7-Day Albania Heritage Tour from Tirana with UNESCO Sites

• Pick up at Tirana airport and transfer to the hotel.

• Visit the Clock Tower (Kulla e Sahatit) in Scanderbeg Square. Positioned in the city centre, this tower has become a symbol of Tirana. It is one of the oldest constructions in the city, built in 1820.

• Next, see the Et'hem Bey Mosque, considered one of the most beautiful mosques in Albania, with very interesting decorations and artwork inside.

• Visit the National History Museum, the main museum in Tirana, easily recognizable because of the giant mosaic on top of its front facade.

• Explore the National Art Gallery, the National Archaeological Museum of Albania, the Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral, and Saint Paul Catholic Cathedral.

• See Bunkart, a bunker transformed into an art gallery, with many corridors full of artworks to admire.

• Next, visit Blloku (The Block), where you can find some of Tirana's best cafés, shops, and restaurants among the apartment blocks. This is also the area where the villa of the former dictator, Enver Hoxha, is located.

• Have coffee or relax while watching the parade of trendy and elegant people in the Block.

Overnight in Tirana.

• After breakfast, drive to Shkodra, the most important town in north Albania and the Illyrian capital in the 3rd century BC.

• See the Kalaja/Rozafa Fortress, 2 km southwest of Shkodra near the southern end of Lake Shkodra. It was founded by the Illyrians and later rebuilt by the Venetians and the Ottomans.

• Next, visit the renovated Shkodra Historical Museum. Bring a torch and go exploring. There are amazing views from the highest point.

• Also visit Ebu Beker Mosque, Shkodër Cathedral, Shkodër Orthodox Cathedral, Mesi Bridge, an Ottoman-style bridge, the nearby Drishti Castle, and the Museum of Memory.

• Later, proceed to Kruja, the centre of Albanian resistance against the Turks under its national hero, Scanderbeg.

• Visit the Scanderbeg Museum, the Kruja Ethnographic Museum, located next to the castle in an old Ottoman house full of furniture and artifacts, and the old bazaar.

• Return to Tirana for a gourmet dinner.

Overnight in Tirana.

• After breakfast, depart for Vlora.

• On the way, stop at the Monastery of Ardenica, which is believed to have been built in the Middle Ages.

• Inside the church, admire icon paintings from 1743-1745 by Albanian artists such as Konstandin and Athanos Zografi and Konstandin Shpataraku.

• Proceed to the ancient city of Apollonia, a UNESCO World Heritage site located on the famous Via Egnatia, one of the most important cities in Roman times.

• Afterwards, continue to Vlora to visit the Independence Museum, situated in the original house where the first independent Albanian Government had its offices.

Afternoon and evening at leisure.

Overnight in Vlora.

• After an early breakfast, depart for Saranda.

• Drive along the spectacular Albanian Riviera, looking down at the Ionian Sea. Enjoy the breathtaking scenery at the Llogara Pass, 1000 m above sea level.

• Continue to Saranda and make a short stop at the Lekuresi Fortress for beautiful views of the bay of Saranda and the island of Corfu.

• Visit the village of Ksamili, which has a beautiful beach with several small islands where one can swim. Ksamil is now heavily developed, with a large number of part-completed properties.

• Next, visit the ancient city of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage site that flourished through the Greek, Roman, bishopric, and Byzantine periods. The city was finally abandoned during the Middle Ages, perhaps due to the surrounding marshland and a subsequent malaria epidemic.

• The current archaeological site includes an impressive Roman amphitheatre, a Byzantine Basilica - the largest in the world after Hagia Sophia in Istanbul - a Roman temple with a mosaic floor, a beautifully carved lion's gate, and numerous constructions built throughout different periods.

• Return to Saranda.

Overnight in Saranda.

• After an early breakfast, drive to Berat.

• On the way, stop in Gjirokastra, a UNESCO site and museum town with beautiful and very distinct architecture. It is also known as The Stone Town.

• Visit Gjirokastra Castle and the Armaments Museum.

• Explore the Gjirokaster National Folk Festival site, a prison, and numerous chambers, some in ruins and open to exploration.

• A second museum gallery, the Zenebishi Gallery, features occasional free art exhibits. Underneath the castle is the recently discovered underground bunker built during the Cold War.

• Visit the Ethnographic Museum and Enver Hoxha's house, a well-restored Ottoman house displaying clothing, kitchenware, tools, and other cultural artifacts.

• See the old Bazaar and historic Ottoman homes. Several of the houses are at various stages of restoration and are open to the public. Traditional houses include Cabej House, Kadare House, Topulli House, and Skenduli House. The Bazaar itself has recently undergone cleaning and exterior restoration as part of the government's revitalization plan.

• See the Zekate House, located in the historic Palorto quarter of the city and the most visited of Gjirokastër's monumental stone houses.

• Later, see Saint Sotira Church, located in the Old Bazaar quarter.

• See Gjirokaster Mosque, located in the old Bazaar, a true testimony to the communist religious ban in Albania.

• After the visit, stop for lunch close to Tepelenë (optional) amid beautiful scenery on the way to Berat.

• Check in at the hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure to explore Berat.

Overnight stay in Berat in houses turned into boutique hotels of the same standard.

• Berat was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 and is known as the "town of a thousand windows".

• Visit the Kala, a castle primarily built in the 13th century, though its origins date back to the 4th century BC. The citadel is still inhabited and contains many churches. Reaching the Kala requires a steep walk up a cobbled path.

• Visit the Onufri Iconography Museum, located within the Kala on the site of a Dormition Cathedral. It features vivid iconography works by the famous 16th-century painter Onufri and others. The museum also holds artifacts gathered from nearby churches and other places around Albania.

• See the Berat Ethnographic Museum, located in a traditional house on the way up to the castle. It features traditional local furniture and household utensils.

• See the old town areas - Mangalem north of the river and Gorica south of the river - as well as numerous Byzantine churches dating from the 13th century and several mosques from the Ottoman era, starting from 1417.

• Later, depart for Durres, one of the oldest cities in Albania, founded in 627 BC, and one of its most important cities, and have lunch (optional).

• See the Durres Amphitheater, the biggest in the Balkans, featuring renovated iconography works.

• Explore the ancient city wall and the Medieval Hammam.

• Visit the Venetian Tower (Rotonda), a circular tower built in the 16th century in the city centre, with a restaurant on top.

• Visit the Archaeological Museum, featuring archaeological artifacts found in and around the area.

Overnight in Durres.

• After breakfast, enjoy free time to explore the city until the time of transfer to the airport.

End of the tour.