4-Days UNESCO Towns and Albanian Riviera Tour

Day 1 Tirana - Belsh - Berat - Gjirokastra (Lake and History day)

1. 1

   Skanderbeg Square

   1 hour

   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, and the Mosaic of Tirana. you will visit the National Historical Museum if you would like.

2. 2

   2 hours

   The small town of Belsh sits in the middle of many small lakes. It is mainly agricultural land, and there seems to be no immediate reason for the tourists to venture here. But sometimes, when the weather is not quite good enough to visit dramatic mountains, or if one tires of the beach…

3. 3

   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 explanation

4. 4

   Berat

   2 hours

   The city of berat with its Castle known for the history and authentic culture

Day 2 Gjirokastra - Saranda

1. 1

   Gjirokaster

   1 hour

   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

   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.

3. 3

   Gjirokastra Bazaar

   30 min

   the Castle of Gjirokastra is all that can be seen, rising majestically over the city. Like a giant ship made of stone, it extends across the 1100-foot-high hillside on which it was built during the 4thcentury. A monument to nearly two thousand years of Albanian history, this castle is nowadays one of the most visited places in Albania.
   You will spend around 2 hours in the castle including the time to go and to come back.

4. 4

   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 Saranda - Albanian Riviera - Llogara - Vlora

1. 1

   Qeparo Beach

   3 hours

   Setting off from Himara, the road is only 13 km long and full of the beautiful Mediterranean views for which the Ionian Coast is so famous for. The locals say that Qeparo’s name comes from the cypress tree, which are so common in this area. Unlike the many rocky beaches of the south, Qeparo Beach has fine sand, and the sea is shallow for the first few meters, making it different from the immediate depths of Dhërmi and Jali. It’s for this reason that Qeparo is such a family favorite. There’s also a very quaint old pier which has been built on the large rocks that lay there.

2. 2

   Porto Palermo Castle

   2 hours Admission ticket included

   On the way to Himara near the Ionian sea, in a picturesque bay just south of Himara, this 19th-century fortress, also known as the Castle of Ali Pasha, makes for an interesting stop-off along the coastal road. The fortress itself is eerily dark inside, but it's well worth paying to wander around and explore the battlements, which have superb sea views.

3. 3

   Llogara Pass

   2 hours

   The Llogara Pass is a high mountain pass within the Ceraunian Mountains along the Albanian Riviera. It connects the Dukat Valley in the north with Himarë in the south.
   You will have a short stop for pictures of the amazing Albanian Riviera.

4. 4

   Vlore

   30 min

   The Monument of Independence is a monument in Vlorë, Albania, dedicated to the Albanian Declaration of Independence and worked by Albanian sculptors, Muntaz Dhrami and Kristaq Rama. It is found in the Flag's Plaza, near the building where the first Albanian government worked in 1913.
   You will have one 10 minutes stop on this historical center of Vlora.

Day 4 Vlora - Durres - Tirana (Beach and History Day)

1. 1

   Durres Amphitheatre

   1 hour 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.

2. 2

   Durres Castle

   1 hour

   On the way to the Amphitheater, the visitor cannot miss the City Walls, built-in blocks that have managed to survive until this very day. Those who have governed the city throughout the ages have left their mark on the way the surrounding walls were used as, ultimately, they were a security system that protected the city from various conquests throughout history. The massive walls seen today were built by Anastasius I, the Byzantine emperor of the 4th century A.D, who defended the city from invaders. The walls’ original height of 18 meters and considerable breadth provided an advantage against enemies of the time. Later, it was emperor Justinian who reinforced the surrounding walls by placing small observation towers above them