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Essential Albania and Macedonia

Sail down the beautiful rivers

Albania and Macedonia are unique countries that combine incredible archaeological sites such as Butrint with the stunning nature of Lake Ohrid. Ottoman and byzantine history, beautiful landscapes, warm and welcoming people and delicious food, plus incredible value, make these countries the perfect choice for travelers that want to enjoy undiscovered destinations.

The permutation of travel possibilities through Albania and Macedonia is vast, and we recommend that you contact us to discuss your specific needs.

For custom luxury travel and tours to Albania and Macedonia, please contact one of our travel experts.

Download a PDF itinerary here.

ITINERARY

DAY 1: Arrival
DAY 2: Tirana
DAY 3: Tirana – Kruje
DAY 4: Tirana – Durres
DAY 5: Tirana – Elbasan – Struga – Ohrid
DAY 6: Ohrid
DAY 7: Ohrid – St. Naum – Galicica National Park
DAY 8: Ohrid – Apollonia – Vlore
DAY 9: Vlore – Byllis – Berat
DAY 10: Vlore – Sarande
DAY 11: Sarande – Butrint
DAY 12: Sarande – Gjirokastra
DAY 13: Sarande – Tirana
DAY 14: Tirana – Onward

PRICING FROM

$4,775 per person, based on two guests traveling together. Please contact Exeter International for specific pricing and availability.

Arrival | Arrival Tirana, Albania

Arrival in Tirana, Albania’s capital and largest city. At Tirana’s Mother Theresa Airport, you will be met by your private driver and guide, who will be waiting for you just outside of customs, after you pick up your luggage. You will then be transferred to your hotel.

Exeter Services:  Transfer with Guide

Hotel: Sheraton Tirana

Tirana | Tirana Rogner Tirana

This morning, after meeting your guide in the hotel lobby, you will embark on an overview tour of the city.

Tirana was first mentioned as a settlement in Venetian sources from the early 15th century, but it is now accepted that the present-day city was founded by the Ottoman general and local ruler Suleiman Pasha a century later. Thanks to its strategic location on the trade routes between Eastern and Western Europe, Tirana quickly grew to become an important commercial and administrative center with a large bazaar, mosques and Turkish baths. In 1920, Tirana was chosen as the capital of the newly-independent Albania.

This morning, you will stroll along Tirana’s main “Deshmoret e Kombit” Boulevard which connects Mother Theresa Square with Skanderbeg Square and along which many of the city’s government and administrative buildings are located.

Just around the corner, you may also wish to see the walls of the Justinian Fortress – the last remains of the Byzantine fortifications. Walking past the National Theater, you will reach the early 19th century clock tower which offers splendid views over the city’s center. Also here, you will see the Ethem Bey Mosque, which was built at the turn of the 19th century and is one of the oldest and most beautiful buildings in the city, featuring rich interior and exterior frescoes.

Your next stop will be the lively Skanderbeg Square, the southern side of which is dominated by the equestrian statue of the legendary national hero George Kastrioti-Skanderbeg, who in the 15th century successfully fought the armies of the Ottoman Empire for more than 20 years. On the opposite side of the square, you will see the country’s largest museum – the National Museum of History, which is impossible to miss because of the huge mural on its façade depicting Albania’s long and eventful history from the Illyrians through the Ottoman occupation to the Communist period of the last century.

Along the eastern side of the Skanderbeg Square, you will see the Socialist-style building of the Palace of Culture, which was designed by Soviet architects in the 1960s and houses the opera and ballet theater and the National Library. Continuing your walk, your guide will point out some of the government buildings at the southern end of Skanderbeg Square and the National Theater set in a beautiful garden with fountains. Back on the main boulevard, the distinctive pyramid-shaped glass-and-marble building of the International Cultural Center is now used for conventions and trade shows, but was originally built in 1988 as a museum to the dictator Enver Hoxha and was designed by his daughter and son-in-law.

The rest of the day will be at your leisure to spend with your guide and address any specific interests you might have, such as Ottoman architecture and Communist monuments, or to simply relax in one of Tirana’s cafes or parks before returning to your hotel.

Exeter Services: Full Day with Guide Only

Hotel: Sheraton Tirana

Tirana – Kruje | Tirana – Kruje

This morning you will transfer about 45 minutes north to Kruje – the historic hometown and stronghold of Albania’s national hero George Kastrioti-Skanderbeg.

