A Balkan Adventure

Fly to Albania’s capital and transfer to the hotel for three nights.

Enjoy two free days in Tirana to explore at leisure or book optional excursions. Stroll through Skanderbeg Square and Boulevard of the Martyrs to the National Art Gallery or head to the Blloku area to experience the capital’s up-and-coming café and restaurant scene. (B)

Perhaps take a day trip to Kruja, a small hilltop town with far reaching views and a wonderful Turkish bazaar, or down to Berat to find out why it’s known as the ‘town of a thousand windows’. (B)

You will be collected from your hotel and transferred on to Kotor on Montenegro’s Adriatic coast. (The journey takes approx 4.5 hours and comfort stops will be made en-route.) On arrival, check in to the hotel for three nights. (B)

Perhaps spend free time exploring the World Heritage Site’s impressive 20 metre ramparts, wandering the labyrinthine streets of the medieval Old Town, or simply relaxing at one of Kotor’s waterside restaurants. It’s also possible to take a bus to the city of Cetinje, formerly the capital of Montenegro for 500 years, with its 15th century monastery. (B)

You could opt to explore the famously beautiful Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) today. Brooding mountains rise dramatically from the sea and all around the base lie picture perfect villages waiting to tempt you in with their fresh seafood offerings. One such village is Perast from where you can visit the island of Our Lady of the Rocks. (B)

You will be met at the hotel and transferred on to Kolasin, a small mountain town established by the Turks in the 17th century, with spectacular views of Bjelasica Mountain. Check in to the hotel for a two night stay. (B,D)

Today you may opt to visit Biogradska Gora National Park (a short taxi ride from Kolasin), one of Europe’s last three remaining primeval forests. Hike in the surrounding mountains or rent a rowing boat on the lake. (B,D)

This morning you will be met and transferred by car into Kosovo. Drive through dramatic mountain scenery to the town of Peja for an overnight stay (approx 2.5 hour drive). The city is home to a bustling bazaar as well as the Patriarch Serbian Monastery which has 14th century frescoes. (B)

You will be met and transferred on to Kosovo's capital; Prishtina (approx 2 hour drive). Spend two days exploring Prishtina at leisure, peering behind the communist façade to discover crumbling hidden gems from the city’s Ottoman heyday. (B)

Prishtina is a young and vibrant capital, where English is one of the three official languages. Some of Prishtina's highlights include the jewellery and costumes on show at the Emin Gjiku Ethnographic Museum, a beautifully preserved Ottoman town house, and the Serb enclave of Gracanica with its 12th-century monastery, whose walls are adorned with Byzantine frescoes. There are also many excellent restaurants and cafes in the city. (B)

You will be met and transferred on to the renowned Museum City of Prizren (approx 1.5hr drive) (B)

Spend free time exploring the jewel in Kosovo’s crown – the incredibly well-preserved Ottoman city of Prizren with its picturesque cobbled streets packed with mosques, town houses, Turkish baths and tekkes, where dervish ceremonies still take place today. For superb views of the tightly-packed town below and onwards to Pashtrik Mountain and the border with Albania, head to the hilltop ruins of the city’s castle, used for military purposes right up until 1912. (B)

You will be met at your hotel and transferred back to Tirana Airport for the flight to the UK (approx 2.5 hour drive). (B)