20-Nights Balkans Discovery: Montenegro to Kosovo - Classic

20 nights from: $4,149

Balkans Discovery: Montenegro to Kosovo
Picture this: walled cities, rugged mountains, dazzling coastlines, ancient castles, and food so good you’ll be dreaming about it long after you’re home. This 21-day, multi-country adventure through the Balkans is the perfect mix of history, nature, and culture. Cruise across the Bay of Kotor and Lake Ohrid, wander through the untouched beauty of Biogradska Gora National Park, and step back in time at a 15th-century stronghold, a 3,000-year-old ruin, and a 6th-century fortress. With every breathtaking view and unforgettable experience, you’ll be counting down the days until you can do it all over again.

Highlights
Take in Montenegro’s breathtaking national parks and Albania’s stunning coastline, Step through history from Podgorica’s medieval stronghold to the legendary Prizren Fortress, Immerse yourself in Montenegro’s rugged mountains and experience life at a traditional shepherd outpost in Albania, Set sail on a scenic boat tour across the breathtaking waters of Lake Ohrid

Accomodation
It is important to note that accommodation in Europe tend to be quite different to other areas of the world you may have travelled in. Buildings and rooms are generally old and may not have been renovated or maintained to the highest standard. Downtown hotels in Europe were not built to be hotels but rich owners houses, which have been changed into hotels. Therefore unusual room sizes are common as large rooms have been partitioned in the past, resulting in rather "thin" walls. Reception areas, rooms and bathrooms tend to be very small as they were often added into an existing room, and may have a hand nozzle rather than a conventional shower head. On this trip you can expect to stay in small family-run hotels (with the exception of the start and finish hotels, which are often larger city hotels), which will vary a little in standard and facilities: some may not have elevators, air-conditioning or English-speaking staff, but most importantly all are locally-run, with some traditional character, and in excellent central locations to give you maximum time for exploring the sights. You can expect to find clean, safe, simple accommodation in convenient locations. Note that most accommodation in Europe does not have air conditioning units in rooms. Air conditioning is not routinely installed in European homes and workplaces. However, nearly all hotels will provide a standing or desk fan for your room on hot nights. If you do not already have one in your room, please ask your CEO to organize one for you with reception.

Group Leader
This G Adventures group trip is accompanied by one of our group leaders. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. They will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects.

Group Size Notes
Max 16, avg 12.

Meals Included
20 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners

What's Included
Your Welcome Moment: Meet Your CEO and Group
Your Local Living Moment: Hike to a Shepherd Outpost with Lunch, Tragjas
Your Foodie Moment: Gjirokastër Winery Visit and Light Dinner, Gjirokastër
Your Foodie Moment: Regional Cooking Demonstration and Light Lunch, Ohrid.
Kotor orientation walk. Boat tour from Kotor to Perast. Budva Old Town walk. Visit Ostrog Monastery. Full-day excursion to Biogradska Gora National Park. Kolašin 4x4 Off-Road Excursion. Orientation walk of Podgorica. Theth National Park visit. Walking tour of Shkoder. Walking tour of Kruje. Evening orientaion walk of Tirana. Tour of the Durrës archaeological site. Orientation walk of Vlorë. Visit Himare. Entrance to the Ali Pasha Castle. Visit Butrint National Archaeological Park. Walking tour of Gjirokastër. Walking tour of Berat. Boat cruise on Lake Ohrid. Ohrid orientation walk. Visit Bitola and walk along the Sirok Sokak. Winery tasting with light lunch. Skopje walking tour. Prizren orientation walk. Prizren Fortress sunset walk. Pristina walking tour. All transport between destinations and to/from included activities.

Like Berat, Gjirokaster is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was also spared from communist-style building projects. The city's second name—the City of Stairs—refers to Gjirokaster's mountainous terrain and the stairs you have to climb to visit its impressive, fortress-style buildings. Free Gjirokaster Travel
Vacation Package Quote

Gjirokaster Travel Agents

The main attractions are the magnificent, snowcapped mountains that surround the city, which is 90 mi/145 km southeast of Tirana. Be sure to visit the 11th-century citadel, which has a stunning view of the countryside, as well as the interesting National Museum of Weapons that displays Albanian-made arms from ancient through modern times. The citadel was also a prison—you can read the records of the inmates.

Gjirokaster is the birthplace of dictator Enver Hoxha and author Ismail Kadare.