12 day trip start, end in Saranda

Day 1. Arrival in Saranda, sightseeing depending on the time of arrival. Accommodation in hotel in Saranda.

Day 2. Butrinti, Lekuresi Castle

After breakfast we head towards the historic town of Butrint, South of Butrint Lake, 18 km from Saranda, the most important archaeological site in Albania, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name of Butrint has been well known since the 7th century B.C. as the most important city of Epirus. According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the building of Butrint was linked to the presence of the Trojan prince Aeneas during his travel to the temple of Dodona. He paid tribute to the oracle of Dodona by sacrificing a bull (Buthros in Greek) in the place where the city of Butrint began to rise. The Roman poet Virgil also mentions the visit of Aeneas to Butrint in his poem, “The Aeneid”.                                                                               There are many sights to see within Butrint. The most interesting ones are the Temple of Asclepius (the god of good health; 2nd century BC), a 1,500 seat theater from the 3rd century B.C. (which now hosts the International Theatre Festival every September), the Baptismal (a paleo-Christian monument), as well as the nymphet, the baths, the stoa (colonnade), the Lake Gate, the Lion Gate, the Venetian fortress of Ali Pasha, and many others. Besides its historical value, Butrint is renowned for its marvelous ecological system. The ruins and the buildings of the city stand amidst an amazing subtropical jungle, with plenty of laurel and other high trees.

Drive to Lekuresi castle, situated at 600 m above the sea level, a garrison built up by Turkish soldiers in 17^th century as a mean of controlling the routes crossing at the junction of Saranda. You can enjoy the beautiful view and enjoy local wines and snacks.

Later in the afternoon head back to the hotel in Saranda.

Day 3. Blue Eye, Gjirokastra

As you depart from Saranda, the national highway will lead you to the unique city of Gjirokastra, only 56 km away. One of the most pleasant surprises along this journey is Syri i Kaltër (the Blue Eye), a powerful natural spring that has created a small lake of crystal clear water that looks like a giant human eye. The specialty of the nearby restaurant is the lake trout.

Drive to Gjirokastra. Due to its architecture, Gjirokastra is also known as the “City of Stone” or “City of a Thousand Steps.” It is an ancient city with early inhabitants, in which was later constructed a fortress that served as the center of the city. What most attracts visitors to Gjirokastra are the traditional tall houses made of stone, which resemble small fortresses, together forming a unique architectural complex. Due to its architectural uniqueness, Gjirokastra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main structure is the city fortress, named the Fortress of Argjiro – the renowned story of the famous princess Argjiro gave rise to the name “Argjirokastro,” given to the city in 1336.                                                                                                                                                               The Weapons Museum, located inside of the fortress, displays weapons from the Paleolithic period up until the Second World War. During your stay in Gjirokastra you also can visit the Ethnographic Museum

Accommodation and dinner in Gjirokastra.

Day 4. Ohrid, Pogradec

Drive towards Pogradec, a city dominated by Ohrid Lake, surrounded by fields nestled before picturesque mountains.
Continue to the monastery of Saint Naum, perched on a craggy outcrop above the lake. St Naum was a healer and miracle-worker of the 10th century, whose works can be seen depicted in frescoes inside the chapel which is itself dedicated to archangels Michael and Gabriel.
Admire the frescoes and elaborately carved iconostasis, venture outside to the springs of the Black Drim River nearby which spill into Lake Ohrid.

Optional lunch in a local restaurant

Drive towards Ohrid.

Guiding tour includes the visits of the statue of St. Cyril and Methodius, and it continues to the Lower gate, the National Museum of Ohrid, the Church of St Sophia, the Roman amphitheatre, the Upper gate, St Clements’s Church of the Holy Mother of God Most Glorious, The Icon Gallery, Tsar Samoil’s fortress, Plaoshnik and it ends in a walk through Ohrid’s marketplace.

Accommodation and dinner in Pogradec.

Day 5. Elbasan, Tirana

Continuing onwards we past through the town of Elbasan, once the most important industrial town of the communistic era.  You cannot say you know Albania unless you have visited Elbasan and its surrounding regions. Located right in the center of Albania, it has an infinite amount of attractions for tourists. You will find stories and objects from Roman times to our days, in addition to the picturesque river and mountainous pristine landscapes, as well as old and modern churches and mosques.

Fee time for lunch.

Drive to Tirana, check in in the hotel. Free afternoon. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 6. Shkodra, Lezhe, Kruja

Drive to visit Shkodra.
Visit the Archeological and Ethnographical Museum (an old characteristic house where wood and other traditional motifs are used.) Visit The Catholic Cathedral ( in 19 century was the largest one in the Balkans), sightseeing of the city.
Visit the traditional road build at the beginning of the xx-th century, which bears the distinctive architectural characteristics of the museum area.
Visit of the Rozafa Castle, founded in 3th century BC, built in a rocky hill and surrounding by the three rivers Drini, Buna and Kiri

The city is located 47 km south of Shkodra. Another of Albanian’s ancient cities, it was mentioned in historical documents by the name Lissus. The Memorial Grave of Skanderbeg is situated at the ex-Cathedral of Shen Kolli, where he was buried in 1468. The Castle of Lezha another Illyrian monument, sits on a hilltop overlooking the city below. Inside the castle ruins of an Ottoman mosque, a Roman Arch and an Illyrian Tower all rest together for ages.

Free time for lunch.

