Berat Gjirokaster
5
Day Itinerary •
Albania
Five days across Berat and Gjirokaster gives you the full extraordinary depth of Albania's two UNESCO World Heritage cities and the remarkable landscape between them, from the extraordinary Osumi Canyon and the Albanian wine country around Berat to the ancient ruins of Apollonia, the Blue Eye spring and the extraordinary Greek ruins at Butrint on the border. This route covers the complete southern Albanian heritage trail. Berat's citadel and thousand-windowed hillsides, Apollonia's extraordinary Illyrian and Roman ruins, the Osumi Canyon, the Cobo winery, Gjirokaster's castle and Ottoman mansions, the Blue Eye of Theth, the ancient ruins of Butrint on the Albanian Riviera and the extraordinary Albanian hospitality at every stop.
Best Time To Visit
April to October
Getting There
Fly into Tirana (TIA), drive 2 hours to Berat
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 30 to 65 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate, walking and driving
DAY 1
BERAT
MORNING
BERAT, THE CITY OF A THOUSAND WINDOWS
Berat is the finest Ottoman city in Albania and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The extraordinary Mangalem quarter climbs the hillside above the Osum river in a stack of 18th-century white houses with their triple windows, each row above looking over the roof of the row below. The old stone bridge across the Osum to the Gorica quarter gives the most photographed view in Albania. Arrive early before the heat. The climb to the Kala citadel from Mangalem takes 30 minutes through increasingly extraordinary lanes. Drive: 30 min climb
MIDDAY
KALA CITADEL, LIVING INSIDE MEDIEVAL WALLS
The Kala citadel above Berat is the most extraordinary inhabited fortress in Albania, where families still live inside Byzantine and Ottoman walls. The Onufri Museum in the Church of the Dormition houses the finest collection of 16th-century Byzantine icons in Albania, painted by the master Onufri whose extraordinary technique for creating vivid reds from local plants remains unmatched. The Church of the Holy Trinity inside the citadel has extraordinary frescoes visible through the open door. Museum entry approx 200 ALL. Drive: 30 min walk down
AFTERNOON
ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM AND EVENING BERAT
The Berat Ethnographic Museum in a restored 18th-century house in the Gorica quarter is the finest museum of traditional Albanian domestic life in the country. The extraordinary carved wooden ceilings and complete period room reconstructions are among the finest in Albania. The evening walk along the Osum river bank with the lit Mangalem hillside reflected in the water is the finest version of Berat. The restaurants along the riverbank serve the best food in the city.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The small village of Gorica across the old bridge from Mangalem is almost entirely unknown to visitors despite being one of the finest traditional Albanian Christian settlements in the country. The cobbled lanes, ancient churches and extraordinary views back to the Mangalem hillside are all free to explore. The Church of St Michael gives the finest elevated view of Berat.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Berat Albanian coffee is extraordinarily strong and costs about 50 ALL. Drink it standing at the bar. | Lunch: Restaurant Mangalemi The finest traditional restaurant in Berat. Local byrek, slow-roasted lamb and Cobo wine. | Dinner: Guvat Restaurant, Berat Fresh Osum trout, local raki and the finest view of the thousand windows at night.
DAY 2
APOLLONIA AND THE WINE COUNTRY
MORNING
APOLLONIA, THE FINEST GREEK RUINS IN ALBANIA
Apollonia near Fier is one of the finest and least visited ancient Greek cities in the Balkans, founded in 588 BC and reaching a population of 60,000 at its peak. Julius Caesar used it as his military base during the civil war against Pompey and Augustus studied rhetoric there. The extraordinary Bouleuterion, the city's council chamber with its extraordinary Doric colonnade, the Roman odeon and the extraordinary site museum in the converted Byzantine monastery are all outstanding. Entry approx 300 ALL. Drive: 1 hour drive south
MIDDAY
COBO WINERY AND THE ALBANIAN WINE COUNTRY
The Cobo winery near Berat is the finest wine producer in Albania, planted with indigenous Albanian varieties including Shesh i Zi, Shesh i Bardhe and Debine that are grown almost nowhere outside the country. The extraordinary wines produced here are beginning to attract international attention but remain almost entirely unknown outside Albania and are extraordinary value. The winery tasting room in a converted farmhouse is the finest place to understand Albanian wine. Tastings from approx 500 ALL. Drive: 1.5 hour drive
AFTERNOON
DRIVE TO GJIROKASTER VIA THE VJOSA VALLEY
The drive from Berat to Gjirokaster through the Vjosa river valley is one of the finest drives in southern Albania, passing through extraordinary limestone gorges, traditional villages and the extraordinary Permet thermal baths region. The Vjosa is one of the last wild rivers in Europe, entirely undammed and running free through an extraordinary valley that the Albanian government has recently designated a national park. The drive takes 2.5 hours with stops.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Bylis ancient city on a plateau above the Vjosa valley between Apollonia and Gjirokaster is one of the most extraordinary and completely unvisited Illyrian and Roman cities in Albania. The extraordinary city walls, theatre and temples are entirely accessible with no entry fee and almost no signage. Ask locally for directions.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse in Berat Hearty Albanian breakfast before the Apollonia drive. The site has no facilities. | Lunch: Picnic at Apollonia Pack food from Berat for the ruins. Eating among 2,500-year-old columns is extraordinary. | Dinner: Restaurant in Gjirokaster Arrival dinner in the UNESCO city. Local lamb, Gjirokaster white wine and fresh cheese.
