THE ESSENTIAL OF ALBANIA

Group trips

DAY 1: BRUSSELS - TIRANA - KRUJA (40 KM)

Friendly welcome with your English-speaking guide in Tirana airport. Departure by bus to Kruja. Visit the Skanderbeg museum. Accessible via the bazaar and located in the heart of the historic city, it is dedicated to the Albanian national hero, Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg and houses a collection of objects dating from the wars of the 15th century. Visit the ethnographic museum of Kruja, installed in the citadel of the city where you will discover objects and scenes of life from the 17th century in a decor of sumptuous murals. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.


DAY 2: KRUJA - LEZHA - SHKODRA (90 KM)

After breakfast, visit of Lezha, a city founded in the 8th century BC. The Albanian hero, Skanderbeg was buried in the cathedral, dedicated to St. Nicolas and which was transformed into a mosque and then a church. Visit the citadel of Rozafa. From its summit a 360° view allows you to admire the plain and the surrounding mountains. Visit of Shkodra, the ancient capital of Illyria and a center of democracy and Albanian culture. This city, rich in history and architecture, was partially rebuilt in 1979 following an earthquake. Visit of the cathedral of St. Stephen. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 3: SHKODRA - DURRES - BERAT (200 KM)

Departure to Durres, Albania’s second largest city and former harbour of Via Egnatia which crossed the country and Greece to reach Byzantium. Visit the Roman amphitheater, the second most famous one in the Balkans, listed as a UNESCO heritage site. Take a stroll through the historic center along the ancient Byzantine walls. Lunch in a local farm in Berat, the city with a thousand windows. After the meal, visit the olive grove and the vineyards adjoining the farm. Visit the fortress and the National Museum of Icons of Onufri. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 4: BERAT - APOLLONIA - VLORA - LLOGARA (150 KM)

After breakfast, you will take the road to the South of the country. You will visit the archaeological site of Apollonia. Exceptionally preserved, it was built in the 6th century BC and houses an archaeological museum: St. Mary’s Church and its monastery. Arrival in Vlora and visit of its historic center and the Independence Square. Visit of the Independence Museum dedicated to the different stages of the liberation of Albania from the Ottoman Empire to the present day. At the end of the afternoon, departure to Llogara National Park. Dinner and overnight in the Llogara.


DAY 5: LLOGARA - BUTRINT - GJIROKASTRA (185 KM)

Passage by the Llogara pass culminating at 1027 meters and dominating the junction of the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea. It owes its name to the presence of numerous coves, steep cliffs, authentic villages as well as olive groves. Around noon, stop on the Ksamil peninsula and free time for lunch. Departure to Butrint, UNESCO heritage, site inhabited since prehistoric times until the Middle Ages. Its Roman theater, its baptistery in mosaic as well as the ruins of the basilica and the old fortifications give this place an exceptional universal value. Dinner and overnight in Gjirokastra, an open-air museum town.


DAY 6: GJIROKASTRA - TIRANA (240 KM)

Gjirokastra, a UNESCO heritage site and the birthplace of the Nobel Prize winner of literature, Ismail Kadaré, is the unmissable city of this tour. Its winding and cobbled streets, its typical houses in the shape of clusters and with particular roofs give it the nickname of "city of stones". Visit the citadel and the ethnographic museum. Stroll in the old bazaar in the city center to discover a wide variety of local products. Departure to Tirana. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 7: TIRANA - MONT DAJTI (50 KM)

Visit the center of Tirana, Skanderbeg Square and the Et ‘Hem Bey Mosque, the National Opera, the Clock Tower. Visit the largest Orthodox cathedral in Albania and the National Museum. Climb by cable car to Mount Dajti where lunch will be served with a breathtaking view of Tirana. Return to Tirana and visit the world headquarters of the Bektâchî which houses a large and impressive Tekke decorated with breathtaking patterns as well as a small souvenir shop. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 8: SKOPJE - BRUSSELS

Breakfast and free time. Transfer to the airport for the return flight.

Services included

• Transfers airport - hotel - airport 
• The entire tour by minivan/coach bus 
• 7 nights accommodation in 3*/4* hotels with full board from dinner on Day 1 until breakfast on Day 8 (water is included during the meals)
• English-speaking guide during the entire tour
• The trip with cable car 
• All visits mentioned in the program 
• VAT and local taxes

Services not included

• Roundtrip flights Brussels - Tirana 
• Hotel extras 
• Personal expenses and tips 
• Drinks that are not mentioned in the program
• Travel insurances