"The Balkan Odyssey" From Ancient Ruins to Modern Marvels, Albania - Kosovo & North Macedonia

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Overview

The taste of Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia in 9 days, is designed for travelers who want to feel the real authentic Albania with the bordering countries. In this journey, you will visit most of the highlights of the countries, by exploring local neighborhoods and enjoying traditional meals in the local restaurants.
While learning the country’s history and by visiting the towns, you will learn more of its long history from the ancient times until the communist and modern. This tour is also designed with lots of spare time for you to stroll on your own, meeting with local people and learning their culture on your own way. Explore three Countries in this 9-day itinerary.

Included/Excluded

  • All breakfasts / 1 Dinners / 7 Lunches
  • Tickets / Entry fee to 12 museums / entry sites through the itinerary
  • Throughout local Guide
  • Bird watching at Karavasta lagoon
  • Wine tasting at Cobo Winery
  • All transfers as mentioned on the itinerary
  • Tickets / Entry fee to museums / entry sites not mentioned in the itinerary
  • Beverages during meals (except water which is included)
  • Flight tickets
  • Extra private transfers
  • Single room supplement (extra charge upon request)

Tour Plan

1 Arrival Tirana Airport – Shkodra

After arrival at Tirana Airport, you will meet with the local throughout guide and driver. Once embarked on the bus you will be transferred towards “northern capital“ town of Shkodra. After a long day traveling, enjoy a typical Albanian Lunch with local dishes and get to know each other more. The visit of Shkodra starts with the visit of City Center. Shkodra is the traditional center of the Gheg cultural region, is one of the oldest cities in Europe founded in the 4th century B.C. as the center of the Labeat tribe of Illyrians known with the name Shkodra. It is one of the oldest cities in the country, otherwise known as the Northern Capital the city of Albania. The ancient Rozafa Fortress has stunning views over Lake Shkodra, while the pastel-painted buildings in the Old Town have a distinct Italian ambience. Shkodra is a city that truly has it all: a rich cultural life, art and history, beautiful nature, bazaars, and much more. His wonderful restaurants along the promenade and its legendary cafes make this traditional Albanian. Firstly, we will start with the visit of Shkodra, the typical Italian-Austrian architecture of the city center, among others we will see Ebu-bekr mosque Big Catholic Cathedral and Venetian art mask factory.  After that, you will visit Rozafa castle with fantastic views of all the surrounding area.

Tonight, we will sleep in a 300-year-old house complex recently renovated and transformed into hotel

2 Shkoder – Koman – Valbone

Morning Transfer to Koman Lake. It is actually a reservoir, an artificial lake in the river Drin, surrounded by high mountains of the Albanian Alps. There you will have a trip on a boat around the lake. The stunning view from the boat is magnificent. After the boat trip, you will go to Valbone, a small village in the heart of the Albanian Alps. The amazing feeling of being surrounded by clean pure nature follows during the whole day. And for more, you will have the lunch in Valbone, and meanwhile you can also discuss with the locals about their everyday life, the culture and other things. After lunch you will have more time to meet the people to experience the real heart of the Albanian Northerners and to enjoy more the nature of Valbona.

3 Valbone – Gjakove – Decan – Prizren

After Breakfast at the Guesthouse your journey continues to Gjakovo, across the border of Kosovo.

The city of Gjakovo, it is one of the most important cities in Kosovo. It has always been an important city in the trade routes of central Balkans. Was one of the cities which suffered the most from Kosovo War of 1999.The journey starts with a visit of the old quarter of Gjakovo, Called Carshia e Vjeter by the locals. In the old quarter, the cobbled streets are reconstructed completely after the War of Kosovo being almost authentic. The houses that could stand from the bombarding’s of the Serbian army were reconstructed on the same style as before and you can see their pure Ottoman style that is still there, then we will continue the visit of the Hadum Mosque. The Mosque has survived hard times and still stands there today. Leaving Gjakovo you will go to the small town of Decan where you will visit the wonderful Monastery of Decan, It has faced some destruction in times of wars like from Ottoman Empire of during the Kosovo War but luckily today still stands strong. Has become part of UNESCO World Heritage List as a “one of the most valued examples of the record of the 14th century life”. In there are 30 devoted monks that serve in the Monastery and maybe a conversation with them would give you more information to satisfy your curiosity. After Decan you will transfer to Prizren.

Prizren is the second largest city in Kosovo and one of the oldest inhabitations of the country. Once in Prizren, the journey begins with a walk around the old quarter of Prizren. The traditional Ottoman houses dominate the area and along the river Prizrenka Bistrica you will see many bridges connecting the two banks. Crossing the bridge, you find yourself in the Muslim quarter. It is to be noted that Prizren is a multi-cultural or a multi-ethnic city where in harmony live Bosnians, Turks, Albanians, Orthodox, Catholics, Muslims, etc. So, in the Muslim quarter the first thing you want to visit is the Sinan Pasha Mosque, It is build in the beginnings of the 17th century with stones from the Monastery of Saint Archangels. Leaving the mosque you can visit the silver workshops nearby where necklaces and bracelets out of silver are handmade. Next is a short visit in the quarter of the Bosnians where stands an Orthodox Church. You can never leave Prizren without visiting its most important building for Albanians, the House of the League of Prizren. It is a traditional Ottoman architecture house which housed the Albanian League of Prizren in 1878 to form an alliance of Albanians against the Balkans powers that were trying to separate Albania. Now it is turned into a museum. Dinner and Overnight in Prizren

4 Prizren – Prishtine – Skopje

After breakfast we will drive towards Prishtina, the capital of Kosovo. During the first half of the day you will be visiting the old quarter of Prishtina where still stand the traditional Ottoman houses. The Ethnographic museum, the house was part of a noble family of Prishtina of that time. After we will visit the city center, and see the New Born Square and on the way you will see some of the governmental buildings, the Scanderbeg Square, the Mother Theresa Boulevard, etc. Finally arriving at the New Born Square you can take a few pictures in the special New Born monument, a symbol of the new born state of Kosovo, the youngest state of Europe. After lunch, transfer to Skopje the capital of North Macedonia. Dinner and overnight.

