ALBANIA TOWN BY TOWN — 2026

Stone towns,
hilltop castles
and an Ionian coast.

Town-by-town guides to Albania: Tirana, Berat and Gjirokastër, Shkodër and its lake, Durrës and Vlorë, Sarandë, Ksamil and Butrint, with sources you can check.

Explore Towns

Old towns. Castles. Ancient sites. Sources you can check.

Illustration of a stone old town with a hilltop castle in the Albanian mountains

STONE TOWNS & THE IONIAN

01 / Illustration of an Ottoman stone town below a hilltop castle, not a photograph.

Start here:All destinations Things to do How we research Our sources

Four stone townsBerat, Gjirokastër, Krujë and the capital, Tirana

19 towns and regionsFrom Shkodër and the Alps down the Riviera to Butrint

54 sight and neighbourhood guidesOpening times, tickets and how long to allow

OTTOMAN STONE AND CASTLE HILLS

Start with the stone towns.

Most first trips are built around these four: old quarters on steep lanes, castles still lived in, and bazaars below them.

Berat

Mangalem and Gorica facing each other across the Osum, with a lived-in castle quarter above.

Gjirokastër

Slate-roofed tower houses climbing to a castle over the Drino valley.

Krujë

Skanderbeg’s hill town: the castle, its museums and the covered bazaar, a short drive from Tirana.

Tirana

The capital’s squares, bunker museums, cafés and the cable car up Mount Dajti.

NORTH TO SOUTH · 5 LEGS

Albania along the route.

The country reads best as one long journey: mountains and lake in the north, the capital and the Adriatic, the Riviera, then the far south.

The north
Shkodër on its lake, the Lake Koman ferry and the valleys of the Albanian Alps.
Shkodër
Albanian Alps
Lezhë
Tirana and the Adriatic
Durrës and its Roman amphitheatre, the plain of Fier with Apollonia, and Elbasan on the Via Egnatia.
Durrës
Apollonia
Elbasan
Vlorë and the Riviera
Vlorë’s Lungomare and Karaburun, the Llogara Pass, then the villages of the Riviera from Dhërmi to Borsh.
Vlorë
Dhërmi
Himarë
Sarandë and Butrint
The far south: Sarandë’s bay, the islets off Ksamil, the ruins of Butrint and the Blue Eye spring.
Sarandë
Ksamil
Butrint
The inland east
Korçë’s bazaar and cathedral, the mountain villages of Voskopojë and Dardhë, and Pogradec on Lake Ohrid.
Korçë
Pogradec
Përmet

COUNTRY-WIDE GUIDES

Before you pick the towns.

Albania at a glance

Food and drink

History

Lakes, rivers and mountains

BY INTEREST

Castles, mosques, ruins and the coast.

Old Towns & Castles

Old towns and castles across Albania, from Berat's quarters and Gjirokastër's bazaar to the walls of Krujë, Elbasan, Shkodër, Durrës and hilltop ruins near Tirana.

All 25 guides

Museums & History

Museums and history across Albania: Tirana's Bunk'Art, Berat and Gjirokastër's UNESCO old towns, Durrës' Roman finds, Korçë's medieval art, Krujë's Skanderbeg halls.

All 33 guides

Mosques & Churches

Mosques and churches across Albania, from the King Mosque in Berat and Elbasan to Tirana's Great Mosque, Shkodër's cathedral and the Zvërnec Monastery near Vlorë.

All 14 guides

Ancient Sites

Explore ancient sites in Albania, from Butrint and Apollonia to the Via Egnatia and hilltop Amantia. Plan visits to Roman ruins, theatres and basilicas.

All 11 guides

Riviera & Coast

From Dhërmi and Himarë to Vlorë, Ksamil and Lezhë, plan Riviera villages, Llogara Pass, boat-only caves and the Adriatic lagoon wetlands.

All 24 guides

Lakes & Mountains

Plan lakes and mountains across Albania: Lake Shkodra and Zogaj, Lake Ohrid at Lin, Lake Prespa and Bovilla, plus Theth, Valbona, Tomorr and Dajti.

All 37 guides

Food & Drink

Albanian food and drink explained: byrek, qifqi, tavë kosi, raki and olive oil, with where to eat in Tirana, Berat, Gjirokastër, Shkodër, Korçë and the coast.

All 41 guides

Boat Trips & Tours

Boat trips in Albania: speedboat runs from Sarandë, Himarë and Vlorë to Sazan and Karaburun, plus the Komani Lake crossing to the Shala river and Durrës departures.

All 29 guides