The Grand Tour of Albania

Airport – Tirana: 30 min
Accommodation in Tirana, 3* hotel

After collecting your luggage, you will be welcomed by one of our agents at the airport and transferred to your hotel.
Depending on your arrival time, you can start your discovery of Tirana by visiting its many museums: theNational Historical Museumretracing the history of Albania or the Bunk'art 2, a museum housed in a vast underground bunker and the House of Leaves which allows us to understand the history of espionage in Albania during communism. You can also take the time to admire the colorful facades of the city's buildings, testimony to the post-communist era of the early 90s.
You can then stroll around the neighborhood of Shetitorja Murat Toptanito and admire the ramparts of castle from Tirana, the Tanners Bridge, the Et'hem Bey mosque and the bazaar Pazar i Ri.

In the evening, we advise you to go to the Bloc, which was at the time a place reserved for the political elite and is, today, the trendiest district of Tirana. You will have the opportunity to have a drink there and discover the typical atmosphere of Albanian bars.

Restaurant options:
Oda Restaurant:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Oda+-+Traditional+Albanian+Restaurant/
Era restaurant:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Restaurant+Piceri+Era+%22Blloku%22/
Lulishte 1-maj:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lulishte+1+Maji/

Night at the hotel.

Tirana-Shkodra: 1h40 100km

Accommodation in Shkodra, 3* hotel
Meals included: morning

This morning, you will head by local bus towards Shkodra, the largest city in northern Albania, on the shores of Lake Shkodra and next to the Drin River. This is the ideal place to start your discovery of Albania!
Considered “the cradle of Albanian culture” and the capital of the Illyrian Empire during Antiquity, it has retained the charm of a historic city. The Romans, Venetians and Ottomans are part of its history. Your Return to the past is activated!

Optional Activities in Shkoder:
-Rozafa Citadel
-Marubi Photo Museum
-Venice Art Mask
Discovery of Lake Shkodër

Proposed Restaurant:

Mrizi Zanave:https://maps.app.goo.gl/2bKu2dQ17EqXUnKz8
Traditional Restaurant:https://maps.app.goo.gl/7WmgTKkyS72EKTREA
Oborri Shkodra:https://maps.app.goo.gl/dqBLzh1uJe9EERM57

Night at the hotel.

Shkodra–Theth: 2h 76km
Theth Blue Eye National Park.

Hike: 19.27 km
Type: Looped
Duration: 4-5 hours
Height difference 460 m + and –

Accommodation in Theth, bed and breakfast.
Meals included: morning, noon (picnic), evening

Departure to the Albanian Alps with a local minibus. After leaving the city of Shkodra, the mountain village of Theth will offer you an immersion in the Albanian mountains, between nature and culture.

Today is a day dedicated to the attractions of the Theth Valley. The Albanian Alps are considered Cursed Mountains because of its limited and difficult access. We offer hikes in the heart of nature, explorations on foot of the natural water source, the famous “Blue Eye”, similar to that of Saranda. The Blue Eye, a natural treasure located in Theth National Park, Albania. It owes its name to its crystal clear, deep blue waters, creating a striking image amidst the surrounding nature.
After the visit, return to Theth and your accommodation to taste good Albanian dishes.

Theth–Valbone:
Hiking: 13.9 km
Duration: 7 hours
Elevation difference: 1100m + and 850m –

Accommodation in Valbone. Guest room.
Meals included: morning, noon (picnic), evening

Departure towards the village of Valbona, via the Valbone pass. Your luggage is transported by mules who will accompany you to your destination. The pleasure of walking in a postcard landscape will not leave you indifferent, far from it... Water sources, trees and white peaks will accompany this beautiful day of hiking.
Once you arrive in the village, get to know your new accommodation and enjoy a good meal as a reward for the great effort made during this beautiful hike.

Overnight inguest room.

Valbone- Sheepfold of Rama
Hiking: 15km
Duration: 5 hours
Elevation difference: 1680 m + and 771 m -

Accommodation in Valbone. Guest room
Meals included: morning, noon (picnic), evening

This second day in the Valbona Valley is an opportunity to gain height and hike to the Rama sheepfold. Located at an altitude of 1800m, the sheepfold is the highlight of this beautiful 5-hour climb.
After giving your legs a good workout, it's the opportunity to enjoy fresh local dairy products, homemade raki or coffee in a magnificent mountain landscape! After a break, you can continue the journey to the Rosi summit, where you can see most of the highest peaks in this region.

Then return to your lodge to recover from these beautiful sensations of the day.

Overnight inguest room.

