Updated 1 November 2026
Butrint: Albania's UNESCO City Everyone Drives Past
A Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian city on a wooded peninsula 4 km from Ksamil that most visitors skip. What to see and how long to allow.
Historic towns
All our Historic towns guides for Albania, in one place.
10 guides: Historic towns
Updated 18 October 2026
Berat or Gjirokaster: Which Ottoman Town If You Only Have One Day
Two UNESCO towns and one free day. An honest comparison of Berat and Gjirokaster on setting, castle, food and driving time, and when to skip both.
Updated 16 October 2026
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, bicycle culture and the road to Koman all start here.
Updated 16 October 2026
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 becomes the best drive in the Balkans.
Updated 15 October 2026
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.
Updated 15 October 2026
Durres: A Roman Amphitheatre Under a Modern City
Planning a Durres day trip from Tirana? See the Roman amphitheatre, Venetian tower, museum and beach, plus how long to allow and what to check first.
Updated 15 October 2026
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.
Updated 23 September 2026
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.
Updated 23 September 2026
Five Albanian Towns Most Visitors Miss
Everyone does Berat, Gjirokaster and the riviera. These five towns are on nobody's standard route, with stone architecture, Ottoman streets and valleys.
Updated 26 August 2026
Kruje Day Trip: Castle, Old Bazaar and Skanderbeg
The easiest half day out of Tirana, and the one that explains why Albanians talk about Skanderbeg. A cliff castle, an Ottoman bazaar, and a hard sell.