Theth
A visit to this fascinating 400-year-old 'lock-in tower' gives you an idea of the life those condemned by their family ties would lead as they waited,…
Must-see attractions in Albania
Central Albania
Designed by Enver Hoxha's daughter and son-in-law, this museum, inside the castle complex, opened in 1982. Its spacious seven-level interior displays…
Central Albania
This Ottoman-style bazaar was restored in 2015 and now looks better than ever. It's also one of the country's best places for souvenir shopping and has…
Central Albania
Housed in the guesthouse of a larger mansion dating from 1870, this interesting (though itself fairly antique) museum has an excellent collection…
Berat
The 16th-century Sultan's Mosque is one of the oldest in Albania. The Helveti teqe (a place of worship for those practising the Bektashi branch of Islam)…
National Archaeological Museum
Tirana
The collection here is comprehensive and impressive in parts, but there's only minimal labelling in Albanian and none at all in English (nor are tours in…
Gjirokastra
As well as photos of the partisan resistance against the Italians and a vast number of rifles and machine guns, it's possible to visit the cells where…
The Albanian Riviera
The last relatively undeveloped spot on the Albanian Riviera, before the urban sprawl of Saranda begins, is Bunec. The pebbly beach is divided in two by a…
Theth
This late-19th-century stone-and-shingle church looks incredible in silhouette against the mountains that surround it, topped as it is with a rustic…
The Albanian Riviera
Himara's longest stretch of beach is Livadhi, just north of the town. It's certainly very attractive but development hasn't been kind, with a slew of…
Saranda
Housed in Saranda's old customs house overlooking the town wharf, this interesting museum contains many fascinating photographs from the communist era,…
The Albanian Riviera
Himara is mainly known for its beaches, but its Old Town on the hills high above the seafront is an interesting place to stroll around. One highlight is…
Central Albania
Kruja's once important castle is these days just an impressive ruin. Within its crumbling walls are Albanian flag sellers, pizza restaurants and an array…
The Albanian Riviera
Vuno is a tiny hillside village above picturesque Jal beach. Each summer Vuno's primary school is filled with blow-up beds and it becomes Shkolla Hostel…
Berat
Perched on a cliff ledge below the castle is the artfully positioned 14th-century chapel of St Michael, best viewed from the Gorica quarter across the…
The Albanian Riviera
Borsch is a huge, sweeping white-stone beach that is several kilometres long. While it's still far from over-run with development, it's hardly…
Central Albania
At the eastern end of town is a long sandy beach. In summer the water is just about warm enough to swim in, and at this time the beach is covered in…
Gjirokastra
This museum houses local homewares and was built on the site of Enver Hoxha's former house, in the middle of the Old Town. Its collection is interesting…
Tirana
Tirana's 35m-tall clock tower was completed by Ottoman architects in 1822, and it was for years the tallest building in the capital, sounding a bell every…
Gjirokastra
The 'Neck of the Bazaar' makes up the centre of the Old Town but what were once artisanal workshops are today mainly tourist souvenir shops. There are a…
Berat
The Orthodox church of St Theodore, close to the fortress gates, is normally closed, but if you are granted access, you'll discover some wonderful wall…
Saranda
This excellent gallery overlooking the seafront has high-quality temporary exhibits, with many works coming down from the National Gallery in Tirana.
Berat
The big mosque just off the town square is the 16th-century Lead Mosque, so named because of the lead coating its sphere-shaped dome.
Equestrian Statue of Skanderbeg
Tirana
An impressive monument to the Albanian national hero stands in the middle of this eponymous square/traffic roundabout.
Berat
The Red Mosque, by the southern Kala walls, was the first mosque in Berat and dates back to the 15th century.
Tirana
Designed by Enver Hoxha's daughter and son-in-law and completed in 1988, this monstrously unattractive building was formerly the Enver Hoxha Museum and…
Tirana
To one side of Sheshi Skënderbej, the 1789–1823 Et'hem Bey Mosque was spared destruction during the atheism campaign of the late 1960s because of its…
Tirana
At the top of Rr Elbasanit is the Martyrs' Cemetery, where some 900 partisans who died in WWII are buried. The views over the city and surrounding…
Saranda
These ruins of a 5th-century synagogue are located right in the heart of town and provide evidence of one of the earliest Balkan-Jewish communities. There…
The Albanian Riviera
As you zigzag down the mountain from the Llogaraja Pass National Park, the white crescent-shaped beaches and azure waters lure you from below. The first…
Statue of the Unknown Partisan
Tirana
The socialist realist Statue of the Unknown Partisan, just off Sheshi Skënderbej, seems to be aiming his weapons at the Parliament building (1924) down…
Shkodra
The small museum inside the Rozafa Fortress is worth a look for anyone interested in the history of the fortress and town and covers the neolithic period…
Shkodra
Known more commonly to locals as the Great Mosque, this impressive centrepiece to the city actually dates from the 18th century, but was fully renovated…
Tirana
If you turn up Rr Murat Toptani, behind the National Gallery of Arts, you'll pass the 6m-high walls of the Fortress of Justinian, the last remnants of a…
Berat
The substantial and picturesque Church of the Holy Trinity sits below the upper fortress. Of all the churches within the fortress walls, it's the best…
Tirana
A rather incongruous 19th-century stone bridge remains remarkably well preserved in Tirana's modern centre and is one of just a few remnants of Ottoman…
Saranda
This former castle is now a very average restaurant, but come here for the superb views over Saranda and Butrint lagoon, especially at sunset. A taxi here…
Tirana
To the east of Sheshi Skënderbej is the white stone Palace of Culture, which has a theatre, shops and art galleries. Construction of the palace began as a…
Berat
The 19th-century Bachelors' Mosque is down by the Osumi River. It was built for unmarried shop assistants and junior craftsmen, and is perched between…
Tirana
An architectural creation by Enver Hoxha's daughter and son-in-law, the square Palace of Congress is on Tirana's main ceremonial avenue. It no longer…