As members of a prominent Albanian aristocratic family, the young George Kastrioti and his three brothers were taken hostage and brought up in the Sultan’s court where George attended military school and later fought in the Ottoman army. When the Ottomans were defeated by a multinational Christian army in the Battle of Nis in 1443, Skanderbeg and his troops defected and retuned to Albania where they re-took the Kastriotis’ family’s fortress at Kruje. In the following years, Kastrioti successfully united the Albanian ruling families against the common enemy and managed to fight off the Ottoman armies until his death in 1468 thus effectively halting their invasion further into Western Europe.

Kruje was the center of the Albanian resistance against the Ottomans led by Skanderbeg. Driving along the winding mountain road, you will reach the town’s main square marked by the equestrian statue of Skanderbeg wielding his sword. Continuing uphill and above the town, you will reach the historic fortress and citadel which successfully withstood three Ottoman sieges led by Sultan Murat and later by his son Sultan Mehmed II – the conqueror of Constantinople (now Istanbul). It was only after Skanderbeg’s death that the fortress finally fell and the Albanian resistance was suppressed.

As you enter the restored fortress, you will visit the Historical Museum (also designed by the daughter and son-in-law of the former Communist dictator Enver Hoxha), which focuses on Skanderbeg’s life and follows the Albanian struggle against the Ottoman invaders and the historical development of the citadel.

Also within the citadel, you may wish to visit Dollma Teqe, a temple of the Bektashi mystic sect of Islam which was originally founded in the 13th century in Asia Minor and later spread in many areas of the expanding Ottoman Empire including the Balkans. In Albania, the Bektashi were recognized as a distinct Islamic sect rather than a branch of Sunni Islam. As all religions were banned during the Communist dictatorship, it was only in the 1990s that the order re-established itself and some of the old temples throughout the country were rebuilt. The Teqe in Kruje has been guarded and maintained by successive generations of the Dollma family and is now functioning and open to visitors once again.

If time and fitness permit, you may wish to explore small and winding streets or the ruins of the medieval fortress walls and even climb to the only remaining tower which is dramatically set against the mountain slopes. Leaving the fortress and descending back to the town, you may stop at the Ottoman-style covered bazaar with its wooden shops and cobbled street where small souvenirs and local crafts such as copperware, wood caved toys, filigree and carpets are sold.

You will transfer back to the city where the rest of the evening will be at your leisure.

Exeter Services:  Car, Driver & Guide

Hotel: Sheraton Tirana

Tirana – Durres | Tirana – Durres

This morning, after meeting your guide and driver, you will transfer westward toward the coast to visit the historic seaside town of Durres, which is also the second largest city in the country.

Thanks to the area’s strategic location on a wide and protected bay, the ancient Greeks established a trade colony here in the 7th century BC. Under the Romans, Durres, then called Dyrrachium, prospered and became an important military and naval base as well as the starting point of the famous Via Egnatia road which crossed the Balkans all the way to Byzantium (now Istanbul).

Today, thanks to its location and the proximity to Western Europe (the distance across the Adriatic Sea to Brindisi in Italy is less than 150 miles) the city is again an important industrial, maritime and commercial center and boasts some great historic and archeological monuments reflecting its rich past. Regular ferry lines connect Durres with the Italian coast and the port towns of Bari and Brindisi as well as with Ancona and Trieste further north.

Upon your arrival in Durres this morning, your guide will take you on an overview tour of the city’s main historic sights. For a good introduction to the region’s history, you may decide to start with a visit to the Archaeological Museum located in a modern building on the seafront. It has an impressive collection of finds from the Greek, Illyrian, Roman and Byzantine periods including amphorae, coins, carved sarcophagi, decorated tombstones and statues.

Just a short walk from the Archaeological Museum, you will see some of the best-preserved parts of the city’s protective walls, the oldest sections of which were built by the Byzantines in the 5th-6th centuries to replace earlier fortifications destroyed by an earthquake. In the 15th century, when the Venetians controlled the city, parts of the fortress were rebuilt and some towers were added like the cylindrical one can see close to the harbor. Also in the center of the city, one of its main tourist attractions are the partially unearthed remains of the Roman Amphitheater which was built in the 1st-2nd century and once had a capacity of 15,000.

Continuing further north, you will reach Durres’ main square where the Town Hall, the theater and some administrative buildings are located. Just behind the theater, one can still see the Roman forum – a circular public area which was once paved with stone and surrounded by colonnades and which was used for public meetings and discussions. Nearby are also the remains of a Roman public bathhouse (thermae) which was an integral part of every Roman city and had an important place in the everyday lives of its citizens.

