8-Day Balkan Heritage Tour through Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia

• We welcome you at Pristina Airport and transfer you to Prizren for your overnight stay.

Overnight at Hotel Kacinari Prizren 4* or similar.

Clarification: If your arrival flight is in the evening, the itinerary will remain as it is. If your arrival flight is in the morning and your return flight is also in the morning, the last day will be shifted to the first day.

• After breakfast, we continue to the Monastery complex of Decan, part of Kosovo's UNESCO monuments. It is considered the largest medieval church in the Balkans and contains beautifully preserved fresco decorations.
• Continue to visit the Patriarchate of Peja, constructed in the 13th century. It is composed of three small churches with beautiful frescoes. The complex of churches, for the architectural and cultural values it represents, is part of UNESCO.
• After these visits, we drive back to Prizren, which is known for its arts and crafts, something that becomes obvious as soon as you approach the centre, with cobblestone streets, beautifully crafted shops, bars, and restaurants built in typical Ottoman architecture. We also see the Stone Bridge and the museum dedicated to the League of Prizren, an Albanian political organization founded on January 5, 1877, and officially formed on June 18, 1878. The League's main scope was the protection of the rights of the Albanian nation during the breakup of the Ottoman Empire. It was a crucial step in raising Albanian national awareness and paving the way to Albania's Independence in 1912. The Mosque of Sinan Pasha, built in 1615, is also an interesting monument.
• Welcome dinner in a traditional restaurant in Prizren. Overnight at Hotel Kacinari Prizren 4* or similar.

• After breakfast, we drive to Gjakova, a town offering an old quarter called Çarshi, full of old houses, shops, bars, and the 16th-century Hadum Aga Mosque.
• Continue on to the Fierza ferry terminal, where you will take the ferry to Koman on the lake with the same name. This magnificent two-hour ride reveals the beauty of high-pointed mountains falling sharply into the waters of the artificial lake, whose opal-green waters form a natural panorama that will leave you gasping for air.
• After this spectacle of nature, drive to Albania's vibrant capital, Tirana, where we will have a traditional Albanian dinner and spend the night.

Hotel Oxford 4* or similar.

• After breakfast, take a driven tour of the major monuments and visit the National History Museum, which offers a great introduction to Albania and its people.
• Proceed to Berat, one of the most visited and characteristic towns in Albania, protected by UNESCO as part of humanity's heritage for its architectural uniqueness.
• We visit the Castle, the Onufri Museum, and the Ethnographic Museum. Berat Castle is of particular interest because people still live within its walls in their traditional houses, as their ancestors have done for centuries. The castle once had over 40 churches, of which 7 still remain, including St. Mary's Church, which was turned into the Onufri Museum. Onufri was a famous Albanian icon master painter of the 16th century who painted many Orthodox churches in Albania and Greece, using a special red colour.
• After the planned visit, return to Tirana for the overnight stay.

Hotel Oxford 4* or similar.

• After breakfast, depart for the city of Ohrid in neighbouring Macedonia.
• On the way, we drive through rural villages with incredible countryside landscapes.
• We stop at Elbasan for a short break.
• Afterwards, proceed to Ohrid, proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage area for its cultural and natural legacy.
• Visits include Saint Sophia, Plaoshnik, Saint Panteleimon Church, and the Holy Virgin of Peribleptos Church, as well as a scenic boat trip to enjoy the best view of the city of Ohrid and Ohrid Lake.
• After that, we visit the Old Bazaar.

Overnight in Ohrid at Hotel Sky Corner 4* or similar. This evening, we will have a Macedonian welcome dinner.

• After breakfast, we transfer to the famous Popova Kula Winery, just west of Demir Kapija on the slopes of Veliko Brdo (the Grand Hill).
• On the road, we stop to visit the Stobi archaeological site, the most crucial excavation in Macedonia. This crossroads of ancient civilizations has left a rich legacy of antique theatres, palace ruins, brightly coloured mosaics, and religious relics for visitors to enjoy today. The city of Stobi is first mentioned in documents from the 2nd century B.C.
• However, archaeologists believe the town had been inhabited at least 400 years earlier. Stobi became a prosperous city due to its location at the crossroads of important trade routes. Popova Kula Winery is undoubtedly one of the success stories of Macedonian viticulture.
• Here, it is sometimes possible to taste wine varieties directly from the fermentation tanks, such as Stanushina, a local grape variety found only in the Tikves region, as well as Temjanika, Zilavka, and Vranac, which grew in the territories of the former Yugoslavia. We will enjoy a wine-tasting degustation at Popova Kula.
• Then drive to Skopje, a modern political, economic, and cultural centre. We will visit the memorial house of Mother Teresa (Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, born in Skopje in 1910), Macedonia Square with numerous monuments such as the monumental statue of Alexander the Great, the Stone Bridge, and the Old Bazaar. Overnight in Skopje at Sulltan Hotel 4* or similar.

• After breakfast, we drive to Pristina. On the road, we stop at Matka Canyon, situated close to the capital, Skopje, around one of the oldest artificial lakes in Macedonia. Spreading over 5,000 hectares, it is one of the most popular natural destinations for nature lovers and is also referred to as the Butterfly Canyon. Vrelo Cave, located on the right bank of the Treska River, was listed as one of the top 77 natural sites in the world in the New7Wonders of Nature project and reached the semi-finals. Vrelo Cave has many stalactites and two lakes, making this an exciting site. Though the exact depth of the cave is unknown, some speculate that it could be one of the deepest underwater caves in the world.
• Afterwards, we drive to Gadime Cave, a karst limestone cave called Marble Cave. It was discovered by chance by a villager cutting stone in 1966 and remains largely unexplored. After that, we proceed to the ancient remains of Ulpiana, a Roman town in the province of Dardania, home to the Illyrian tribe of Dardanoi, also known as Justiniana Secunda, which has been unearthed as testimony to Kosovo's ancient past.
• Just nearby is Gracanica Monastery, a beautifully preserved Orthodox church of Byzantine architecture founded by King Stefan Milutin in 1321, which is part of the Kosovo Medieval Monuments protected by UNESCO. After this, we visit the Battle of Kosovo monument, dedicated to the battle of 1389 between Balkan Alliance forces led by Prince Lazar and an Ottoman army led by Sultan Murad I. The battle was fierce, and both leaders of the armies were killed in battle.
• Then continue to visit the monument and the Tomb of Sultan Murad I. Proceed to Prishtina, where we check in and stay overnight.

Hotel Parlament 4* or similar.

• After breakfast, we start with a walking tour of Pristina, exploring its main attractions, including the National Library, Mother Teresa Cathedral, the "New Born" monument, which is becoming the symbol of this new state, the main pedestrian area known as Mother Teresa Boulevard, the Mother Teresa monument, and the Monument of Scanderbeg (Albanian National Hero), as well as Kosovo Government buildings.
• Just close by, we have the old part of Pristina, starting with the Brotherhood monument, constructed during Yugoslav times, the National Museum, the Clock Tower, and the Imperial Mosque, probably the most beautiful of them all, being the Fatih Mosque dating back to 1460 during the golden era of Sultan Mehmet II. Its huge domed ceiling crowns a splendidly painted floral interior of Arabesque design.
• Our services end after your transfer to Pristina International Airport according to your flight schedule.