Gjirokastra Castle: Albania's Great Hilltop Fortress

Rising above the grey stone roofs of Gjirokastër, the “city of stone”, is one of the largest and most dramatic castles in the Balkans. Its ramparts run for hundreds of metres along the ridge, and from the terraces the whole Drino valley opens up below — mountains on both sides and the Ottoman town tumbling down the slope beneath the walls.

What to see

The castle is huge, and walking its length is the experience. Along the way:

• The National Armaments Museum — housed inside the fortress, a collection of weapons and artillery tracing Albania’s military history.
• The Cold-War aircraft — a captured American reconnaissance plane displayed on the ramparts, a strange and memorable relic of the communist era, when Albania was one of the most isolated countries on earth.
• The clock tower — the fortress landmark on the skyline, added under Ali Pasha in the early 19th century.
• The views — long terraces looking out over the Drino valley and down onto the stone-roofed houses of the UNESCO old town.

The castle also hosts the National Folk Festival on its open-air stage, held every few years.

Getting there

Gjirokastër sits inland in southern Albania, on the main route between Tirana and the coast. It’s about 2.5 hours south of Tirana and roughly an hour from Sarandë on the Riviera. There’s no useful train, so visitors arrive by road — most commonly by car or private transfer, breaking the drive between the capital and the beaches. The castle is at the top of the town; there’s parking near the entrance.

Nearby

The castle is the centrepiece of the UNESCO-listed old town, a slope of distinctive Ottoman stone houses worth an hour’s wander in its own right. On a longer route south, Gjirokastër pairs naturally with the Blue Eye spring and the beaches of Ksamil and Sarandë.

Bottom line

Gjirokastra Castle is the standout sight of inland southern Albania — a colossal hilltop fortress with an arms museum, a Cold-War spy plane and a valley view, above one of the finest Ottoman towns in the region. Allow an hour or two, and fold it into the drive between Tirana and the Riviera.