Nature & Adventure
Culture & Heritage
Food & Drinks
Sports & Activities
What can you visit in Gjirokaster? which are the main historical and cultural attractions in Gjirokaster? Detailed information before visiting Gjirokastra:
Gjirokastra is the picturesque stone city of Albania. Our small country has been blessed with amazing nature, from the Albanian Alps in the north to the beautiful beaches of the Albanian Riviera in the south. One of the main attractions and popular tourist destinations in the south of Albania is undoubtedly the stone city of Gjirokastra. During the summer months, this Ottoman-styled city is definitely one of the most lively places in our county. As per architecture, Gjirokastra is noted for its traditional Ottoman houses, stone roads, houses like museums, and of course the castle, Argjiro Castle. Positioned just one hour from the city of Saranda Gjirokastra becomes a frequently visited city, especially during the season of summer, tourists enjoy the special architecture of the city resembling old times. During the night a lot of youngsters fill the restaurant and on the stone roads and like to eat a traditional dessert and food or have their favorite drink. The castle of Gjirokastra is one particular attraction and there you can visit the museum and enjoy a journey of history lessons. While in the old Bazaar don’t hesitate to buy a small traditional dessert of the city from the locals or you can also take a small souvenir to keep as a memory for your visit to this beautiful stone city. Gjirokastra can be visited at any time of the year though, youngsters will find it better to come to this city during the busy summer months when the city attracts a lot more tourists and its activities continue until late at night. The stone city of Gjirokasta is the birthplace of a very acknowledged Albanian writer, Ismail Kadare who has been nominated a dozen times for the Nobel prize in Literacy. Also, the notorious communist leader Enver Hoxha has been born here in this city and during your visit, you can notice these interesting houses. Besides the Ottoman Era houses with fortified walls and the beautiful old bazaar with its stone roads, this city is also noted for its cuisine. Even coffee tastes different as you get lost in the stone architecture of this city at the old market. Below we will write some frequent questions/answers that we find helpful for anyone planning a visit to this beautiful town.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time of the year to visit Gjirokastra?
Since Gjirokastra is an interesting place to visit, especially for its architecture, we recommend visiting it at any part of the year, not only during the summer months. Also since the streets are made of stone they retain a lot of heat during summer so for those that don’t like hot temperatures the city can be visited outside busy summer months too.
Choosing between a daily tour or a multi-day tour in Gjirokastra?
We recommend spending one night in the city of Gjirokastra, its attractive houses and overall beautiful Ottoman-style city will make you feel unwinded and forget about the daily routine for a moment.
What are the accommodation options in Gjirokastra?
Since it is a popular tourist destination in Albania, this city has a good infrastructure for accommodation. You can decide to stay at one of the hotels in the center of the city or you can also book a guesthouse in this stone city. A lot of locals have turned their houses into guest houses as tourism has become the main source of activity in this city.
Places, attractions to visit in Gjirokastra?
We recommend you visit the Castle of Argjiro and also the museums in the city, learn some local history about Gjirokastra, and also visit the Old Town where the stone walls are filled with artisanal clothes, paintings, and souvenirs. There are also interesting mosques to visit, another interesting remnant is Ali Pasha’s Bridge which is located some 45 minutes away on walking.
Cuisine in Gjirokastra? Local and traditional Albanian food in Gjirokaster..
We definitely recommend taking a mini food tour in this city, enjoy specialties dishes like ‘qifqi’ and also traditional sweets for which this city is noted. There are different taverns where you can choose to enjoy a delicious meal and your favorite drink.
What can you visit nearby Gjirokastra?
As we mentioned in this article Gjirokastra is located just one hour away from the city proclaimed as the jewel of Albania, Saranda. There are a lot of attractions to visit in Saranda and nearby areas, which makes Gjirokastra a perfect choice to fit in a tour where you can visit different places which last more than one day. Also, another very popular tourist destination near Gjirokaster is the small town of Permet.
How to plan a trip to Gjirokaster and nearby cities?
albaniatourism.al offers different packages that include a trip to Gjirokaster which can be flexible according to the client’s preferences. We recommend a multi-day tour that includes Gjirokaster as part of it.
