Immerse yourself into the local life and history of Gjirokastra in this day tour of this old town. Defined by its castle and imposing, slate-roofed houses built along roads paved with limestone and shale blocks, Gjirokastra is also a magical hillside town that overlooks the Drina Valley. Its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, described as “a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate”.
The city is overlooked by Gjirokaster Fortress, where the Gjirokastër National Folklore Festival is held every five years. It is the birthplace of former Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha and notable writer Ismail Kadare.
What to Expect
Discover the magical hillside town of Gjirokastra, a city defined by its castle, roads paved with chunky limestone and shale, imposing slate-roofed houses and views out to the Drinos Valley.
We depart from Tirana at 9:00 am and from there we drive to Gjirokaster. On our way to this historical city we will pass through some of beautiful remote villages. Once we arrive to Gjirokaster we will take a walk down the narrow, cobbled streets of the town’s medieval Old Bazaar famous that is for its Ottoman-style houses. During our walk on the bazaar you will watch women working with wood and silver.
We will visit the Gjirokastra Castle and the historic Skenduli House that was built in 1700 in the Ottoman style. We will finish off the tour with a visit to the Ethnographic Museum. After the tour we will stop for lunch on a traditional restaurant. Then we’ll drive back to Tirana to finish our tour