DAY 3
GJIROKASTER AND THE BLUE EYE
MORNING
GJIROKASTER CASTLE AND THE CAPTURED US JET
Gjirokaster Castle is the most extraordinary fortress in Albania, a Byzantine and Ottoman complex containing the remarkable Military Museum. The most extraordinary exhibit in Albania is parked in the castle courtyard: a Lockheed T-33 jet of the US Air Force, forced to land in Albania in 1957 during the Cold War and never returned. The view from the castle walls over the Drino valley and the mountains of Greece beyond is extraordinary. Entry approx 200 ALL. Drive: 20 min walk down
MIDDAY
SKENDULI HOUSE AND THE BAZAAR QUARTER
The Skenduli House is the finest surviving Ottoman mansion in Albania, its extraordinary carved wooden ceilings and 18th-century guest room designed for 70 people representing the pinnacle of Albanian decorative craft. The bazaar street below the castle is the finest surviving Ottoman commercial street in Albania, still lined with metalwork, carpet and craft shops in their original premises. The Zekate House at the top of the bazaar is the largest 18th-century tower house in the city. Entry to each approx 200 to 300 ALL. Drive: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
THE BLUE EYE, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY SPRING IN ALBANIA
The Blue Eye spring south of Gjirokaster is the most extraordinary natural spring in Albania, an impossibly vivid blue pool of cold water rising from an unknown depth. The spring feeds the Bistrica river and the temperature never rises above 10 degrees regardless of season. The extraordinary colour, caused by the refraction of light in the deep water, makes the pool appear almost luminescent. The surrounding beech forest is extraordinary in spring and autumn. Entry approx 100 ALL.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Antigonea ancient city ruins in the hills above Gjirokaster are the finest and least visited Hellenistic ruins in southern Albania, the ancient capital of the Chaonian tribe with extraordinary city walls still standing to several metres. The views over the Drino valley from the ruins are extraordinary. Free to enter, no facilities, signed from the Gjirokaster to Permet road.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Gjirokaster bazaar Coffee on the extraordinary stone-paved bazaar street before the castle opens. | Lunch: Taverna Fantazia Local byrek, lamb chops and cold Gjirokaster white wine in the old town shade. | Dinner: Restaurant Odaja Traditional Albanian cooking in a restored Ottoman house. Local lamb, cheese and raki.
