ESCORTED TOUR


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Balkan Gems - 13 Days Tour
Total traveling time* - 23 hours 45 minutes
Total traveling distance - 893 miles - 1,436 km
The Balkan Gems Tour is about visiting five countries: Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Greece, and Kosovo. This Tour starts and ends in Tirana, Albania. It is for people interested in discovering the culture, history, and hospitality of five Countries known for their hospitality, old towns, beautiful beaches, dramatic mountains, and the Riviera. This is a unique opportunity to explore the history and the tradition of a part of the Balkans while traveling in breathtaking nature and enjoying local food and hospitality. This is a 13 days tour, and the visits may include Tirane, Kotor, Gjirokaster, Berat, Meteora, Korce, Ohrid, Skopje, Prizren, Budva, Ulqin. This tour provides access to all UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Tour Details
Itinerary
Day 1: Visiting Tirana, the Albanian Capital City. This day will start by visiting the center of Tirana and Main Boulevard. We will have several short walks around the magnificent Skanderbeg Square and will enjoy this new and modern built square and admire all the buildings surrounding it. After that, we will continue by visiting the 'BUNKART 2', a museum built inside an anti-nuclear bunker under the ground in a network of tunnels just meters from the Ministry of Interior. Overnight in Tirane Day 2: Berat, the White Crown Berat is a UNESCO world heritage town and also known as "The White City." It is the oldest and the most visited place in Albania. Even those who come to Albania to enjoy the seaside get the opportunity to jump and see this gem-like city. After arrival, our day will continue visiting the "Kala" neighborhood and the "Onufri" museum. Overnight in Berat. Day 3: Back to Ancient and Modern This day will start by driving to Apollonia Archaeological Park. Apollonia's site lay on the territory of the Taulanti, a cluster of Illyrian tribes that remained closely involved with the settlement for centuries. The city was originally named Gylakeia after its founder, Gylax, but later changed the name to honor the god Apollon. Our day will continue with a walk around the main promenade in Vlore and a coffee break close to the sea. Afternoon at leisure.Overnight in Vlore. Day 4: Albanian Coastal Road This day, we will drive deep towards south Albania via the Albanian Coastal road, which many believe to be the Mediterranean's most beautiful coastal road. Have the first stop on top of Llogora Pass and enjoy a unique view of the Ionian sea from more than 1,700 feet above sea level, along with the breathtaking view that this Park has to offer. The next visit is to Porto Palermo, where the Ali Pasha Castle stands like a barrier in front of the blue rocky sea to protect the country. The bay of Porto Palermo once served as an important secret military submarine base, and the tunnel is still visible. Overnight in Sarande. Day 5: Two of UNESCO's This day will start with visiting Butrint Archaeological Park, a World-Class Unesco World Heritage site. Founded in the VII century bc by the Kaons of Epirus, it became one of the most important cities in the Ionian sea. We will visit it is the best-preserved Archaeological site in Albania and a World Class UNESCO Site. This day will continue with a drive to another UNESCO site, Gjirokaster city, and the Argjiro Castle, the biggest castle in the Balkans and the second biggest in Europe. Overnight in Gjirokaster. Day 6: Meteora Monasteries Serene, spiritual, magical, mystical, extraordinary, breathtaking, immense, inspiring, impressive. These are only some of the words people very often use to describe the Meteora phenomenon. A trip to Meteora offers the unique experience of nature’s grandeur in conjunction with history, architecture, and man’s everlasting desire to connect with the Divine. From the early Christian times, the Meteora vertical cliffs were regarded as the perfect place to achieve absolute isolation, discover peace and harmony, and support man’s eternal struggle for spiritual elevation. Overnight in Meteora. Day 7: Romantic, Romantic... This day we will drive towards Drilon, a natural Spring Park situated just 10 mins drive from Pogradec. After that, we will drive into Macedonia to visit Ohrid. In antiquity, the city was known under the ancient Illyrian name -Lychnidos, meaning "city of light."By 879 AD, the town was no longer called Lychnidos but was referred to by the assimilated native people as Ohrid from the Slavic words vohrid, meaning "on the hill," as the ancient town was at the top of the hill. Visit the Old town and the Amphitheater. