EXCURSION TO THE CITY OF GJIROKASTRA (UNESCO)
Duration: 8 hours
Driving Distance: 2 hours
Highlights: The UNESCO Town of Gjirokastra, Gjirokastra unique architecture, The Fortress of Gjirokastra, The Ethnographic Museum, House of Ex Albanian Dictator, The Old Bazaar
Meet with your guide at the port of Saranda and transfer from 1 hour to the UNESCO town Gjirokastra.
Gjirokastra is one of the most famous sites of Albania, inscribed as a UNESCO city since 2005.
It is often known as "the Stone City" and its most distinctive feature is the silvery-coloured limestone which gives the city its distinctive character.
Gjirokastra is famous for its Ottoman-style fortified tower houses, which are stacked up the hillside and reached by winding pathways. Virtually all the houses seen today were built in the early 19th century, especially after 1811 when Ali Pasha made the city a hub of trade and communications in the region. Their size and position demonstrates the wealth of Gjirokastra and its landowning families.
The castle which is believed is the largest in the Balkans is one of Albania's most magnificent monuments. Archaeologists believe that the site of the castle has been inhabited since the Iron Age with the first fortifications, block-built stone walls - probably being erected from the 5th century.
We start the tour with a visit at the Old Bazaar, a narrow stony street with local handmade souvenir shops, and traditional houses. The road through the bazar will lead us to the Castle of Gjirokastra,
In the castle it is planed the visit in two museum The Gjirokastra Museum and the Armaments Museum.
The tour of the castle will take 1.5 hours. After the museums we will visit the Clock tower where we have a great panorama of the city and various neighborhoods.
After the castle we visit in one of the characteristics traditional house for the exterior and interior. It is the house of birth of the ex-dictator of the country, Enver Hoxha.
The tour will end with the visit in a very strategic "hidden" point of Gjirokastra at "Obelisk", above the bazaar where you cane enjoy another great panorama of Gjirokastra.
After the tour, return transfer to the port of Saranda.