The remainder of the afternoon will be at your leisure to explore Durres with your guide. You may wish to stroll along the city’s promenade and browse through its cafes and shops. Alternatively, if you are interested in Ottoman or Communist architecture, your guide will be happy to show you some typical examples.

Later today, you will transfer back to Tirana and your hotel for an evening at your leisure.

Exeter Services:  Car, Driver & Guide

Hotel: Sheraton Tirana

Tirana – Elbasan – Struga – Ohrid | Tirana – Elbasan – Struga – Ohrid Albania

This morning, after meeting your guide and driver, you will embark on a full-day trip to Lake Ohrid and across the border with Macedonia.

En route, just about an hour’s drive southwest of Tirana, you will stop in the town of Elbasan for a tour of its historic castle and the Old Town. It is believed that a Roman trading post was established here in the 2nd century BC at the junction where the road from the ancient city of Apollonia joined the Via Egnatia.

Strolling past the remains of the medieval fortifications and entering the Old Town through the historic Bazaar Gate, you will see the 15th century Sultan’s Mosque with its beautiful exterior colonnade but without a minaret, before continuing to the St. Mary Orthodox Church which was erected in the 17th century but was later destroyed by fire and rebuilt in the 1830s from which time its original iconostasis with fine woodcarvings has survived.

This afternoon, you will continue your trip east, across the border with the Republic of Macedonia, and along the northern coast of the Lake Ohrid, which is of tectonic origin and is one of the oldest and deepest lakes in Europe and is protected as a UNESCO site because of its unique aquatic ecosystem of some 200 endemic species including two types of trout which cannot be seen elsewhere. The lake’s shoreline is shared between Albania and Macedonia.

The mountainous area north of the lake is famous for its medieval cave churches, most of which are from the 13th–15th centuries and some of which still have parts of the original frescoes which adorned the monastic cells and chapels carved directly into the rock. The most popular of these churches, and with probably the best-preserved frescoes, is the one near the village of Kalista dedicated to St. Athanasius. Cut high in the rock above the lake, the church is only accessible by climbing the stone steps leading to the entrance. The vivid frescoes inside depict religious holidays, portraits of saints and biblical scenes.

Continuing your drive east along the lake shore, you may stop for a brief sightseeing tour of the town of Struga, which is picturesquely located on the very tip of the Ohrid Lake and along the banks of the Black Drim River, which flows right out of the lake dividing the city in two. Enjoy a leisurely walk along the river banks, take in Struga’s charm and architecture from the 18th–19th centuries, or cross the bridge which every August becomes the scene of the annual Struga Poetry Festival and where poets from around the world read their works in pursuit of the ‘Golden Wreath’ poetry award.

Later today, you will arrive at your hotel located on the lake’s shore where the evening will be at your leisure to settle in and relax.

Exeter Services: Car, Driver & Guide

Hotel: Gorica

Ohrid | Ohrid Ohrid, Albania

This morning, your guide and driver will take you to the charming historic town of Ohrid for a tour of its most remarkable sights.

Protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Ohrid is a jewel box of medieval architecture and historical monuments and a highlight of any trip to Macedonia. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Ohrid changed hands between Bulgaria, Byzantium and Serbia until it fell to the Ottomans and remained under their control until the early 20th century.

This morning, you will stroll around Ohrid’s Old Town which is located between the lake shore and the remains of the medieval fortifications. It is believed that in the Middle Ages Ohrid had 365 churches and chapels, one for every day of the year, and chroniclers referred to it as ‘the Slavic Jerusalem’. Nowadays, only a few of these churches remain, some of which have well preserved interior frescoes and exterior decorations.

Continuing west along Tsar Samuil Street, you will come to the National Museum and its collections which are displayed in the buildings of the former Robev and Urania residences, which were in the 19th century the homes of wealthy local families. Next, you will reach the Church of St. Sophia – a grand 11th-century building which was once the main bishopric cathedral before being converted into a mosque by the Ottomans. The church’s interior walls were whitewashed during the Ottoman period to cover the magnificent Byzantine-style frescoes from the 11th–14th centuries, thus ironically preserving them in remarkably good condition.

Strolling along the narrow winding streets of the Old Town, you will reach the St. John at Kaneo Church which is perched on a hill overlooking the Lake Ohrid. Also in this part of town, you will visit the restored St. Panteleimon Monastery, which is located on the Plaoshnik hill and is considered to be Macedonia’s holiest Christian site.