5 Skopje – Ohrid

The exploration of Skopje starts with the Old Town of Skopje, the castle, called Kale Fortress. A city tour in the main square of Skopje. There used to be the house where Mother Theresa was born and grew up until 18 years old. Leaving the Mother Teresa Museum you will walk across the Stone Bridge to the old part of Skopje. Next you will visit the old town of Skopje in Cair quarter. There you will see that the old style still remains in the houses built in a traditional Ottoman architecture. It is located in the opposite side of modern Skopje divided by Vardar River and it has been the centre of Skopje since 12th century. In this quarter is also located the old bazaar of Skopje where you will find many artisanal shops for souvenirs from Skopje. After lunch on the city centre we will transfer to Ohrid for check in and dinner

6 Ohrid – Elbasan – Belesh - Berat

After the breakfast, we will meet the local Guide in Ohrid. The visit today starts to the old quarter of Ohrid. The traditional houses, build close to each other have created some cobbled narrow streets like a labyrinth. They will lead you to the churches of Ohrid where the most important and the most special one is St. Sophia Church, coming from 9th-10th century from Bulgarian Empire, housing important medieval art of paintings, icons, and frescoes. Other special religious attractions are the churches of St. Bogorodica Perivlepta from 13th century, the St. Jovan Kaneo from 13th century, St. Panteleimon Plaosnik Monastery from 10th century, etc. On the way up you will also see the Roman Amphitheatre, a one of a kind in Macedonia coming since almost 2000 years ago. Up in the Saint Clement Panteleimon Church, named after the saint patron of Ohrid, is one of the most beautiful mosaics of the Balkans, a Christian one, on the floor of the church.  After the visit of Ohrid we enjoy the local cuisine of North Macedonia at a restaurant in the city center.Next transfer towards Elbasan. Elbasan’s first name was Skampis, two centuries later it was mentioned by the name of Skampa, a city living off the cereal and leather trade. First sight in Elbasan will be the Castle right on the city center. The castle walls built on the ruins of the Roman and Byzantine fortifications by the sovereign Ottoman Mehmet II. In the old quarter “Kala” we will visit ruins of the Basilica, St. Mary Church, King Mosque. After the visit transfer to Belesh for a short coffee stop and then towards to the Old town of Berat for dinner and Overnight.

7 Berat – Divjake – Durres

Berat’s most striking feature is the collection of white Ottoman houses climbing up the hill to its castle, earning it the title of 'city of a thousand windows' by joining the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites, in 2008. The city is cascading steeply to the banks of the Osumi River, this Ottoman-era town is a veritable labyrinth of timeworn, white-washed streets, uneven cobblestones and of course the captivating mosaic of window frames that stare out from every wall. It is divided into three large neighborhoods, capturing Berat’s 3 parts, Gorica, Mangalem and Castle, in an eternal, unblinking staring match across the water, those of Mangalem and Gorica, split by Osumi River, and the medieval castle, still inhabited. After visiting the city of a thousand windows' we will drive towards Karavasta lagoon. After lunch, accompanied by the local park ranger, will enjoy a bird watching experience to see many species among others, the only nesting place in Albania of the Dalmatian pelican. After this wonderful natural experience, we will transfer to the city of Durres for dinner and overnight.

 

8 Durres – Tirana

The morning starts with the visit of Durres, Albania’s first capital just for a short period of time. Where we will explore the amazing monuments of classical antiquity in a depth and learn how the city was considered the “Tavern of the Adriatic”. We will visit the Roman Amphitheater from the 2nd century AD, built during the reign of the emperor Trajan as one of the biggest amphitheaters in Balkans. The Roman Amphitheater and the city of Durres are unusual for their extraordinary degree of preservation, particularly for its large stretches of undisturbed stratigraphy. Our last visit is the Archeological Museum with artifacts as old as the 7th century b.c . After lunch with a Fish menu, we will transfer to the capital of Albania, Tirana. Tirana is known for its colorful Soviet-era architecture. Pastel buildings surround the city's focal point, Skanderbeg Square, which is named for its equestrian statue of a national hero. On the square's north end is the modernist National History Museum, covering prehistoric times through Communist rule and the anti-Communist uprisings of the 1990s. Tirana is beautiful to be visited by both day and night, with its clubs, bars, cafes, and taverns. Dinner and overnight

9 Tirane – Kruje- Tirana Airport

In the morning will transfer to Kruja and especially to the famous bazaar which is one of the oldest in Albania. Whether you need a traditionally crafted rug, or masterfully made copper products from the renowned craftsmen who work here, you can find every object of interest you might need. Other items in the fascinating bazaar include genuine handcrafted items, and silver jewelry that is known to last a lifetime. After the bazaar we will visit the castle of Kruja, Albanian’s National hero Scanderbeg Museum as well as the ethnographic museum where you will learn how people used to live and work during the 18th century. For Lunch we will enjoy the traditional Albanian dishes at Uka farm. After lunch transfer to the Airport for your onward flight.

Map

Essential Information

• Traveling to Albania
• Weather in Albania
• Currency in Albania
• Eating / drinking in Albania

Accommodation

Throughout this tour you will stay in standard 4-star accommodation units with private shower and good conditions.

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