DAY 01: Tirana Airport – Shkodra (90km – 1h30min)
WELCOME IN ALBANIA!
Upon arrival, meet the driver and the guide and depart toward Shkodra (the transfer takes about 2 hours taking in consideration the traffic as well). Depending on your flight details, visit of the city can be done on the afternoon.
Visit Shkodra. Crowning the 113m-high hill towering above the confluence of the Buna and Drini rivers, Rozafa’s impressive top sight is the pride of all. Shkodra’s history started on this hilltop with the establishment of a Bronze Age settlement 4000 years ago, followed much later by an Illyrian fortress. Shkoder (Scutari) is an ancient city with a rich history. The tour will give insights of the old characteristic houses where wood, stone and other traditional motifs are used.
Check in hotel in Shkodra
DAY 02: Shkodra – Koman Lake – Valbona NP – Prizren (195km – 5h30min)
Packed breakfast and check out of the hotel
Drive to Koman Ferry Terminal (2hrs)
Transfer to reach the ferry departure. (It takes about 2 hrs the transfer, so most probably we will order either an early breakfast or a packed one).
Sit in one of coffee bars near the lake and just watch the people, try to notice everything: their loudly talking, the way they walk, drinking raki shots with coffee in the morning, and the big smiles that they will give to you.
The 2 hour trip on Lake Komani was called “One of the Great Boat Trips of the World” by the Bradt Guide, and now everyone repeats it, because it’s super-true! The Lakes of Vau e Dejes,
Koman and Fierze were created in the 1970s by a massive hydroelectric project
Upon arrival to Fierza, drive to Valbona National Park for a short stop (refreshments), before you cross border to Prizren/Kosovo
Check in at the hotel in Prizren
DAY 03: Prizren – Gracanica – Skopje (198 km – 3h30min)
Brekafast at the hotel, check out
This morning we’ll discover Prizren, the cradle of cultural wealth of Kosovo people. The walking tour will explore the Old town with its Ottoman bridge, water fountain, their unique mosques and orthodox churches. The city is known for its rich culinary tradition, mainly homemade products and dishes.
Departure to Skopje/North Macedonia, with stop en route to visit a beautiful monastery of
Gracanica. Southeast of Pristina city is the Gračanica Monastery, built about 1313–21 under the Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin. The monastery is a fine work of Balkan architecture
containing valuable frescoes and in 2006 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
You may choose to have lunch in an Ethno House near the Monastery. Ethno house in Gračanica is considered to be one of the best restaurants in whole Kosovo. The quality of the food served at this restaurant is surely one of the most authentic ones in this region. Very interesting interior of the restaurant will get you back in time, giving you the chance to enjoy the relaxed and nice
atmosphere of the old days, in an authentically created interior environment.
Continue our driving for to Skopje. (1h30min).
Check in at the hotel in Skopje
DAY 04: Skopje – Ohrid (175km – 3hrs)
Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
Start panoramic city tour of Skopje, a city in the west where you can find the signs of East as it was under the rule of Ottoman Empire for a long time. The city lies in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula and there is a contrast between the modern city and old ottoman town. Skopje represents Macedonia’s major political, economic, educational and cultural center.
The tour will highlight the Old Town, the narrow streets in the Old Bazaar, the Memorial House of Mother Teresa and the beautiful quay of the Macedonian river, “Vardar”, an exciting tourist destination. Free time for shopping and lunch
Board the coach and depart to Ohrid, with stop en route for refreshments (3hrs)
Check in at the hotel in Ohrid
DAY 05: Ohrid – St Naum – Ohrid (60km – 1h30min)
After breakfast, we’ll start the walking tour of Ohrid old town (UNESCO heritage site), city of light with rich cultural and historical heritage in which a lot of civilizations left their own mark. Welcome to the magical place where on an amazing way the cultural and natural heritage are mixed along with the hospitality, city for which many world searchers of beauty use to call this
city – Macedonian part of paradise. The highlight of the Ohrid tour include Church of St. Sophia, St. Bogorodica Perivlepta, the Old Bazaar and Antique Theatre
Optional boat trip to Ohrid Lake (30min)
Afternoon drive for a visit to a monastic complex, known for its rich history of orthodox religion, some of the painting achievements and wood carving, displayed within the church of St. Naum, a priest and scholar with a famous legacy.
Prepare for dinner
DAY 06: Ohrid – Berat (195km – 3h30min)
Breakfast and check out of the hotel
Today, we’ll head to Berat, a medieval town listed under UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We will walk up at the fortress, called Kalaja and visit its unique architecture of stone houses, of multiple
window buildings; walls and towers, several orthodox churches and ruins of Mosques, reflecting the harmonious coexistence between the Muslim population and the Orthodox Christian, a very positive example for the whole world.
Continue the visit in the lower part of the town where two other quarters are situated in both sides of Osumi River: Mangalemi and Gorica. Take some unforgettable pictures of the city of the “windows one above the other”
COBO Winery. — Optional Visit & Wine Tasting
You will see cultivated vineyards, the winery within a spacious kulla (a form of traditional Albanian architecture), and a wine presentation room, elegantly constructed and furnished in the Berat style. A tour of the facilities includes an extensive viewing of the wine making process
and explanations, punctuated by alternating poignant and comic vignettes that paint a glow ing picture of the family’s history and the origins of their wines
Check in at the hotel Berat
DAY 07: Berat – Tirana (135km – 2h30min)
Breakfast
and check out of the hotel.
Morning drive to Tirana for 2h30min
Upon arrival, start with the walking tour of Tirana
The walking tour includes the new promenade, approaching the Byzantine ruins and walls, reaching the main Italian boulevard, with the view of the Art Gallery and the distinguished Italian buildings, Tirana City Hall, Statue of Skanderbeg, Ethem Bey Mosque, Skanderbeg statue, Clock Tower, National Library and Opera House and the mosaic “Albanians” on top of the entrance of National Historical Museum. Stroll along the main Boulevard, visiting the most important squares and close the visit by Kalaja e Tiranes where you can sit and enjoy a glass of wine, a coffee
or a sweet..
Lunch between visits
Transfer to cable Dajti Mountain (car parking) will take 15 minutes.
Dajti Mountain – Cable Car (15minutes cable car ride)
This tour starts with a relaxed trip up the mountain with the Dajti Express cable car gondolas, which offers a great view over Tirana and its surroundings. After a snack break near the peak, we’ll walk back towards the cable car station
Transfer to the hotel
Farewell Dinner
Check in at the hotel in Tirana
DAY 08: Tirana – Airport (20km – 30min)
Breakfast at the hotel
Transfer to Airport (let us know your flight details in advance)
End of Service