Turning north and away from the lake, you may consider a walk atop the recently renovated walls of Tsar Samuil’s citadel which is located on a wooded hill and offers splendid views of the Old Town and the lake and will help you get oriented with Ohrid and its surroundings. This was once one of the most unconquerable strongholds in the Balkans, with walls stretching almost 2 miles and over 45 feet high. Today, 18 towers and four gates still remain from the original structure. Continuing along the medieval walls, you will come across the ruins of an antique Hellenistic theater, which was built around 200 BC and nowadays is still used for open-air performances and events.

The rest of the day will be open to explore the town with your guide to address any specific sights or areas of interest or to simply browse the numerous shops and cafes.

Exeter Services:  Car, Driver & Guide

Hotel: Gorica

Ohrid – St. Naum – Galicica National Park | Ohrid – St. Naum – Galicica National Park Galicica Park, Macedonia

This morning, after meeting your guide and driver, you will transfer south and along Lake Ohrid’s eastern shore to the town of Sveti Naum (St. Naum) which is named after the medieval scholar Naum, who together with Kliment (Clement) was one of the students and disciples of St. Cyril and St. Methodius and helped establishing and expanding the Ohrid literary school, which he also headed after Clement was ordained a bishop. In 905, Naum founded a monastery at Lake Ohrid, which later received his name.

The St. Naum Monastery which is located in a very picturesque setting at the south-eastern shores of the lake, only a mile away from the border with Albania. The panorama from the rocky hill on which the monastery sits is truly magnificent as it offers views of the lake and its beaches and the surrounding mountains. The original church built here was dedicated to the archangels Michael and Gabriel and is where supposedly St. Naum himself was buried after his death in 910. The church was later destroyed, probably during the Ottoman conquest, and the new one was erected on the same spot in the 17th century, which was later rebuilt and enlarged several times. The St. Naum church is cruciform and similar in its Byzantine architecture to the one of the St. Panteleimon Monastery in Ohrid. The interior frescoes are mainly from the 19th century although fragments from the wall paintings from the 16th – 17th centuries can also be seen. Especially interesting are the wood-carved altar from the early 18th century and the series of five scenes above St. Naum’s tomb which depict miracles attributed to the saint.

This afternoon will be at your leisure to enjoy the outdoors and explore the Galicica National Park, which is named after the Galicica Mountain and occupies the territory south of Ohrid between the Ohrid and Prespa lakes all the way down to the Albanian border. There are numerous hiking paths crisscrossing the park which has some 1,000 species of flora and fauna including some 40 endemic ones. If you manage to climb to the mountain ridge, you will be rewarded with the breathtaking views of the two lakes on each side. In the summer months, it is also possible to enjoy a boat tour on the lake to explore its small islets and springs.

Later today, you will transfer back to Ohrid and your hotel for an evening at your leisure.

Exeter Services:  Car, Driver & Guide

Hotel: Gorica

Ohrid – Apollonia – Vlore | Ohrid – Apollonia – Vlore Apollonia Monastery, Albania

This morning, you will meet your guide and driver for the transfer back west along Lake Ohrid’s northern shore and across the border into Albania. Continuing through the central part of the country and just a few miles after passing Elbasan, you may wish to make a brief stop in the village of Bradashesh to see the remains of the former Roman road station on the Via Egnatia which was called Ad Quantum and dates back to the 1st century.

Further south along the coast, you will pass through the industrial city of Fier to reach the ruins of the ancient Apollonia located on the hill overlooking the plains. Founded by Greek colonists around the 6th century BC, the port of Apollonia quickly became a major trading and cultural center and later an autonomous city-state which had its own local government and minted its own currency.

Nowadays, the ruins of the ancient city are still a magnificent sight. You will see the restored façade of the 2nd century Bouleuterion, where once the city council used to meet before the building was destroyed in an earthquake. Just opposite it, the remains of the Roman Amphitheater are in their original state, as are the ones of the covered public promenade (called Stoa) lined with columns.

Later today, you will arrive in the town of Vlore, picturesquely located on the Bay of Vlore. Vlore has a long history as it, not unlike other ancient towns along the coast, was first founded by Greek colonists in the 6th century BC. Later, it was an important port of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. Changing hands several times over the centuries, Vlore finally fell to the Ottomans in 1417. It was in Vlore that five centuries later – in 1912, during the First Balkan War, Albania declared its independence from the Ottomans, only to be occupied by the Italians a couple of years later.

Nowadays, Vlore is one of Albania’s major ports and is a bustling town with a very Mediterranean feel to it. Its location makes it a great base for day trips to the surrounding countryside.

