1. From Tirana or Durres: Berat, Durres, Elbasan in a Day Trip
We will depart from Tirana or Durres at 8:00 am. First, we will visit Durres Castle and the Amphitheater of Durres. Durrës Castle walls are the fortified part of the old city of Durrës. The city walls were built in the late 5th century, and repaired and reinforced in the Middle Ages. The Amphitheater of Durres, is surely one of the greatest pieces of ancient architecture in Albania, if not the Balkans. It was built in 100AD by Hadrian and was only rediscovered in the 1960s. It was used for about 300 years and back then it could have as many as 18,000 spectators. Next, we will visit Berat City, Gorica Bridge, and Mangalem Quarter, from where you will pass by the Gate of Pasha, The King Mosque, The Helvetia Tekke, and the Inn. For those who feel fit well to walk on the cobbled narrow streets of the town, the Castle of Berat, apart from being one of the biggest inhabited in Albania, represents a unique combination of different styles and epochs, such as Roman, Byzantine, Albanian, and Ottoman. At the end, we will go and visit Elbasan's historical sights, its ancient Castle and Basilica. Elbasan city community took part in the spread of Christianity along the Via Egnatia, which used to connect Rome with Constantinople, had a bishop, cathedral, and basilicas as early as the fifth century. You will learn more during the sightseeing... We will reach Tirana by 6:00 p.m.