4 activities in Tirana, Albania

There are plenty of night clubs here! Most of them are built during the past 3-5 years.

To mention some, Sky Tower, Living Room, Venue Dance Club, Stylus Club Marriott and Irish Bar Tirana, etc.

This is a good possibility to make new friends from every corner of the Globe.

Welcome to Kruja, the city that in 1190 became the ancient capital of the first independent state of Albania, the Principality of Arbanon. Located just 36 km from Tirana, Kruja is a medium-sized city in the heart of the country. The city is highly associated with the figure of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, the patriot who defended the nation from the Ottomans, was born right here in 1405. Kruja was founded by the Illyrian tribe of the Albanoi and its name in ancient Albanian means fountain, to emphasize the strong presence of water in this area.

Departing from Tirana, we reach Kruja at around 10am. The first stop on this tour is Kruja Castle, a medium-sized fortification located at the highest point of the city. Here you can admire the historical centre of Kruja and the beautiful nature that surrounds it from this amazing vantage point. Kruja Castle dates back to the time of the Principality of Arbanon, the 11th century AD. Once inside the castle, you will visit the Skanderbeg Museum, a national historical museum of Albania, where you will find documents and facts that tell us about the resistance of the people against the Ottomans. The next stop will be the Ethnographic Museum, where you will be able to explore and understand the traditions of the Albanian people from the Middle Ages until today.

Leaving from the castle to the village on foot, you will enter the Kruja bazaar area. The ancient market is full of craft shops that work in open air stalls where you can buy food, clothes, rugs, unique crafts and souvenirs. The bazaar is reminiscent of an old carnival in which local artisans invite you to take a look at their handicrafts. It is a vibrant mosaic of traditional motifs, fabrics, colours, smells and warm local hospitality.

The second part of our tour will take you to visit one of the most beautiful and lesser-known destinations for tourists visiting Albania. The Sari Salltik cave is not easy to reach, but it is a must see for those who love mystical and holy places. It is located 10 km from Kruja, in a mountainous area, 1100 meters above sea level. Here is the hermitage where the bektashi monk, Sari Salltik Baba, retired to pray in the 14th century. Today the cave of Sari Salltik has become a very important spiritual place for the Muslims of Albania and the Balkans, who come here to pilgrimage and pray.

Tickets include:

Castle of Kruja, Ethnographic Museum, Skanderbeg Museum and Sari Salltik Holly Cave.

Important information

In case of bad weather or stone avalanche the road to The Sari Salltik Cave might be blocked.

Durres city lies on the Adriatic coast and is the main commercial port of Albania.

Durres, Albania's second-largest city was known formerly as Durrahium and is one of the oldest towns in the country. Legend says that it was founded by Epidamnos, the Illyrian King of the area, who called it by his own name and named the port area after his grandson, Dyrrah. It was for centuries the largest port on the Adriatic and the start of the Via Egnatia to Constantinople/Istanbul.

We visit the Roman amphitheater (20,000 seat capacity the largest one in the Balkans) and the Archaeological Museum, situated near the sea and rich in objects excavated in Durres. We also visit the Roman Baths behind the Aleksander Moisiu Theatre in the central square.

Then we see the Palace of the former King Zog. Return to Tirana.

Many foreign and Albanian authors are attracted to Albania's authentic values, inherited from Pelasgian-Illyrians to modern time, where most of the parts have either been assimilated or converted by centries/millenniums.

This trip will lead you to Mirdita, one of Albania's most authentic region famous after the Lezha's full invasion after Skanderbeg death in 1468, as many either died in the war, fled to Italy or other places in the Balkans, or escaped in the mountains to survive like Mirdita region was populated those centries. With their writings and studies, because they have noticed there “a unique world” that deserves the attention of scholars and observers from all of Europe.

The drama of human grief, bitter luck, whimsy, the thrilling dilemmas for the conveyance of Self, the Canon, and Catholic religion are played continuously in the epic theatre of her crests. “Bad to live and worse to die”, says a very old Mirdita proverb, that makes you think about the well-known philosophic verse of Shakespeare “To be or not to be”. According to the data, the first mention of the name “Mirdita” was made in Orosh. Here resided the leaders of the region and the Abbacy.

Mirdita region is mentioned as the country of Illyrians and Pirusts. Archaeological discoveries show that inhabitants were here since the Stone Age (4500-2500 B.C). In the 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century, Mirdita is represented as the geographic union of 12 units called “12 bajraks” (flags) of Mirdita. Mirdita was the most distinctive region for the protection and functioning of traditional rights under the Kanun.

The Kanun or formally the Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit (English: The Code of Lekë Dukagjini) is a set of laws and was passed down through the generations, and not codified and written down until the 19th century by Shtjefën Gjeçovi. In this book the code was divided into several sections: Church, Family, Marriage, House, Livestock and Property, Work, Transfer of Property, “Besa” – Spoken word, Honor, Damages, Law Regarding Crimes, Judicial Law, and Exemptions and Exceptions.

Although Kanuni is attributed to the Albanian prince Lekë Dukagjini, the rules evolved over time as a way to bring laws and rules to these lands. From some studies like Kazuhiko Yamamoto “The ethical structure of the Kanun and Cultural Implications” Kanun is believed to be thousands of years old. Enver Hoxha’s regime tried to stop the practice of Kanun.

Visit Orosh (Shën Llezhdër church (since 1319), famous “Kulla”, then return to Rreshen and Rubik.