3-Days Cultural Cities & Saranda Tour

Day 1 Tirana - Berat - Gjirokaster

1. 1

   Skanderbeg Square

   2 hours

   In Tirana you will visit the main Boulevard in the center, the Gallery of Arts, the Skanderbeg square, the main Boulevard, the
   Mosque, the Bunker, the Pyramid, Mother Theresa square, blloku area which is also the most frequented area of the city, the national park of Tirana.

2. 2

   Durres

   2 hours

   Durrës was once – albeit briefly – Albania’s capital. It’s now virtually an extension of Tirana, joined to the capital by a ceaseless urban corridor full of hypermarkets and car dealerships. Blessed with a reasonable 10km stretch of beach, Durrës is pleasant – if rather built up – escape from Tirana and has a charmingly Mediterranean air once you get off the seafront, which can be very crowded, noisy and a bit tacky during the summer months. The town has a long and impressive history, and for international visitors, the main reason for coming to Durrës isn't for the beaches but for the interesting Roman amphitheater and superb archaeological museum.
   You will spend around 2 hours for Caffe and walking

3. 3

   National Gallery of Art

   30 min

   Tracing the relatively brief history of Albanian painting from the early 19th century to the present day, this beautiful space also holds temporary exhibitions. The interesting collection includes 19th-century paintings depicting scenes from daily Albanian life and others with a far more political dimension, including some truly fabulous examples of Albanian socialist realism. The entrance of the gallery is not always open, so if there are any exhibitions at the time of your visit you can enter inside the gallery

4. 4

   Blloku

   1 hour Admission ticket not included

   is an upmarket area in Tirana, Albania. It is widely known as an entertainment destination with its boutiques, shops, restaurants, trendy bars, pubs, and cafes. The area is part of the neighborhood of Tirana e Re in southwestern Tirana. During the peak summer months, its trendy bars transfer along the Albanian Riviera.
   It became very attractive after the fall of Communism in Albania because during the communist period it was a restricted residential area for the members of the Albanian politburo, ordinary Albanians would not be allowed in. On most maps it was unmarked. Blloku you can still find the residence of Albania’s communist leader Enver Hoxha.
   In blloku neighborhood, you will spend your free time for lunch or for Caffe

5. 5

   Enver Hoxha Pyramid

   15 min

   Designed by Enver Hoxha's daughter and son-in-law and completed in 1988, this monstrously unattractive building was formerly the Enver Hoxha Museum and more recently a convention centre and nightclub. Today, covered in graffiti and surrounded by the encampments of Tirana's homeless, its once-white marble walls are now crumbling, but no decision on whether to demolish or restore it has yet been reached.
   The pyramid is during our sightseeing and we will stop 10 minutes for explination

6. 6

   Xhamia Et'hem Bej

   15 min

   This is one interesting attraction located in the Skanderbeg square, This mosque is built during the 17 century and you will get the full history when you come for your visit,

7. 7

   Pazari i Ri

   1 hour

   The New Bazaar (Pazari i Ri), one of the oldest and most historical residential neighbourhood in the city of Tirana, has undergone renovation and re-invigoration of late. Many of the traditional elements of the old town have been preserved whilst the square has been refreshed with an updated and more modern look. The name derives from the local farmer’s marketplace situated at the center, where more than 300 farmers of the surrounding areas come to sell their fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, and spices to name but a few.
   You will spend here some free time if you would like to buy some typical Products

8. 8

   Berat Castle

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   Erected on top of a hill during the 4th century B.C., Berat Castle is as magnificent and elegant as it ever has been, and is the crown jewel of this glorious ancient city. Encircled by stone walls, with a total of twenty-four watchtowers, Berat Castle is certainly one of the most beautiful in Albania, if not the most beautiful of them all! Its ancient name, dating back to 216 B.C., is Antipatrea. The view from its fortified courtyard reveals, as it did thousands of years ago, the entire city of Berat, the Osum River, and the old bridge of Gorica. A trip to Berat would be incomplete without seeing this landscape from the heights of the castle. The solemnity of the entrance to the castle, a large gate built on giant rocks, leaves a strong first impression on each visitor who comes across it. Indeed, a short moment of silence is necessary to truly take in the magnificence of this fortress before entering.

9. 9

   Durres Amphitheatre

   30 min Admission ticket included

   The Amphitheater of Durrës remains one of the most majestic of the ancient world and one of ten most beautiful Roman amphitheaters. Widely recognized among enthusiasts of Antiquity, it is a pearl of the Balkans that is slowly making its way out of the shell. Discovered relatively recently, in 1966, its unearthing occurred in a slightly comical way by Vangjel Toçi. Legend has it that Vangjel, an archaeologist and resident of Durrës, happened upon a fig tree which had fallen a few meters below ground level. Curious and inquisitive, he insisted that the area undergo excavations. Rightly so, for underneath was lying the long sought-after Amphitheater.

Day 2 Gjirokaster - Sarande - Vlore

1. 1

   Gjirokastra Bazaar

   2 hours Admission ticket included

   The lovingly restored Ottoman-era Skenduli House has been in the hands of the same family for generations (apart from a few years during the communist period when the government took it over), and you'll most likely be shown around by a member of the family. Dating from the early 1700s, but partially rebuilt in 1827, the house has many fascinating features, including a room used only for wedding ceremonies and which has 15 windows, many with stained glass. You will visit the house with a guide.

2. 2

   Skenduli House

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   YThe lovingly restored Ottoman-era Skenduli House has been in the hands of the same family for generations (apart from a few years during the communist period when the government took it over), and you'll most likely be shown around by a member of the family. Dating from the early 1700s, but partially rebuilt in 1827, the house has many fascinating features, including a room used only for wedding ceremonies and which has 15 windows, many with stained glass.
   You will visit the house with a guide.

3. 3

   Butrint National Park

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   After lunch, you will start visiting the top archaeological sites of Butrint inside: Butrint (Butrint in Albanian) from ancient Greek was an ancient Greek city and later Roman and a bishopric in Epirus. Inhabited since prehistoric times, Buthrotum was a city of the Greek Chaonian tribe, later a Roman
   colony and a bishopric. It went into decline at the end of Antiquity, before being abandoned in the Middle
   Ages after a major earthquake flooded most of the city.
   Hotel check-in and free time by the sea Saranda, which is
   the unofficial capital of the Albanian Riviera, and over the summer months, it seems like half of Tirana is moving here to enjoy the lively beach and the lively nightlife along its crowded seaside promenade.

Day 3 Vlore - Durres - Tirane

1. 1

   Qeparo

   2 hours

   you will pass by many exotic villages on the way to Saranda, one of them which is the quietest and fantastic is called qeparo Beach. you can spend there some hours beside the beach

2. 2

   Porto Palermo

   1 hour

   The Porto Palermo Castle is the crown jewel of the Albanian Riviera! Built on the hill of an island, connected to the shore via a narrow man-made strip of land, this castle attracts everyone’s immediate attention thanks to its triangular shape and the three bastions built on each corner. The castle was built in 1814 at the request of Ali Pashë Tepelena, after the destruction of Justinian’s castle. During the same period, the church of St. Nicolas was built directly across the castle. The castle’s great condition and its locations atop Porto Palermo’s beautiful historic beach, that is accessible to everyone.

3. 3

   Himare

   1 hour

   Himarë is a bilingual town in Southern Albania along the Albanian Riviera and part of the Vlorë County. It is the largest settlement and the seat of the municipality of Himarë. You will pass by the city or maybe have a Caffe, depending on your desire.