You will check-in at your hotel and enjoy an evening at your leisure.

Exeter Services:  Car, Driver & Guide

Hotel: Vlora International

Vlore – Byllis – Berat | Vlore – Byllis – Berat Berat Houses, Albania

This morning, your guide and driver will meet you in the lobby of your hotel to take you on a full-day tour to include the impressive site of the ancient town of Byllis and Berat – one of the oldest and most attractive cities in Albania boasting an UNESCO-protected Old Town.

The fascinating ruins of Byllis occupy a plateau high above the Vjosa river valley and offer stunning views towards Vlore, Apollonia and the Adriatic Sea. The city’s origins date back to the 4th century BC, when it was founded by the Illyrians who, in the 5th–4th century BC, formed several kingdoms in the Western Balkans and occupied the entire eastern Adriatic coast before being conquered by the Romans in the 1st century BC.

Entering the old city through the north-western gate, you will see Byllis’ largest architectural complex consisting of a Byzantine-style basilica with fascinating floor mosaics, a baptistery and an Episcopal palace. The whole complex with its intricate architecture and variety of decorative elements was built in stages in the 4th–5th century when Byllis was the seat of a bishopric, which clearly shows the importance of the city in this period.

Later today, you will continue with your drive east and to Berat and its UNESCO-protected Old Town. Even during the Communist period, Berat was designated a ‘museum city’ which ultimately saved its castle and the unique mixture of Christian and Ottoman architecture. It is believed that in the 6th century BC Greco-Illyrian tribes inhabited this area on the banks of the Osum River. Later, the Macedonians took control of the region, followed by the Romans. As was the case with many other parts of the country, Byzantines, Bulgarians and Serbs took their turns in controlling the city until it finally fell under the Ottomans in 1450 and even the besieging army of Skanderbeg was not able to reclaim the strategic fortress.

Today, Berat’s citadel, which stands on a rocky hill on the bank of the Osum River, still dominates the city. One can drive or walk all the way to the northern gate of the fortress or climb the steep and winding stairs below the castle. As the citadel was traditionally a Christian neighborhood, it used to have about 20 churches, only few of which survive today. A place not to miss within the walls is the Onufri Museum containing what is probably Albania’s finest collection of icons.

Similar to the citadel in Kruje, people still live within the fortress walls so wandering the citadel (Kalasa) neighborhood and discovering its old houses, churches (some of which date back to the 13th century) and tiny chapels is a great cultural experience. Just below the fortress, in the Muslim neighborhood called Mangalem, you may wish to see the 14th century Sultan’s Mosque, which is one of the oldest in the country.

Later today, you will transfer back to Vlore and your hotel for an evening at your leisure.

Exeter Services:  Car, Driver & Guide

Hotel: Vlora International

Vlore – Sarande | Vlore – Sarande

This morning, after again meeting your guide and driver in the hotel lobby, you will transfer south along the Albanian coast and to the town of Sarande, picturesquely located on a bay of the Ionian Sea and just a few miles from the border with Greece and the Corfu Island.

Driving along the scenic coastal road south of Vlore, you will be able to enjoy the magnificent mountain views on your left and the breathtaking seascapes on your right. You will later pass the Karaburun (Black Cape) Peninsula which separates the Adriatic from the Ionian Sea and is, with the exception of some naval bases, largely undeveloped and offers some secluded pebble beaches and caves which were reputedly once used as hide-outs by local pirates.

Continuing further south, the steep coastal road will take you up to the Llogaraja Pass, which is located over 3,000 feet above sea level and, together with the surrounding areas, is designated a national park and wildlife refuge.

Next, you may wish to stop at the fortress built by Ali Pasha Tepelena – a local despot who ruled over the area in the 18th–19th century. Ali Pasha initially led a band of brigands before aiding the Ottomans in their war against Austria and was rewarded for his support with control over the area.

Later today, you will arrive in the town of Sarande, which is situated on the hills surrounding an open bay only a few miles from the Greek island of Corfu. Sarande’s great location and mild Mediterranean climate made it a popular resort even in the Communist period and it is still one of the highlights along the Albanian Riviera as the stretch of the Ionian coast south of Vlore is popularly called.

You will check-in at your hotel overlooking the bay and will enjoy an evening at your leisure to relax or stroll along the town’s lively promenade.

