The ideal day trip from Tirana – historic sites, great food and wine!

While I usually don’t go on organised day trips, I really enjoyed visiting Lake Bovila and Mount Gamti, when I went to Albania. I wrote a post about it as follows:

Lake Bovilla and Mount Gamti – a short day trip from Tirana

I decided to go on another tour when I was on that one. The guide confirmed her company “Dreamtours Albania” had space for me the following day. This was a tour to Berat Castle, Berat town and lunch with wine tasting. It cost €30 (3,000 LEK), excluding lunch and wine.

Logistics 

There are several day trips to Berat on the popular booking sites and the itineraries vary. Dreamtours Albania have their own website so do consider booking directly with them (https://www.dreamtoursalbania.com). I went out of season so the cost was discounted.

I received a text, the night before, with the pick-up time (8.15am) and a pin showing the central location. This was opposite my hotel where I had requested to be met.

That morning I received a text from the tour guide, Orlanda, showing a photograph of the minivan she would be driving. I really appreciated receiving this as I was due to meet her in an area used by lots of taxis and private cars. The number plate was clearly visible in the photograph. Orlanda is an excellent guide and I was delighted she was my guide for my second tour in Albania.

Everything went to plan and I was collected in a mini-van with seating for 6 passengers. We were a group of 4 for this trip – a lady from Serbia who I met the day before and a couple from Scilly. The couple were regular visitors for dental treatment which is a popular reason to visit Albania. 

Breakfast in Belsh

After about an hours drive from Tirana we stopped in a town called “Belsh”. We had travelled on a motorway and through the countryside to arrive here.

It was very quiet when we arrived in Belsh. It is situated on a picturesque lake, with a pier with several cafes and restaurants. Orlanda pointed out a pastry shop to me where I purchased my first “Byrek”. This local delicacy is eaten at breakfast or as an appetiser or snack. It is a wheat based filo pastry containing either vegetables, meat or cheese. I had one with spinach and it cost 80 LEK (€0.80) for a huge one. It was absolutely delicious. We sat in an outdoor cafe and had espresso costing 100 LEK (€1.00). 

We had about 10-15 minutes to walk around this beautiful small town. It’s a lovely place to stop for a quick visit and there appeared to be lots of parking available lakeside. 

Berat Castle  

It took us about an hour to arrive at Berat Castle. The castle and the stonewalls surrounding it have been beautifully restored. There are several cafes, houses and small shops within the walls. 250 residents live here and several work on-site. Horses were grazing or walking around and it’s popular to hire one and ride around the area. While I like horseback riding, I am not sure I’d enjoy this due to the cobblestones. 

The panoramic views of Berat town and the surrounding countryside are amazing. It’s clear to see the different architecture of this multicultural town. One side housed the Muslim population, another the Jewish community and another the Christian community, over the years. All the houses are white, with wonderful wooden or terracotta rooftops.

Berat is now a World Unesco Site and the influence of the previous empires, which ruled Albania, are clear to see. There is a mixture of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture and statues everywhere.

The Holy Trinity Church is really worth visiting. This Albanian Orthodox Church dates back to the Byzantium era and was built in the 13th century. It sits on a hill overlooking the castle area and has distinctive brown brick work on its exterior. It is cross shaped with a small dome. You enter the nave first and the interior is quite small. Unfortunately the frescos haven’t been restored but they are everywhere on the walls, the ceiling and within the dome. 

I really enjoyed walking around this area and seeing the amazing views of Berat and the countryside. There is a huge Albanian flag flying in one area with the backdrop of Berat. It took me awhile to get the wind to behave to get the photograph below !

Lunch

After a 45 minute drive, which literally took us to the end of the road, we arrived at our lunch destination. Alpeta is an“agri-tourism” business with overnight accommodation in Roshnik. It is a popular events location, with a large restaurant and has its own vineyard.

The restaurant overlooks the countryside and its wooden interior is cosy and inviting. We sat by the window to enjoy the view of the gardens and the surrounding landscape.

Within minutes of arriving an array of dishes were placed on the table for us to share. It really was a feast with several salads, vegetables, cheeses and bread. Several local delicacies including “Fergese” (cottage cheese, tomato sauce with green peppers and garlic) and “Pispil” (a cornbread with spinach filling), were included. My favourites were the beetroot salad, the olives, cheese, roast potatoes and the Pispil. The meat eaters had roast chicken which they said was delicious.

This meal was one of the best I had in Albania. The number of choices was impressive and everything was extremely fresh. Desert consisted of chopped apples, oranges and figs. Water and coffee was provided with our lunch. 

Wine Tasting

During our lunch we tasted the wine. White, rose and red, from their vineyard, was served . You’re given a standard pour of 150 ml and the sommelier provided us with a detailed description of each one. They all had beautiful and very unique labels.

My opinion of each is as follows:

White – While chardonnay is not my favourite white wine, this had a light buttery taste and I enjoyed it.

Rose – This was quite brown in colour and was very dry. This was my favourite of the three. I really loved it and it complemented the meal perfectly.

Red – This was quite heavy and fruity. I really liked this but would enjoy it more with an evening meal in a cosy restaurant.

All three wines were extremely impressive for such a small vineyard. Bottles were available for purchase in the farm shop.

I paid 3,000 LEK  (€30) for my meal, wine and a tip. It really was great to get to taste so many dishes and the wine was a real treat.

Gardens & Accommodation

We had time to walk around the outdoor area and it was obvious why it’s a popular event space. Lots of weddings occur here. A large garden overlooks the vineyard. It is decorated with plants, flowers and hanging wine bottles, creating an interesting photo opportunity.

The couple have a hotel in Sicily and were anxious to see the accommodation so we were shown two bedrooms. They are in chalets surrounding a small courtyard. The rooms were spacious and tastefully decorated. They were more modern than I expected and each had a small outdoor seating area with lovely views. 

Rooms are often available at €100 per night and I would love to stay here. It would be great to see the sunset or sunrise over this beautiful countryside. I’d like to have an evening meal in the restaurant and a glass of wine outside to enjoy the serene view. 

Berat

It took 45 minutes to get to Berat. Unfortunately we didn’t have much time to explore the town on foot. We drove around for a few minutes and we saw the distinctive churches, mosques and hotels we had seen from the castle. Berat is classified as a Unesco Heritage Town and it’s clear to see why. 

The population is about 62k and it’s considered one of the main cultural centres of Albania. 

The Ossum river flows through Berat. We had about 30 minutes to walk across the Gorica Footbridge and down to the next bridge and back to the car. You get a great view of the various areas from the bridges.

Berat is known as the “White City”. I was surprised how close the houses are to one another. You may also recognise one area (2nd image below) as it appears regularly in tourist literature for Albania. 

Everywhere looks extremely well maintained. This is certainly a place I would like to return to, stay overnight and explore further. There are regular buses from Tirana, costing less than €6.00. The journey takes about 2 hrs and 20 minutes. It’s 93km and can probably be driven in less than 2 hours. 

Return to Tirana

It took us about two and a half hours to get back to Tirana. We arrived close to 7pm and we encountered some very heavy traffic close to the city. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. It was great to get out into the Albanian countryside and Berat is certainly worth visiting. While we were in the car for a long time, it was a relaxing day and a chance to glimpse more of Albania on my first visit here.

If you enjoyed this post please read my “Tips and Quirks on Albania” – my observations based on my experiences.

My Travel Tips and Quirks for Albania