Old bazaar
First-timersThe cobbled centre below the castle: guesthouses in stone tower houses, restaurants and every sight within ten minutes.
Gjirokastër city guide
Things To Do In Gjirokastër
A stone city on a mountainside, with slate roofs, a vast castle holding a captured American spy plane, and the dictator's birthplace halfway up.
6
Hostels in the city
9.2
Average, from 2,005 reviews
2005
UNESCO listing
€1
A coffee in the bazaar
1957
The US plane in the castle
The city of stone
Gjirokastër is built up a steep mountainside above the Drino valley, in grey stone with slate roofs, and the Albanian name for it means silver city for exactly that reason. The Ottoman tower houses here are fortified, tall and severe in a way Berat's white houses are not.
The castle at the top is enormous and strange: artillery in the galleries, a Cold War prison, and the fuselage of a US Air Force plane that came down in 1957 and was displayed for decades as proof of American aggression.
Enver Hoxha was born here, and the house is now the ethnographic museum, which the town handles without much comment.
A night, or two with the Blue Eye and Butrint. It sits on the road between Berat and Sarandë, so most people stop here on the way to the coast.
Where to stay
The old town is at the top and the new town at the bottom. Stay at the top.
Palorto
Views and quietThe upper neighbourhood of grand tower houses, steeper again, with the best views over the valley.
New town
Value and transportAt the bottom of the hill, where the furgons stop. Cheaper, dull, and a long climb up.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 6 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Gjirokastër
The castle takes two hours and is unlike other Balkan fortresses: long vaulted galleries lined with captured artillery, a Cold War political prison you can walk through, a clock tower, and the fuselage of a downed American plane on a terrace with the valley behind it.
The Skenduli and Zekate houses are Ottoman tower houses open to visitors, both still owned by the families who built them, and the owner usually shows you round personally. They explain how a fortified merchant house actually worked, floor by floor.
The old bazaar below the castle is a few streets of stone shops selling carved wood, textiles and a lot of Hoxha-era memorabilia.
The Cold War Tunnel, a bunker complex built under the town for the party leadership, runs guided visits from the tourist office.
Free things
Free things to do in Gjirokastër
Walking the old town costs nothing and is the main event: steep cobbled lanes, stone houses with slate roofs, and views down the valley from every corner.
The view of the town from the castle approach, and the view of the castle from Palorto, are both free and both better than most paid viewpoints.
The Obelisk above the town, marking the first Albanian-language school, is a short climb with the best panorama.
Mosques and the old churches in the upper quarters are open and free, and nobody charges to wander the bazaar.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Gjirokastër
Southern Albanian food leans Greek, and this close to the border that shows: more olive oil, feta and grilled lamb than in the north.
Qifqi is the local dish and exists almost nowhere else — rice balls with egg and mint, fried, served as a starter for a couple of euros.
A full meal with wine runs €7 to €12, and the restaurants in the bazaar have terraces looking down the valley.
Guesthouse breakfasts are generous and usually included: homemade jam, cheese, eggs and byrek. Raki here is often grape and fierce.
Nightlife
Going out in Gjirokastër
Very little, and that is the character of the town. A handful of bars in the bazaar stay open into the evening, mostly serving raki and coffee to locals, and a beer is €1.30 to €2.
The evening here is dinner on a terrace with the valley going dark below and the castle lit above, which is a better use of the night than looking for a bar.
The new town at the bottom of the hill has more going on and none of the atmosphere.
For nightlife, Sarandë is an hour south and full of it in summer.
Getting around
Getting around Gjirokastër
The old town is steep and entirely cobbled, and walking it is the only option. A taxi from the furgon stop in the new town up to the bazaar costs a couple of euros and is worth it with a bag.
Furgons from Tirana take about four hours for €10, and from Sarandë about an hour for €3. The stop is in the new town at the bottom of the hill.
Buses to Ioannina in Greece cross the border at Kakavijë in about two hours, which makes this a useful crossing point.
The Blue Eye and Butrint are both south towards Sarandë and are usually done on the way rather than as returns.
Costs
What Gjirokastër costs
Cheap. Dorms are €9 to €16, guesthouse rooms with breakfast €20 to €35, meals €7 to €12, and coffee about a euro.
A day is €22 to €35.
The castle is about €4, the tower houses €3 each, and the Cold War Tunnel a few euros with a guide. That is most of the spending.
Cash only in most of the old town, with ATMs down in the new town.
Safety
Staying safe in Gjirokastër
A safe, quiet town where the only real hazard is the ground under your feet.
