Visit Albania from Corfu

Located on the Ionian coast, the city has many of its own wonderful beaches but can serve as a great spot from where to go off exploring the rest of the beautiful Albanian Riviera. With great restaurants and a vibrant nightlife, Saranda’s spirit instills a joie de vivre in each visitor. Only a few kilometers away, stands the ancient city of Butrint, one of the most well-preserved in the Balkans and one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Within the National Park of Butrint, you will find the ruins of the Greek and Roman past, including a functional open theater. The nearby islands of Ksamil are a top destination in many international travel list while Albania’s own tropical paradise, the Blue Eye, rests halfway between Saranda and Gjirokastra.

The "Blue Eye" is a water spring and natural phenomenon occurring near Saranda. A popular tourist attraction, the clear blue water of the river bubbles forth from a depth of more than fifty metres. Divers have descended to fifty meters but it is still unclear what the actual depth of the karst hole.

Gjirokastra is known as “The Stone City”, part of UNESCO World heritage. Free afternoon in Gjirokastra. Overnight in Gjirokastra.

After breakfast we will visit Gjirokastra. Gjirokastra is known as “The Stone City”, part of UNESCO World heritage and is situated in Southern Albania. In Gjirokastra we will visit the medieval bazaar and the Ottoman-style houses in the old part of the town, where you will see artisan women making handmade doilies, carving wood or silver and other guild shops in the narrow cobbled stone streets of this suburb. We will also visit the castle of Gjirokastra. Then we will visit the Skenduli House. The house was built around the year 1700 and has many fascinating features.

The greenest and the cleanest town in Albania, also known as the “city of roses.” The small town of Permet is famous for its folk music and renown clarinetist Laver Bariu, literature personalities, and the good cooking, especially sweets, the so called ‘gliko’, or preserves. You will be served good wine and raki in Permet and around. In Permet we will visit a big rock, it’s very near to the center of the town, it’s called the rock of town looking over the town and Vjosa river. Overnight in Permet.

After breakfast depart for Pogradec through one of the most breathtaking roads of Albania. A combination of gorges, mountains colorful fields, river canyons and forests accompanies us in this long but with amazing natural beauty. First stop is Korca. Korça is one of the largest and most important cultural and economic centers of Albania, located in the southeastern part of the country. The city is known for its typical quarters, composed of low houses and villas, which are paved with cobblestone. The city of Korça has a range of museums such as the Education Museum (located in the building where the first Albanian school opened in 1887), the renewed National Museum of Medieval Art. Korça is the city where the largest carnival in Albania is organized, taking place before Orthodox Easter.

Continue onto Pogradec on the shores of Lake Ohrid. The city of Pogradec was built on the southwestern shores of Lake Ohrid and is one of the most notable cities of Albania for its tradition in hosting “family tourism” and for the pleasant, fresh climate during the summer season. The city of Pogradec was settled in the Neolithic period, and it later became home to the Illyrian Enkelejd and Desaret clans, who built the Castle of Pogradec on a hill at 870 m above sea level. Then we will visit Lake Ohride. The tectonic lake is four million years old and is the deepest of its kind in the Balkans, reaching a maximum depth of 285 meters. The lake environment is a natural habitat for a variety of old flora and fauna. Lake Ohrid is part of the Natural and Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO. Don’t miss the Koran fish specialty (Tavë Korani) which order also the queen Elisabeth II of United Kingdom .

After breakfast drive to the capital Tirana but first we will stop for a short visit to the city of Elbasan. The city of Elbasan is represented by the castle, where you can still admire the old city walls, built on the ruins of the Roman and Byzantine fortifications by the sovereign Ottoman Mehmet II, which gave the city the name of Eli-Bashan.

We drive to Tirana and we will visit of the major sites of Tirana, including the colorful buildings. The tour start from Skanderbeg Square and National Museum, then you continue to see other important buildings: Palace of Culture, Opera House, National Library, Mosque of Ethem Bey, the Clock Tower, Tirana Castle, Parliament, Ura e Tabakeve, National Art Gallery, mean government buildings, catholic and orthodox cathedrals, the Pyramid, Prime Minister building, Palace of congresses, Mother Teresa Square, Bunk’Art , Presidential palace, Ex-Blloku (which used to be the most beautiful and protected zone were the ex-communist leaders families lived). Visit the Cold War corner (one Bunker, part of famous Spac Political Prison, and a piece from Berlin Wall). Overnight in Tirana.

After breakfast we drive to Kruja - the centre of Albanian resistance against the Turks under our National Hero Scanderbeg. He kept them from crossing into Western Europe for 25 years, thus earning the title “Champion of Christ” given by the Pope of the time. We visit the Skanderbeg Museum, a very rich Ethnographic Museum and the Old Bazaar where the best handmade souvenirs can be purchase.

Afterwards 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. 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. We visit the Castle and the Onufri Museum. Overnight in Berat.

After breakfast we finish Berat visits and depart for the archaeological site of Apollonia one of the most important ancient centres in Roman times on the famous Via Egnatia. Due to its fame and importance it was known as Apollonia Prima built to honour Apollo. Caesar chose to send his nephew Augustus Octavian to study oratory in Apollonia which is testimony to the importance of this ancient city. Visit the city and an Orthodox monastery turned into an archaeological museum.

In the afternoon, we reach Vlora, where Albanians claimed independence from Ottomans in 1912 and visit the Museum of Independence and then we will visit the Zvernec Monastery. Overnight in Vlora.

After breakfast continue through the spectacular Albanian Riviera with its traditional villages. At the Llogara National Park we stop at around 1100 meters where spectacular views of the Ionian Sea and on the way to Saranda we will stop to visit Ali Pasha Castle, one of the best spot in Albania.

Afterwards continue along the wonderful coast past Saranda to reach the ancient city of Butrint another UNESCO World Heritage considered the best archaeological site in Albania and probably one of the most important in the Balkans. The city was first settled by Greek colonists and was continuously inhabited for centuries forming archaeological layers of passing civilizations, giving archaeologists the possibility to study continuity through time. The site has been occupied since at least the 8th century BC, although myths associated with its origins speak of the city’s foundation by Trojan exiles. After the visits return to Saranda for overnight.

Sarandë is a resort on the Albanian Riviera, in southern Albania. Sandwiched between the Ionian Sea and hills of olive groves, the town is on a horseshoe-shaped bay, edged by beaches and a promenade. In the center are the archaeological remains of a 5th-century synagogue, later an early Christian basilica. Intricate floor mosaics are still evident. The 16th-century Lëkurësi Castle is on a hilltop above the town.

After early breakfast our guide will accompany you to the port to take the ferry to Corfu.