Hi I’m Mike Corcoran the founder of Aperture Journeys. I hope you enjoy reading about this tour and decide to join us. Albania was my home for a while. My wife and I spent years exploring the area. I love Albania and this region and I am sure you will too! Since it is less travel by tourist the culture is still authentic.
If you have any questions please give me a call +1 813 501 6111.
Europe”s Last unturned stones!
Dust off your travel gear, grab your passport, and join me for an unforgettable cultural experience! Our travels will take us to the best up-and-coming destinations in Europe. We’ll start in North Macedonia in the capital city of Skopje. You’ll enjoy this quaint smaller capital city with its unique mixture of Christian and Ottoman influences. The stunning city square will have you snapping lots of photos. Just across the river you step into the old Ottoman bazaar, you’ll feel like you have stepped back in time! The beautiful town of Ohrid is our next destination. It is situated on the lakeside of the pristine Lake Ohrid. Its a very relaxing place with beauty and history. We have our first winery visit traveling from Ohrid we arrive a beautiful winery in the countryside. We will sample the local wine varieties, have a cooking class and enjoy the friendly hospitality. Our journey continues toward Albania. Along the way we visit historical sites along the lake shore drive. Our last site, St. Naum, is at the southern point of the lake on the border
Albania. After, we proceed to Pogradec, a small lake shore town, then we go to Elbasan. We have a short stop in Elbasan and visit the castle and have a coffee. After a short drive we arrive in Tirana the capital city of Albania. Tirana is one of Europe’s best-kept secrets with beauty and hospitality just waiting to be explored. You’ll immediately notice the warm, friendly nature of the Albanian people and culture of this undiscovered gem as we learn about its fascinating history during our city tour. We’ll visit the Bloku area, once an exclusive district closed to the general public under communist rule. Today it is the most vibrant and hip district in the city, filled with coffee shops & cafes, restaurants, nightlife and shopping.
We now travel south visiting Berat, the city of a thousand windows, Gjirokaster, Ksamil, Historical site of Butrint. WE cross the border into Northern Greece and discover the beauty of Zagori region, Metsovo Mountain village and Meteora’s unique landscape. Finally we finish our journey in Thessaloniki.
Welcome to the Skopje the capital city North Macedonia. A unique capital with an interesting mix of Christian and Ottoman influences.
Meet & Greet Transfer service
Check into your hotel
Free time
Meals: Dinner
Overnight Skopje Marriott Hotel – Skopje
After breakfast we will have city tour in Skopje. Skopje is the capital of North Macedonia, situated in the Skopje Valley. It is a very attractive tourist destination with its fortress, cultural and historical monuments and archeological cities. Skopje also is a modern, political, economic and cultural center. Skopje, and especially the downtown, hides interesting sites that need careful attention: the old station, (a reminder of the earthquake of 1963) the archaeological museum, the memorial house of Mother Teresa (Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, winner of the Nobel peace in 1979, born in Skopje in 1910), Macedonia Square with numerous monuments like the monumental statue of Alexander The Great, the Stone Bridge, the Museum of Holocaust, the old bazaar, the church of St. Spas with the beautiful wood-carved iconostasis (19th century), the Daut Pasha Hammam, now an art gallery, one of the largest and finest examples of Ottoman architecture in the Balkans urban, Kapan an, (15th century), the Mustafa Pasha Mosque (15th century), etc. Afterwards we will have lunch in a local restaurant. The rest of the time is free. Dinner at local restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight Skopje Marriott Hotel – Skopje
After breakfast continue to Ohrid. On the way we will visit a Winery in the countryside located just west of the town of Demir Kapija on the slopes of Veliko Brdo, (the Grand Hill). The Winery is certainly one of the success stories of North Macedonian viticulture and here it is sometimes possible to taste from the fermentation tanks wine varieties such as; Stanushina a local grape variety found only in the Tikves region as well as Temjanika, Zilavka and Vranac grown in the ex-Yugoslavia territ ories. Also, more international varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are also produced. Tikves wine region is the biggest and the most important wine region of North Macedonia spread over 13.000 hectares, along the same latitude as Rioja and Ribera del Due ro. As the Mediterranean climate from the south collides with the continental climate from the north, it creates an area most remarkable for grape growing and wine production on the entire Balkan Peninsula. We will have cooking class at the winery restaurant and enjoy the meal with a wine tasting. Afterwards continue to Ohrid. We will have sailing tour with sunset drinks. Dinner at local restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast we will have city tour in Ohrid. We will visit the Church St. Sofia, built between the 11th and 14th century, which was the seat of the Archbishop. “St . Clement”, a classic Orthodox Byzantine church, dominating the Old Town, demonstrates the link between Byzantine and Italian Renaissance art. At “Plaoshnik”, in the 9 the century, St . Clement of Ohrid founded the first University of Europe and educated 3.500 students. St. John at Kaneo, stands alone on a small peninsula which juts out into the lake at the western end of the Old Town, and provides spectacular panoramic views of the lake and surrounding mountains, Samuil fortress, Saint Painteleimon Church, The Holy Virgin of Peribleptos Church, Icon Galery and old Bazaar. Afterwards continue to Vevcani where we will have lunch in a traditional restaurant in the Village. After the lunch we will visit the village Vevcani built on a steep hillside and sheltered by a mountain. Its architecture is most appealing with many old houses and buildings of all styles and shapes. The famous Vevcani springs have a water flow of between 400-4000Lt/sec which explains the many water-mills in this area. Afterwards, continue back to Ohrid . Dinner at local restaurant
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight Ohrid
After breakfast continue to Pogradec. On the way we will stop to visit the museum on water “Bay of the Bones”, depicting life on Ohrid lake 3000-4000 years ago an authentic reconstruction of a part of the pile dwelling settlement, dating back between 1200 and 700 BC and a Roman military fortification, that has been reconstructed on the hill above the Bay of Bones. From there we drive to St. Naum Monastery. The site is known for its springs that come from the upper Lake Prespa and cross the Galicica Mountain to come out in a small lake where the surplus falls in Lake Ohrid. Built on the rocky hill right above the lake, the monastery of St . Naum is one of the most beautiful pilgrimage spots in Mace donia. The monastery itself contains a small Orthodox church where Saint Naum is buried. Decorated with frescoes, it is a pure jewel of Byzantine art . Then we proceed to the small village of Tushemisht and to explore traditional village life in this picturesque area of the country. Rowing boat in Drilon . Continue to Pogradec to have lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch on the way to Tirana stop at Elbasani Castle (interesting as it is the only castle in the country given to a private entity with concession which has proved very successful in preserving and restoring this monument) for a coffee.
