7 Days
in Albania

Start in Kruja — Skanderbeg's legendary capital. Walk the cobblestone Old Bazaar under its tile-roofed Ottoman buildings, browse hand-woven shawls and brass crafts, and visit the castle and Skanderbeg Museum. Then north to Shkoder: visit Rozafa Castle with its breathtaking panorama over the confluence of the Buna and Drin rivers, and the shores of Lake Shkoder — the largest lake in Southern Europe, shared with Montenegro, renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity.

Bovilla Lake is one of Albania's most beautiful hidden gems — a 4.6 km² emerald reservoir just 15 km from Tirana inside Mount Dajt National Park. It provides most of Tirana's drinking water and the views are extraordinary: turquoise-green water framed by dramatic forested slopes. Hike to the Gamti Mountain above the lake for panoramic views, or simply picnic by the water's edge.

A full day in Berat — Albania's UNESCO World Heritage city, the "City of a Thousand Windows." Visit Berat Castle, dating mainly from the 13th century, with Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques. Inside, meet local ladies still hand-crafting traditional linen as their grandmothers did. The National Iconographic Museum "Onufri" displays Byzantine art with Onufri's revolutionary red-orange-gold technique. Walk the Mangalem neighbourhood and cross the 7-arch Gorica Bridge (129m, built originally in 1780).

Drive east to Pogradec on the shores of Lake Ohrid — one of the oldest and deepest lakes in the world, and the largest in the Balkans. Visit Drilon National Park (Driloni), the limestone spring river surrounded by dense vegetation that King Zog and Enver Hoxha chose as their holiday retreat. Then southwest to Korça and its famous Old Bazaar — once one of the most reputed Ottoman markets in Albania, known for fine clothes, spices, and the nickname "Bazaar of Serenades."

Tirana city tour: Skanderbeg Square (Et'hem Bey Mosque, Clock Tower, National Museum), the Fortress of Justinian (Tirana Castle, 6m Byzantine walls), the Grand Park with its artificial lake. Then the Dajti Ekspres cable car — 15 minutes to Mt. Dajti at 1,613m — for a spit-roast lamb lunch with panoramic views over the capital. End with Bunk'Art 2 — the remarkable video museum inside an underground bunker, dedicated to the victims of communist terror from 1912 to 1991.

Breakfast at the hotel. Your guide transfers you to Tirana International Airport for your departure flight. Safe travels — and we hope to see you back in Albania soon.