By Dirk Pohlers, adventure traveler from Germany. I visit every place I write about & share real tips, photos, & advice from my trips.
Gjirokastra (Gjirokastër) in southern Albania is a picturesque old town from the Ottoman period, also known as the country’s stone city. This complete guide includes the 10 best things to do in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Albania and the best culinary tips for local restaurants, a map of all the attractions and other travel tips.
Even from a distance, you can see the city of Gjirokaster, whose stone houses climb steeply up the slopes of the Mali i Gjerë, a mountain range whose imposing peaks rise to 1800 metres. The road that leads to the top of the old town of Gjirokaster is just as steep. Only one points is the main road wide enough to allow two vehicles to pass at the same time. Gjirokaster is also known as the “city of a thousand steps” and it is fair to say that it lives up to its name. None of the narrow streets simply leads straight ahead. They lead up and down, around corners and around bends – Gjirokaster is a city with a difference.
Similar to Počitelj in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the old town in the Ottoman style (awarded by UNESCO in 2005, together with Berat) captivates your imagination from the moment you step onto the cobbled streets. The Greek, Byzantine, Albanian, Ottoman and Sufi heritage has accumulated like moss in the cracks of the facades of Gjirokaster. The city is locally known as the birthplace of the famous Albanian writer Ismail Kadare. The city’s darker reputation is as the site of Albania’s most infamous political prison and the birthplace of Enver Hoxha, the country’s former despotic leader.
Today, Gjirokaster is known for:
Gjirokaster has become my favourite destination for holidays in Albania – especially because of the Old Bazaar and the Ali Pasha Bridge, which is only a short walk from the city.
So put on your best walking shoes, brace your ankles and loosen your belt: here is my guide to the cobbled streets, immaculate architecture and best things to do in Gjirokaster.
Travelers will find the best hotel deals in Gjirokaster by booking online on Booking.com. I recommend using the map feature to find the best places to stay.
Booking.comUse Viator to plan ahead and lock in those must-see experiences & tours in and around town.
ViatorI recommend using DiscoverCars to compare rates for different vehicles across dealerships.
Discover CarsGjirokaster is a cultural city where you can learn a lot about Albanian history and literally go back in time by walking through the cobbled streets of the bazaar and exploring the depths of the underground city.
Whether you are taking a day trip from Saranda or spending a few nights in the city, here are the best things to see and do in Gjirokaster.
The fortress, which sits like a white stone crown on the highest hill, is the crown jewel of Gjirokastra. There are 158 castles in Albania, and I think this one is one of the most impressive. It should be at the top of your bucket list.
Construction of the walls began as early as the 6th century (some sources say the 3rd century). It is thought that the characteristic colour of the stone used gave the city its name, which in Greek means “silver city”.
A clock tower was built in the 18th century. A church, wells and stables were also added to the inner structure.
Under the infamous King Zog, parts of the fortress were converted into cells for political prisoners. The castle also served as a notorious prison under the communist regime in Albania until the 1970s.
I’m not a big fan of fortresses, but I really enjoyed a walk around the grounds of Gjirokastër Castle. The high stone arches are very impressive, the tombs inside are extremely eerie, and the open courtyard, which is equipped with cannons, offers a great view of the old bazaar.
Hotel Tip: The arguable best views of Gjirokasters old town are to be enjoyed from Kerculla Resort, located close to the top of the hill, a few steps away from the hustle and bustle of the old town centre.
It is also noticeably cooler in the stone tunnels, so if you come in summer, you should postpone this visit to midday.
A Fiat tank from the Second World War and a T33 Shooting Star aircraft from the US Air Force are also on display in the castle grounds. (The aircraft was captured in 1957 when it had to land near Tirana due to technical problems).
Every 5 years in May, the National Folklore Festival of Albania is held at Gjirokaster Castle, a showcase for traditional music and dance. There is a purpose-built open-air stage near the clock tower. The last event took place in May 2021, and the next one is planned for May 2026. If you are visiting this spring, be sure to check it out.
The bazaar quarter of Gjirokastra lies far below the castle walls, with its cobbled streets, medieval facades and a wealth of wonderfully handcrafted gifts.
The bazaar of Gjirokastra was built over 500 years ago and is one of the eight oldest districts of Gjirokastër, which extends far below the castle walls. It is constantly being rebuilt due to its age and historical significance as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The bazaar is mentioned in several travel diaries and other documents from the Middle Ages.
