Summer Colors of Albania – 8 Day Tour

Private transfer from the airport to your hotel, followed by a 1-hour welcome walking tour through central Tirana. Relax at your hotel afterward. Overnight: Tirana

Depart for the stone city of Gjirokastër, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its distinctive Ottoman-era houses built almost entirely of local grey limestone. Visit the hilltop castle, the old bazaar, and the Skenduli family house-museum, one of the finest surviving examples of 18th-century Ottoman domestic architecture in the region, followed by a traditional Gjirokastër lunch. Overnight: Gjirokastër

Depart to visit the Blue Eye near Sarandë, the largest karst spring in Albania, with a visible depth of over 50 meters. Continue to Butrint National Park, the largest and most important archaeological site in the country and a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a settlement continuously inhabited from Greek and Roman times through the Byzantine and Venetian periods, surrounded by the Ionian Sea and Lake Butrint. Free time on the beach in Ksamil, famed for its small offshore islands and turquoise water, before returning to Sarandë. Overnight: Sarandë

No activities today — simply the beach, and the spa if your hotel has one. In the evening, an optional visit to Lëkurësi Castle, an Ottoman-era fortress on the hill above town, for sweeping views over Sarandë and across the strait to Corfu at sunset. Overnight: Sarandë

Depart along the Riviera, passing Porto Palermo Castle, a triangular fortress built by Ali Pasha of Tepelena in the early 19th century to guard the bay below. Nearby lies a Cold War-era tunnel carved into the rock to hide submarines from aerial surveillance, which you'll pass close to but not enter, as it remains a restricted military area. Arrive in Himarë, a coastal town with roots stretching back to antiquity, with free time to relax and enjoy the beach. Overnight: Himarë

Depart for the Llogara Pass, climbing to over 1,000 meters through hairpin turns and pine forest, stopping at the panoramic viewpoint for one of the most spectacular views over the Ionian coast in Albania. Continue into Llogara National Park, home to native Black Pine forests found almost nowhere else in the country, for a traditional lunch finished with kos dele me mjaltë e arra, before continuing on to Vlorë. Overnight: Vlorë

A full day by boat to Sazan Island, Albania's largest island and, until 2015, a restricted military zone off-limits to civilians, dotted with roughly 3,600 bunkers built during the communist era and once home to a small permanent military population — now uninhabited. Optional walking exploration of the island's fortifications or free time on the beach. Continue to the Haxhi Aliu Cave, the largest sea cave in Albania, and the Karaburun Peninsula — part of Albania's only marine national park — with free time on one of its beaches, before returning to Vlorë. For those not too tired, an optional stop at the Narta Lagoon and Zvernec Island, home to a Byzantine monastery reached by a narrow wooden footbridge. Overnight: Vlorë

Depart Vlorë for Apollonia, founded by Greek colonists in the 6th century BC and once one of the most important cities in the ancient world — the "city of students" where even the Roman Emperor Augustus is said to have studied philosophy and rhetoric. Continue to the Karavasta Lagoon, the largest lagoon in Albania and a protected Ramsar wetland, for a boat ride to observe its wildlife — keep an eye out for flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans — followed by a stop at the visitor center to meet Gjoni and Vlashi, two very special resident pelicans who welcome every visitor to Karavasta. Return to Tirana for a farewell craft beer tasting with snacks, or a full traditional dinner instead. (For guests departing the following day: an additional night in Tirana and a private transfer the next morning can be arranged.)