Kruja & Old Bazaar Half-Day Tour from Durres

Pazari i Vjeter

1 hour

The Kruja Bazaar is famous for being one of the oldest in Albania. The construction of the beautiful and fascinating marketplace of Krujë dates back over 400 years, and was the starting point of free trade among the city’s most established merchants. It is in this particular bazaar that traders first began to officially exchange various kinds of goods with one another. Conveniently located on the main road leading to the Castle of Kruja, the space forms part of the museum while also serving its traditional commercial purpose.

Museumi Gjergj Kastrioti (Skenderbeu)

30 min

The Skanderbeg museum is a wonderful insight for visitors into the importance of one of Albania’s most celebrated national heroes. The site is a must for history buffs, and anyone with an interest in the nation’s fascinating past!
The ruins of the Kruja Castle can be seen at the base of Kruja’s mountain. The castle holds within it the National Museum of “Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeu,” known simply as the Skanderbeg Museum – dedicated to the most celebrated of all Albanian heroes. Skanderbeg’s ability to reunite Albanian families that had been divided for six centuries, made him the important national figure that he is today. It was Skanderbeg’s return to Kruja, following his childhood in Turkey, which eternally bonded the great man’s name to the city, and the city’s to his. He was the leader of the country during one of its most prosperous periods, and created an army that successfully fended off the Ottomans’ advances for 25 years, until his death in 1468.

30 min

Sarisalltik, who was a 13th-century semi-legendary Turkish dervish venerated as a saint by the Bektashis in the Balkans and parts of the Middle East.
The trail to the cave that has been used for centuries by pilgrims on their way to pray at the tekke.

Kruja Castle

30 min

Krujë Castle or Kruja Castle became famous as the last resort of Christian resistance against invading Ottoman Turks. A small garrison of Albanians was headed by an Albanian lord George Kastrioti Skanderbeg. Krujë Castle (Kalaja e Krujës) became known in the country as the last Christian fortress that fell before the onslaught of the Ottoman army. Surprisingly, the small fortress offered strong resistance. During the Albanian uprising of 1432-1436. Krujë Castle was unsuccessfully besieged by Andrea Topii, and Ottoman rule was restored. After the uprising of Scanderbeg in 1443, the castle withstood three major sieges of the Turks, respectively, in 1450, 1466 and 1467, with garrisons usually not exceeding 2000-3000 men under the command of Scanderbeg. Mehmed II the Conqueror himself could not break down the castle’s defenses until 1478, 10 years after Skanderbeg’s death.

Kruje

30 min

The mountain of Kruja is called the “Adriatic Balcony” by locals because of the stunning views that can be seen both day and night.

30 min

FUSHE KRUJE, Albania (Reuters) - A tiny Albanian village that President George W. Bush visited in 2007 has unveiled a shirt-sleeved statue of him, in a square named for him.
The 2.85 m- (9.3 ft-) tall statue of the former president, raising his left hand in greeting, was unveiled on Wednesday in the square festooned with Albanian and American flags for the occasion.

15 min

ARTISAN WORKSHOP WITH ÇIMI
Albanian hats, known as the ‘qeleshe’ are found in shops in the Old Bazaar. The hat that dates back to ancient times and has always been an essential part of Albanian traditional customs. Wool is used to make felt and you must wash the fabric with soap and water thoroughly. The fabric passes through 16 different phases in order to create the “qeleshe”.