Guided tours:
We could plan your Albanian trip together according to your personal interests. Nearby you can have a look at the sites, regions and activities that we recommend and we can discuss and plan your trip together.
There is this little country, probably the missing piece of your European puzzle named Albania, where there is so much history, culture, nature, food, humanity to experience and discover!
How to reach us!?
The Rinas airport, main air connection of Albania with other European and worldwide destinations is named after the most famous Albanian in the world, Mother Teresa. Built in the very heart of central Albania it is one of the most popular ways to travel to Albania and so is the harbour of Durres, one of the most ancient towns in the Mediterranean and traditional entry door from Western Europe to the Balkans (Via Egnatia). It’s very probable that your Albanian trip would start from this area, that’s why we would like to suggest a few main destinations you should not miss while travelling around.
Shkodra - If you would be driving, biking or trekking along the Adriatic coast through beautiful Croatia and Montenegro we suggest you better follow to Albania and visit the last mysterious European destination, few people ever discovered. - If this will be the case and the path you will choose for your holidays or travel, the first city you will visit will be Shkodra. The geography of the region will offer you the opportunity to enjoy sea, river, lake, natural park, alps. The history of the region starts back to Illyrian times when Shkodra was the chef-lieu of ancient Ilyria to continue with Venetian influenced Scutari during middle ages. Churches and mosques live as it is usual in the Country of the Eagles, side by side, as to show the world an example of what cultural and religious harmony is. One of the last places in Europe where you’re “forced” to eat bio, we are quite sure you will love eating in restaurant along the lake and enjoy fish or eels cooked as the tradition wants it in what they call here “tiles”. Do not miss the Castle of Rozafa, let us tell you the legend that goes along with it and enjoy the amazing panorama. Specially recommended for photo passionate, visit the museum of Lumiere’s students The Marubis, one of the first European families of photographers, excellent ethnographic and historical testimony. If you want to make a trip in time then, please take a couple of days and visit the hidden paradise of Albanian Alps. The valley of Theth and Boga will be one of the strongest visual and human experiences of your life. Beauty that could easily be compared to most beautiful Swiss destinations and isolated noble mountain civilisation. Get ready to fill your diaries with strong emotions! Difficult not to do so in the Valley of Theth, where time never existed or mattered! -
Tirana - a somewhat new town for Albania. Just 350 years old. The mosque of Et’hem Bey, ottoman founder of the city, is one of the oldest monuments. But the mosaic you can visit in the Zogu i Zi, dates back to more than 2000 years B.J.C. and testifies the very ancient roots of the civilisation that choose this area to build life. It is nowadays the capital of the country, one of the most rapidly changing cities in Europe in a full boom of developpement and a must for visitors that are interested to understand something from the Albanian paradox interesting story.
City of movement, business, shopping, gorgeous ladies and handsome man, crazy nightlife and interesting museums. Restaurants, theatres, politics, sports, music and culture could be part of the agenda without hesitation. A modern chaotic presentation of what Albania should and should not be! Highest concentration of Mercedes per capita and capital of one of the poorest, among European countries. No way it can be boring! We would recommend visiting:
The national museum!
The archaeological museum!
The Vodafone tower and its roof bar!
The lake park!
The traditional Tirana houses!
The National Gallery of Arts!
Durres - is the next main city of Albania and we strongly suggest a stopover to it! Constructed in the bay that takes the name from the same harbour-city, it has a story that starts back to Greek colonisation era (627-626 B.C.) Aristotle himself praised the developpement of the political system of the ancient Greek colony. The autochthon Illyrians then the Romans followed to rule over it and when they fall, the Byzantine Empire took their place. We would suggest you meet us in the harbour or in one of the partner hotels we could recommend and reserve for you and we start the visit by climbing up on the Royal Villa Hill, dominating the beautiful bay and the whole city. On the way back you absolutely have to see the Roman amphitheatre, the gladiator arena and the surrounding castle walls as well.
Best place to eat sea fish in the country so do not miss the excitement of having lunch in one of those ex concrete mushroom-looking communist bunkers as well. The taste and the prices you’ll have to pay will certainly delight your mouth and your wallet. Then follow south to Kavaja Beach where Caesar and Pompeus choose to crash against each other for the throne of Rome. No signs from them left but the beach would be a great place to windsurf, to hook for beautiful Kosovo ladies and to spend a night in comfortable numerous hotels and resorts. On the way south you could choose to spend the night in Divjaka beach as well, where we can manage to accommodate you in little village ecotourism growing economies, have dinner in that funny restaurant where the waiters proudly approach and serve your table on the back of a horse or (if bird watching fervent) visit one of the biggest concentrations of pelican birds in the Mediterranean.
Berat/Gjirokastra - If specially interested in architecture, you should absolutely visit Berat (The thousand windows town) stone structures build on steep hills. Berat has been considered as the centre of Southern Albania for many periods. Ruins of a citadel, several mosques and Byzantine churches make the town fascinating to stay. Apart from that we strongly recommend you pay a trekking visit to Tomorri Mountain, an ancient pilgrimage religious site for all nature fanatics and for religious partisans as well. Continue southeast direction and do pay a visit to Skrapar and to the Osum Canyons. Let us organise a weekend in this breathtaking unique natural monument, we are confident you will be pleased about. Not to forget about raki-making home parties, we could organise in local houses of the area, which speciality is precisely this strong alcoholic drink, proud ness of Albanian men and women. Try not to exaggerate though! In case you do, it could take a couple of days before you would be able again to continue to Gjirokastra (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List), place of birth of two of most notorious Albanian worldwide, Enver Hoxha Albanian communist dictator and Ismail Kadaré, Albanian Nobel aspirant for literature.
Vlora - entry door to Albanian Riviera is the ideal place to spend chilling holidays among turquoise Ionian waters and olive stunning hills. Strategic point since millenaries it has been the delighted spot for all kind of armies and administrations starting from the Greeks and the Romans, battlefield between Normans and Byzantines, Italians and Germans during World War II and Soviets most important submarine base during Cold War epoch. Beautiful brand new hotels have been constructed recently just to make your stay here pleasant and unforgettable. Water sport activities could be organised as well as trekking, mountain climbing, biking, snowshoeing, and bird watching. Ruins of castles, churches and mosques can be found all around the region, to satisfy your cultural interests. And last but not least, this is the spot to make any tour guide proud of his profession because of the panoramic wild stunning Riviera south direction filled with ancient pirate settlement villages and desert intimate stone beaches. Comfort, good food, mountains, little bays and all year around sunlight are the attractions to the area. Words and pictures are hardly able to tell and show what your eyes and souls would experience if you choose to be a guest of the region. Come and see it on your own! No jokes here, just unfinished emotions. Anyway think twice before you decide to come! You might never want to leave the place anymore!
