Difficulty rating: Moderate

The Via Egnatia is a completely new trail which follows the ancient Roman Cargo way from Rome to Istanbul. This is a chance to explore little-known parts of Albania, Macedonia and Greece.

Starting in Durres the first two days lead us down to the ancient City of Pegin where there are remains of the Ottoman Castle and parts of the mosque built by the great Albanian Ottoman leader Abdurrahman Pasha. From here we walk up around the north of lake Ohrid.

Lake Ohrid is a World Heritage Site with a unique ancient aquatic ecosystem. We'll enter Macedonia at Qafe Thane and travel on to the beautiful and picturesque city of Ohrid. From here we will walk up to Bitola, Macedonia’s second city with its combination of historic churches, mosques and bazaars and thriving modern life.

Then we head south into Greece, walking through the Greek mountains through Florina and onto Giannitsa. We'll head down to the Aegean and the ancient port city of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki) and the end of this section.

There is much to explore in Thessaloniki from antiquity to the present day. It has the oldest Jewish population in mainland Europe, 96% of which were deported and exterminated by the Nazi’s during the holocaust.

We will spend time in Thessaloniki’s three refugee camps, with those fleeing Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, and join a network of musicians working with people in the camps for a special performance.

Nearest transport hub: 

• Day 1: 
  Durres port, airport
• Final day: 
  Thessaloniki airport, port, train station

Please make sure that you read the Just Walk Terms and Conditions before you make your booking. This is not one of those standard T&C's documents that we usually scroll through and tick, hoping for the best. This document contains essential information about Just Walk which you will need to read.

The maximum number of people we can take for this stage is twenty. Therefore, making your booking and paying your deposit does not guarantee participation in this stage. We will contact you to confirm that your booking has been successful and to ask you to provide further essential information.