Berat full-day guided tour from Durres, Albania

Surrounded by mountains and located almost in the center of the country, Berat is one of the best-suggested destinations in Albania. With this Durres to Berat day trip, we invite you to discover the secrets of this untouched-by-time city. Not to be impressed, Berat is a World Heritage Site protected by UNESCO since 2008 as ”a great example of a highly maintained ottoman style city”. Visiting the area of the white houses, watching the perfectly placed houses one above the other you will see why the city earned the nickname of “one above other windows” (and some will also refer to it as the”town of a thousand windows”). During this tour, you will see the side of Gorica and the Ottoman bridge, you will walk into Berat Castle, a castle built to protect the 42 churches that were here but nowadays you find only 6 of them. You will visit the ancient Orthodox Cathedral and the house of the Iconographic Onufri Museum.

What to see in Berat

Protected by the heights of Mount Shpirag (2,417 masl), Berat is a medium-large city located in central-southern Albania. It was founded by the ancient Greek tribe of the Dassarets in the 6th century BC, and later underwent the domination of Illyrians, Romans, parts. Thanks to this past, Berat is full of architectural suggestions that allow the visitor to travel between different eras, passing from one neighborhood to another. Most of the things to see in Berat are concentrated in the historic center, which is in turn divided into three neighborhoods. There is the area of

the citadel (Kalaja - the Castle), which overlooks the Mangalem hill, and then Gorica, the district located on the other side of the Osum river. In all three districts there are historical monuments that testify to Berat's illustrious past.

Full day tour - from Durres to Berat: Inclusions

Leaving from Durres at 8, you will travel to the heart of Albania. After about 2 hours of travel you will reach Berat. During the tour, participants will have free time to refresh themselves and, why not, understand what the best things to do in Berat are. The surroundings will make you wonder, or perhaps wanting to return for a few days, on vacation. Feel free to make your questions to your guide.

In the morning you will dedicate yourself to the guided tour of the old town of Berat. To begin, you will start with the oldest part of the city, the Mangalem district. Mangalem is a well-preserved example of medieval Ottoman architecture. Walking through this neighborhood you will notice the white of natural stone houses, with numerous windows and small dimensions. Continuing, you will come across the minarets of the three oldest mosques, the Mosque of the Bachelors, the Sultan Mosque and the Lead Mosque. But in Mangalem there are also examples of Orthodox architecture - such as the Cathedral of Saint Demetrius, and Christian - such as the Church of Saint Michael, located in the highest area of

the neighborhood, from where you can enjoy an exceptional panoramic view.

The Gorica bridge, made of white stone, is 130 meters long and formed by 7 arches. It connects the Muslim quarter of Mangalem to the Christian quarter of Gorica. Here is where you can see a spectacular scenario: the 'rising' formation of the houses located along the hill, the swarming of arches and windows, almost communicating with the neighbors opposite, on the other side of the river. In Gorica you will be able to visit the Church of Saint Spyridon and the Church of Saint Thomas.

The Berat tour continues with a visit to the Castle, the last of the districts of the historic center. Remained intact over the centuries, today it is inhabited only by some families. In the Castle are still notable the traces of 42 churches, many of which are from the 4th-5th century. Only six have remained over time, and one of these, the ancient Orthodox cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin, today houses the Onufri Museum. This is going to be your next stop. It is also known as the iconographic museum of Berat where you will find, within a vast collection, the works of Onufri, a painter with Venetian influences and an Orthodox priest who lived in Albania in the 16th century, immediately after the death of Skanderbeg and the Ottoman reconquest. Feel free to admire the sight before leaving!

Highlights:
• Castle of Berat
• Visit at Onufri Icon Museum
• Visit at Ethnographic Museum
• City Tour of Berat