THE BALKANS TOUR

Landing at the Tirana "Mother Theresa" international airport. There, you will be greeted and guided to your hotel.

Let's hit the road towards the amazing "Bay of Kotor". A stupendous nature and a beautiful venetian-style town gave to this place the classification as World Heritage. After discovering Kotor, we will head to the seaside town of Budva. Along the same architectural ligns, the old town of Budva provides many terrases and small restaurant that are worth the stop.

Overnight stay in Budva.

The black firs that gave its name to Montenegro surround the lake here and offer a lovely panorama. After a walk in the Biogradska National Park, we will head to the hotel to have some rest and find direct contact with the local nature.

Overnight stay in Kolasin.

The splendid orthodox monastery of Peje is a piece of art that fully deserves its classification as a World Heritage. Both the frescoes decorating its walls and its history are worth the visit. In the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the local daily life by visiting the small town of Peje. 

Overnight stay in Peje.

Today we will visit one more orthodox monastery. As a matter of fact, the artisitic and historical value of these places of worship makes them a must-visit of our journey. After visiting the monastery, also classified as a World Heritage, we will head to Prizren, a typical town in Kosovo, displaying many mosques and churches. Visit of the town.

Overnight stay in Prizren.

Alexander the Great? Yes, indeed, we are talking about Macedonia, land of Alexander the Great. In Skopje, you will discover a town both ancient and modern, with on the one hand its long history, and on the other hand its recent monuments decorating the center of the macedonian capital city. Visit of the city.

Overnight stay in Skopje.

Ohrid holds many points of interest: a piece of the Via Egnatia going through the town, Cyril and Methodius - the first to ever create a theology University in slavonic languages for the Southern Slavs - , Saint Mary's church - one of the most important orthodox churches avec Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, do you need any more? Ohrid is an Ottoman style town, facing one the deepest lakes in the World. Here are the wealth of this town.

Overnight stay in Ohrid

Short stop in the lacustrine village of Tushemisht. The movie "The lady from the town" (known by every generations of Albanians) was filmed in this village. You will learn more about this story by visiting the village.

Then, we will head to Korça, francophile town hosting a beautiful museum of medieval art, famous for its orthodox icons. Korça used to be a major town under the Albanian patriotic renaissance. 

The love serenades, typical of the town, will liven up your nights.

Overnight stay in Korça.

The city of stone will reveal the wealth for which it got classified as UNESCO World Heritage. Ismail Kadare's work "The fall of the stone city" will give you more details about the author's hometown. Actually, his house even became a museum. Paradoxically, Enver Hoxha, the communist dictator, also comes from this town.  Visit of one of the typical houses of Gjirokastra, and of its beautiful fortress.

Accomodation in a charming hotel, respecting the traditional architectural style of the town.

Butrint National Park is one of the wonders of the World. First Albanian site to become UNESCO classified, Butrint is a picturesque park. The monuments of this site offer a nice panorama of the passage of the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Venetians. The variety of the fauna and flora of the park, as well as it romantic landscape finish making this place seem like a piece of paradise.

Then, we will take the direction of Saranda, facing the greek island of Corfu. Saranda is a modern seaside town, with a lovely promenade along the sea.

The road towards the Riviera is surrounded by olive trees and typical small villages of this region of Albania. The show offered by the small turquoise coves of the Ionnian Sea becomes irresistible. The famous Ali Pacha of Tepelena had a castle built here, on a peninsula, in the middle of the blue. We will visit it in order to learn more about this story.

We will then take the road to Vlora. There, you will find a better understanding of the saying going like "Being proud like someone from Vlora" by visiting the town and its museum of Independance.

The Roman emperor Gaius Octavius studied in Apollonia of Illyria. The various monuments of this town: the odeon, the bouleuterion, the promenade, the monumental center, the archeological museum, and to finish te orthodox monastery inside the park, will have you immersed in the Antiquity lifestyle.

We will continue this day towards the city of 1001 windows, called Berat. It was listed by the UNESCO as a piece of World Heritage. The little streets of the "kala" quarter, and the museum of the famous XVIth peinter Onufri will give you some unforgettable memories.

And here we are, back in the capital city of Albania. With its brights colors and busy nightlife, Tirana is the nerve center of the country. By visiting the National Museum of History, you will have the opportunity to make a summary of the local history as well as your trip in Albania. Then, you will be able to visit all three must-see places of worship: the Et'hem Bey mosque, and the orthodox and catholic cathedrals. All three together will teach you more about the religious harmony prevailing in Albania.

One last nice coffee at the "Mother Theresa" airport before catching your flight and the one left thing to do is telling you ‘’Mirupafshim’’.