16D13N BREATHTAKING BALKANS

Leave Manila in the evening and arrive next day in the early morning.

Arrive in the capital of Greek Macedonia, Thessaloniki, in the morning. Enjoy a short orientation drive around the city seeing Aristotelous Square, Orthodox Church of Agios Dimitrios, it’s famous White Tower, Rotunda of Galerius and Monument of Alexander the Great. Proceed to the hotel in Ioannina for dinner and stay at Saz City Life Hotel 4* or similar in Ioannina.

Visit the Silversmithing Museum in Ioannina and admire the nice view of the city and the lake around. Leave for the ancient ruins of Butrint for its Triangular Fortress and lake. “Butrint is a historical gem that encases the site’s development from the Illyrians through the Greek, Roman, Turkish, and Venetian periods, and set in an environmental wonderland,” Dinner and stay at Butrint Hotel 4* or similar in Saranda.

Take a day tour to the nearby Greek Island of Corfu visiting its old town and the Corfu Channel. The rest of the afternoon is free at leisure. Corfu is studded with whitewashed houses, Byzantine churches, and the remains of Venetian fortresses and Greek temples. Return to Saranda for dinner and stay at the hotel.

Pass Porto Palermo Castle and the Flag Pine Monument. Experience driving through the famous Llogara Pass, a spectacular winding road, rising up to 1,027m and overlooking the Ionian coast of Albania Riviera. This is the highest point on the main coastal road between Vlore and Sarande. Dinner and stay at Hotel Mangalemi 4* or similar in Berat.

Visit Berat’s it’s unique castle. It has a fortress overlooking the town dating back from the 13th century and containing many Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques. See Berat Citadel. Mangalemi quarter, Gorica quarter, Gorica Bridge, Enver (never) slogan. Leave for Tirana, Albania’s capital. Dinner and stay at Tirana International Hotel 4* or similar in Tirana.

Visit the Amphitheater, Skanderberg Square, Et’hem Bey Mosque, The Pyramid International Center of Culture, Martyrs of the National Boulevard, Mother Teresa Square, Bunker and city walls of Tirana. Not to be missed is a tour to BunkArt1, showing the Albanian life during the 45 years of communism. The rest of the afternoon is free at leisure. Dinner and stay at the hotel in Tirana.

Proceed to Ohrid for a tour visiting St. Naum along Ohrid Lake, with more than 800 Byzantine-style icon and frescoes and inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Not to be missed is the optional boat ride you can have for a song! Dinner and stay at Bellevue Hotel 4* or similar in Ohrid.

Must see in Ohrid’s Old Town and Tsar Samuel’s Fortress. Do a walking tour to St. Klement, St. Sofia and St. Jovan Kaneo and get delighted by the beautiful panorama of this place. Pass by the National Workshop for Handmade Paper showing how paper is made in the original Chinese way from 2nd BC. The method is unique and it revives the old tradition in Ohrid. Rest of the afternoon is free at leisure. Dinner and stay at the hotel in Ohrid.

Leave for Skopje, the capital and largest city of Macedonia. Enjoy some free time for shopping in Skopje. Dinner and stay at Hotel Bushi 4* or similar in Skopje.

Visit St. Sofia, one of the largest and most significant monuments of medieval art and architecture, and the Memorial House of Mother Teresa. View from the outside its famous landmarks such as Alexander the Great Square, Daut Pasha Hammam, St Spass Church, the Stone Bridge, Millenium Cross, and the Old Bazaar. Dinner and stay at the hotel in Skopje.

Leave for Prishtina to visit the new Mother Teresa Cathedral. On to Visoki Decani Monastery, one of Kosovo’s best attractions. “One of Kosovo’s absolute highlights, this ancient monastery is in an incredibly beautiful spot beneath the mountains and surrounded by a forest of pine and chestnut trees. It’s on the outskirts of Decani, 15km south of Peja. Despite attacks from ethnic Albanians who’d like to see the Serbs leave, the 25 monks living here, in total isolation from the local community, have stayed and in 2016 even won a legal case reaffirming their right to ownership of the land.” Dinner and stay at Hotel Dukagjini 4* or similar in Peja.

Visit the Patriarchate of Pec, one of the most important medieval monasteries in the Balkans, and definitely must-see while in Western Kosovo/Pec. The monastery was built in the 13th century and through history it was a seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church. As of 2006, the Monastery is put on the UNESCO World Heritage list. While being in the Monastery don’t forget to see the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Pe, as well as St. Sava’s mulberry tree from 13th century. Spend some time at the Old Town of Peja and its Bazaar. Leave for Montenegro for dinner and stay at Ramada Hotel 4* or similar in Podgorica.

Visit the picturesque and quaint town of Kotor. See if you can muster the climb to Kotor’s Castle of San Giovanni of 1355 steps to get stunning views of the town, bay and surrounding area. Explore Old Town of Budva passing the Budva Ballet Dancer Statue and its city walls. Return to Podgorica for dinner and stay at the hotel.

Enjoy a city tour of Podgorica visiting the beautiful and 3rd largest Russian Orthodox Church in the world called Saborni Hram Hristovog Vaskrsenja. See the nice little Ottoman bridge of Ribnica. Vladimir Vvsotsky Monument and the Millenium Bridge. Rest of the time is free at leisure until your evening flight back to Manila.

Home sweet home.