Visit Albania and Kosovo

Visit Albania and Kosovo

It’s hard to find a patch of Europe that hasn’t been overrun by travel. Hard, but not impossible. Among the rocky mountains and green fields of Albania and Kosovo there are plenty of shepherds, monasteries, lakes, valleys and Byzantine churches – what’s lacking is crowds. It’s taken decades for the Balkans to wipe away memories of conflict and communism, but (amazingly) they’ve emerged strong and smiling.

Itinerary

Day 1: Tirana Airport - Tirana

Stop At: Tirana, Tirana, Tirana County
Meet at airport and transfer to the hotel. Driven tour of the capital. We visit the main sites like the Ethem Bey Mosque, clock tower, Scanderbeg Suqare, Othodox Church, National Historic Museum. Overnight in Tirana.
Duration: 3 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 3* - 4* hotel in Tirana

Day 2: Tirana – Lezhe – Shkodra

Stop At: Rozafa Castle, Rozafa, Shkoder Albania
After breakfast, we travel to Lezhe, a city in the North-West of Albania. There we will visit Scanderbeg Mausoleum and Lezha Castle. Afterwards proceed to the northern city of Shkodra with the most important town of north Albania and the Illyrian capital, in the 3rd century BC. We visit the Rozafa castle with spectacular views all around. Afterwards visit to the Mesi Bridge an old bridge built in the mid 18th century with beautiful mountain scenery as backdrop. Overnight in Shkodra.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 3* - 4* hotel in Shkodra

Day 3: Shkodra - Valbona National Park

Stop At: Valbona Valley National Park, Valbona Albania
After breakfast we drive an early morning departure to take the Koman Lake ferry. A spectacular boat trip through the artificial lake created by the hydro power stations built on Drin River. The depth of the lake has given it an opal green colour while the surrounding mountains have created the magnificent effect of a fjord. Overnight in Valbona. Valbona Valley is part of Tropoja district which in turn falls under the Albanian Alps with numerous mountains reaching a height of above 2,000 meters. There are mountainous massifs like the Eastern Block of Jezerca (its peak is 2,694 meters high). The Block of Maja e Hekurave (2,561 m) is distinguished for its asymmetric slopes and the peak which has a conical form. Shkelzeni peak (2,407 m) lies among the tectonic formations and has a pyramidal shape. The ridge is covered with forests of oaks, beech wood and some conifers up to the carbonic slopes whereas on the top there are some alpine pastures. Overnight at local guest house.
Duration: 8 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Guests House

Day 4: Valbona - Peja (Kosovo)

Stop At: Patriarchate of Pec, Pec Kosovo
Afterwards head towards Peja through the magnificent the Rugova Gorge to the Decani Monastery near it. This monastery complex is a wonderful example of the Orthodox religious architecture and art part of UNESCO World Heritage Site and a must for anyone visiting Kosovo. Overnight in Peja.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 3* - 4* hotel in Peja

Day 5: Peja - Prishtine - Prizren

Stop At: Pristina, Pristina
Morning we drive to Prishtina and then we visit Gracanica Monastery which was constructed on the ruins of an older 13th century church of the Holy Virgin, which was built on the ruins of a 6th century early Christian basilica. Of the former monastic compound, only the church has survived. Next visit the 1389 Kosovo Battlefield and Sultan Murat’s grave (both about 15 min away from Prishtina). After we drive to visit Prizren, a true open air museum, one of the most beautiful towns of Kosovo. It is situated on the slopes of the Sharr Mountains and on the banks of the river Bistrica. The craftsmen of Prizren are well known for their beautiful gold and silver articles and other folk handcrafts. From all the cities of Kosovo, Prizren has best preserved the architectural style of the past. Overnight in Prizren
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 3* - 4* hotel in Prizren

Day 6: Prizren - Kruje - Durres

Stop At: Kruja Castle, Near Tirana, Kruje 1501 Albania
After breakfast we will proceed to Kruja – the center of Albanian resistance against the Turks under our national hero Gjergj Kastrioti (Scanderbeg). He kept them from crossing into Western Europe for 25 years, thus earning the title “Protector of Christianity” given by the Pope. In Kruja also we will visit the old pazar. Then we drive to Durres. overnight in Durres
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 3* - 4* hotel in Durres

Day 7: Durres - Berat ( Unesco)

Stop At: Berat Castle, Rruga Mihal Komnena, Berat 5001 Albania
After breakfast depart for Berat, one of the most visited and characteristic towns in Albania under the protection of UNESCO as a patronage of humanity for its architectural uniqueness. We visit the Castle and the Onufri Museum. Berat castle is of particular interest as people still live within its walls in their traditional houses, as have their ancestors for centuries. The castle used to have over 40 churches of which 7 still remain including St.Mary’s church turned into Onufri Museum. Onufri was a famous Albanian Icon master painter of the 16th century who painted many orthodox churches in Albania and Greece, using a special red colour. Berat is also known for its close ties with religious practice as two of the oldest bibles in the world have been found here. One dates back from the 6th century AD and the other from the 9th century AD and are internationally renowned for their theological importance. We have a homemade lunch in one of the houses in the castle. Just below the castle we visit the Leaden Mosque, the King's Mosque, the Bachelor's Mosque and the Alveti Tekke completing a tour of this town’s religious tolerance. Overnight in Berat.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 3* - 4* hotel in Berat

Day 8: Berat - Tirana Airport

Stop At: Berat Castle, Rruga Mihal Komnena, Berat 5001 Albania
berat
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.