DAY 4
BUTRINT AND SARANDA
MORNING
BUTRINT, UNESCO CITY OF EXTRAORDINARY LAYERS
Butrint on the Albanian Riviera is one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in the Mediterranean, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian layers all visible in a single extraordinary hillside site above a lagoon. The Greek theatre, Roman baths, Byzantine baptistery with the finest floor mosaic in Albania and the extraordinary Venetian tower all occupy the same small peninsula. The site was continuously inhabited from the 8th century BC to the 19th century AD. Entry approx 700 ALL. Drive: 30 min drive north
MIDDAY
SARANDA AND THE IONIAN COAST
Saranda is the largest town on the Albanian Riviera, its extraordinary curved bay backed by the mountains of the Albanian interior with the island of Corfu visible just 15km offshore across the Ionian Sea. The town is rapidly developing but the old seafront promenade and the extraordinary Lekuresi Castle above the town on the hill give extraordinary views over the bay, Butrint lagoon and the Greek islands. Castle entry free. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
KSAMIL ISLANDS AND THE ALBANIAN RIVIERA BEACH
The Ksamil islands just north of Butrint are the finest natural beach destination on the Albanian Riviera, four small islands in an extraordinary turquoise lagoon accessible by short boat trips from the Ksamil village shore. The public beaches at Ksamil are among the finest on the Albanian coast, with extraordinarily clear water and remarkable views across to the Greek island of Corfu. Boat hire from Ksamil shore approx 500 ALL return.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The ferry from Saranda to Corfu takes 35 minutes and runs several times daily. A day trip to Corfu Town and back is entirely feasible from Saranda if the ruins are done in the morning. Greek island and Albanian UNESCO city in the same day is an extraordinary combination. Ferry approx 20 euros return.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Gjirokaster Early coffee before the drive to Butrint. Pack water for the archaeological site. | Lunch: Restaurant at Butrint Local fish at the site restaurant overlooking the extraordinary Butrint lagoon. | Dinner: Seafood restaurant, Saranda Fresh Ionian seafood on the Saranda waterfront. Local fish, mussels and Albanian wine.
DAY 5
SARANDA COAST AND DEPARTURE
MORNING
LEKURESI CASTLE AND THE SARANDA BAY VIEW
Lekuresi Castle on the hill above Saranda gives the finest panoramic view on the Albanian Riviera, looking over the curved bay of Saranda, the Butrint lagoon, the Ksamil islands and the island of Corfu across the water in a single extraordinary panorama. The castle itself is partially ruined but freely accessible and the restaurant inside serves coffee and local raki with the extraordinary view. The morning light from the castle is extraordinary. Free to enter. Drive: 30 min drive north
MIDDAY
HIMARA AND THE RIVIERA NORTH DRIVE
The drive north from Saranda along the Albanian Riviera is one of the finest coastal drives in the Balkans, the road climbing above extraordinary coves and beaches with the mountains of the Albanian interior rising directly behind. The village of Himara on the coast is the finest town on the northern Riviera, its extraordinary old town on the cliff above the sea with a Byzantine castle at the top. The Himara beach below the old town is the finest on the northern coast. Drive: 1.5 hour drive north
AFTERNOON
DRIVE TO TIRANA FOR DEPARTURE
The drive from the Albanian Riviera to Tirana airport takes 3 to 4 hours depending on the route, passing through the extraordinary Albanian interior. The road via Gjirokaster and the mountain passes is the most dramatic. An alternative route via the coast to Vlora and then north to Tirana passes through the extraordinary Vlora Bay and the Cape of Gjipe. Both routes are extraordinary and the drive itself is a fine final experience of this extraordinary country.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Ottoman hammam in Gjirokaster is one of the finest surviving Turkish bath complexes in Albania, a 17th-century structure recently restored and operating again as a functioning hammam. The extraordinary domed ceiling with its star-shaped light openings is the finest in Albania. Entry and treatment approx 1,500 ALL.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Saranda Final Albanian coffee by the extraordinary Ionian bay before the departure drive. | Lunch: Konoba in Himara Local fish and white wine on the extraordinary Himara seafront in the final sun. | Dinner: Restaurant in Tirana Dinner in the capital before the flight. The Blloku district has excellent restaurants.
Where To Stay
Berat, Nights 1 to 2 Hotel Mangalemi or guesthouses. Approx 25 to 60 euros per night. Gjirokaster, Nights 3-4 Hotel Kalemi or Stone City Hotel. Approx 25 to 60 euros per night. Saranda, Night 5 Hotels on the seafront. Approx 30 to 70 euros per night.
Top Tips
1. Albania is the cheapest country in Europe for travellers. Budget 30 euros per day and eat extraordinarily well. The locals will be astonished you came.
2. The Kala citadel in Berat is a living neighbourhood. Knock on any door marked as a museum, pay 200 ALL and get a personal tour of an extraordinary Ottoman house.
3. Apollonia is one of the finest Greek and Roman ruined cities in the Balkans and almost entirely unknown. You will likely have it to yourself regardless of season.
4. The Blue Eye spring near Gjirokaster is the most extraordinary natural spring in Albania, an impossibly blue pool of unknown depth. Entry approx 100 ALL.
5. Butrint is one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in the Mediterranean, a UNESCO city with Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian layers all visible.
6. Carry US dollars or euros to exchange. The Lek is not available outside Albania. Exchange at banks or post offices for the best rate.
Total Budget
30 to 65 euros/day