8 hours
Daily Tour
15 people
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Castle Visit and Food Tour in Lezha will take you to the town that can be seen from all sides (said Anna Komnena). This town has everything you need, the sea, mountains, forests, and the river. And it’s close to some of the major cities in Albania. Lezha is the place of historical ruins and memoirs. Lezha known as Lissus in the 4th century BC has a spectacular landscape.
When mentioning Lezha one should mention its beautiful castle. The walls distinctive architecture of the castle is covered in rich greenery. Even though you will be able to see the encircling walls of the castle, the walls have been restored recently.
This castle visit and food tour in Lezha takes you to the III-rd year BC.
As the castle has been rebuilt over and over since year III-BC, you will still be able to see the Ottoman renovation that is in contrast with the Illyrian and Roman way of building. This castle is regarded as the biggest in Central Albania, built in Illyrian, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman architecture.
It lays on the top of the hill of 186 m high in the east part of the city. The origin of the castle is Illyrian. In 1440 the castle was subject to reconstructions by Venetians, and in 1522, after the Ottoman occupation, it is reconstructed also by them. Here you can find vestiges of Illyrians, Romans, Byzantines, and ottomans.
Above all, the most interesting objects to visit are ottomans construction rubbles inside the castle, mosque, and the tower in the south-east wall with roman arch and Illyrian tower in the south wall of the castle. Lezha Castle is a cultural monument. You can also see the beautiful landscape of Lezha country and the Adriatic Sea from there.
In Lezha you will also visit the tomb of Scanderbeg. This place is the most memorial monument in Albania, although it doesn’t contain his remains.
The reason and connection of Scanderbeg and Lezha began with the League of Lezha on 2 March 1444. In this league, Scanderbeg united all the principalities of Albania against the Ottomans. He was triumphant and victorious during his 25-year reign. He won 24 battles out of 25 and became one of the most loved historic figures of Albania. This is one of the reasons Scanderbegs memorial is located in the ancient city of Lissus.
The structure of the memorial is like the ones that are devoted to the Greek Gods. Supported by pillars, the monument is located on the ruins of an old cathedral, that existed during the 14th century.
After seeing the town of Lezha we proceed to one of the main attractions for locals and tourists Mrizi I Zanave Agro-tourism.
This beautiful extraordinary restaurant located in the Village of the Albanian poet, Gjergj Fishta. Named after his famous tale Mrizi I Zanave (Fairies Hideway), the owner of this place wanted to make something magical with the food he was serving. As magical as it would look like it is made from the fairy cook.
The vibe of this place is buzzing and you never find a place to sit unless you pre-book a week before. All the foods are freshly prepared and organic gathered from the nearby families, but also grown on the property. There is no menu and the army of the wait staff explains everything and brings you dishes course after course leaving you mesmerized.
Food that is pleasing to the eye, imaginative plates that make your mouth watery. The food is slow food and everything is focused on seasonal variations so the menu is changed throughout the year depending on the season.
Mrizi serves food on the basic idea of “ Think Globally, Eat Locally”
Located in Lezhë, Mrizi i Zanave Agroturizëm features a restaurant, garden, and free Wi-Fi throughout the property. Featuring family rooms, this property also provides guests with a playground. There is free private parking and the property provides paid airport shuttle service. This place is amazing and you are going to taste the amazing Albanian traditional ecological food made from the farms nearby.
Book this Castle Visit and Food Tour in Lezha and enjoy the best of Albania.
We meet in the morning around 9 am at Scanderbeg's square and drive towards Lezha.
The tour will start with the castle of Lezha which is a place that you should not forget to visit, with an ancient history that dates back to the 4th century BC.
In this tour you will immerse yourself in landscape Lezha has to offer. You will be able to visit Scanderbeg’s memorial as he died in this town. You will learn why Lezha is historical. The history of the League of Lezha is going to take you back to 1444. And after our tour of Lezha we are going to head towards one of the most beautiful agro-touristic farms of Albania, Mrizi I Zanave. A place of rare beauty and delicious food.
After our exploration of the farm, we will head back to Tirana.
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