Explore Berat(UNESCO) and Apollonia from Tirana/Durres

This is a lovely tour that shows one of the oldest towns in Albania. First, we will get back to antiquity by visiting Apollonia, a city that was found in the 7th century B.C., by Greek settlers from Corinth and Corcyra. In the first century B.C., Octavian Augustus studied philosophy there until he heard news of Caesar’s murder in the Senate and went on to become the next emperor. Berat castle it is the biggest inhabited castle in Albania. Our guide will show you the way how the Albanians live and how they have built the typical houses in central Albania. We will also visit the lower part of the town where we will see the Mangalemi neighborhood which gives the nickname of the "1000 Windows" city. Afterwards we will return from a different route which makes another highlight of this daytrip. The road is through the countryside and shows how the agriculture is developed in the central Albania. We will get to see hills, cultivated fields and natural lakes.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Apollonia Archaeological Park, Pojan Albania

The famous Roman orator Cicero, astonished by the beauty of Apollonia named it in his Philippics, “magna urbs et gravis” - a great and important city. Established in the 7th century B.C., by Greek settlers from Corinth and Corcyra, the ancient city is located 11 km to the west of the city of Fier. Archaeological excavations have revealed that Apollonia achieved its zenith in the 4th - 3rd centuries B.C. In the first century B.C., Octavian Augustus studied philosophy there until he heard news of Caesar’s murder in the Senate and went on to become the next emperor. Visit the city and an Orthodox monastery turned into archaeological museum.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Berat Castle, Rruga Mihal Komnena, Berat 5001 Albania

The castle is the only one in Albania that still has houses and inhabitants within its walls, going about their daily life in exactly the same place their predecessors did centuries ago. Being more than 2400 year old Berat it is one of the most attractive towns in Albania. Established in the 3rd century B.C by an Illyrian tribe of central Albania with a protective castle, it was known as the fortified city of Antipatrea. In 1417 the town was occupied by the Turks who build quite a few mosques in the area below the town’s old castle.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: National Iconographic Museum Onufri, Located in the Inner Part of Saint Mary Church in Berat Castel, Berat Albania

Built in 1797, this cathedral is situated at the highest altitude of the Berat Castle, though it can be a little difficult to find. While the Ottomans were Muslim, they allowed Christians to continue practicing their faith and build churches, though not very visibly. This cathedral is one of them, a typical church of three naves and two rows of tall stone columns. Inside, you initially find yourself facing the Holy Altar with masterful engravings and paintings of Bible scenes in the incredibly lavish and ornate iconostasis of the Cathedral – the only one to have survived from the former metropolitan complex. The iconostasis, created in 1807, the most eye-catching part of the interior of the church, is considered one of the greatest accomplishments of the 19th-century Albanian wood-carving masters. It stretches along the entire interior of the cathedral and includes twelve royal icons as well as twenty-seven small festive icons. The royal icons, objects of reverence and worship, carved in wood and covered in gold, are simply magnificent!

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Mangalem, Berat, Albania

Berat is situated at the foot of Tomorri Mountain and on the shores of River Osum. We will visit the Mangalemi Old Neighbourhood after the visit of the castle. Built in white on a slope of green with the river at its feet, it offers a striking view as soon as it becomes visible. It is famous for its white-washed houses with their many windows which seem to have been built on top of each other, that give it the nickname “town of a thousand windows”. It retains a unique style of architecture, with narrow and stone paved streets.

Duration: 30 minutes

Pass By: Belsh, Belsh, Elbasan County

On the way back we will visit Belsh Town that is located at the shore of a small natural lake. The town is situated in the Dumrea plain which has about 85 different sized lakes that are all natural. The road has a very nice landscape which makes it another highlight in this tour.