Program Albania & Macedonia invites everyone to discover a land brimming with stunning scenery, rich cultural traditions, historical sites, treasure-filled museums, extraordinary architecture and legendary folklore. You will have the chance to meet local people who will stick on your mind for their warm and friendly approach.
Arrival to Skopje Airport, meeting with our guide. Tour of Skopje, 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. We will spend some time in the old town visiting the Daud Pasha baths, the imposing Mustafa Pasha Mosque or the bustling old market area. Transfer to Bitola. Dinner and overnight in Hotel.
Breakfast in hotel. Bitola is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational Centre of the Republic of Macedonia. Walking tour of HERAKLEA - Famous for its dazzling mosaics, ancient theatre and Roman baths, Heraclea is the most vividly preserved city from the Ancient Macedonian Empire surviving in the country. Free time for lunch.
Transfer to Ohrid. classified as a UNESCO`s World Cultural Heritage site. The sightseeing tour includes the church of St Sofia (11th century), the most eminent medieval monument in Macedonia with magnificent Byzantine fresco paintings, St Clément’s Church with its icon of Annunciation. Free time or optional boat ride to St. Naum Monastery. Accommodation and overnight in Ohrid.
Breakfast in hotel. Transfer to Berat, UNESCO Heritage Site, called the "city of a thousand windows", divided into an "upper town" of 14th century origin, rich in Byzantine churches; and a "low town". adorned with numerous ancient mosques. Its famous districts are the Castle, Mangalemi, and Gorica. Even today, its citadel is inhabited by more than a thousand families. There are countless places of interest in and around the Castle, including early Christian churches, the Cathedral of Santa Maria, and the many mosques built in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. Dinner and overnight in Hotel.
Transfer to the ancient city of Gjirokaster, UNESCO Heritage Site. Many houses in Gjirokaster have a local distinctive style with roofs covered in stone slabs, giving it the nickname "City of Stones". Of great importance and interest are the castle, the Museum of Arms, the Ethnographic Museum – also known as Enver Hoxha’s home – and the home of the Zekate family, an important Gjirokaster family. Free time for lunch. 16:00 - 17:00 Transfer to Saranda, stopping on the way to visit a “Blue Eye, a naturalistic site. Accommodation and overnight in Ksamil (10 km from Saranda).
Breakfast in Hotel. Free time to enjoy the seaside. In the afternoon transfer to the archaeological park of Butrint mentioned by Virgil in the Eneid. The city is located across the sea from the Greek island of Corfu, and is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Mediterranean, declared "World Heritage" by UNESCO. The city retains Greek ruins; imposing Roman monuments; an early Christian Church and an Ottoman fort. Butrint has been inhabited almost continuously, from the 8th century B.C. and played an important role in the first Peloponnesian War. Hotel accommodation and overnight in a 4* Hotel in Ksamil (10 km from Saranda)
Trasfert to Durres, one of the most ancient cities in Albania, which has the largest port in the country and is the second largest industrial center after Tirana. Durres is located on a small peninsula on the Adriatic coast. The city was colonized by the Greeks in 627 B.C. and was named Epidamnos, later becoming known as Dyrrachium. From the Venetian Tower near the harbor, the medieval city walls take you to the Roman amphitheatre (capacity 15,000 spectators), the largest in the Balkans, dating back to the 2nd century B.C. The amphitheatre contains a Christian crypt with a rare mosaic. Durres has Roman and Byzantine ruins. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon transfer to Tirana, capital city of Albania. Free time. Dinner and overnight in 4* hotel in City Center .
Breakfast in hotel. Explore the capital city of Albania, including some of the historical highlights, as city centre, Skenderbeg Statue, Et’hem Bey Mosque, Clock Tower and expansion of city Tirana, Bunker Art and the National Museum. Free time for lunch. Dinner and overnight in hotel in a 4* Hotel in city center.
Breakfast in hotel. Transfer to airport. End of our services.