Kruja and Shkodra make a very good day tour if you want to understand the history of mysterious Albania. We have been closed for such a long time that we are ready to show the world our hidden gems, rich history, culture. religion and the respectful attitude of Albanians towards foreign travelers. You will visit centuries-old fortresses and walk around their ruins which tell legends and stories from different eras, will see stunning views from fortress’ tops, and walk around the towns.
Meet and return at: Scanderbeg Square, in front of Et’hem Bey Mosque
8:30 am at the meeting point
9-10 Hours
English, Italian and Greek
Kruja and Shkodra make a very good day tour if you want to understand the history of mysterious Albania. The tour is an easy walk, with many visits to historical and cultural sites. The weather most of the time is very nice and comfortable, only during July and August you should bring your hat, sunscreen, and water. The overall day lasts 9-10 hours. Transportation is made with the airconditioned comfortable vehicle.
Our day starts early at 8:30, heading to Kruja, the town of our national hero Scanderbeg. We will go through the bazaar of Kruja, lying on both sides of a cobblestone road leading all the way to the fortress. The local calls it Derexhiku Bazaar. The bazaar has been functional since the Scanderbeg Times, on XV century when its shops were up to the entrance of the fortress.
The fortress of Kruja is best known in the XV century when our national hero Gjergj Kastriot Skanderbeg had his headquarters in the years of resistance against the Ottomans. It has an elliptical shape and a circumference of 804 m, occupies a surface of 2.5 ha of land, and is built on a rocky hill. Archaeologists prove that the hill has been inhabited since the 3rd century BC while the fortress was built around V-VI century AD.
After the visit to Kruja, we will take the road to Shkoder. We will stroll the pedestrian streets of the city, with a strong Venetian influence on their architecture. Shkodra is called bike town, as the local’s main transportation means used to be bikes during communism time. Later we will visit the Fortress of Shkoder, with a stunning view over the Shkodra Lake, Buna River, up to the Adriatic Sea. The fortress of Shkodra, named Rozafa, is a millennium monument erected on a rocky hill at the entrance of the city, south-east, 130 meters above sea level. There is an old magic legend that completes the visit.