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight in Ohrid. Day 8: Mother Teresa Birthplace This day will drive towards Skopje, the birthplace of Mother Teresa and the Macedonian Capital city of big contrasts. We will visit the "Aleksandar" square, the stone bridge, the old town and enjoy local food at a very traditional restaurant. Overnight in Skopje. Day 9: The NewBorn Country Today will drive to Kosovo and visit Prizren, a typical Albanian town and part of Unesco. We will visit the old town, main square, promenade, and Albanian league house. Afternoon at leisure to enjoy the walks and local food. Overnight in Prizren. Day 10: Visiting Budva This day will start by driving to Budva, Montenegro, to visit the old town and the Citadel. Budva is a relatively small town, but it has a very nice neighborhood around the old town, with plenty of coffee shops and people walking around. Budva’s Old Town lies on a small peninsula and represents a treasure chest of cultural heritage. Crossed with narrow streets and squares are famous buildings, the Church Sv. Trojica, housing the tomb of the exquisite writer Stjepan Mitrov Ljubisa. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight in Budva. Day 11: Splendid Kotor Bay Our representative will pick you up at your hotel and drive you to Kotor, Montenegro. The day will continue with visiting the Old Town and starting the walking tour. This walking city gives you a great introduction to this UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will visit the Square of Arms, the Clock Tower, Flour Square with Pima and Buca palaces, St Tryphon Cathedral, the Bokelian Navy Square with Karampana, and the St Luke Square with St Luke church. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight in Kotor. Day 12: Visiting Kruje, the Ottoman Nightmare Today we will hit the road towards Kruje, the Gjergj Kastrioti stronghold during the war with the Ottomans in the 16th century. This day will continue with visiting the Castle, the Nation Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, and the Old Bazaar. Drive to Tirane. Overnight in Tirane. Day 13: Tour over after breakfast There are no activities today, and this is the end of the Tour and services. Breakfast is provided. If you have booked a post-tour transfer, we will escort you to your destination or Tirana International Airport. Faleminderit and have a safe flight back home!
Activity Level
Our tours are physically active! It's an essential part of the Apollon Tours experience. On our tours — among other things — you'll need to happily… 1. Carry/roll your luggage. If you cannot, our staff will help you carry your luggage. 2. Be on your feet, walking and standing for up to three hours, indoors and outdoors, in good weather conditions. There are no activities in heavy rain/snow or high temperatures 3. Sleep in centrally located hotels. 4. After orientation and transportation lessons, be able to navigate towns and cities on your own
Hotels
You will stay in centrally located hotels. You will receive the list of the Hotels and the contact details as soon as your Deposit Payment has become nonrefundable, but in some cases, it might be later but never later than a month before the departure of the tour. In rare circumstances, we might change the hotel should we know there is a problem with the hotel we already booked.
Flights
We do not sell flight tickets, but we can suggest the best we know.
What's Included?
Accommodation in centrally located hotels with breakfast - 12 Nights Private transport during the entire Itinerary Full time Certified English speaking Guide and Experts Guaranteed tour price, locked in the moment of deposit payment Guided tour of Durres Amphitheater Guided tour of the walls in Durres Guided tour of Apollonia Archaeological Park Driving tour of the coastal road and Llogora pass Guided tour of Ali Pasha castle in Porto Palermo Guided tour of Butrint Archaeological Park (Unesco) Guided tour of Gjirokaster Fortress (Unesco) Guided tour of the city of Gjirokaster (Unesco) Guided tour of the Onufri Museum in Berat (Unesco) Guided walking tour of the city of Berat (Unesco) Guided half-day walking tour of Tirana Guided half-day walking tour of Ohrid (Unesco) Guided half-day walking tour of Skopje Guided half-day walking tour of Prizren (Unesco) Guided half-day walking tour of Budva (Unesco) Guided half-day walking tour of Kotor (Unesco) Guided half-day walking tour of Old Town Kruje All entrance tickets to museums and sites as per itinerary 50$ coupons to use on your next tour with us (transferable).
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