Meet your guide at Scanderbeg Squere and set off on your tour of the city where you will learn about the rule of the Communist Party of Labour of Albania, which ruled from 1945 to 1991. First, stop at Scanderbeg Square . Get an overview of Albanian national history prior to the communist era and learn more about Albania's national hero, Scanderbeg. Hear of the story of the military commander who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire. Then, visit the Etemhem Bey Mosque and the Clock Tower. A few meters away from Scanderbeg Square is the underground bunker, Bunkart 2. Explore this modern-day museum which provides plenty of fascinating stories from communist times. Discover traces of communist architecture and artifacts when entering the nearby block area. See a section of a war bunker, materials from the Spac mine, and parts of the Berlin Wall which were gifts from the German government. Inside the block area, see the exterior of the house of the former dictator, Enver Hoxha. Continue the tour with a visit to the museum, the Hause of Leaves, a building that housed the state intelligence agency, the Sigurimi. Enjoy some of the best grilled food in Tirana for lunch.

Travel south along the Albanian coast and explore the best of this region on a guided tour. Spend the day discovering Vlora, Butrint, Saranda, and Gjirokaster. Start your trip with a comfortable ride in an air-conditioned vehicle from your hotel in Tirana. Travel to Vlora, the city of independence. Proceed to Llogara to enjoy the breathtaking views of the coast from a 1043-meter height. Continue to Saranda and see enchanting beaches such as Gjipe Beach, Porto Palermo, Lukovë, and more. Next, visit the National Park of Butrint that holds more than 2000 years of history. Head to the source of the “Blue Eye” before getting to Gjirokaster. It’s a water spring with clear blue waters coming from the depth of the earth, running in the shape of an eye. The road leading to Gjirokaster will take you to the castle of the city and the old bazaar neighborhood. Visit the former homes of Ismail Kadare and Enver Hoxha, which are now museums dedicated to communism. Enjoy this last stop of the coastal tour before returning to Tirana.

You will begin your journey of the past at the Bunk’ Art Museum with a full immersion into Albanian history over the last 100 years. The ex–nuclear bunker, built to accommodate Communist Dictator Hoxha in the event of attack, tells a story of the dictator’s time as well as both world wars through photographs, items, and documents. Once you step out of the Bunk’ Art you will head for some local qofte (meat balls) complete with yogurt sauce, potato chips, and local beer, a combination of which comprises Tirana’s typical street food. You'll then walk towards Skanderbeg Square and learn about the historical buildings such as the Et’hem Bey Mosque and the clock tower, which surround the main square of Tirana. Following that, enter the National Gallery of Arts, which is home to socialist and realist art. There you will encounter powerful images which provide an insight into how “realistic” art was used to create propaganda throughout history. You can also behold the pyramid, the former Enver Hoxha Museum, whose once-white-marble walls are now crumbling and full of graffiti. Following the museum you'll take a break at the Komiteti-Kafe Museum for some raki, communist candy, and some optional coffee. You will then walk through the Blloku area, where you will discover the home of Enver Hoxha and other senior members of his regime. You'll stop at the Post Blloku Memorial, which honors former political prisoners, in an area which was once forbidden to enter.

Discover the beauty of Shkoder and Skadar Lake on a private day tour from Tirana. See the famous castles, churches, natural beauty, and lakes of Albania with a professional guide. Depart from Tirana and head towards the north of Albania to see the famous Castle of Rozafa. Built on a hill overlooking the city, the castle is the most important monument of Shkoder. Uncover the fascinating facts and know its historical importance from your professional guide.  Next, travel towards the city of Shkoder, the third-largest town in Albania. Marvel at the beauty of the Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, and Muslim Mosque. Stroll through some of the most famous lanes and notice the diverse religious elements of the city. Afterward, drive away from the city crowd and enjoy tranquility on the shore of Skadar lake. Relax and soak in the magnificent views of Albanian nature. Apart from the crystal waters of the lake, the place is also famous for its “Karp” fish specialties.  Finally, drive back to Tirana after a long and unforgettable experience.