What are the prices of accommodation, food, and service in Gjirokaster?
Even though it is a popular tourist destination, this city has very economical prices both in accommodation and also cuisine and service, another reason to not hesitate to plan a visit in the stone city of Gjirokastër. If you want to save money you can also have your meals outside of the old bazaar, which has prices higher than the other part of the city.
How can you travel to the city of Gjirokaster?
Since it is a frequently visited city there is regular transport to the city of Gjirokaster, many buses arrive here from the capital of Tirana, also the city of Saranda, and even the Unesco City of Berat has regular transport towards Gjirokastra.
Which are the other cities and attractions near Gjirokaster?
We mentioned Saranda above in this article as it is a far more frequented city during the busy summer months but from Gjirokastra you can also visit other cities like the beautiful city of roses, Permeti. Permeti as you might have read on our website is a city which has it all except the beach. From Vjosa valley and the canyons of Kelcyra to the famous Thermal Baths of Benja.
What adventure activities can you do around Gjirokaster city?
Besides having a historical and cultural tour of the medieval city and the castle, Gjirokastra is also a good base for adventure activities. From the city of Gjirokaster you can start hiking to the many mountains the area offers or also you can go rafting or kayaking through the last wild river in Europe, the Vjosa river. Rafting in the Vjosa river is a unique experience and adrenaline adventure, as the river goes through beautiful passages and canyons of Kelcyra. Also, horse riding is an activity that has risen in later years in these cities as there has been investment by locals in this aspect.
Tours to know in Gjirokastra?
We at albaniatourism.al consider Gjirokastra a very important destination and for this reason, we include it not only on particular tours to the city that we make but also we stop for a visit here when we are headed to another city around. Tourists get to enjoy their visit to Gjirokastra. In the cases of multi-day tours that we offer, we usually spend one night in the city of Gjirokaster as it is enough time to get the most from this stone city. One Popular tour including Gjirokaster is the one where we also visit Permet city and its attractions making it an interesting journey as there is a lot to enjoy in these naturally beautiful cities. Another popular tour Gjirokastra makes on this list is the one where we are headed toward the Albanian Riviera, to the city of Saranda, Ksamil, and of course Unesco Ancient Butrint. Also considering its attraction as a museum city, especially of cultural importance we include Gjirokastra as part of our cultural and historical tours, not forgetting our tour of the castles in Albania, a multi-day tour which consists in visiting the castles of Albania from the north of the country starting with Shkodra Castle and ending in ancient Butrint in Ali Pasha Castle of Butrint to the very south of our country.
What do our tours include when visiting Gjirokaster?
Depending on your preference we offer daily and multi-day tours in Gjirokaster, our services range from comfortable transportation with a minivan or by private car, accommodation in multi-day tours, meals, and most importantly an English (+Italian) speaking professional guide to lead the tour.
Do we offer private tours in Gjirokaster and Albania?
We at albaniatourism.al offer private or flexible tours when requested by clients. We offer our experience to guarantee the best tour for our clients starting from transport, food, accommodation, and services.
Is it better to travel with a guide or by yourself to Gjirokaster?
We recommend you hire a professional guide when visiting Gjirokaster but also other tourist destinations in Albania. We don’t say this because it is our job to offer guide services in Albania but from experience, we have noticed that a lot of tourists miss out on important attractions when they visit cities by themselves, so to get the best experience from your vacations in Albania we definitely recommend booking a guided tour.
How to get to Gjirokaster by yourself?
To access Gjirokaster one the most practical way to do it is traveling by bus from the capital of Tirana, taking the bus station at the south terminal which is located near the “overpass of Casa Italia”. In case you are traveling from other cities like Saranda for example, you can still use the bus service as there is a daily line traveling to Gjirokaster from Saranda. In case you want to have everything in your hand and make this trip more enjoyable we strongly suggest you get a rental car, it makes the trip more practical and you have time in your hand. We at albaniatourism.al offer the rental car service, and your trip to the south of Albania while riding a Suzuki Vitara will be an adventure you can’t miss.
