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12 Days Albania & Macedonia Tour Package
Setting down in the heart and capital of Albania, Tirana, we spend the initial stages of our tour exploring this city that lies halfway between Rome and Istanbul and which displays an unmistakable architectural influence from both. As we broaden our area of exploration, we enjoy the sights of a restored castle used by Albanian resistance fighters as defence against the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century, the city walls at Elbasan that date from the 4th century and the ancient Illyrian fortress and numerous art galleries in Korca, before heading into the countryside to admire grand mountains and picturesque panoramas. We stop in Saranda, a city so renowned for its archaeological bounties that it can be described without hyperbole as a microcosm of almost 3,000 years of history, and continue on through the Albanian Riviera to check out the multitude of chapels, mosques, and Roman and Illyrian historical monuments that we come across as we pass through quaint, scenic towns. We cross into Macedonia to check out the World Heritage Site of Ohrid, the Samuil fortress -- once the most formidible fortress in the Balkans -- the monastery at Sveti Naum and the multi-blue hued Lake Ohrid, before making our way back to Tirana to end our tour. Tour Itinerary Day 1 Arrival in Tirana Today we arrive in Tirana, capital of Albania. Tirana is located on a plain on the site of a Byzantine fortress and has been the capital since 1920. Overnight in Tirana. Dinner if required. Day 2 Tirana - Berat After breakfast we proceed to the beautiful museum town of Berat, Albania's second museum town, sometimes called "the city of a thousand windows" due to its particular architectural style with houses with lots of windows almost on top of each other. This is a town with 2,400 years of history. Sightseeing in Berat: the Fortress, Onufri Museum and several churches and mosques. Onufri was an Albanian master painter of the 16th century who had a weakness for a particular shade of red that today is known as Onufrian Red. Many of his wonderfully painted icons still remain in the museum while others can be found in churches in Albania and Greece where he worked. Downtown we visit the Leaden Mosque, the King's Mosque, the Bachelor's Mosque and the Alveti Tekke. On the way back from the castle we will visit at an Albanian winery to taste local Albanian wines. Overnight in Berat. Breakfast and dinner. Day 3 Berat - Gjirokastra - Saranda After an early breakfast we drive to Gjirokastra, the birthplace of former iron-fisted former dictator of Albania, Enver Hoxha. Gjirokastra is a picturesque town, perched on the side of a mountain above the Drino River. Above the Bazaar Mosque in the centre of town is the Memedheu ABC Monument, commemorating the Renaissance of Albanian education around the turn of the 20th century. We will visit the district museum housed in the building in which Enver Hoxha was born. We also visit the pre-Ottoman citadel with a weapons museum and former political prison. We continue on to Saranda, the southernmost town on the Albanian coast and only a few kilometres from Corfu. On the way we pay a quick visit to the 'Blue Eye", a fresh water spring in the shape of an eye, amongst dense vegetation. It is a beautiful and relaxing natural site with spectacular turquoise colour. We enjoy lunch at the Lekuresi Fortress (your own account) in Saranda with great views of the bay and the island of Corfu. Overnight in Saranda. Breakfast and dinner. Day 4 Saranda - Butrint - Saranda Saranda became important in Roman times as a strategic point along the sea route between Italy and Greece. Indeed, it is possible to see the Greek Island of Corfu from here, which appears to be floating on the surface of the Adriatic. Today we have a morning visit to the Greek and Roman ruins of Butrint, Albania's most important archaeological site. Butrint dates from the 7th century BC, later becoming a Roman colony, then falling under the sway of the Venetians and Turks. Virgil claimed that the Trojans settled Butrint, but no evidence of this has yet been found. Within a century of the Greeks arriving, Butrint had become a fortified trading city with its own acropolis, the ruins of which we can still visit. The rediscovered city is a microcosm of almost 3,000 years of Mediterranean history--its 6th century BC fortification evokes the city's military power and symbolizes the rich culture of the once thriving ancient city. After a leisurely lunch overlooking the Ionian Sea we return to Saranda with the balance of the day free. Overnight in Saranda. Breakfast and dinner. Day 5 Saranda - Korca After breakfast we depart for Korca (pronounced: 'Korchah') through Kelcyra and the spectacular Vjosa canyons stretching to Permet, the mountains of Leskovik and the colourful fields of Erseka. Korca is a historic place with rich cultural traditions and some interesting buildings from the Ottoman period, including one of