Drive to visit Kruja- the picturesque birthplace of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, (the Albania ’s National Hero) – perched at more than 4,000 feet above sea level. Visit The Castle, which was built during the 5th and 6th centuries and has an elliptical shape with a total area of 2,25 hectars. The surrounding walls are reinforced by nine towers, which served as an observation and signaling post during times of war. Within the walls of the castle there can still be found the remains of a few houses.
Visit The Gjergj Kastrioti (Scanderbeg) Museum, located inside the castle, and is dedicated to his deeds courage and bravery to protect Albania from the ottoman invasion. Inside the castle there is also The Etnographic Museum.Visit the attractive Medieval Bazaar, located in the town of Kruja. Its main peculiarities are that all the shops are made of wood. Here tourist can buy traditional handicrafts such as filigree, alabaster, silver, copper, wooden made objects, wool carpets and other interesting items.

Accomodation and dinner in Tirana

Day 7. Full day Tirana

We will start out our tour with a guided tour of the capital of Albania – Tirana. At first, we will visit The Clock Tower dated in 1821 and in its’ 200 years of existence it became the symbol of the city.

The Mosque of Ethem Bey is just next door. Its’ beautiful stoned build is unique as the exterior and interior are all decorated with frescos.

After that we will we go alongside stately buildings which house the many offices of the state infrastructure. One of the newest museum, is an old Bunker. It is built on three levels and provides an overview of the police force looking as far back as the 1913, a few months after the proclamation of Independence up to the year of 1991, it is a history marked by violence, torture, imprisonments and martyrs.

We will visit the old “Block” area, which was a part of the town, where only the communistic leaders used to live.

Then we will take the cable car to Dajti mountain, where you can enjoy panoramic vies, try local food or ride a horse.

After lunch we head back to Tirana. Free afternoon time.

Accommodation and dinner in hotel in Tirana

Day 8. Durres, Berat

Drive to Durres, the largest port city in Albania. Visit the Roman Amphitheatre with a capacity of 15,000, built in the 2^nd century AD, with a beautiful wall mosaic. After that we pass by the Venetian tower, part of the defensive wall system since the 15^th century. Last stop, a visit at the Archaeological Museum.

Drive to Berat, known as the city of 1000 windows because of the southern orientation of all its houses built on the hillside, Berat is a town-museum which demonstrates the coexistence of different religious and cultural communities. She has beautiful sloping cobbled streets lined with old Ottoman houses with beautiful carved doors, many Byzantine churches with murals and icons 12-15 centuries, a 13th century citadel overlooking the city and the river Osum.

We will see the Citadel overlooking the city and river below. The Citadel is one of the oldest, largest and still mostly settled in Europe. After a walk through we will visit famous Onufri’s Museum, where you will see one of the largest collection of icons in Balkans.

We will take a short drive to see the quarters Mangalem and Gorica, which are by the river Osum. The small stone houses and narrow streets look like they are glued to the side of the mountain.

Accomodation and dinner in Berat.

Day 9. Ardenica, Apollonia, Vlora

Drive to visit Ardenica
Visit the Monastery of Ardenica, situated on the highest hill among a group of knolls that lie in the centre of the vast plain of Myzeqe. This sacred Monastery is dedicated to the Nativity of the All Holy Theotokos. The Monastery is an important spiritual, cultural and historical centre, particularly for the Orthodox Church. The catholicon (Central church) of the Nativity of the Virgin was built in 1743 is decorated fully with frescoes.

Continue to visit Apollonia.
Guiding tour to the ancient city, the most important archeological centre of the country, founded in 588 BC by Greeks from Corinth, the city quickly grew to 50,000 residents by the second century BC. Apollonia later became a free Roman city after it sided with Julius Caesar during the war against Pompey. It developed into a cultural center of the arts until the 3rd century AD when an earthquake rerouted a river and lead to the city’s decline.

Free time for lunch

Drive to city of Vlore, ‘City of the Albanian Independence’, where we stop at the Monument of the Independence in the center of the city at the Flag’s square. Nearby stands the monument of Ismail Qemali, first chairman of the Albanian state. Optional, a visit at the Museum of the Independence.

Accomodation and dinner in hotel in Vlora

Day 10. Zvernec, Kanine

After the breakfast we take a small country road to Zvernec island, located in the Narta lagoon. There we visit the Zvernec Monastery of the XIV century. Visit the Church of St. Mary which was built during the Byzantine area, surrounded by evergreen trees. Also, there is the Church of Marmiro that is called ‘the mother’ of the Zvernec Monastery. After lunch we travel to Kanina. From the top of the hill where Kanina lies, there is a very pretty view that stretches from the Adriatic to the Vjosa valley and to the little Myzeqe filed. The elders of Kanina say that five ‘nations’ worked on the castle: Illyrians, Romans, Venetians, Byzantines and the Ottoman. Archaeological diggings of 1971-1977 shaow that the area was inhabitated from the first millennium B.C., it turned into a fortified city with squared walls and the castle with 18 towers.

Day 11. Riviera, Llogara, Saranda

After the breakfast we will travel to the Llogara national park. Here we see the amazing views to the beaches of the Ionian Sea below. After the vistas we dissent to the old villages of Dhermi, Vuno and Himare. Here we will see the old town situated on the cliff overlooking small bay below. We will stop in a bay of Porto Palermo, where you can see Ali Pasha’s castle and military submarine base, used in the past. In the afternoon we have short break at a restaurant in village of Borsh, where an amazing waterfall goes straight through the building.  Our accommodation will be in Saranda.

Day 12. After the breakfast some free time and then departure to the border. End of service.