We will pick you up at Scanderbeg Square in Tirana, 8:30 am, and drive you up to Kruja town, where you’ll experience a step back in medieval history by visiting the castle and Scanderbeg Museum. Kruja was the most important town for the Albanians during the 15th century which withstood successfully to at least 3 major sieges by the Ottoman Empire. The medieval hero Gjergj Kastrioti called “Scanderbeg” is considered not only by Albanians as a symbol of resistance and savior but also by ottomans who believed that a supernatural force dwelt in him. Therefore after his death they destroyed his tomb and took parts of his bones to keep them as a charm for good luck. Walk in the Old Bazaar full of old shops that sell traditional handmade items. Next we will drive you to Tirana, the capital of Albania. As you walk around the Scanderbeg square, you’ll see an interesting complex of building which reflect the periods that have influenced Tirana’s architecture. Only the Clock Tower and Et’hem Bey Mosque remain as reminders of the city’s Ottoman past. The communist government left its own footprint by destroying the Ottoman Bazaar and building the new Opera and Ballet House on the site. The next stop on the itinerary is Et’hem Bey Mosque, where you’ll learn about the difficulties faced by the clergy especially after 1967 when freedom of religious expression was prohibited. The mosque was built in 1821 by Et’hem Bey in a typical Turkish style. Continue to King’s Palace and National Martyrs Boulevard. Here you’ll get to know a piece of daily life of former dictator Enver Hoxha, by visiting the pyramid, meant to be a museum for his life and the “Bllok” zone where he and other communist leaders lived in. The area that was once prohibited for people is now the most favorite neighborhood for young people, businesses and coffee shops. In the end, around 3:30 pm, we will take you back to Scanderbeg square, in the center of Tirana city, where we started our day and here your wonderful tour is over.

Albania’s capital Tirana is a great place to visit. It is a city with prehistoric heritage, the history of the Ottoman Empire, and disintegrating soviet-era buildings by the side with brand new projects. What secrets are hidden in the Ex-Dictator Villa with its Albanian Luxury zone? What details can reveal Communism time remains, such as bunkers and spying zones? How is it the related castle of Tirana and of the long Ottoman period in Albania? With the local charismatic guide. Start your cultural tour at the Place of culture, one of the most famous landmarks in the city. Visit the impressive Clock Tower and see the beautiful Et'hem Bey Mosque. Continue to the Unknown Soldier Statue and immerse yourself in the past at the House of Leaves Museum.

Your trip starts at 9:00 AM at the “Liria” Square. Explore the city’s 1930’s architecture as you walk along the boulevard. Visit the Ethnographic Museum and its artifacts displayed on the second floor of a traditional house from the 19th century. It exhibits authentic objects of hand-crafts as well as a rich collection of Albanian traditional costumes. Next, you will visit the Roman Amphitheater from the 2nd century AD, built during the reign of the Emperor Trajan as one of the biggest amphitheaters in Balkans.The Roman Amphitheater and the city of Durres are unusual for their extraordinary degree of preservation, particularly for its large stretches of undisturbed stratigraphy. About a third of the amphitheater was not set on manmade supports, but on natural ones, utilizing a precipitous hillside to support its northern seating, or cavea. On the way to the archaeological museum you can admire the Byzantine Wall, an engineering masterpiece, built during the reign of Emperor Anastasius ( VI cent AD ) whose origin was from Durres, and the seaside promenade enjoying the fresh air and the view of the largest bay in Albania.The Byzantine Chapel is your next stop. An early Christian chapel built into the western side of the amphitheater. Its western alcove preserves a unique polychromatic mosaic representing Christian iconography in almost their natural sizes. Archaeological Museum, if you’re interested in Durres history, or even just curious about it, Durres Archaeological Museum has some of the best exhibits. Having a guide at your side as you explore means you can ask as many questions as you like. The Venetian Tower and the Byzantine stretch of wall, a 15th cent intervention done to the byzantine fortification of the city. A flight of stairs takes you to the roof which gives you the opportunity to watch the seaside and the surroundings of the old city. This tour will then finish at 2:00 PM.

