Durres, Kruje, Full Day Trip From Tirana

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Kruja Castle, Near Tirana, Kruje 1501 Albania

During the Albanian Revolt of 1432-1436 the city was unsuccessfully besieged by Andrea Thopia and Ottoman rule was restored. After Skanderbeg's rebellion in 1443 the castle withstood three massive sieges from the Turks respectively in 1450, 1466 and 1467 with garrisons usually no larger than 2,000-3,000 men under Skanderbeg's command. Mehmed II "The Conqueror" himself could not break the castle's small defenses until 1478, 10 years after the death of Skanderbeg. Today it is a center of tourism in Albania, and a source of inspiration to Albanians. Krujë Castle is situated at an elevation of 557 metres (1,827 ft)

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Kruja's Shop, Albanopolis St, Kruje 1501 Albania

The Kruja Bazaar is famous for being one of the oldest in Albania. The construction of the beautiful and fascinating marketplace of Krujë dates back over 400 years, and was the starting point of free trade among the city’s most established merchants. It is in this particular bazaar that traders first began to officially exchange various kinds of goods with one another. Conveniently located on the main road leading to the Castle of Kruja, the space forms part of the museum while also serving its traditional commercial purpose.

Whether you need a traditionally-crafted rug, or masterfully-made copper products from the renowned craftsmen who work here, you can find every object of interest you might need! Other items in the fascinating bazaar include genuine handcrafted items, and silver jewellery that is known to last a lifetime. The bazaar has steadily grown over the centuries, dictating the spread of housing and urban structures around it, making it the real epicentre of Kruja.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Durres Amphitheatre, Rruga Kalase, Durres Albania

The amphitheatre was built in the beginning of the 2nd century AD. It was used for performances until the 4th century AD. The earthquake of 345/346 likely damaged the monument and closed the 'ludii gladiatorii'. An early Christian chapel was constructed on the amphitheatre in the second half of the 4th century. The chapel was initially decorated with frescoes; in the 6th century, mosaics were added. A medieval chapel was built in the 13th century, also decorated with frescoes. The amphitheater was covered over in the 16th century, after the Ottoman occupation, when the wall was built nearby. Marin Barleti described the monument as 'well constructed'.

About one third of the site was discovered and excavated in the 1960s by Vangjel Toci; the rest was excavated in the 1980s by Lida Miraj. After excavation the amphitheater slowly deteriorated, as no conservation efforts were undertaken prior to the 2000s, and construction continued to take place around the site. In 2004 the University of Parma started restoration work to save the monument

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Durres Castle, Durres Albania

The Venetian Castle is an extension of the Byzantine Fortress of Durrës. Built in the sixth century, it was considered as one of the most powerful fortresses along the western coast of the Adriatic. Architectonic elements of the structure and historic records show that the fortress was rebuild in the first half of the fifteenth century, when Durrës was ruled by the Republic of Venice.

In the middle Ages, the design of the fortress was constantly dictated by the advances in the art of fortifications, assault tactics and weaponry of the time. Hence, by the time that artillery was widely used in fortresses, the Venetian Castle was built to do just that.

The tower is built upon a circular plane 9 meters in diameter and 9.6 meters tall. It rises above a cone – shaped basement and bounded in its highest section by a semi – arched stone frame. The basement is filled with earth mound paved in stone slabs, thus making it the only floor in the tower that serves as a defensive podium circled by a serrated banquette.

There is just one hall inside the tower and it is lit by five artillery pill – boxes. It is covered by a spherical dome built with bricks.

The walls measure 3.70 meters thick reinforced by a wooden sash. Because the walls were so thick, it was possible to build a cylindrical stair up to the roof and numerous small slots used as ammunition depot.



Duration: 1 hour