Albanian delights food and Heritage Cites

Arrival at “Mother Teresa” Airport, meet & greet by our representative and transfer to hotel. Visit the National Historic Museum in Tirana offering an in depth introduction to Albanian history from prehistoric times to present day. Dinner in a traditional restaurant with a rustic setting and a first taste of Albania’s culinary delights. Accommodation in 4* Hotel. Overnight in Tirana.

After breakfast, depart to Berat UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is also known as “the city of thousand windows”. Drive through striking hills full of olive trees. After the check in into the hotel, we will have a walk in the neighborhood called “Mangalem” and lunch a local family Mangalemi traditional restaurant, where we will have some special Raki, where you taste all the traditional specialties. In the afternoon visit in Mosque, the Holy Trinity Church and Gorica Bridge enter into the Berat Castle for a guided tour with Onufri Museum. In the evening enjoy traditional food in a Castle Park restaurant on the hill, facing the lights of the city. We will taste some delicacies of this region, such us pickles, local cheeses, bio olive oil, several kinds of bread etc. in their rustic form. The main Specialty of the restaurant is young goats’ meat done in a traditional way. Accommodation in 4* Hotel. Overnight in Berat.

After this great experience we will continue our way to Gjirokaster to discover the stone city, visit into Zekate house, the oldest Ottoman tower house. Pass by the Ottoman Bazaar and historic wooden houses and visit the Ethnographic Museum, Albanian Communist dictator’s home. Drive to Dhoksat and experience a day in an Albanian countryside cottage. Step inside and learn about food, life and traditions of an Albanian family. After lunch, soak up to the rich history of the castle and enjoy the view of the “city of stone” In the evening enjoy traditional food in hotel restaurant on the hill, facing the lights of the city. We will taste some delicacies of this region. Accommodation in 4* Hotel. Overnight in Gjirokastra.

After breakfast transfer to Permet, known as “Flowers City, the tour proceeds along Vjosa River where you’ll see the beautiful canyons of Kelcyra outfall. On the program today is a short walk of 20-30 minutes in one of the villages of Permet housing a wonderful church St Mary Church, with incredible frescoes. Leusa is a traditional village made of stone where we will visit the church and a local family where we will experience an authentic way of life. Walk through gardens, picking ingredients by yourself, and learn how to cook traditional food like Japrak and Gliko. Home - made wine and “Raki” are pleasant drinks to accompany your food. After lunch visit you’ll see Leuses Church build in 1614. Dinner in local family where we will have some special Raki and where you taste all the traditional specialties in family restaurant. Overnight in Permet.

After this great experience we will continue our way to Korca. Arrival and delicious lunch in the Birra Korça ( Korca beer factory) They make 'blond' beer and is also the only brewery in the Balkans to make dark beer, using the latest Czech and Italian technology and employing 125 people. Highlight of the factory tour is the brewing room where the massive steel brewing tanks are surrounded by tile tables depicting the brewing process and the consumption of the end product. After this beer, it is time for the real qofte (meat-ball) from Korca served with “salcekosi” (sour cream) and bread. In the afternoon there will be some free time to stroll around the city we will visit the Museum of Medieval Arts, The first school of Albania, the Mosque of Mirahori, one of the oldest in the country, and the Orthodox Cathedral. In evening we will have a traditional dinner in a local restaurant serving qofte or kernacka (meet-ball), kolloface and lakror (pie). Accommodation in 4* Hotel. Overnight in Korca.

In the morning we have a short ride to Pogradec where we can enjoy some free time overlooking lake Ohrid. For lunch, we have something special for you, Koran and Belushke fish, a real specialty from Pogradec which only occur in rare deep tectonic lakes like Ohrid and Baikal. (Prohibitive to catch and eat on the other part of the lake in Macedonia). After lunch we depart for Tirana. Short visit in Elbasan. Accommodation in 4* Hotel. Overnight in Tirana.

After breakfast, depart to Durres short sightseeing (one of the oldest and most important cities of Albania), Durres- There are also several museums such as Byzantine Forum, Venetian Tower (small castle open as a bar), Ancient city wall, Amphitheater, which is one of the biggest in the Balkan Peninsula, it has the form of an ellipse with the capacity of 20.000 spectators. The city's beaches are also a popular destination for many foreign and local tourists. Transfer to the canteen “Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeg”,the biggest one in Albania, established since 1933. There you can taste the delicacy of the famous Skenderbeg cognacs brand, a cognac well known in Europe After sightseeing in Durres we continue to the historical city of Kruja, where you’ll visit The Medieval castle and the museum of our National Hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbey and ethnographic museum. Kruja - the home of Albania's most important hero, Scanderbeg, who in the 15th century successfully kept the Turks at bay for over thirty years. A stop to the old bazaar where you can have handmade souvenirs shopping. Lunch in Panorama restaurant where several good traditional; tave kosi, burani,japrak etc. Afterwards we head transfer to Tirana where we will spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure before a dinner in a special venue overlooking the capital. Accommodation in 4* Hotel. Overnight in Tirana.

Free time to explore Tirana, followed by the airport transfer for your return flight home.