The Ultimate Guide to Gjirokaster, Albania’s Enchanting Stone City
Gjirokaster (Gjirokastër) in southern Albania is a picturesque Ottoman-era city carved from stone. This complete travel guide includes the top 10 best things to do in Gjirokaster UNESCO Old City and beyond, plus where to find the best local cuisine, a map, and other travel tips.
Slate-roofed houses, vertiginous streets paved with limestone and a castle assembled from rock hewn from the surrounding mountains. Albania’s ‘Stone City’ is a silvery beauty that shimmers in the rain.
Much like Počitelj in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ottoman-style Old City (inscribed along with Berat by UNESCO in 2005) completely captures your imagination from the first moment you tread its cobbled streets. Layers of Greek, Byzantine, Albanian, Ottoman and Sufi heritage have accumulated in the cracks of Gjirokaster’s facades like moss.
The town is known locally for being the birthplace of revered Albanian writer, Ismail Kadare. Its more sinister claim to fame is as the site of Albania’s most notorious political prison and the birthplace of Enver Hoxha, the country’s one-time despotic leader.
Now, Gjirokaster is beloved for its massive open-air bazaar and incredible multi-story, fortified Ottoman-era houses, and its delicious regional cuisine.
Ast eshte nje agjensi turistike e themeluar ne vitin 2009 per shkak te shoqates se “Alpinizmit,Skive & Turizmit”. Nje shoqate kjo e krijuar nga dashamires te sportit,alpinizmit,natyres dhe bukurive natyrore te Shqiperise. AST vazhdon aktivitetin e saj tashme si nje agjensi e cila promovon Sportet si Hiking,Rafting,Skiing etj ne Shqiperi dhe me tej.