Valbone – Fierze 1 hour
Fierze- Lake Koman, by ferry 2h30
Koman-Krujë: 3h00

Accommodation in Kruja, 3* hotel
Meals included: morning.

For this new day, you will take a bus from Valbona to Fierza. Then, you will take part in a pleasant cruise on Lake Koman. This valley offers an immersion in wild nature.

At the end of the cruise, a private driver will be waiting for you with your car. He will travel with you to Kruje located on the heights of the Albanian capital (you will then be independent for the rest of the trip with your car). In the 15th century, this city was the scene of numerous battles between the Ottomans and the Albanians.
Stroll through the streets of this pleasant city and don't forget to take a stroll through the old bazaar!

Optional activities in Kruja:
- Visit to the workshopto see production traditional Albanian hat "Qeleshe"
- Visit to the Ethem Bey Mosque
- Hike to Mount Sarisalltik

Restaurant options:

Panorama Restaurant:https://maps.app.goo.gl/8uV2qM2yhLe7dc4t9

Night at the hotel.

Kruja – Pogradec: 140km, 3h20
Accommodation in Tushemisht, 3* hotel
Meals included: morning

Departure towards Tushemisht, on the way, you can make a stopover at the village of Lin on the shores of Lake Ohrid. Located on the peninsula of the same name, Lin is a typical village on the western shore of Lake Ohrid. Lake Ohrid, one of the oldest in the world, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, notably for its mosaic from the fifth century AD. Located on the floor of an ancient paleo-Christian basilica, the mosaic, carefully made, features floral, geometric motifs and eucharistic scenes. Then, you will leave for the village of Tushemisht located on the shores of Lake Ohrid, near North Macedonia. Well maintained by its inhabitants, it offers a peaceful living environment. During the dictatorship, Tushemisht was an example of prosperity and propaganda film shoots took place there.

Tours offered in Tushemisht:
- Bike ride
- The village center
- The Church of Saint-Pantaléon
- Hiking Tushemisht-Saint Naum (Macedonia)
Suggested Restaurants:
Taverna Ollga:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bujtina+Ollga/

Millennium Hotel Restaurant:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Millennium/

Bar Restaurant Mjellma :https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bar+Restorant+Mjelma/

Night at the hotel.

Tushemisht–Korce: 40 km 50 mins
Korce - Voskopoje: 20km 30 mins
Accommodation in Voskopoje, 3* hotel
Meals included: morning.

Today, you are going to discover the town of Korça, renowned throughout the country for its historical attachment to France and the Francophonie, having hosted a French high school from 1917 to 1939. The National Medieval Museum, the Soldiers' Cemetery French from the First World War and the Orthodox Cathedral represent the key monuments to discover and visit. Let's go for a dive into History!

Then, you will leave for Voskopoja in the mountains to discover local life and meet the villagers. Voskopoja was once the most important cultural and economic center in the Balkans, and is known today for its typical houses and numerous Orthodox churches to visit. You will have to ask the guard for the keys, the churches will be yours!

Suggested Restaurants in Voskopoje:
Bujtina Pashuta:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vila+Pashuta/
Taverna Voskopoja:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Taverna+Voskopoj%C3%AB/

Night at the hotel.

Voskopoja - Allows: 150km 4:00 a.m.
Accommodation in Permet, Guest House
Meals included: morning

Departure for the pretty flowery town of Përmet, a real agrotourism stopover in the country. Before reaching Permet, you can make a stop at Leskovik.
In Permet, you will have the opportunity to discover the manufacturing of local products such as jams and gliko, candied fruits, specialties of the town and also try different activities.

First of all, rafting will be an opportunity to get your adrenaline rush by discovering the course of the river which winds through the valley.
Whether by mountain bike or electric bike, you can leave from Permet to reach the famous village of Bual.
Canyoning will allow you to explore the Langarica canyon, an unmissable destination in the Vjosa Valley, and discover magnificent oases and waterfalls, with the added bonus of swimming in natural thermal waters.

Optional activities in Permet:
• Walking tour
• Traditional cooking class

Restaurant options:
Antigone Restaurant: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Restorant+Antigonea/
Trifilia Restaurant:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bar+Restaurant+Trifilia/
Restaurant Hotel Alvero:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hotel+Alvero/

Night at the hotel.

Allows – Gjirokastër: 100km, 2h40

Accommodation in Gjirokaster, 3* hotel
Meals included: morning
This morning, swimming in the thermal waters of Permet.

