ABOUT ALBANIA TOUR (SHKODRA & KRUJE)
MH Travel Agency organizes English-speaking tours, especially for a small number of guests, and private tailor-made itineraries. Every guest in Montenegro, no matter where is accommodated (hotel, hostel, guest house, private apartment, cruise ship, campsite, luxury resort, etc) can participate in our tours. Look at the overview, highlights, itinerary, video presentation, photo gallery, terms, and conditions of the tour. If you like to take a seat on it you can easily make an online reservation, using the button BOOK NOW!
ALBANIA TOUR (SHKODRA & KRUJE) with mh travel AGENCY
DAILY EXCURSION FROM Montenegro to Albania...DEPARTURES FROM Kotor, Budva, and Podgorica...HIGHLIGHTS: The City of Skhodra and The City of Kruje...DURATION: 12-15 hours...TICKET PRICE €50.00 (from Podgorica), €55.00 (FROM Budva), €60.00 (FROM Kotor)
MH Travel Agency organizes shared or private tours from Kotor, Budva, and Podgorica to Shkodra and Kruje from the 1st of February to the 1st of December (except August). The tour is not exclusively only for our guests. Anyone can book it, and it is organized every Sunday if the minimum group of 10 passengers is reached. After many years of experience, we have created an itinerary in such a way that guests do not feel the pressure of a long drive, enjoying every minute spent on it. The tour enters the heart and soul of Albania the last undiscovered country in Europe and has its own rhythm, which is always focused on the maximum experience of Albania, which includes three parts: culture, history, and traditional life. If you do not have enough time to stay in Albania for a few days, but want to visit it, we warmly recommend choosing this tour. We guarantee you will be delighted. Welcome!
WHEN AND WHERE WILL WE START?
The tour departs from Kotor at 8:00 in the morning, which is the standard time for all our trips. After a maximum of 45 minutes of driving, we will arrive in Budva, where we will pick up guests. We will arrive in Podgorica 60 minutes later, picking up the guests and continuing our journey. If guests take the private tour we will pick up them from their accommodations. Also, if guests stay in some accommodation close to our route (for example guests from Tivat), we can pick them up on the main road. The pick-up location can be flexible sometimes if suits guest better than the standard one.
The departure point in Kotor is from the PETROL gas station next to the main bus station.
The departure point in Budva is from the PETROL gas station next to the hotel Slovenska Plaža
The departure point in Podgorica is from the PETROL gas station next to the main bus station.
NOTE: MH Travel Agency is the only one that organizes excursions to Albania departures from Kotor, but guests should be aware that a tour can last up to 15 hours. Because of that, it is not recommended for small kids. If we don't have guests from Podgorica on the tour, we will go straight to the Sukobin border crossing, much closer to the cities of Kotor and Budva.
WHERE WE WILL GO?
We will go to the city of Shkodra, Rozafa Castle, and the city of Kruje.
SHKODRA (SHKODËR)
The closest city to Montenegro is Shkodra where we will go straight after crossing the border. The Shkodra Region is the second-largest among the 12 regions in Albania. Guests will see the slopes of the Prokletije mountain massif, also known as the Southern Alps, and the Albanian part of Skadar Lake. This is one of the oldest and most historic places in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic center.
When we arrive in Shkodra, we will first walk along the most popular pedestrian street named Kolë Idromeno (1860-1939) who was a famous Albanian sculptor, photographer, architect, and engineer. The street is full of charming cafes and restaurants where we will have a short refreshment, and then we will walk downtown. We will start with the Abu Baker Mosque which is the focal point of the local Muslim community that dominates the center of Skhodra. This mosque is also known as the Al-Zamil Mosque. It was built in 1995 with funds from Saudi Arabia and Egypt and was extensively renovated in 2008.
At the beginning of the street, guests will see a monument to Mother Teresa (Nene Teresa) and a statue of the poet Luigi Gurakuqi (1879-1925), who was born in Shkodra. Today, the University of Shkodra was named after him. We will walk slowly to Shatervani Central Park, which is surrounded by City Hall, Gymnasium (28 Nentori), the University, and the Parrucë Mosque. You will also see old people playing traditional metal dominoes, which is a very common game in Albania.
ROZAFA CASTLE (KALAJA E ROZAFËS)
After touring the city center we will go to Rozafa Castle 2,5 km southwest of the center of Shkodra. One of the main reasons to visit the castle is its location on a 130 m high hill with a panoramic view of Shkodra, the rivers Buna and Drini, as well as the southern end of Skadar Lake. Rozafa Castle was founded by the Illyrians and was later rebuilt several times by the Romans, Venetians, and Ottomans. The ruins of the castle consist of 3 courtyards and several buildings. The oldest still existing building on the castle is the church of St.Stephen dating from 1319.
