Things to do in Fier District

Explore the ancient Greek, Roman, and medieval ruins at the Apollonia Archaeological Park on this day trip from Tirana. Take a tour of the Mangalem and Gorica neighborhoods in the UNESCO world Heritage town of Berat.  Be picked up from your accommodation in Tirana and sit back and relax on the drive to the ruins at Apollonia. Explore this 6th century BC Greek trade colony which is surrounded by soft, picturesque hills and rolling olive groves. Uncover the Greek, Roman, and medieval heritage of this ancient city. View monuments from the classical period such as Doric columns, an obelisk, and the Gate of Temenos. Admire a well-preserved 13th century monastery complex.  Continue to the ruins of the Castle of Berat which was built in the 13th century and has Byzantine and Ottoman influences. Learn about what daily life was once like in Berat at the Ethnographic Museum of Berat. See how local styles fused with Ottoman styles at the museum.  Head to the Mangalem neighborhood of Berat. Snap pictures of the layered houses with large windows that overlook the river. Uncover how this place earned the name 'town of a thousand windows' as you explore the neighborhood of Gorica. Return to your accommodation in the city of Tirana.

This full day tour will encompass over 2500 years of Albanian history and regional development, as we travel from Durres to the Apollonia Archaeological Park, and to the Ardenica Monastery. We begin our tour by driving towards Albania's second largest town, the port city of Durres. Founded around the 7th century BC, Durres also known as Dyrrachium, became an integral part of the Roman Empire, so much so that the Via Egnatia initiated in this city. Following the Albanian Declaration of Independence in 1912, Durres even served as the capital of the Principality of Albania for a short period of time. We will explore its most priced attraction, the Amphitheatre of Durrës, that once had a capacity for 20,000 people, and is considered the largest amphitheatre in the Balkan Peninsula. Then we will have a quick coffee break by Durres' Marina, or the city's contemporary modern center. We will continue our journey to the village of Pojan, where majestically stands the UNESCO patrimony of Apollonia’s archaeological park. Founded around 600 BC, Apollonia was home to a renowned school of philosophy and acquired fame as an important cultural center that attracted brilliant students including the first Roman emperor, Augustus. Sadly, the city was abandoned in the 4th century AD, yet to this day it offers amazing landscapes that have changed little since its heyday as one of the biggest ancient settlements in the Adriatic sea region, now presenting the perfect grounds to reflect on the fleeting nature of human existence and development, amidst its ruins, as we will visit the Church of Saint Mary, the Archaeological Museum, the Odeon, the library, and its most photographed monument: the Bouleuterion. Our journey will continue to the Ardenica Monastery - the last monastery where monks still live today. Built in 1282 as an Eastern Orthodox monastery, it is known as the place where in 1451 was celebrated the marriage of Albania's national hero Skanderbeg with Andronika Arianiti. In 1780 the Ardenica Monastery started a theological school to prepare clerics in Greek Orthodoxy, and it had an important library with 32,000 volumes that sadly were completely burned by a fire in 1932. Free time (lunch optional). Return to Tirana and drop off in the same place as the pick-up.

Start your day with pickup from your hotel in Tirana before traveling to Karavasta Lagoon. When you arrive, meet your guide, a trained and knowledgeable ornithologist who will introduce you to the park and its many species. Admire the natural beauty of the lagoon as you climb the 50m observation tower. Watch over the whole of the lagoon and look out for flamingos, pelicans, and other rare species. Enjoy a swim in the lagoon during your free time and, before leaving, sit down for lunch in a small restaurant that offers local specialties.

Your tour will start at 9 am from Tirana and you will arrive in the Apollonia site at 11 am. First, you will start with a guided tour of the archeological site. Walking through nature and feel the unique atmosphere that give the ruins of thousand-year old buildings. There are not much archeological sites in the Mediterranean area that offer a landscape of beautiful ancient architecture and nature. Our guides will help you to identify the ruins of the eight angular antique city with the straight streets. How and what is left from the Hellenistic ancient theater, the triumphal arch, the agora with its colonnade, the gym, the temple (Bouleuterion) or the monument of Agonothetes (in honor of the two brothers mentioned in the inscription of 'Architrave), the Odeon, the library, and the mosaic villas. After lunch, the tour will continue with a visit to the Ardenica Monastery, Here we find the Church of Santa Maria, the chapel of San Triadhe, the mill and stalls for the animals.