the most important mosques in Albania. Our sightseeing in Korca includes the Museum of Medieval Arts. Opened in 1980, it covers a period from the 5th to the 19th century and there you can see works by Albania's most famous painters of the Middle Ages. Overnight in Korca. Breakfast and dinner. Day 6 Korca - Voskopoja - Korca After breakfast we depart for the town of Voskopoja which became one of the most developed and prosperous cities in the European part of the Ottoman Empire between the 17 and 18th centuries. Testament to this are the first Printing House in the Balkans in 1720, the Academia of Voskopoja founded in 1744, the famous Basilicas, the painted house walls by the famous Albanian painters including David Selenica and the Zeografi brothers. Overnight in Korca. Breakfast and dinner. Day 7 Korca - Pogradec, Albania - Ohrid, Macedonia This morning we proceed to Pogradec next to Lake Ohrid, the deepest in the Balkans. We stop at Tushemisht village for a visit of the villa of the former Albanian dictator, Enver Hoxha. Afterwards we precede to the city of Ohrid, a World Heritage Site in neighbouring Macedonia, and have a sightseeing tour. We will visit the Church "St. Sofia", built between the 11th and 14th centuries as the seat of the Archbishop; and "St. Clement", a classic Orthodox Byzantine church dominating the Old Town and a link between Byzantine and Italian Renaissance art. Overnight in Ohrid. Breakfast and dinner. Day 8 Ohrid Area We have a full day in the Ohrid area. We visit Plaoshnik where in the 9th century St Clement of Ohrid founded the first University of Europe and educated 3,500 students. A boat trip on Lake Ohrid and a typical Koran (a rare fish) lunch in one of the nicest restaurants is possible for those who would like an extra treat (your own account). After lunch we visit the Samuil fortress. For a short time in the early 11th century, Ohrid was the capital of a Slavic empire ruled by Czar Samuel. His fortress, situated on the hill in the center of modern-day Ohrid, crowns the city and consumes the city?s skyline. This was once one of the most impregnable strongholds in the Balkans, with walls 3 km (1.8 mi) long and 16 meters (48 feet) high. Today, 18 towers and four gates still remain from the original structure. With its strategic location, overlooking the town and the lake, it provides an ideal place for taking in the whole panorama of Ohrid and its surroundings. Overnight in Ohrid. Breakfast and dinner. Day 9 Ohrid - Sveti Naum - Galcica National Park - Ohrid This morning we have a tour of the monastery of Sveti Naum. The monastery was established in the year 900 by St Naum of Ohrid himself, who is also buried in the church. Due to the beautiful setting, the monastery is among the most popular destinations in the Republic of Macedonia. Afterwards we proceed to Prespa Lake for a drive through the National Park of Galcica. The park is bordered on two sides by lakes Prespa and Ohrid. The views the park afforded of both lakes is impressive. The waters of Ohrid Lake are breathtaking--variegated with different blues as if home to large reefs of rock beneath the surface. The shores are also punctuated with lovely villages of whitewashed houses with red tiled roofs. Overnight in Ohrid. Breakfast and dinner. Day 10 Ohrid, Macedonia - Elbasan - Durres, Albania After breakfast we depart for Durres with a stop at Elbasan Castle, site of ancient Skampa. Excavations suggest that the walls of Elbasan were built in the first half of the fourth century AD. In 1466 Sultan Mohammed II rebuilt the walls and renamed the town El Basan ('The Fortress') in Turkish. We continue to Durres, Albania's second largest city. Formerly Durrazzo, Durres is one of the oldest towns in the country. 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. It was for centuries the largest port on the Adriatic, and the start of the Via Egnatia to Constantinople. Landings here by Italian troops in 1939 met brief but fierce resistance, and those killed defending it are now regarded as the first martyrs of the War of National Liberation. We visit the Roman amphitheatre and the Archaeological Museum, situated near the sea and rich in objects excavated in Durres. Overnight in Durres. Breakfast and dinner. Day 11 Durres - Kruja - Tirana After breakfast we travel to Kruja, a small town perched high on the face of a hill and the centre of the Albanian resistance against the Ottoman Turks under the leadership of national hero, Scanderbeg. We visit the fortress of Kruja, the Scanderbeg Museum, Ethnographic Museum, and the old bazaar full of souvenirs, including hand-made articles. Afterwards we depart for Tirana. We take a tour of the capital including Ethem Bey Mosque, Clock Tower and Shijaku House, built in15th century, where we will experience the collection of beautiful paintings of Master Shijaku. Late afternoon we return to hotel in Tirana. Overnight in Tirana. Breakfast and dinner. Day 12 Departure Departure from Tirana. Breakfast.
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