Venture into the heart of southeast Albania on this day trip from Tirana. Immerse yourself in the beauty of Drilon Natural park on Ohrid lake and take in the unique architecture in the cities of Korca and Pogradec, and the charming village of Tushemisht. Have your guide pick you up from your location in Tirana and relax in a comfortable vehicle on the way to Korca, which is close to the border with Greece. Stop at the Old Bazaar which was first established 500 years ago and has Ottoman and Roman-style buildings. Head to the tree-lined Pedestrian Boulevard and pass by shops and cafes. Admire the architecture of the main Orthodox Cathedral which was built just after the communist period. Uncover the history of how the city had the first Albanian school and was once a flourishing trade center. Visit Drilon Natural park to take in the greenery before continuing to Korca. Continue to the hillside city of Pogradec which is by the shores of Ohrid lake. Go to Drilon, a park with willow trees and swamps, which has been the poetic muse of many poets and artists. Travel to the village of Tushemisht which is mainly inhabited by Orthodox Albanians. Experience the unique culture of this village and see how the streams cross through the village. Hear about its part in Albanian cinematography. Make your way to the city of Pogradec to see the old town where some traditional architecture is still preserved. Combine the old with the new as you view the modern part of the city and take some time to take in views of the lake before returning to Tirana.

Day 1: Travel day We start our journey in Tirana with guided walking tour of the city center, including Skanderbeg Square, Ethem Bey Mosque, National Historical Museum, the Pyramid, Blloku area. Day 2: The Old Capital of Kruja & Mrizi i Zanave Agrotourism We start our journey from Tirana, directly to the city of Kruja. Set off on a guided tour of Dollma Bektashi Teqe , the surroundings and the Castle itself, the Skanderbeg and Ethnographic Museum. Transfer in the village of Fishte and its Albanian Slow Food excellence, you will spend a couple of hours visiting the surrounding and tasting the best Albanian food there is. Day 3: Sightseeing tour of Gjirokaster Transfer to Gjirokaster to discover the city of “a thousand steps”, driving through small villages. Step into Skenduli house, the nicest Ottoman tower house and listen to its history and details from the 10th generation of Skenduli family Soak up to the rich history of the castle and enjoy the view of the “city of stone” from above Pass by the Ottoman Bazaar and historic wooden houses Day 4: The Blue Eye Spring, Butrint National Park & Mussel Tour Boat Ride Continue to Butrint for a guided tour of the Unesco Archaeological site where a local guided explains 2500 years of history embedded in the Amphitheater, the Castle, the Churches and the Lion’s Gate. But before we stop at Blue Eye and marvel at the spring’s shades of blue and nature around it. Set off for a beach day at Ksamil Islands and on the way back to Saranda visit the Lekursi Castle overseeing the city. Day 5: Berat via Porto Palermo Bay & Albanian Riviera Road En route to the city of Berat via the scenic Riviera road, explore the Ali Pasha Castle with your Tour Director. Marvel at the architecture and listen to entertaining legends about the man who build it, Ali Pashe Tepelena. Stop for lunch at a rustic local restaurant along Shushica river. Reach Berat, get settled in the hotel and enjoy an evening in the lights and promenade of this pretty Unesco town. Day 6: Walking Tour & Local Food in Berat (Unesco) This morning set out for a walking guide of “City of Thousand Windows”, where you will admire the Red Mosque, the White Mosque, the Church of the Holy Trinity and the arched bridge of Gorica. In the afternoon Alpeta Winery will welcome you for a cellar and vineyard visit. enjoy lunch with their seasonal home-grown and locally sourced organic delights and their fine wine. Day 7: Departure Transfer to the airport for your return flight home.

Embark on an unforgettable one-day guided walking tour to Albania's top attractions. Begin your tour by driving towards Skanderberg square and admire the beauty of the monuments and buildings in the square. Follow your guide and hear about the history and significant cultural background of the city. Continue to the iconic National Historical Museum and know about the archaeological treasures of the country. Built during the years of communism this museum reflects the phases that the country passed through. After you complete the museum tour, continue to explore Tirana’s other main attractions. Next, head towards Durresi, the second most populated city of Albania. Durresi was also known as Epidamnus in the seven first centuries AC. Start your walking tour from the Venetian Tower and continue to the walls of the Durres Castle, Roman Amphitheater, and the Archeological Museum with a panoramic display of discoveries and urban planning. Take a stroll down the streets of this ancient fascinating city on your own before returning to Tirana