Half Day Tour In “City Of Stone”
Description
If you are in Saranda, you should visit one of the most beautiful cities in Albania, which has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 2005. Gjirokastra is an open museum, a city that has broken every law of architecture with large fortified houses known as "small castles" or big towers". The houses represent the economic and social status of the Gjirokatra family, mainly in the Ottoman period, when Gjirokatra was an important administrative center of the empire. These three floors of the house were a competition between the landlords of that time; the bigger the house, the more powerful the owner. High mountains surround the city, and above the Drinos valley stands the fortress, one of the largest in the Balkans and one of the most remarkable monuments in Albania. The city is known for its educated and cultured people, and many of them have made national and international contributions in various political, social, and cultural fields. The cobblestone bazaar, with its beautiful mosaic in the heart of the old town, connects the five characteristic streets full of bars, authentic restaurants, souvenir shops, and artisans of stone and wood. Since 1968, the national folklore festival has been held in the castle, and the city is known as the city of festivals. Gjirokastra is known for its cuisine and traditional dishes that you will only find here.
Highlights
- Characteristic bazaar
- Castel
- Visit one of the most characteristic houses (Zekate or Skenduli house)
- Obelsisku
- Optional the visit of Cold War tunnel
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- Meet your guide and transfer to Gjirkaster after approximately 70 minutes of driving in an air-conditioned vehicle. We start our tour by visiting the castle. (We need 15 minutes to walk to reach the castle.) After that, we walk down and continue to visit one of the most beautiful houses in Gjirokaster, where you can understand the lifestyle of the families in this house in the past.
- Ultimately, you have over an hour and a half to enjoy the bazaar and try traditional food, or oshaf, a tipac dessert made with sheep milk, dry figs, and cinnamon.
In the end, we go back to Saranda.
What's Included
- English-speaking guide/driver
Transportation with comfortable a/c vehicle
- Guided tour of the city
What's Excluded
- Entrance fee
- Food
- Drinks
What to bring
- Hats
- Sneakers
- Water
Know before you go
- Driving for approximately three hours, going and coming back.
- We have to walk for 15 minutes to reach the castle.
Meeting Point
Saranda, Albania
Cancellation Policy
For cancellations upto 2 days before the tour -
Refund of 50% of the tour price.Price Details
Persons | |
1 To 1 | EUR 50 Per Person |
This is a private tour |