Albania and Corfu’

This is a unique tour that unveils the often unknown reality of this splendid country and its people, the Albanians. Politically divided into several states (Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Montenegro), they are united by common ethnic origin, language, history, culture, and traditions, despite obvious and unique diversities.
We’ll travel from the North (Shkodra), the cradle of Albanian culture, to the deep South (Saranda), where we’ll be moved by the Albanian Pompeii, Butrinto, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the emerald sea of Ksamil, also known as the Bora Bora of the Ionian. We’ll explore the capital, Tirana, a true Western metropolis with over one million inhabitants, and experience an exceptional visit to the underground bunker, built by the dictator Enver Hoxha, as the final act of communist rule. Then, we’ll visit Kruja, the city of the symbol of Albanian resistance against the Turks, Skanderbeg, who earned the title of “Protector of Christianity,” and has a square with a grand statue dedicated to him in Rome. Durres, the port city of Albania, already significant in Roman times, known as “The Tavern of the Adriatic,” boasting the largest amphitheater in the Balkans. Followed by Berat, the “city of a thousand windows,” a UNESCO World Heritage site, with its castle on top and the Onufri Iconographic Museum, the most important in Albania. Apollonia, an Illyrian city on the ancient Via Egnatia, the breathtaking panorama of the Ionian coast at the Llogora Pass, the town of Himare to appreciate the submerged bay of the dictatorship era. We’ll stop at Porto Palermo to visit Ali Pasha Tepelene Castle and finally reach Saranda, located on a splendid bay, where we can admire the sunset over the island of Corfu just a few kilometers away. The tour concludes with the beauty of Gjirokaster, the village and castle, nestled in the mountains, revealing another Albania, less touristy and more in touch with its people.
You’ll have the opportunity to savor dishes from the local cuisine. Albania’s culinary delights include natural products and excellent wines (from native grape varieties such as Debine white and Kallmet red). You’ll indulge in famous dishes like Tave Dheu and Kosi, oven-roasted or spit-roasted kid, the famous and delicious Byrek, the exquisite Kos cheese, Feta cheese, salted sheep butter, liquid yogurt, and excellent desserts such as Baklava, Kadaif, and Ballakume. We’ll dine in excellent restaurants, and weather permitting, enjoy outdoor meals with the scent of the sea.
Travel will be on a comfortable coach accompanied by a knowledgeable and accommodating local English speaking guide ready to fulfill every desire. Archaeological sites will typically have on-site guides.