Albania Round Trip

7 days / Highlights: Shkoder - Durres - Apollonia - Berat - Vlora - Saranda

Travel itinerary

1. Day: Arrival Shkoder

Arrival in Shkodra and transfer to our hotel. Dinner and overnight.
(Airports Tirana or Podgorica are the nearest one)

2. Day: Shkoder – Kruje – Tirana – Durres

In the morning visit to the fortress of Shkodra, followed by a short boat trip on the largest lake in the Balkans, Lake Scutari. Afterwards, today we enjoy in the peace of the mountains in the holy city of Albania. In Kruje, Skanderbeg led an uprising against the Turkish occupying forces in the 15th century. Part of the rebuilt ruins of the castle now house the museum dedicated to the national hero and his deeds. After a stroll through the colorful bazaar we drive to the capital Tirana. Our sightseeing tour starts in the center of the lively metropolis at the square named after the national hero Skanderbeg, which is surrounded by the National Museum, City Hall, National Theatre, Ministries and National Bank. From here, the most important streets branch off in a star shape. In the evening we reach our hotel in Durres, dinner in a typical restaurant with music and then overnight.

3. Day: Durres – Apollonia – Berat – Vlora

Scattered all over the hill are the ruins of the ancient city of Apollonia. The fact that it was once a large and prosperous Greek colony with a four-kilometer-long city wall can only be guessed at today by the finds exhibited in the medieval Church of Our Lady. In the museum city of Berat we explore the castle quarter Kalaja. With its winding alleys, Ottoman houses and churches, it is the most beautiful and worth seeing part of the "white city". In the Onufri Museum we look at the valuable icons of the Albanian painter of the same name. In the evening we reach our hotel in the port city of Vlora. Dinner and overnight.

4. Day: Vlora - Gjirokaster – Saranda

On narrow roads, passing impressive mountain ranges, we reach the museum city of Gjirokaster, whose picturesque old town has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The heavy stone houses dating from the late 18th and first half of the 19th century is remarkably beautiful. In the lower part they look like fortified defensive castles, but the living areas on the upper floor are decorated with woodwork, balconies and windows. On cobbled streets we reach the castle, where we visit the Weapons Museum and the former prison. From here we have an excellent view of the city and the plain in front of it! In the evening we reach our hotel in Saranda. Dinner and overnight.

5. Day: Saranda – Butrint – Ksamil – Saranda

After the Roman poet Virgil, Butrint was a second Troy in small format. Due to its prominent location on a peninsula in a lagoon and its mineral-rich springs, Butrint developed into a spa and festival resort in ancient times. Stone witnesses in the ruins of the UNESCO World Heritage Site recall the Greek, Roman and Byzantine epochs. A large part of the ancient city is still hidden underground. On the way back to Saranda you stop in the picturesque village of Ksamil. Dinner and overnight in Saranda.

6. Day: Saranda – Durres

The Llogara Mountain is a watershed between the Adriatic Sea to the north and the Ionian Sea to the south. It crosses a western extension of the Ceraunian Mountains, which continues to follow the coast and ends in the Karaburun Peninsula. On curvy roads we drive through this mountain landscape towards the north. Quite often we can enjoy fantastic views over the sea up to Corfu. We reach Durres again. The amphitheater from the second century A.D. was discovered by chance in Durres during construction work in the 1960s. It once had room for 15.000 people. Today it stands surrounded by modern houses in the center of the country's most important port city. In the nearby archaeological museum, we dive into the past - here we see numerous ancient finds from Durres and the surrounding area. Hotel in Durres. Dinner and overnight.

7. Day: Departure

Transfer to the airport and departure.

Country information for tour