UNESCO guide · about four hours from Tirana
The castle, Skenduli and Zekate houses, the Kadare and Kokalari house museums and the old bazaar of Gjirokastër.
Albania feature
Tower houses, stone roofs and one of the great castles of the Balkans.
Walk up to the castle at sunset, visit the tower houses and combine Gjirokastër with the Blue Eye and the Riviera.
Read the full back story below, then plan your trip.
The back story
The stone city: tower houses with slate roofs climbing a mountainside below one of the largest castles in the Balkans. Gjirokastër is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the birthplace of the writer Ismail Kadare.
One of the largest in the Balkans
The huge castle above the town, with vaulted galleries, an arms museum and views.
KalajaExplore View on map
A family tower house
A 19th-century Ottoman-era tower house, shown by members of the family.
Lagjja PalortoExplore View on map
Twin towers
A grand 19th-century tower house with twin towers above the town.
Lagjja PalortoExplore View on map
The writer’s family house
The rebuilt family house of the novelist Ismail Kadare.
Lagjja PalortoExplore View on map
Albania’s first woman writer
A house museum dedicated to the writer Musine Kokalari.
Stone lanes and crafts
The cobbled bazaar quarter below the castle, with craft shops and cafés.
Pazari i VjetërExplore View on map
A traditional house
A traditional Gjirokastër house showing daily life and crafts.
Rruga Hysen Hoxha 3Explore View on map
In the bazaar
A hotel in the heart of the old bazaar.
Rruga Gjin ZenebishtiExplore View on map
About four hours from Tirana
Buses from Tirana take around four hours; Sarandë is an hour away.
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