Day Trip To Berat ,Explore Berat ,UNESCO Heritage with Tirana Day Trips
Overview
Berat weaves its own very special magic and is easily a highlight of visiting Albania. Its most striking feature is the collection of white Ottoman houses climbing up the hill to its castle, earning it the title of 'town of a thousand windows'.Its rugged mountain setting is particularly evocative when the clouds swirl around the tops of the minarets or break up to show the icy peak of Mt Tomorri.
Walkthrough the castle and visit the famous Onufri Museum
Learn about the tolerance between the religions meanwhile you visit King Mosque and Helveti Teke
See the ottoman architecture and learn more about the history
See the part of 1001 windows and take the best picture of the Old Bridge
Guided Tour
History&Culture
Ottoman&Medieval
Architecture&Heritage
Customized tour ( cooking class or wine tasting )
Inclusions
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- All Fees and Taxes
- Tour Guide
- Entry/Admission - Berat Castle
- Entry/Admission - National Iconographic Museum Onufri
- Entry/Admission - The King Mosque
What to expect
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Berat Castle, Rruga Mihal Komnena, Berat 5001 Albania
Visit Berat Castle
Berat Castle, a fortress landmark in the city of Berat, Albania, lies high above the Osum River. The castle dates back 2, 500 years and records of its first conquering were accomplished by the Romans in 200 B.C. After many centuries of stone reinforcement, the exterior (perimeter) was enlarged slowly over time, under Byzantine conquerors, in the 5th, 6th, and 13th centuries. Currently, the castle is in restoration due in part to a UNESCO World Heritage Site acknowledgment. (This is a welcome "gift" for the residents of the castle who have been left underserved as the city below has gotten much attention.)
Inside Berat castle houses many historical elements. A Mosque, "Red Mosque", which can be identified by its lonely minaret (a staircase inside provides access to the top), more than 20 Christian churches, and a central museum which surrounds one of the largest Orthodox churches with many 16th century paintings, by "Master Onufri", and a decorative alter inside. (Many churches in Albania were destroyed during the Communist years as an "Atheist State" was declared during Enver Hoxha's reign.) Other architectural elements are courtyards, a large cistern in the center, and numerous houses of stone in which the residents of the castle still occupy today; this is an absolute specialty in castle heavy Europe as it's one of the last remaining!
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Mangalem, Moravë, Albania
Visit The Mangalemi quarter, better known as the "City of 1000 Windows", dates back centuries to the Ottoman ruling period and the architectural elements of each home clearly illustrate this. If one was to compare the ancient construction of the Mangalemi quarter to present day, residential architecture, the differences of highly-placed windows to slow intruder advances, stairwells winding particular directions to allow sword strike advantage for the owner, and animal storage areas would be found
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Bulevardi Republika, Berat Albania
Walkthrough the famous pedestrian street of Berat
Stop At: National Iconographic Museum Onufri, Located in the Inner Part of Saint Mary Church in Berat Castel, Berat Albania
From 27 February 1986 Onufri National Museum is located in the inner part of “Saint Mary Church” in Berat Castel. The Cathedral is rebuilt during 1797, and it is the most representative monument of post-Byzantine architecture in Berat town. The Museum is called “Onufri”, in honor of the Albanian painting Headmaster of XVI Century.
The museum collection is constituted with 173 objects chosen from a fund of 1500 objects, belonging to the fund of Albanian Churches and Monasteries as well as to Berat, where you can find 106 Icons and 67 Liturgical objects, created from Albanian Iconographical painters during XIV-XX–th Centuries: Onufri, Onufri’s son, Nikola, Cypriot Onufri, David Selenica, Kostandin Shpataraku and Cetirs (Gjergj, Johan, Nikola, Naum and Gjergj junior) and from a lot of anonymous painters.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: The King Mosque, Rruga Kurt Pasha, Berat Albania
The 16th-century Sultan's Mosque is one of the oldest in Albania. The Helveti teqe (a place of worship for those practising the Bektashi branch of Islam) behind the mosque has a beautiful carved ceiling and was specially designed with acoustic holes to improve the quality of sound during meetings. The Helveti, like the Bektashi, are a dervish order, or brotherhood, of Muslim mystics.
Duration: 20 minutes
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infant seats available
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
Cancellation
Berat is a must-visit. The place is amazing. From the castle, where you take a trip back in time, to the ethnographic museum. The guide was very professional
Berat is a must-visit. The place is amazing. From the castle, where you take a trip back in time, to the ethnographic museum. The guide was very professionalOur Guide Dritan was friendly and polite, had lots of historic and local information, and his English was excellent! We are very happy with how this trip turned out, couldn't have been any better!
Our Guide Dritan was friendly and polite, had lots of historic and local information, and his English was excellent! We are very happy with how this trip turned out, couldn't have been any better!Our guide IGI was one of the best we have experienced! His English was perfect and his sense is of humor much appreciated. We felt like we were touring Berat with a friend — his knowledge of Balkan history, and iconography, A tour well worth taking!
Our guide IGI was one of the best we have experienced! His English was perfect and his sense is of humor much appreciated. We felt like we were touring Berat with a friend — his knowledge of Balkan history, and iconography, A tour well worth taking!I took part in a day trip to Berat. A beautiful and interesting city. Also thanks to the guide who accompanied me, the tour was interesting and stimulating. The guide, Dritan, was kind and helpful, he gave me very precious historical and archaeological information, and also from a personal point ...
I took part in a day trip to Berat. A beautiful and interesting city. Also thanks to the guide who accompanied me, the tour was interesting and stimulating. The guide, Dritan, was kind and helpful, he gave me very precious historical and archaeological information, and also from a personal point of view it was a positive relationship. I certainly recommend the trip to Berat. Thank youOur day trip from Tirana to Berat was amazing: This is a rather large site. You can walk up to the castle or drive there. It is a mix of attractions. Foremost is the Onofrio Museum, the great fresco maker from the 16th c, late Byzantine period. There are several good viewpoints including one of t...
Our day trip from Tirana to Berat was amazing: This is a rather large site. You can walk up to the castle or drive there. It is a mix of attractions. Foremost is the Onofrio Museum, the great fresco maker from the 16th c, late Byzantine period. There are several good viewpoints including one of the Gorica district. The ruins of the Red Mosque and the White Mosque can be seen. Orthodox churches have fared a bit better. While the Church of St George is a ruin thanks to the Communists, the Church of St Trinity does have some old mosaics in it. There is a massive head of Constantine brought Christianity to the Roman Empire. You can actually stay within the castle. There are places to drink and have a meal plus the ubiquitous souvenir sellers or fruit vendors. Our day trip was amazing. We highly suggest Tirana Day Trips and Dritan as a tour guide."Tani was an outstanding guide for my day trip to Berat. He had a wealth of knowledge about the city and its history, and was able to provide interesting and informative explanations about the various sites we visited. He was also very friendly and approachable, which made the tour all the more e...
"Tani was an outstanding guide for my day trip to Berat. He had a wealth of knowledge about the city and its history, and was able to provide interesting and informative explanations about the various sites we visited. He was also very friendly and approachable, which made the tour all the more enjoyable."