The old villas tour can definitely be considered a hidden gems tour in Tirana, as we will discover old villas of Tirana, hidden away behind other buildings, in small street, or functioning for a different purpose nowadays. Some villas we will see only from the outside, others we will explore from the inside. Your guide will tell you about the history and other interesting facts about villas like Selim Pasha Toptani’s Saryas, Villa Petrela, Tekke of Sheh Dyrri and of course Vila Shijaku. Here we will also have the chance to look at the art gallery of painter Sali Shijaku and have a traditional coffee in the beautiful yard of the villa.The villas are built during different times with different influences and styles, like Italian or Ottoman. Dive into Tirana’s past while exploring the city on foot and discovering some unusual sights.
As we will be walking the whole tour, there will be no pollution (CO2 or noise pollution) from using vehicles and we will only have a small ecological footprint (GSTC D2.2). Because we set a maximum group size of 20, we have a smaller impact per group and a better communication between every visitor and the guide. Our guides have a broad knowledge of the area and the history, know how to behave appropriately and are trained to pass on the information to our guests (GSTC A9). That’s also because we hire only local guides, which mostly grew up in Tirana or the surroundings (GSTC B2). Furthermore, visitors get the opportunity to see Albanian culture, architecture and history (GSTC C3). We make sure you will see the villas that are mentioned in the description (and more) (if nothing unexpected, like storm, injury etc. occurs or the group decides against this). The images we show are real pictures of Tirana and the places you will visit (GSTC A6).
You will do something for your health as well, but please make sure you are capable of walking for 3 hours, especially in the summer heat.
Don’t litter
Don’t walk on grass/plants Don’t destroy old buildings Don’t take things with you (Stones/plants) Don’t take pictures of people without their permission