Itinerary

1. Day 1: Tirana

   • Arrive at Mother Teresa Airport in Tirana, meet with our representative and transfer to the hotel.

   • Visit the National Historic Museum in Tirana offering an in-depth introduction to Albanian history from prehistoric times to the present day.

   • Attend a welcome dinner at a traditional Albanian restaurant with live music.

   Overnight in Tirana.

2. Day 2: Tirana – Ardenica – Apollonia – Vlora

   • Have breakfast, then depart for Vlora with your Albanian tour guide. 

   • On the way to this beautiful coastal town, visit Ardenica, an Orthodox monastery built in the 13th century. It is thought that it was in this idyllic place that the marriage of the Albanian national hero Scanderbeg was celebrated in the 15th century.

   • After Ardenica, proceed to Apollonia, situated on the famous Via Egnatia. Apollonia was founded at the beginning of the 7th century BC by the Greek colonists. In Roman times, it was a large and flourishing city (with 50.000 residents in the second century BCE) near the Aos river (today Vjosa). The monastery (which houses the museum) courtyard enclosed a Byzantine church dating back to the 14th century.

   • Have lunch in Apollonia.

   • Continue to Vlora, where you will visit the Independence Museum, situated in the original house where the first independent Albanian Government had its seat.

   • Spend the afternoon and evening at leisure.

   Overnight in Vlora.

3. Day 3: Vlora – Llogara – Dhermi – Porto Palermo – Borsh – Saranda

   • Have breakfast, then depart for Saranda. This day you will only drive along the Albanian Riviera overlooking the Ionian Sea.

   • Halt at Llogara National Park for a quick break to have a stunning view of one of the most dramatic mountains of the Mediterranean and with panoramas overlooking the sea.

   • Proceed to Dhermi beach which is a gem with its crystal clear waters.

   • Have a traditional Albanian lunch in a restaurant.

   • Continue to Porto Palermo, where the Ali Pasha Castle stands like a barrier in front of the blue rocky sea as a protection for the country. The bay of Porto Palermo once served as an important secret submarine base during the regime days. The semi-abandoned base and the tunnel are still visible.

   • Travel to Borsh, where you will have a coffee break in an oasis of peace surrounded by waterfalls.

   • Continue your drive through the breathtaking road to Saranda, the final destination for today.

   • Arrive in Saranda, check-in at the hotel, enjoy a stroll along the seaside promenade and prepare for dinner.

   Overnight in Saranda.

4. Day 4: Saranda – Butrint – Blue Eye Spring – Gjirokastra

   • Have an early morning breakfast and check out from the hotel in Saranda. 

   • Arrive at Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded by the Trojans during the first millennium BCE, continuously inhabited for centuries.

   • Have lunch at a restaurant inside the walls of a medieval fortress on top of the hill overlooking the town of Saranda with a breath-taking view.

   • Drive to Gjirokastra and halt at the Blue Eye spring, formed by natural underground springs. 

   • Arrive at Gjirokastra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is one of the most beautiful historical towns in Albania and is known as a “museum city”.

   • Visit the biggest fortress in Albania, built during the 4th century and house of the National Museum of Weapons.

   • Check out the Ethnographic Museum, located in the house where the Albanian dictator (Enver Hoxha) was born.

   • Explore the rest of the city at your leisure. 

   Overnight in Gjirokastra.

5. Day 5: Gjirokastra – Bylis – Berat

   • After breakfast and depart for Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as “the City of Thousand Windows”.

   • Halt at Bylis, a very important archaeological centre in Albania and one of the ancient Illyrian cities inhabited by the tribe of Bylliones.

   • Arrive at Berat, check-in at the hotel, and have lunch in a traditional local restaurant. 

   • Walk in the neighbourhood of Mangalem and visit the Ethnographic Museum.

   • Continue to the Castle and the Onufri museum. People are still living within the walls of the Castle, just like their ancestors did. Onufri was an Albanian master painter of the 16th century who painted many orthodox churches in Albania and Greece.

   • Explore the town at your leisure.

   Overnight in Berat.

6. Day 6: Berat – Tirana

   • Stroll along the streets of Berat after breakfast. 

   • Depart for Tirana. 

   • Halt for wine tasting on the way to taste the delicious Albania wine and to have a tour around the winery.
   • Arrive at Tirana, where you will check-in at the hotel and visit the Statue of Skanderbeg in Skanderbeg Square, Et'hem Bey Mosque at the southeast corner of Skanderbeg Square, The Clock Tower next to the Et'hem Bey Mosque and some of the government buildings at the south end of Skenderbeg Square.

   Overnight in Tirana.

7. Day 7: Tirana – Kruja – Durres – Tirana

   • Have breakfast, then depart for Kruja, the centre of the legendary Albanian resistance against the Turks led by the national hero, Skanderbeg. Kruja is located on the cliffs of mount Kruja which offers superb views of the coast and the surrounding villages.

   • Visit the Kruja fortress, the Skanderbeg museum, the Ethnographic museum and the famous old Bazaar street.

   • Depart from Kruja and continue to Durres, one of the oldest and most important cities of Albania. 

   • Have lunch in a restaurant at the beach.

   • Visit the Amphitheatre and the Archaeological Museum, located in the middle of the modern city.

   • Head back to Tirana, where you will spend the rest of the day at leisure. 

   Overnight in Tirana.

8. Day 8: Tirana - Departure

   • Explore Tirana at your leisure and depart for the airport.