Today, departure for Gjirokastër, nicknamed “the stone city” and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005. This city is full of typical neighborhoods and shaded terraces, but above all houses the ethnographic museum and its fortress, witnesses of a large part of the History of Albania. Birthplace of the great Albanian writer Ismail Kadaré and the former communist dictator Enver Hoxha, you will discover its city center and its hundreds of buildings of Ottoman architecture. We also advise you to take the time to visit its bazaar, a major trading hub in the region.

Optional activities in Gjirokaster:
• The fortress
• Meeting with a stonemason
• House Skenduli
• Zekate House
• Ethnographic Museum (former house of dictator Enver Hoxha)

Restaurant options:
Kujtimi Restaurant:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kujtim+Restaurant/
Mapo Restaurant:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mapo+Restaurant/
Restaurant Taverna kuka:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Taverna+Kuka/

Gjirokaster-Butrint: 70 km 1h20
Butrint-Qeparo: 55km 1h20

Accommodation in Qeparo, 3* hotel/apartment
Meals included: morning

Your journey will continue towards the Butrint National Park, an ancient city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built in an exceptional natural environment, which Julius Caesar transformed into a residential city and an aristocratic cultural center for his war generals. Butrint was also, two thousand years ago, a real inspiration for various Greek authors and philosophers who described it as “the garden of democracy”.

After the visit to Butrint, the day will be dedicated to relaxation. Your journey will continue towards the only sandy beach on the Albanian Riviera: Ksamil is famous for its turquoise water and its four islands facing the Greek island of Corfu!

Road to the magnificent Albanian Riviera. Throughout your journey, you will face the Ionian Sea and an impressive panorama.

Restaurant options:
Riviera Restaurant:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Restaurant+Riviera+Qeparo/
Restaurant Portopalermo:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Porto+Palermo+Restaurant/
Restaurant Jorgo (Jale):https://www.google.com/maps/place/Taverna+Peshkatari/

Night at the hotel.

Qeparo - Berat: 150 km, 2h30
Accommodation in Berat, 3* hotel
Meals included: morning

Resuming of the road trip towards the north. You will take a magnificent road, with numerous viewpoints over the Albanian Riviera, to Dhermi, a charming village with Greek architecture, so characteristic of the Ionian coast.
Then gain height to reach the Llogara pass. The road ascends and winds in a serie of turns before arriving at the summit perched at an altitude of 1043 meters with an impressive panorama of the region and the Adriatic Sea. You then enter the Llogara national park, known for its wide variety of conifers (Bosnian pines, Buglarian firs, etc.), its mountain fauna (chamois, wolves, etc.) but also for its numerous hiking trails.

Before reaching Berat, you can take a possible detour via the village of Zvernec, north of Vlora, to discover the Narta lagoon with its colony of pink flamingos and its famous Orthodox monastery erected on an island covered with pine trees and accessible from a wide footbridge.

After this nature break, head to Berat, “the city of a thousand windows”, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon your arrival, set off to explore the ancient citadel, one of the most beautiful sites in Albania. Located on the heights of the Mangalem district, the fortress houses the oldest mosque in the country, numerous churches as well as the famous museum dedicated to the painter Onufri. Also not to be missed are the ethnographic museum and the Gorica district located on the left bank of the Osum river and accessible by the two bridges from the city center.

Optional activities in Berat:
• Fortress
• Medieval Center, The King's Mosque and Teke Bektashi
• The Onufri Museum
• The Ethnographic Museum
• Stroll around the old neighborhoods in the evening
• Tastings of local wine and traditional dishes.

Restaurant options:
Onufri Restaurant:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Onufri+restaurant/
Restaurant Klea: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hotel+Klea/

Night at the hotel.

Berat-Tirana: 100km 2:00

Accommodation in Tirana, 3* hotel
Meals included: morning

The last day in Albania will be dedicated to discovering the city of Berat, a city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can take a possible passage through the lagoon and the Karavasta national park, south of Durres, a little paradise for ornithologists and migratory birds. The 4,300 hectare park is known for being home to one of the largest colonies of Dalmatian pelicans in the world.

Then, you will head towards the Albanian capital. Upon your arrival, you can begin your visit to Tirana, city of bright colors, nightlife and nerve center of the country. A walk in the city will allow you to learn more about the religious harmony that reigns in Albania, including the Mosque and the Orthodox and Catholic Cathedral. Visit to Skanderbeg Square and the famous Blok district where you will have the opportunity to see the House of the former Albanian dictator, Enver Hoxha.

Night at the hotel.

Depending on your flight schedule, you will enjoy your last hours in Albania by strolling through the city center of Tirana and then transfer to the airport.

It is time for us to say “Mirupafshim” and wish you a safe return!