Albania & Montenegro Tour

Location: Tirana

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Green House Hotel or similar

Meals: Dinner

Airport pick-up service available throughout the day (included). Welcome to Albania! Transfer to Tirana and settle in to your hotel. For those of you not too tired, there is a guided walking tour of the city center, including Skanderbeg Square, Et’hem Bey Mosque, the Pyramid and the Blloku area. Then, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner.

Location: Berat, RESTORANT ROSHNIKU (slow food)

Accommodation: Hotel, Included entrances: Castle Onufri museum

Accommodation Name: Mangalemi Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Wine Tasting

Transfer to Berat passing through suggestive hills full of olive trees. Get settled in the hotel and head out for a guided tour with the local guide admiring the citadel / castle of Berat with the Red Mosque, recognized by its solitary minaret. The White Mosque, the Church of the Holy Trinity and the arched bridge of Gorica, built in 1780 are the other attractions that await you after the Castle. Step in the Onufri National Iconographic Museum, built in 1986. The Museum’s name honours the Albanian master painter of the 16th century, Onufri, who is responsible for a rich legacy of iconography in the country. The museum contains an immense collection of one-hundred and seventy-three select objects from Albanian churches and monasteries. Enjoy free time for lunch with the city as the view and wander in the two main districts of Mangalem and Gorica. This afternoon, head to Roshnik wine region and visit Alpeta Winery. The tour of the facilities includes a complete view of the process of vinification and detailed explanations by a member of the family. Follow him on a short walk through the vineyard to see "Pules" and "Merlot" grapes that are used to create the winery’s signature red and white wines. After the visit to the cellar and vineyard, sampe some of the wines and raki, and exchange stories with a member of the Alpeta family while enjoying a variety of homemade Albanian cheeses and locally grown olives. Return in Berat for a free evening.

Location: Gjirokaster, Sarandë, Blue Eye

Accommodation: Hotel, Included entrances: Castle of Gjirokaster Skenduli House

Accommodation Name: Titania Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Transfer to Gjirokaster to discover the city of “a thousand steps”. - Soak up to the rich history of the castle and enjoy the view of the “city of stone” from above. - Pass by the Ottoman Bazaar and historic wooden houses and visit Gjirokastra Obelisk dedicated to the first school of Gjirokastra and enjoy the 360º view from there. Stop for lunch in a small, local restaurant for a taste of the city’s authentic dishes. - Step into Skenduli house, the nicest Ottoman tower house and listen to its history and details from the 10th generation of Skenduli family. Travel to the Blue Eye and marvel at the spring’s shades of blue and nature around it, before reaching Saranda in the late afternoon.

Location: Butrint National Park, Ksamil Islands, Sarandë

Accommodation: Hotel, Included entrances: Archaeological Park of Butrint, Guide with an expert guide

Accommodation Name: Titania Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast

Transfer to Butrint for a guided tour of the Unesco Archaeological site where a local guided explains 2500 years of history embedded in the Amphitheater, the Castle, the Churches and the Lion’s Gate. Set off for a beach day at Ksamil Islands where you will have them to explore, swim, sunbathe and enjoy food and drinks at small cafés and restaurants on the Islands. Spend your afternoon in Ksamil and on the way back to Saranda visit the Lekursi Castle overseeing the city.

Location: Porto Palermo, Llogara National Park, Durrës

Accommodation: Hotel, Included entrances: Ali Pasha Castle

Accommodation Name: Bel Conte Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Head to Porto Palermo and explore the Ali Pasha Castle with your Tour Director. – Marvel at the architecture and listen to entertaining legends about the man who build it, Ali Pashe Tepelena. En route to Durres, stop at Llogara “balcony” for a stunning view from above of the South Coast beaches and then head for lunch to Llogara National Park freshened by the mountain breeze and pine trees.

