Durres is a working port an hour west of Tirana with the largest Roman amphitheatre in the Balkans sitting in the middle of a residential neighbourhood. It was not properly identified until the twentieth century, houses had already been built over most of it, and what you look at now is a partly excavated arena with apartment blocks rising directly out of the upper tiers. It is not a grand ruin. It is a far more interesting thing, which is a Roman city that a modern one grew on top of without noticing.
What to see
The amphitheatre, partly excavated, with a Byzantine chapel and mosaics inside it and flats above.
The Venetian tower, a round bastion at the end of a surviving stretch of city wall, now containing a bar.
The city walls, Byzantine and later, in fragments through the streets.
The archaeological museum, on the seafront, small and worth an hour.
The seafront promenade, which is where the city walks in the evening.
The beach strip south of the city, which is a different proposition entirely.
The city itself
A working port, with ferries to Italy and a container harbour.
Albania’s second city by most measures, and much older than the capital.
Roman Dyrrachium, on the Via Egnatia, which is why the amphitheatre is here.
Heavy traffic and an unlovely modern centre in parts.
Very good cheap fish on the front.
Forty five minutes from Tirana, constantly, by furgon.
The beach question
Long, sandy, shallow and warm, which is genuinely good for small children.
Densely built up, with hotels and apartment blocks immediately behind.
Albania’s main domestic resort, and busy in July and August.
Not the southern Riviera, and it does not pretend to be.
Cheap, considerably, compared with the Ionian coast.
Twenty minutes south of the historic centre.
Practical notes
Furgons from Tirana constantly; cash for the fare.
Parking near the amphitheatre is awkward; park towards the seafront and walk.
Cash for markets, small restaurants and museum entry.
Summer is hot and the city fills with domestic holidaymakers.
Fish on the front is priced by weight; agree it before ordering.
Half a day is the right allocation for the historic centre.
Where this fits in an Albania trip
Two hours on the drive south from Tirana, or an easy afternoon from the capital.
For the practical basics of travelling here, our beginner guide to Albania covers the ground.
For the furgons and buses that make this the easiest trip in the country, our guide to Albanian public transport covers how it works.
And for the next city down the coast, where the Riviera actually begins, our Vlore guide covers the stop.
The short version
Give it two hours on the way south rather than a dedicated day trip. See the amphitheatre with the apartment blocks growing out of it, the mosaics in the chapel inside, the Venetian tower and the museum, then eat fish on the seafront. Check the amphitheatre access before you build the morning around it, because it is an active dig and the arrangements change. Skip the beach strip unless you have small children, in which case it is the most practical sand in the country.