The bazaar’s life began within the walls of the castle that surrounded the city of Gjirokastër. However, as the population grew, families began to settle outside the castle walls and lay the first foundations for commercial buildings. The neighbourhood known as Qafa e Pazarit (Bazaar Pass) is one of the most famous in this “city of stone”. It is visited by thousands of tourists every year. Here you will find some of the best handmade souvenirs made of wood, stone and fabric, proudly made by true masters of their craft.
Another highlight of the old bazaar quarter is the Gjirokaster Mosque, or Bazaar Mosque, built in 1757. It was spared from destruction by the Communists and was used as a circus school until the 1990s. There are no fewer than seven stone wash fountains and several hammams nearby.
Like Bunk’Art in Tirana, Gjirokaster has its own “secret tunnel” that has been converted into a museum. The 800-metre-long Cold War tunnel runs under the castle and includes 59 rooms that were designed to protect the communist party elite in the event of a nuclear attack or foreign invasion.
Albania’s bunkers and tunnels are a fascinating and sobering reminder of the paranoia that ruled the country under Enver Hoxha. The Gjirokaster tunnel is largely preserved in its original state (except for the retro furniture, which unfortunately was looted) and has a decontamination room and air filter chambers.
More than 500 of the characteristic traditional houses of Gjirokaster have been designated as cultural monuments by UNESCO. From the fortress, you can see some of the most intricate symmetrical houses nestled in the hills above the bazaar.
None of them is more spectacular than the towering fortified houses. As menacing as the fortified churches of Transylvania and as elegant as the most opulent villas in Korca, these houses reminded me of the tower houses in Svaneti in their robustness.
Most of them date from the 17th and 18th centuries. The unusual profile is created by a high foundation of stone blocks, which is up to five storeys high. Inside, bedrooms, guest rooms and hammams are interwoven by a network of corridors and secret doors, which are surrounded by several internal and external staircases. The flat stones used for the roofs have earned Gjirokastra the nickname “City of Stone”.
During the communist era, the fortified houses were nationalised and later returned to their rightful owners. Some of them have been restored. The descendants of the original owners now manage the houses and invite guests to tour their chambers.
There are three traditional houses that I recommend visiting. The Zekate House, with its twin towers and two-storey stone arches that defy gravity, is definitely worth seeing from the courtyard.
If you want to see one of the houses from the inside, I recommend the Skenduli House. It was built around 1700 and is the most opulent and best-preserved house. The 200 Lek, about 2.00 €, for a tour with the caretaker, who lives in the ninth generation and speaks French and German, is more than worth it. The tours usually take place between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., but don’t be surprised if no one is at home. You may have to try a few times or ask the tourist information centre to call for you.
During a tour, you will be taken deep inside the house to visit the bunker (which was built to protect the inhabitants from cannon fire, not from a nuclear attack). Skenduli houses an impressive six hamam baths and 12 winter and summer rooms, as well as a hidden mezzanine floor where women could sit and spy on their fiancés.
Don’t miss the Gjirokastra Museum in the castle, which presents information about the city’s rich history as well as the biographies of some of Gjirokaster’s current residents.
I can’t remember the last time I read every single word of a museum exhibition. It’s well written and absolutely captivating. I really can’t recommend it enough. It takes about 1-1.5 hours to go through the texts and photos. And once you start reading, you don’t want to stop – so make sure you take enough time.
The military museum on the upper floor (officially the National Armoury Museum) is less attractive and can be safely skipped unless you are particularly interested in the history of war.
The Ethnographic Museum of Gjirokastra is located in the Palorto district on the site of the birthplace of Enver Hoxha. After the original building was burnt down, it was replaced by a model house that reflects the buildings of the city from the Ottoman period.
Like other house museums in the region, it is a window into Albanian life in the 19th century. Inside the four-storey house, you will find a historical exhibition of costumes, textiles and household items – but nothing that points to the former dictator. Admission costs 200 lek, about €2.00.
The old town of Gjirokastra is a sprawling Ottoman-style bazaar that was originally built in the 17th century and completely rebuilt 200 years later after a devastating fire. The serpentine streets are decorated with a magnificent interlacing pattern of white and black stone. As we learned in the fortress museum, most of the paving stones were laid by a single man, the best stonemason in the city!
