Historic towns

Shkoder, the Gateway to the Albanian Alps

Most people pass through Shkoder on the way north and regret not stopping. A lake, a castle above it, a bicycle culture and the road to Koman all start here.

Durres: A Roman Amphitheatre Under a Modern City

The largest Roman amphitheatre in the Balkans sits in a residential block, half excavated, with a Venetian tower down the road and a long sandy beach behind.

A History Route Through Albania: Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, Communists

A Greek and Roman city in a lagoon, two Ottoman towns, a Roman amphitheatre under a modern city, and a hundred and seventy thousand concrete bunkers.

Berat: The City of a Thousand Windows

Two Ottoman quarters facing each other across a river, a castle with people still living inside it, and a nickname that turns out to be literal.

Gjirokaster: The Stone City on the Hillside

A UNESCO listed Ottoman town of slate roofed tower houses climbing a mountainside, with a castle on top and a bazaar street through the middle.

Vlore: Where Albania Declared Independence and the Riviera Begins

A working port city with a long promenade, the square where the country was founded in 1912, and the road south that turns into the best drive in the Balkans.