This tour will bring the group in 10 days to visit Albania, the best sites of Fyr Macedonia and northern Greece.
Tirana
The tour will start from Tirana that has been considered as a cross between Istanbul and Naples with a pinch of Minsk. After visiting Tirana with its huge boulevards and its National Historical Museum the journey will continue toward the border with Macedonia to reach the city of Ohrid. On the way to the border we will pass trough the city of Elbasan, where we will stop to visit the ancient city walls and the quarter with the so called King’s Mosque and the Saint Mary Orthodox Church.
Ohrid
Ohrid city rises on a sublime lakeside point. The uniqueness of Lake Ohrid and the city’s historical architecture has been attested by UNESCO. Before reaching Ohrid will be a visit in the monastery of St. Naum. The tour will continue from Ohrid to Skopje the capital of Fyr Macedonia.
Skopje
Skopje is an amazing city. The center is always under constant development since the big earthquake of 1963. Of particular interest is the new “Macedonia Square” with its huge golden statue of Alexander the Great surrounded by all the historic personages, national heroes and patriotic persons, displayed in statues of different dimensions.
Bitola
The next visit from Skopje is the city of Bitola. The stately old architecture of Bitola goes back to more than a century ago when the town was a center for international diplomats to the Ottoman administration. Next to the city of Bitola will be a visit to the ruins of the ancient city of Heraclea. The tour will continue to Greece.
Meteora
The first visit in Greece will be the monasteries of Meteora that looks like suspended in the air. Twenty-four of these monasteries were built, despite incredible difficulties. These monasteries represent a unique artistic achievement and are one of the most powerful examples of the architectural transformation of a site into a place of retreat, meditation and prayer. After the visits in Meteora the tour will continue to the city of Ioannina where we will visit the historical centre will the Castle of Ali Pasha and its Grave.
Gjirokaster
After this visit the tour will enter in Albania where will be visited the so called Stone City of Gjirokaster. An UNESCO World Heritage Site that comprises hundreds of Ottoman-style tower houses with distinctive stone roofs, wooden balconies and whitewashed stone walls. The entire city is dominated by the sheer flanks of its vast castle. After Gjirokastra, will be visit another UNESCO site next to the costal town of Saranda.
Butrint
Butrint is a National park that includes a very well preserved archaeological area, an uncontaminated vegetation area of Mediterranean maquis, and has also a lake that is connected to the Ionian Sea by a natural channel. By the V century BC Butrint has got the full form of an ancient city, but now the wetlands around the lake and the city are shelter for different animals and aquatic species in danger of extinction. After Butrint the tour will continue along the so called Albanian Ionian Riviera.
Berat
Dubbed by some as “the last secret of Europe”, boasting stunning Mediterranean beaches of the Ionian coast. This panoramic road will bring to the city of Berat also known as “The town of a Thousand windows” due to the many large buildings that decorate the houses of the old town. The town is still renowned for its historic architecture and particular beauty and is declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Once the visits in Berat are finished the tour will be moving to the city of Durres, the biggest port of Albania.
Some important archeological monuments that testify the glorious past of the city during different periods: The ancient city walls, the roman amphitheater and baths, the byzantine forum, the Venetian tower, the ottoman hamam.
Tirana
Tirana has been considered as a cross between Istanbul and Naples with a pinch of Minsk is the next stop. After visiting Tirana with its huge boulevard and its National Historical Museum, it’s time to get back home but not without visiting the town of Kruja, a tourist attraction alongside a panoramic mountainside location. “Kruja is a strange town, all clustered around its bazaar.” Some of the main points of interests include the restored Castle and Citadel that it is tied to the legend of the hero who fought against the Turks for about 25 years.