The rows of small shops and cafes are organised and uniformly signposted. This makes the old town of Gjirokaster seem a little less atmospheric than the colourful bazaar in Skopje, for example. Many of the shops sell mass-produced goods, but there are also a few gems among the tourist traps.
If you want to buy something, look out for products made from local materials: kitchen utensils carved from olive wood, herbal teas, olive oil, local honey and raki.
Some of the most beautiful houses in Gjirokastra can be found in the winding streets of the Manalat neighbourhood. This historic neighbourhood, located south of the castle, is situated on a higher level parallel to the fortress and therefore offers the most breathtaking views of the castle against the backdrop of the rocky mountains.
I walked through Manalat at sunset, and although it is a strenuous walk, the panorama is absolutely worth it. It is also much quieter and more local here – ideal if you need a break from the touristy old town.
There are some great local restaurants in Manalat, including Taverna Tradicionale. It’s an ideal place to have dinner before or after visiting the Ali Pasha Bridge. I enjoyed it so much that I came back the next evening to eat there again.
My personal favourite activity in Gjirokastra was the hike to the Ali Pasha Bridge. It is not actually a bridge at all, but a small part of what was once a huge aqueduct built to channel water from mountain springs 10 km away to the cisterns of the castle of Gjirokastra.
The aqueduct was commissioned at the beginning of the 19th century by the Ottoman ruler of Albania, Ali Pasha of Ioannina. In the 1930s, it was largely dismantled to use the masonry for the construction of prison cells within the fortress. A single piece of the aqueduct still stands today in a narrow gorge outside the city.
To reach the aqueduct from the castle, you have to walk uphill for about 45 minutes – a very nice little hike for all those who enjoy active holidays in Albania. Most of the way is on a tarmac road, but at the end you have to walk down a rocky path into the valley. Then you walk along the dry riverbed to get closer to the structure. It is possible to climb to the top, but given the age and remote location of the aqueduct, I would not recommend it.
Information: The approximate coordinates of the Ali Pasha Bridge can be found here on Google Maps. On the way up (or down) you can stop for a meal at the Taverna Tradicionale , a cosy restaurant in the Manalat district. The friendly staff there can show you the way to the bridge if necessary – they even lent us a guidebook during our visit.
The tourism industry is still relatively new in Albania. Although there are many beautiful places to hike, there are not too many established hiking trails. Most of the longer hiking trails are located outside the city. I didn’t see many travel agencies in Gjirokastra, so I recommend that you talk to the staff at your hostel or hotel for tips and recommendations. A few friends of mine did a multi-day hiking tour in this area around the Zagoria Valley and loved it. Albania is wild and untamed. On their trip, they hitchhiked a lot, slept on goat farms and drank raki with local families along the way. It’s an adventure, but if you’re open and willing, you’ll have a great time.
As if there wasn’t enough to do in the old town, the beautiful nature right on Gjirokastra’s doorstep is an ideal starting point for exploring Albania’s national parks and beaches.
The famous Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër) is less than an hour south of Gjirokastra and can be reached by bus from Sarande or Gjirokaster. Just get off early and walk the rest of the way to the spring, about 2 km.
After that, you can easily take another bus and continue to Sarande to explore the beaches on the Albanian Riviera.
The archaeological park of Antigonea is located near the village of Saraqinishte in the Lunxhëria region, east of Gjirokastra. It is 14 km from Gjirokastra. The archaeological park covers an area of 92 hectares.
Antigone was founded in 295 BC by King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who named the city after his first wife Antigone. At the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 2nd century BC, it developed into an important economic, cultural and political centre and took on the form of a state (polis).
It was surrounded by 4,000 metres of walls. There are many attractions to see in the Antigone archaeological park: the mosaic, the columns, the promenade, an ancient weighing machine, the surrounding walls and much more. In the village of Labove e Kryqit, which is located near the small town of Libohova, you can visit one of the oldest and most beautiful Byzantine churches in Albania, which is dedicated to Saint Mary.
It is built in a similar style to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It is thought that the church once housed a relic that has now disappeared. It was a part of the cross on which Christ was crucified.
