later reconstructed again by Byzantine Empire and the Venetians, from which Durres inherited the Venetian Tower standing at the beginning of the boulevard.
Next follows a relaxing stroll along the boulevard alongside the shore of the sea. Colorful buildings on one side and the sea on the other offer a special pleasure. On the boulevard there are monuments like the Unknown Soldier, a tribute to the lost soldiers of the liberation army of WW2, etc. After the visit in Durres, you will be transferred to Scanderbeg winery for a visit and wine tasting.
The Skenderbeu Winery was founded in 1929 by an Italian family with note able experience in the growth and development of premium wine. Their combined experience in enology, viticulture and wine marketing brought a unique background to the Winery.
They also invested in the vineyard in the Sukth hills, were there were cultivated the first varieties, Barbera/Sangiovese and Riesling.
They used the latest technology of the time for the wine production; the winery capacity was 1300HL. As time went by, the system changes in our country leadership were reflected in the winery management. In 1960 the vineyard surface grew to 1500ha, and was located in all the Durres county area, it was enriched with different varieties like: Merlot, Kabërnet, Riesling, Shesh i Bardhë, Shesh i Zi, Muskat kanellë, Muskat Hamburg, Pamid, Zarsin, Shiroka Mellnishka, Dimiat etc.
After the delicious time at the winery you will be transferred back to Tirana for the end of your journey.
After meeting with the guide you will be transferred in Apollonia. Apollonia is one of the ancient colonies of the Greeks, dedicated to God Apollo. Founded in the turn of the 6th century BC by Greek colonist from Corinth and Corfu, Apollonia soon became one of the most important city-states in the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea.
In antiquity it has been famous for the production of tasty wines, olive oil and for its philosophy school, where Emperor Augustus studied. There have been found objects from both Greek and Roman influence and today, in the remains of the mighty city that once stood, you can see many of the parts of the ancient Apollonia depicting both periods. It was so important that the Romans built a branch connection Via Egnatia to Apollonia, especially for Apollonia.
The city started losing its importance in 3rd century AD because of a destructive earthquake. Once you have visited the park and the museum of Apollonia you will have a traditional lunch in a restaurant inside the park.
After the lunch you will be transferred in Tirana for the end of your journey.
After meeting with the guide you will be transferred in Berat.
Berat, with an ancient history from 2400 years ago, is located along the stream of river Osum and in the middle of the great mountains of Tomorr and Shpirag. It is located on the side of a rocky hill and in the same place was settled the ancient town from the Illyrian tribes. It has been conquered many times but its castle has always been famous of being very difficult to invade. Today it has the name of the city of a thousand and one windows, coming from the panoramic view of the houses on the hill. It is a part of UNESCO World Heritage List with the well preserved houses of original Ottoman architecture.
The trip in the city of one thousand and one windows starts in the old quarter which will send you back in time to the Middle Ages from the cobbled streets and the houses built in a special architecture and fanatically well preserved till the modern days. From what you see Berat has gained its status as one of the cities of UNESCO World Heritage List. The fortress, located on the hill top, is the most special attraction there, offering an amazing panoramic view of everything surrounding Berat. And there you understand the reason why it was such an important stronghold. Next visit for you would be the Onufri Iconographic Museum, named after one of the greatest Albanian painters. There are best preserved Albanian icons from XVI century that were used in the many churches in the town.
After visiting the wonderful city of Berat you will have lunch in a restaurant inside the castle. Finished the lunch you will be transferred back in Tirana through Belshi area which is well-known for its lakes. Short stops on the way to make some photos of the amazing view. Once you arrived to Tirana you will be transferred at the meeting point for the end of your journey.
After meeting with your guide your Day starts with the exploration of Tirana by foot.Tirana is the capital of the Republic of Albania, with a population of just over 700.000, lies at the foot of Dajti Mountain (1612 m) at the 110 m above the sea level. The region of Tirana has been inhabited since the Neolithic period.
Tirana was founded in 1614 when, under the care of Sulejman Pasha Mulleti, the first settlement was built. It consisted of a mosque, bath-house (Hamam), a bakery and some shops. Today Tirana is the main administrative, economical, art and culture centre. The visit of Tirana starts with the Scanderbeg Square, a monument dedicated to the National Hero of Albania. From the center you will be able to see the main boulevard, main administrative buildings, National Bank of Albania and the Et'hem Bey mosque.
You will continue beside Lana river for looking at the painted socialist buildings towards the old bridge and parliament building of Tirana. After the visit of Tirana city center your next destination will be winery Bardha. Bardha winery, belongs to one of the most well-known Albanian business man Mr.Ekrem Bardha, whom excape from the Albanian dicature passing the border and imigrated to USA. Beside the beauties you will listen to the family sacrificea, also non giving up spirit and build the futur by hard work in USA..
The wine of Albania is characterized by its unique sweetness and indigenous varieties. Albania produced an estimated 17,500 tones of wine in 2009. The geographic elevation of Albania makes it a perfect setting for wine production. During the communism era, the production area expanded to some 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres). The Albanian wine industry is striving to re-establish an international presence in line with its long reputation as a quality wine producer. Among other types of wines, what you will taste is some of the indigenous grapes of Albania such as:
White: Shesh i bardhe, Debin e bardhe,
Red: Shesh i zi, Cabernet Cuvee, Merlot Shesh i bardhe and Shesh i zi are the two most important vines, accounting for about 35 per cent of the crop, and take their name from the hill village of Shesh 15 km from the capital Tirana. At low yields the former has an attractive floral aroma while the latter is capable of producing wines worthy of ageing.
After wine tasting you will be transferred back to Tirana for the end of your jorney.