Balkan Culture and UNESCO Sites

About this tour

Explore the culture of Balkan Culture and UNESCO sites by traveling in Albania, Greece, Macedonia, and Kosovo. In this 15 day tour, you will travel to around 30 places in these 4 countries and the most important is that you will experience the best of the 4 of them.

The beauty of each county will be at your hand. You will see beaches, mountains, lakes and important landmarks. You will feel at the top of the world traveling and enjoying your life. We designed this tour for the Balkan lovers, and for those who ache to explore new things.

The tour will take you to the most beautiful sites in these countries. We will give you the experience of once in a lifetime. Discover 4 different cultures that have influenced one another, yet unique. The Balkan cultures and traditions are so much the same as they are different. These 4 countries are bordered by their own people. Learn a story of close friendships and enemies.

These countries have it all. Learn about the friendships and feuds they have. Also, discover how people the people of a country are so well assimilated in the other but haven’t forgotten the roots. In this Balkan tour, you will discover some of the most attractive UNESCO sites in the region.

Balkan Culture and UNESCO Sites in Albania

If the group lands in Albania early in the morning then we travel directly to the city of Kruja to visit the castle and Scanderbeg Museum. Kruja was the most important town for the Albanians during the 15th century, which withstood successfully at least 3 major sieges by the Ottoman Empire.

The museum we will visit is dedicated to the Albanian medieval hero Gjergj Kastrioti called otherwise ‘Scanderbeg’. He is considered the most important figure for all the Albanians wherever they live. Lunch will be in an agri-tourist center where will experience true Albanian hospitality.

You will visit the historical city of Durres where we will take a guided walk through the town center, fortification walls dating back to the 5th century AD, and the Roman Amphitheater as one of the biggest in the Balkans. We continue traveling to Berat, a UNESCO Heritage Site.

After having lunch in the castle we take a guided walk through the beautiful alleys of Berat Castle. In the afternoon we walk through Mangalem and Gorica neighborhoods to finish in grandeur with a photo shooting of Mangalem quarter by night.

The group will travel to the monastery of Ardenica to visit the beautifully preserved Saint Mary Church with frescoes dating since 1744. Next, we drive to the city of Gjirokastër where we will visit the Old Town, The Castle, and the typical ottoman houses of Gjirokaster a representative of which is the house of Enver Hoxha was born, now transformed in the Ethnographic Museum.

Later on, we travel to Butrinti in Albania and visit the UNESCO archeological site. Butrinti is one of the few archeological sites in Albania to be continually inhabited during the whole of its existence and is as well one of the most preserved sites in Albania part of the UNESCO Heritage list. Depending on the season and weather we can relax in the blue waters of the Ionian Sea in Ksamil.

Balkan Culture and UNESCO Sites in Greece

We will head to Greece we cross the border and drive to Ioannina to visit this amazing castle of Ali Pasha Tepelena. After a nice lunch and visit in Ioannina, we drive to Kalambaka where will be accommodated in the afternoon

Kalambaka was burned to the ground by the Nazis in World War II, but it is a modern city nowadays. A great view can be admired from the top of monasteries in Meteora. Today we visit the Great Meteoron Monastery and St.Stephen’s Monastery in Meteora.

Balkan Culture and UNESCO Sites in Macedonia

The group travels toward Heraklea archeological site near Bitola, Macedonia. It was Philip II, the father of Alexander the great who during the 4th century BC, founded Heraclea. After a guided tour of Heraclea and Bitola, we drive to Ohrid where will be accommodated tonight.

Next in Ohrid. With the assistance of the local guide, we will visit Samuel castle, Saint John Caneo, the amphitheater, etc. Lunch will be in Ohrid. In the afternoon we travel to visit Saint Naum monastery venerated deeply by the Macedonians. He helped spread the Bible and the literacy rate in the region.

Furthermore, you will be headed to Kavadartsi to visit one of the most important and well-known wineries in Balkan, Tikvesh Winery. There we will have a guided tour of the winery and lunch as well. After we reach Skopje in the afternoon we take a guided tour around Skopje visiting the main sites such as Mother Theresa Memorial, Alexander the Great square, Old Bazaar, the Train Station, etc.

Balkan Culture and UNESCO Sites in Kosovo

We will travel to Prizren. Prizren is one of the few cities in Kosovo to have 3 religious communities cohabiting together (Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim). It is known as well for the Albanian National Weakening movement. Lunch will be organized in the vicinity of Prizren. On the way from Skopje to Prizren, we will stop several times to enjoy nature.

Also, we will head to Prishtina, the capital of Kosovo. One of the first sites we visit is Prekaz village from where the war of Kosovo started in 1999. Next, we drive to Kosovo Polje (The Blackbirds Field) from where the name of Kosovo comes. In 1389 it is believed that a big battle happened here which ended with the conquest of the whole region by the Ottoman Empire.

Next, we travel to Peja and visit an important religious site for the Serbian people, the Peja Patriarchate. The Serbian Patriarchate of Peja is considered a place of exceptional importance for the Serbian people. It is the place from where the National and Spiritual Identity of Serbs stem from.

We start driving today toward Visoki Deçani to visit this 14-century Monastery (UNESCO) built by the Serbian King Stefan Urosh III. It is one of the biggest monasteries in the Balkan with an active monastic life. After our visit to the monastery, we head to Gjakova to visit the Ottoman Bazaar and Mosque. In the afternoon we cross the border into Albania passing through the panoramic route of Tropojë – Bajram Curri – Valbone Valley (AL).

In these Balkan Culture and UNESCO sites, we will be headed back to some of Albania’s most beautiful landscapes. There you will discover why Albania competes with other countries for the best lake boat ride. Why it is a mountainous country and why everyone loves it.

You will visit the most beautiful cultural attractions selected for you.