10-Day Albania and Montenegro Heritage Tour with UNESCO Sites

• Meet your guide at the airport and head to the hotel.
• Check in to the hotel and freshen up.
• Start the sightseeing tour of Tirana and visit Skanderbeg Square, the largest square in Europe.
• See the Et'hem Bey Mosque, Skanderbeg Monument, the Opera House, and the Clock Tower.
• Continue to the Pyramid monument and Bunk Art Museum.
• Discover the government buildings, the main boulevard, and Mother Teresa Square.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Tirana.

• Rise early in the morning and, after breakfast, start the journey south through the Albanian countryside.
• Visit the lovely Ardenica Monastery, a precious relic dating back to the 13th century, when religion was dominant in the country, and where the national hero, Skanderbeg, married in 1451.
• Drive to the ancient site of Apollonia, set among rolling hills with lovely views in all directions. It is a wonderful blend of history and nature.
• Arrive in Vlora, where Albanians declared independence from the Ottomans in 1912.
• Explore the Museum of Independence and then visit the Zvernec Monastery.

Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Vlora.

• Rise early in the morning and, after breakfast, start the picturesque journey to the beautiful Albanian Riviera, high across the Llogara Pass.
• Stop by the sea at Himare before continuing to the well-preserved Ali Pasha Castle at Porto Palermo.
• Drive to Saranda, the unofficial capital of the Albanian Riviera, known for its busy beaches and amazing nightlife along the lively seaside promenade.

Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Saranda.

• Rise early in the morning and, after breakfast, drive to the wonderful classical site of Butrint, a Greek colony, a Roman city, and a bishopric that has been inhabited since prehistoric times.
• Pass through the hills to the UNESCO town of Gjirokastra, with an en-route stop at the famous "Blue Eye," an exquisitely colorful pool and source of fresh water.
• Arrive in Gjirokastra, known by locals as "The Stone City," in southern Albania.
• Visit the medieval bazaar and the Ottoman-style houses in the old part of town.
• See artisan women making handmade doilies, carving wood or silver, and other guild shops along the suburb's narrow cobbled stone streets.
• Discover Gjirokastra Castle, one of the most beautiful castles in Albania.
• Continue to the Skenduli House, built around the year 1700.

Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Gjirokastra.

• Rise early in the morning and, after breakfast, drive to the historic city of Berat, known as "The City of One Thousand Windows."
• See the remarkable collection of fine traditional Ottoman-style houses.
• Discover the city's three major neighborhoods - Mangalemi, Gorica, and Kala.
• Visit the castle and the Onufri Museum of Iconography, which displays artworks by the renowned fresco and icon painter Onufri.
• Explore the Cathedral of St. Mary's Assumption, the Red Mosque, and St. Trinity Church.
• Cross the Osumi River and proceed to the Gorica neighborhood to see the arched Gorica Bridge, built in 1780.

Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Berat.

• Rise early in the morning and, after breakfast, drive to the historic city of Durres, an ancient Albanian capital.
• Discover the impressive Roman amphitheater and the archaeological museum.
• Continue to Shkodra, the center of Roman Catholicism in Albania and a town with deep historical roots.
• Explore the former capital of the Illyrian Kingdom and visit Rozafa Castle, the colorful pedestrian area with its Italian influences, the Venetian Masks Factory, and the Catholic cathedral.

Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Shkodra.

• Rise early in the morning and, after breakfast, drive to Ulcinj to see an ancient fortress and an archaeological museum.
• Continue to Budva, passing through the picturesque town of Petrovac.
• Arrive in Budva and explore its old town and the famous island of Sveti Stefan.

Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Budva.

• Rise early in the morning and, after breakfast, drive to Perast, a picturesque town in Montenegro known for its 16 churches and 17 grand palazzos.
• Visit Our Lady of the Rocks, one of the two gorgeous islands in the Bay of Boka Kotorska.
• Continue to the island of Sveti Djordje, called "the island of the dead captains" by the locals.
• Move on to Cetinje, a cultural and historical gem of Montenegro, where you will see the Royal Palace of King Nikola II and the Monastery of St. Petar.
• Arrive in Kotor and check in at the hotel.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Kotor.

• Rise early in the morning and, after breakfast, drive to Kruja, the center of Albanian resistance against the Ottomans, where the national hero Skanderbeg continuously defeated and resisted them for 25 years.
• Visit the castle, the Skanderbeg Museum, and the old bazaar.

Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Kruja.

• Rise early in the morning and, after breakfast, drive to Tirana.
• Arrive at Tirana Airport.

End of the tour.