DISCOVER ALBANIA 5 DAY TOUR

Tirana is the capital and largest city of Albania which offers a mixed aroma of the old and the modern, a meeting point where East meets the West, thriving with development but still preserving the traditional. Here we will have a chance to visit the Scanderbeg Square, National History Museum, BunkArt Museum (former atomic bunker of communist leader), Haxhi Et’hem Bey Mosque, Orthodox Cathedral, Gallery of Arts, Saint Paul Cathedral, the Pyramid, public buildings from different periods of time, the main boulevard, and many other attractions. The tour can be extended to the castle of Petrela, Cave of Pellumbas or Mount Dajti via cable car.

Visit ancient archeological site of Apollonia and continue our visit to Vlora. Apollonia was an ancient city on the banks of Aous River, present day Vjosa River. Greek colons from Corfu and Corinth settled here in the 6th century BC. Apollonia flourish during the Roman period and was home to a school of philosophy. Augustus studied in Apollonia while Cicero noted the city as great and important. Vlora is an important port city and also the city of Albanian Independence. After lunch the group will visit the Flag Square and Independence Monument; this is the place where Albanians declared independence from the Ottomans on 28 November 1912. Further on the group will visit the mosque in the center and also the independence museum. After a walk along the newly build waterfront promenade the group will continue toward the Llogara National Park.

Visit the Unesco site city of Gjirokastra with ottoman architecture. This is another UNESCO world heritage city which is built entirely of stone. Gjirokastra offers an outstanding architecture of two story stone build tower type houses. These are built in clusters around the castle which dominates the city on the slopes of Mali i Gjere Mountain. We will have a short visit of the city walking in cobble stone streets and visit main attractions and some of the impressive houses like the Kadare House, Hoxha House, and Zekate House. The group will stay overnight in Gjirokastra.

Visit archaeological site of Antigonea and continue our journey to Berat. The group will continue to Berat, another ancient city dating from the 6th century BC. This is a UNESCO world heritage city inscribed as a rare example of architecture character typical of the Ottoman period. Berat bears witness to the coexistence of various religious and cultural communities down the centuries. It features a castle, locally known as the Kala, most of which was built in the 13th century, although its origins date back to the 4th century BC. The citadel area numbers many Byzantine churches, mainly from the 13th century, as well as several mosques built under the Ottoman era which began in 1417. The group will stay overnight in Berat.

Visit Berat castle and two museums there and enjoy a traditional lunch. Here the group will visit the castle, medieval center, Mangalem and Gorica quarters, Gorica stone bridge, Onufri Museum, Ethnographic Museum, King Mosque and Helveti Tekke of the Bektashi Order. Lunch will be organized in a local traditional restaurant inside the castle.