Things to do in Gjirokastër
From the castle to a Cold War tunnel beneath the cobbles, the old town is best explored on foot, stone by stone.
Castle of Gjirokastër
Perched atop the hillside of the "City of Stone", a fortress of history, mystery and breathtaking views. One of the largest castles in the Balkans, with battlements, Cold War artifacts including a preserved military plane, and the National Arms Museum.
Bazaar of Gjirokastër
A living testament to the town's history: cobblestone streets, historic buildings, and artisanal shops with silver jewelry, textiles, ceramics and woodwork.
Zekate House
A magnificent example of the town's traditional architecture, built in 1812. Three stone stories with wood-carved ceilings, colorful frescoes and panoramic views of the cityscape.
Skënduli House
A meticulously preserved 18th-century house with 4 hamams, 9 fireplaces and 12 decorated ceilings, plus double walls for privacy and insulation.
The Cold War Tunnel
A chilling reminder of Albania's turbulent Cold War history beneath the cobblestone streets. Built in the 1970s under Enver Hoxha's regime, it stretches over 80 meters with more than 80 rooms: meeting chambers, offices and sleeping quarters.
Kadare's House
The home of writer Ismail Kadare, now a public museum, where he was born and spent his childhood. Built in 1799 and a Cultural Monument since 1991, it inspired his book Chronicle in Stone.
Ethnographic Museum
A treasure trove of Albanian history and culture in a traditional-style building: the birthplace of Enver Hoxha. Traditional costumes, handcrafted tools and household items, with intricate woodwork and carved ceilings.
Ali Pasha's Bridge
Wedged between two rocky hills in a valley of goat trails and footpaths: a 200-year-old stone bridge of early 19th-century engineering, once part of an aqueduct supplying Ali Pasha's fortress.
Bazaar Mosque
In the heart of the historic bazaar, a mid-18th-century mosque, modest yet elegant, with stone walls, a domed roof and a slender minaret among the cobblestone streets.
The Obelisk
Perched atop the old town, a monument to education and the first Albanian school in the city. Erected in 1968, in Albania's communist era.
Antigonea Archaeological Park
14 kilometers from Gjirokastër, an ancient city founded in the 3rd century BCE by King Pyrrhus of Epirus and named after his wife. Destroyed in the Roman conquest of 167 BCE; remnants remain to explore.
Musine Kokalari's Memorial
"Muza Ime": a cultural space dedicated to Albania's first published female writer and a symbol of intellectual resistance. A restored traditional home with personal artifacts, photographs and writings.
Sokaku i të Marrëve
The Alley of the Madmen: a narrow, stone-paved alley wrapped in local legend, honoring eccentric poets and unconventional thinkers, where imagination and reality quietly coexist.