The ancient theatre of Hadrianopolis is located near the village of Sofratika, 14 km from Gjirokaster, on the Gjirokaster-Kakavije (Greece) road. The amphitheatre of Hadrianopolis was discovered by the Austrian archaeologist Prashniker. It dates from the 2nd century BC, has a capacity of 4,000 seats and 27 steps.
The Cajupi field is located in the Lunxheria area, which is 1,310 metres above sea level; it is a flat area that is used as a health resort and is surrounded by many springs of cold water.
Mid-range: For those who don’t want to stay in the city centre, I recommend The Barrels. This small guesthouse is located about 10 minutes’ drive outside Gjirokaster. Marcel is a great host. The name of the accommodation is derived from the attached winery. Very quiet location with a garden in front of the vines, where you can relax, drink wine and eat. ☑ Check availability and prices here.
Boutique: The incredible Hotel Musée is located in one of Gjirokaster’s historic 200-year-old houses. The real coffered ceilings and original fireplaces are absolutely enchanting, and the breakfast is also very good. ☑ Check availability and prices here.
Luxury: Gjirokastër’s most luxurious and beautiful hotel, the Kerculla Resort, sits on a hill overlooking the old town. The design combines the elegance of Gjirokastër’s old world with all the amenities you would expect from a 5-star hotel, including a spacious outdoor pool and a great bar. The “Large Double Room with Balcony” offers the best views of the castle and the surrounding hills. ☑ Check availability and prices here.
Budget: The Stone City Hostel is a budget accommodation with mixed dorms and some private double rooms. The decor is cosy and the hostel is a popular meeting place for backpackers. The hostel also organises hikes for its guests.
Like Berat, Gjirokastra has its own products and distinctive culinary traditions.
I was encouraged to try the Qifqi (rice balls are made with a combination of rice, eggs, dried mint, olive oil, salt, and black pepper) at the Taverna Kuka – crispy and tasty.
Other recommended dishes include Gjirokaster’s take on moussaka Shapkat (for example at Kujtimi Restaurant) and homemade meatballs Qofte fërguara in tomato sauce (absolutely incredible at Restaurant Tradicional Odaja).
Oshaf is another must try. This traditional Gjirokastra dessert is made with sheep’s milk, sugar, and dried figs.
Since the city centre is built of stone, it gets extremely hot in the summer (40 degrees Celsius and more). I visited the city towards the end of the high season and found that the temperature was actually quite pleasant due to the altitude. However, it was a little too crowded for my taste.
To avoid the main tourist season, I recommend travelling either in spring or autumn. The weather should then be quite pleasant and the mountains are still very colourful.
Gjirokastra is only a good hour’s drive from Sarande and is used by many visitors as a day trip. However, I recommend staying at least two nights – it is a very relaxing little town and a good place to unwind, as there is enough to see and do to keep you busy for at least a few days. I spent three full days in Gjirokaster and didn’t get bored.
From Saranda: From Saranda, buses to Gjirokaster leave about every hour from 5am until the afternoon. Tickets cost about 300 Lek, approx. 3.00 €, and the journey takes 60 minutes. Alternatively, you can take a taxi from Saranda, which costs about 6000 Lek, approx. 6.00 €.
From Berat: There are at least three buses that leave from the bus station in Berat at 8am and 2pm. Tickets cost around 900 Lek and the journey takes 3 to 3.5 hours.
From Tirana: There are at least 10 buses a day between Tirana and Gjirokastra, departing at 5am. The journey takes about 4 hours and tickets cost 800-1000 Lek, approx. 8.00 – 10.00 €. A taxi from Tirana to Gjirokastra should cost around 15,000 Lek, approx. 15.00 €.
Travel Tip: Find out about bus timetables and fares for Albania here. Always check the timetables locally before travelling.
When you arrive in Gjirokaster by bus, you will be dropped off at the regional bus and furgon station in the lower part of the new town (you can see the approximate location here on Google Maps). It is a very informal bus station – more of a street stop with a few ticket counters.
A 5-minute taxi ride to the old town should not cost more than 300-400 lek, about €3.50. But – don’t take a driver from the bus area. Instead, walk a few blocks in the opposite direction to find a taxi on the street.
Alternatively, you can walk for about 20 minutes (mostly uphill) to reach the city centre, or take a local bus from one of the stops along Bulevardi 18 Shtator for 30 lek, about €0.30 per person.