Location: Krujë District, Shiroka, Shkodër

Accommodation: Hotel, Included entrances: Museum of Skanderbeg Ethnographic Museum Rozafa Fortress

Accommodation Name: Tradita Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast

We start our journey from Durres, directly to the city of Kruja. Set off on a guided tour of Dollma Bektashi Teqe, the surroundings and the Castle itself, the Skanderbeg Museum and the National Ethnographic Museum. You will have planty of free time for lunch and to wander around the Old Bazaar, with beautiful cobblestone alleys and lovely old architecture. En route to Shkodra, a small city situated at the foot of the Albania Alps, stop and visit the hilltop Rozafa Castle. Enjoy its amazing views and the fortress’s fascinating history. Get settled in the hotel in Shkoder and experience the Old Town, St. Stephen’s Catholic Cathedral and the Ebu Bekr Mosque on a guided tour. Enjoy free time in the “Pedonalja”, the beating heart of Shkodra. Equipped with everything you need to relax, it’s a great street to wander around, shop and drink something.

Location: Koman, Shkodër

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Tradita Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Early morning transfer to Koman, where you will take a scenic boat ride passing by rocky mountains and vivid green hills towards Shala River, a hidden paradise called also the “Albanian Thailand”. Enjoy lunch with the view of the mirror river, the quietness of the mountains and nature around you. Leave this idyllic spot in the afternoon and transfer to the seaside city of Shkodra. Please note that if the water level of Shala River is very low, there will be a boat ride in Koman Lake instead and lunch on a lake-view restaurant.

Location: Podgorica, Virpazar, Budva

Accommodation: Hotel, Included entrances: Museums

Accommodation Name: Hotel BIP or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, with Wine tasting

En route to Budva, stop and visit the capital Podgorica: Explore Independence Square and the Roman Bridge, where the Moraca and Ribnica rivers converge. From the new capital we will make our to the old market town of Virpazar, where the whole country in the past came to trade. We drive towards Skadar lake natural park (UNESCO) and enjoy beautiful panoramas. Our tour continues with lunch and wine Tasting in a local family-run Winery. Continue along the Montenegro coast to Budva, paying a visit to the charming peninsula village of Sveti Stefan en route. Please note: Travelers should be prepared to show their passports at the border crossing between Albania and Montenegro.

Location: Kotor, Perast

Accommodation: Hotel, Included entrances: Museums

Accommodation Name: Hotel BIP or similar

Meals: Breakfast

Today we explore the beautiful city of Kotor on a guided walking tour. – Learn about the walled city’s history, architecture, culture, and cuisine from your guide. – Visit its most important historical monuments and buildings in town: Square of Arms, Bizanti Palace, Beskuca Palace, Pima Palace, St. Tryphon Cathedral, Maritime Museum, St Nicholas Church, Blessed Osanna Church as well as the north gate. Enjoy free time for lunch before boarding on the boat tour around the Bay of Kotor. Admire the panoramic views of the Bay of Kotor as you cruise on the boat. – Visit Our Lady of the Rock island and church and the peaceful town of Perat, in which the spirit of past times is truly felt. Explore the old town Perast with its many traditional palaces and churches built in the 16th century that still keep their authentic looks. Return to Budva in the late afternoon.

Location: Cetinje, Njeguši, Lovcen National Park

Accommodation: Hotel, Included entrances: Museums

Accommodation Name: Hotel BIP or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Meze-style lunch, Farewell

Visit Montenegro’s former capital of Cetinje, the lovely old town which was the Capital of Montenegro from the 15th century until 1918. This city is known as the Cetinje Old Royal Capital or the ‘Museum Town of Montenegro. Afterwards we head for our meze-style lunch to Njeguši through a spectacular mountain drive. A village best known as the birthplace of the Petrović dynasty, which ruled Montenegro from 1696 to 1918. The village is also known for its traditional folk architecture as well as its local forms of cheese and Njeguški prosciutto made solely in this area. Head for Lovcen National Park, where Njegos tomb’ is positioned at its top. Visit the tomb and admire the stunning views of the summits of Montenegro, Skadar lake, (the largest lake in the Balkans) with the Albanian Alps in the background as well as Cetinje, the Adriatic coast and Boka Kotorska Bay. Return to Budva for the last night on tour and in the evening gather with your group to celebrate your trip at a farewell dinner.

Location: Budva, Tirana

Meals: Breakfast

Depending on your flight back home, you can choose either to get your flight home from Montenegro or drive back to Tirana with your driver and Tour Leader without any additional cost.