Berat
Hidden behind the crumbling walls of the fortress that crowns the hill above Berat is the whitewashed, village-like neighbourhood of Kala; if you walk…
Must-see attractions in Central Albania
Berat
The Onufri Museum is situated in the Kala quarter's biggest church, the Church of the Dormition of St Mary (Kisha Fjetja e Shën Mërisë). The church itself…
Durrës
This ultra-modern, well lit and labelled museum just back from the seafront has a breathtaking collection of historical artefacts. Highlights include the…
Central Albania
Korça's best museum is housed within a new, purpose-built space that really allows the stellar collection of Orthodox icons to shine. Highlights of the…
Berat
They might be fairly small, but these waterfalls, which from a distance appear to disappear in and out of the rocks, have a rare beauty and make for a…
Berat
Just off the steep hillside that leads up to Berat's castle is this excellent museum, which is housed in a beautiful 18th-century Ottoman house that's as…
Durrës
The weathered Roman-era Amphitheatre of Durrës was built on the hillside inside the city walls in the early 2nd century AD. In its prime it had the…
Central Albania
This traditional home in the castle complex below the Skanderbeg Museum houses one of the best ethnographic museums in the country. Set in an original…
Berat
Down in the traditionally Muslim Mangalem quarter, there are three grand mosques: the Sultan's Mosque, the Lead Mosque and the Bachelors' Mosque. All are…
Central Albania
Right at the bottom of the castle complex are the remains of a small hammam (Turkish bath) as well as a functioning teqe – a small place of worship for…
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)…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
Berat
The Red Mosque, by the southern Kala walls, was the first mosque in Berat and dates back to the 15th century.
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…
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…
Berat
The small chapel of St Mary Blachernae, which dates from the 13th century and contains some 16th-century wall murals, is unfortunately normally kept…