Exeter Services:  Car, Driver & Guide

Hotel: Butrinti

Sarande – Butrint | Sarande – Butrint Butrint, Albania

This morning, your guide and driver will take you further south along the coast of the Ionian Sea, where, close to the border with Greece, you will visit Butrint – a remarkable and authentic archaeological complex and a UNESCO Heritage Site. En route, you will again pass by some of the idyllic beaches along the Corfu Straits – the narrow passage separating the Adriatic from the Ionian Sea.

This unique site encompasses remains from many different periods covering some 25 centuries. As you enter the ruins of the ancient Buthrotum from the south-western end of the peninsula, a path leads to some of its earlier structures dating from the 4th century BC which also formed the commercial and cultural center of the city. The Hellenistic Theater was built so that its rows of seats utilize the natural slope of the Acropolis hill.

Next to the Theater, a sanctuary dedicated to the healing god Asclepius dates to the 4th century BC. Also nearby, the Forum – an open space surrounded by monumental buildings and freestanding marble statues, was the religious and civic center of the city. On the Acropolis hill above, you can see some of the earliest remains, dating to as early as the 8th century BC, and enjoy the panoramic views over the peninsula and the lake. Also here, a former Venetian castle now houses the Butrint museum which exhibits archaeological finds from the site.

At the eastern part of the peninsula, you may visit the remains of the large 6th century baptistery, built when Butrint was a flourishing Christian religious center and had its own bishop.

Not far away, you will also see a 6th century Great Basilica which was once the bishop’s residence and the city’s main cathedral. It is believed that it was erected at the same time and by the same builders as the Baptistery, and its floors were also richly decorated with mosaics. Parts of the basilica were built when Butrint was a Roman colony and the church was rebuilt and expanded several times in the Middle Ages. The remains of several smaller churches can be seen within Butrint.

You will continue with your walk around the ancient city and explore its impressive fortifications. Of the six gates which once gave access into the city, only two remain today on the northern side of the hill where the ancient harbor was probably located.

After your exploration of Butrint, you will transfer back to Sarande and your hotel for an evening at your leisure.

Note: Most of the touring today is on foot and includes walking on uneven surfaces. Please wear comfortable footwear.

Exeter Services:  Car, Driver & Guide

Hotel: Butrinti

Sarande – Gjirokastra | Sarande – Gjirokastra

This morning, after meeting your guide and driver, you will head east toward the hinterland to visit the historic town of Gjirokastra and its UNESCO-protected Old Town.

A few miles out of Sarande, you may make a brief stop at Mesopotam to see one of the most authentic and historic monasteries in the country. First mentioned in chronicles from the 11th century documenting the battle between the Byzantines and the invading Normans near Butrint, the monastery’s majestic building was once surrounded by a tall wall with seven bastions, the largest of which has been largely preserved and now serves as a bell tower.

Further east, if you are interested, you will stop at the Blue Eye – a natural phenomenon consisting of a little shaded oasis around a deep spring forming a circular pool. The deep blue color of the water gives the spring its name. The spring is surrounded by old trees and feeds into the Bistrica River which flows to the sea near Sarande.

Gjirokastra is a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town with tall fortress-like houses and steep winding cobblestone streets which have earned it the name ‘The Town of the Thousand Steps’.

Unlike other previously important Albanian towns which declined after being captured by the Ottomans, Gjirokastra actually flourished under the new rulers and become a major administrative and commercial center. The area west of the citadel features some 200 beautiful 19th century houses with unique architecture, an 18th century mosque, a bazaar and narrow cobblestone streets. The town is especially famous for its tall Ottoman-style fortified houses which once belonged to wealthy merchants and landowners.

Later, if you are interested, you may also visit the Ethnographic Museum, located in the house where Albania’s former Communist leader Enver Hoxha was born. It has beautifully preserved interiors and some of the rooms have the original furniture. It was Enver Hoxha who declared place of birth a ‘museum-town’ thus largely preserving its unique architecture.

Later today, you will transfer back to Sarande and your hotel where the rest of the evening will be at your leisure.

Exeter Services:  Car, Driver & Guide

Hotel: Butrinti

Sarande – Tirana | Sarande – Tirana Elbasan, Albania

This morning, you will transfer back north to the capital city of Tirana. Depending on the traffic and road conditions, a non-stop drive would take about 5 hours. If you are interested, and if time permits, you may wish to make a stop in Vlore, Elbasan or Durres in order to revisit a certain sight, have lunch (not included in the cost of your trip), shop or simply walk around.

Later today, you will arrive in Tirana where the rest of the afternoon will be at your leisure.

Exeter Services:  Car, Driver & Guide

Hotel: Sheraton Tirana