Next to Rozafa Castle, there is a lead mosque with several domes (Xamia e Plumbit) dating from 1773, when it was built in the Ottoman style by Memet-pasha Bushati. The name Lead Mosque comes from the material used for the roof and domes. The visit to the castle lasts about 45 minutes after which we will continue our journey to Kruje.
KRUJE (KRUJË)
The town of Kruje is located 30 km before Tirana between Mount Kruje and the river Ishëm. Kruje is an important tourist center in Albania. The name “Krujë” is thought to have originated from the word “front head” (water source) because Kruja has many springs. This area gave Albanian history the name of Albania as the first state-Albanian feudal principality of Arber. The Albanian national hero Skanderbeg chose Kruje as the capital of the country.
At the Skanderbeg Kastrioti Museum in the Old Town of Kruja, guests will see exhibits from the era of Illyrians and Romans, then Skanderbeg's works, publications, paintings, sculptures, documents, weapons, study room, library, etc. The town of Kruja is rich in cultural monuments, ethnography, and archeological sites. Kruja has been declared a "city of heroes" as one of the most famous Albanian cities. The museum was restored during the period of communist isolation.
The city’s castle and its historical museum are certainly the two most important attractions, including the characteristic cobbled street of the Old Bazaar, which has 70 traditional shops where guests can buy traditional products: copper utensils, folk costumes, wool products, silver jewelry, carpets, handicrafts, embroidery, antiques, and a lot of handmade souvenirs.
And finally, a traditional lunch will be the best end of the tour. Albanian food is very tasty and very organic. In the case that we need to wait at the border longer, we will skip lunch. After lunch, we will be heading back to Podgorica, Budva, and Kotor.
NOTE: In the case of very hot weather, we will first visit Kruje in the mountainous area, and then we will visit Skhodra. It will be more pleasant to hike up to Rozafa Castle in the afternoon hours.
TOUR CONDITIONS
The tour is organized by middle-class air-conditioned cars or minibusses. Our tour to Shkodra and Kruje goes directly via border crossings Bozaj(MNE)/ Hani i Hotit (AL) close to the city of Podgorica. If we will have only guests from Kotor and Budva (not from Podgorica), we will go directly via border crossings Sukobin(MNE)/ Muriqan (AL), close to the city of Ulcinj.
Albania is not part of the European Union, so the Schengen Visa is not required.
The price of the private tour is per car, not per person. The maximum number of guests in the car is 4. The private tour from Kotor costs 240 euros, from Budva is 220 euros, and from Podgorica is 200 euros.
We give a discount for groups of more than 10 people.
PRICE INCLUDES
Licensed tour guide in the English language.
THE PRICE DOESN'T INCLUDE
Entrance fee for Rozafa Castle of 4 euros.
Entrance fee for the Museum in Kruje of 4 euros
Guests can use their own food and drink (breakfast and lunch are not mandatory).
NOTE: Guests who want to bring their luggage on the tour and finish the tour in another city (Kotor or Budva or Podgorica) can easily do that, in the case that we will have guests from all 3 cities on the tour. There is no luggage fee.
WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE ALBANIA TOUR-SHKODRA AND KRUJE
MORE PHOTOS OF ALBANIA TOUR SHKODRA AND KRUJE CAN SEE HERE
NOTE: If you have any special requests contact us by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
BOOKING AND PAYMENT
Tour tickets can be bought online via the BOOK NOW! option, or directly at the reception of Montenegro Hostel B&B Budva (address: Vuka Karadzica 12, located in the old town of Budva GPS Latitude 42,278238 Longitude 18,837430). and Montenegro Hostel B&B Kotor (address: Stari Grad 333, located in the old town of Kotor GPS Latitude 42,424562 Longitude 18,771051). The last online booking can be made until 21:00 (9 pm) the day before departure. After that time, the ticket can only be purchased at the hostel's reception until 22:00 (10 pm) the day before departure. Guests who stay in Podgorica can book only online.
WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE TOUR CONDITIONS
Before you decide to purchase the tour ticket check our itinerary and terms and conditions.
For more info about the tour and booking, contact us by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone (Viber and WhatsApp) at +38269039751
Hope you will enjoy our tour:)
MH Travel Agency Team