Albania & Macedonia 2026-27

Departure on scheduled Ita Airways flights to Tirana – on arrival, meet your guide - visit of Kruja, the ancient capital of Albania and symbol of the resistance against the Ottomans (Kruja is a beautiful medieval town in the prefecture of Durrës, famous as the birthplace of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, military leader and Albanian national hero - visit to the History Museum - visit to the historic "Qeleshpunues" craft workshop, where you can watch the traditional Albanian "qeleshe" hats being made) – lunch at a restaurant – transfer to Tirana – check-in at the hotel – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – tour leader available - overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – departure for North Macedonia – arrival in Tetovo – visit with a guide of the Painted Mosque (built in the 17th century and also known as the Aladzha Mosque, a true jewel of Islamic art built in 1459 with donations from two Muslim noblewomen, Hurshida and Mensure, whose tomb lies in the garden. The mosque is cube-shaped and entirely decorated, inside and out, with floral and geometric motifs. The frescoes and wooden decorations, all in excellent condition, date from 1833, when the building was rebuilt and enlarged by Abdurahman Pasha) – continue to Skopje and guided visit of the Macedonian capital, with the Mosque, the Fortress, the Memorial to Mother Teresa and the site where her birthplace once stood, and the Church of St Spas with its incredible iconostasis, six metres high and ten metres long, carved entirely by the Filipovski brothers between 1819 and 1824) - lunch at a restaurant – dinner at a typical restaurant with music - after dinner, Skopje by night: a stroll with your guide through the city's pedestrian area – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – departure towards Stobi – visit with a guide of one of the largest Roman cities in the region, of which some 15 hectares have now been brought to light - typical lunch with tasting of local wines – continue to Bitola - visit with a guide of the city conquered by the Turks in 1382 (only a dozen or so remain of the many mosques built by the Turks during their rule of more than five centuries) - stroll along the Street of the Consulates and through the ancient Roman city of Heraclea, founded by Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, around the middle of the 4th century BC (among the site's most interesting remains are the baths, the colonnade, the amphitheatre and the remains of the two basilicas with their splendid, richly coloured mosaics) – arrival in Ohrid in the evening - dinner at the hotel - after dinner, Ohrid by night: a stroll with your tour leader – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – full day devoted to the visit of Ohrid, the most beautiful city in Macedonia and one of the most fascinating in the Balkan peninsula, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Set on the eastern shore of the lake of the same name, Ohrid is known for its pretty white houses with their overhanging wooden upper storeys, its winding lanes and its prestigious art treasures – visit to the Cathedral of St Sophia, built in 1037-1056, with interesting 14th-century frescoes, the Church of St Bogorodica Perivlepta of 1259 in Byzantine style, the Church of SS Constantine and Helena from the second half of the 14th century –exterior-, and the Church of St John at Kaneo, symbol of Ohrid – boat trip to visit the Monastery of St Naum - lunch at a restaurant - typical dinner with tasting of local wine and rakia - evening at leisure – tour leader available – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel - departure for Berat, also known as “the city of a thousand and one windows”, since the façades of its houses, one beside the other, consist almost entirely of windows - white and luminous, the houses of Berat climb the steep slopes on both banks of the river, linked by the old bridge over the Osum, built in 1777 - visit with a guide of Berat (the “Kala” citadel with the Onufri Museum, a stroll through the historically Muslim Mangalem quarter, the Gorica Bridge and the mainly Christian Gorica quarter) - tasting of the famous raki, gliko and Turkish coffee with a local family - continue to Gjirokastër – lunch at a restaurant – dinner at the hotel - evening at leisure – tour leader available – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, visit with a guide of Gjirokastër, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (visit to the Fortress with its prisons and the War Museum, ascent by taxi) – visit to the enchanting Blue Eye spring (transfer by local road train) - continue to Saranda and visit to the archaeological site of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, close to the southern border with Greece (the fortifications, dating from the 6th century BC, evoke the city's military and economic strength at the time) – lunch at a restaurant – in the evening, arrival in Vlora - dinner at the hotel - evening at leisure – after dinner, Vlora by night: a stroll with your tour leader – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Ardenica - visit to the Ardenica Monastery, set on a hill a few kilometres from the Via Egnatia, the great artery of antiquity that linked Durrës to Constantinople - inside the church today you can admire wall paintings of 1743-1745 by the Albanian artists Konstandin and Athanas Zografi and Konstandin Shpataraku – continue to Tirana – the city that symbolises the new Albania has changed its face and is full of fashionable bars, art galleries and cultural centres - Tirana is also the country's main political, industrial and cultural hub; it lies on the Ishëm river and boasts a history going back thousands of years, as its many archaeological sites testify, even though its official foundation is relatively recent - we will admire the beautiful Et'hem Bey Mosque and Mother Teresa Square, which acts as a counterpoint to Skanderbeg Square - visit to the Catholic cathedral of the Archdiocese of Tirana-Durrës, dedicated to St Paul – lunch at a restaurant en route - dinner at a typical restaurant with music - after dinner, Tirana by night: panoramic tour by private coach with a guide – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – transfer to the airport - departure on scheduled Ita Airways flights for the journey home.