The cobbles here are rounded river stones set in steep lanes, and they are slippery in rain and awkward in dry weather. Sensible shoes make a genuine difference, and dragging wheeled luggage up from the new town is a mistake people make once.
The castle has unlit sections and open drops in places, and closes before dark.
Summer heat in the valley is severe and the town has little shade in the middle of the day. Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Gjirokastër
The road south towards the coast has most of it.
Butrint
A Greek, Roman, Venetian and Ottoman city in a lagoon, UNESCO-listed and the best archaeological site in Albania.
What's on
What is on while you are there
One festival every five years is the big one, and it is worth planning around.
Staff pick
25–29 November
Gjiro Air Fest
Gjiro Air Fest in Gjirokastër, Albania, transforms the city’s skies with a dazzling display of colorful paragliders from around the globe. Pilots gather at…
16 October
Ezequiel Arias
Ezequiel Arias performs at the ancient Gjirokastra Castle, where centuries-old stone walls become the backdrop for an evening of electronic music. The night pairs…
20 May – 15 Nov
Old Bazaar In Traditional Costumes
Immerse yourself in a cultural experience by dressing up in traditional costumes and strolling through an Old Bazaar. This event offers an opportunity to…
20 May – 15 Nov
Raki Tasting & Meze Pairing
Experience the essence of Albania through a unique raki tasting and meze pairing event. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste seven different raki…
20 May – 15 Nov
Create Your Own Eternal Souvenir
Attendees will have the opportunity to delve into the traditional Albanian craft, learning the basics from experienced artisans. They will also get to create…
20 May – 15 Nov
Albanian dishes from Scratch Cooking Class
Attend a non-vegetarian cooking class tucked away in a charming corner of Gjirokastr. Experience breathtaking castle views, savor homemade delicacies, and soak in the…
20 May – 15 Nov
Traditional Albanian Vegetarian Cooking Class
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about traditional Albanian cuisine through a hands-on vegetarian cooking class. While preparing their meals under the guidance…
20 May – 15 Nov
Wood Crafting Class
Attendees will have the unique opportunity to craft their own Albanian souvenir under the guidance of a master craftsman. This wood crafting class in…
Hostels
Where to stay in Gjirokastër
Guesthouses in stone Ottoman houses, most of them in the bazaar and the upper quarters. Live from Hostelworld.
Stone City Hostel
Dorms from €18 a night
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Friends Hostel
Dorms from €10 a night
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Bora Hostel
Dorms from €12 a night
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Hostel Cico
Dorms from €11 a night
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Friendly Hostel
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Beds Hostel
Dorms from €10 a night
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When to go
Spring and autumn. The valley is hot in summer and the stone town holds it.
Jan
Cold and wet, with snow on the hills
Feb
Still cold. Very quiet
Mar
Spring, and the valley greens up
Apr
Excellent. Warm days and wildflowers
May
The best month. Warm and quiet before the coast season
Jun
Hot. Most people are passing through to the beach
Jul
Very hot, and the stone holds it into the evening
Aug
Peak heat, and the folk festival every five years
Sep
Superb. Warm, clear and quieter
Oct
Excellent and cheap
Nov
Wet and cooling
Dec
Cold and empty
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs for the valley. The town sits on a slope and the stone radiates heat well into the evening in July and August.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Guesthouse rooms with breakfast run €20–35 and are the classic stay here.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Gjirokastër travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
How long do you need in Gjirokastër?
A night for the castle, a tower house and the bazaar. Two if you want the Blue Eye, Benja springs or Antigonea, though most people see the Blue Eye on the road south to Sarandë instead.
Why is there an American plane in the castle?
A US Air Force aircraft came down in Albania in 1957, and the regime displayed the fuselage in the castle for decades as proof of American aggression. It is still there, on a terrace above the valley.
Berat or Gjirokastër?
Berat is white Ottoman houses in a river gorge with a living castle; Gjirokastër is grey stone on a steep mountainside with a much bigger fortress and a harder history. If you only do one, most people pick Berat — but they are three hours apart and both are worth a night.
Is it hard to walk around?
Steeper than it looks. The old town is rounded river cobbles on a mountainside, slippery in rain, and taking a €2 taxi up from the furgon stop with luggage is the sensible move.
What is qifqi?
Fried rice balls with egg and mint, a starter that exists almost nowhere outside this town. A couple of euros and worth ordering.
Can I cross into Greece from here?
Yes. Buses run to Ioannina in about two hours via the Kakavijë border, which makes Gjirokastër a practical last or first stop in Albania.
When should I go?
May, September or October. July and August regularly pass 33 degrees and the stone town holds the heat into the evening.
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