Continue on to Tirana for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight The Plaza Hotel Tirana
After breakfast walking tour of Tirana, the lively, entertaining and cultural capital of Albania, found in the early 17 century, is the perfect place for travelers who want to enjoy discovering new places and meet the friendliest people. Take a relaxing walk to discover the major monuments of Tirana. The best of old and new Tirana has been combined with a journey into the history of Albania. Walk through the center where we will visit the city center, the ministerial buildings of Italian architect ure, the remains of the Castle of Tirana, the tomb of KaplIan pasha (built in the early 19th century, with carved stones and has an octagonal shape) and The Tanners’ Bridge, an 18th-century stone footbridge. Visit the National Historic Museum, which will give you an insight into Albanian history, past & present. Lunch in a traditional local restaurant. After lunch continue with the visit of Bunk’art 1, a huge 100 rooms, anti-nuclear bunker built underneath a hill on the foot of the mountain. It illustrates the isolation and paranoia of the Albanian communist dictatorship. Free afternoon. Dinner in local restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight The Plaza Hotel Tirana
After breakfast drive to Berat known as the ‘town of a thousand windows’, Berat’s Ottoman architecture and ancient history has given it UNESCO World Heritage status. The town is home to Berat Castle, which is perched on a rocky hill and inaccessible from the south. The fortress was so large that it could house a substantial proportion of the town’s inhabitants. An influence of different cultures can be found in Berat’s mosques and Byzantine churches. Visit the citadel and the Onufri Icons Museum. Lunch in a local restaurant. Drive to Gjirokastra, a UNESCO site and museum town with beautiful and very distinctive architecture. Short tour of the Old Town. Dinner and overnight in Gjirokastra.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight Hotel Fantasy Gjirokaster
Breakfast in hotel. The town of Gjirokastra is built on the slope of a hill and is known for its characteristic and narrow coble stone streets. The dwelling houses have the form of medieval towers consisting of a building ensemble with characteristic architecture. The city was besieged and captured by the Ottomans in the 15th century, but unlike many other towns in Albania it flourished under its new rulers. In the 17th century it had 2000 houses and was a very important trading town. The castle itself stands like a balcony over the city. It enables the visitors to enjoy a very a powerful architectural panorama. Visit the Bazaar & 300-year-old Skendulaj House to get a feel of Gjirokaster. Lunch in local restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight Hotel Fantasy Gjirokaster
After breakfast we drive through the the hills to the mountain town of Metsovo in the Zagori region. Here we will visit a local winery and have lunch with time to explore the old town. After we continue on to Meteora. On arrival check in and free time till sunset happy hour drinks before dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Breakfast in the hotel. Dedicated day for the visit of Meteora, Kala mbaka . The rocks of Meteora are actually miracles of nature. It is a fantastic place to discover. Meteora is included on the UNESCO World Herit age. Visit of 2 monasteries in Meteora. Observation deck and icon-painting workshop. Lunch in local resta urant. Return to the hotel and free afternoon. Dinner in local restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at Hotel Doupiani House Meteora
After breakfast we begin our drive to Thessaloniki stopping along the way for rest break.
Arriving in Thessaloniki in time for lunch at a local favorite restaurant.
After lunch check into the hotel & free time in the afternoon.
Seaside happy hour drinks before dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, (Happy Hour Drinks) + Dinner
Thessaloniki is loved by travelers. It is the object of the special Greek’s respect and they call it the second capital of Greece . Picturesque landscapes, developed touristic infrastructure, historical heritage, restaurants, bars and night clubs for all tastes and pleasant climate & atmosphere. We take a guided tour of the city sites – Kastra – old city, Agios Dimitrios church, Rotondo of Galerius, Galerius Palace Complex, White Tower, Monument of Alexander the Great.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Enjoy breakfast. Free Time depending on your flight. Transfer to airport after breakfast. Farewell!
Meals: Breakfast
