Okay, let’s get at once done with the elephant in the room and say that Berat is called “The City of a Thousand Windows”. I think there is no need to decipher this name but – god – how much one gets tired with it after seeing it EVERYWHERE. Still, Berat does indeed live up to this name. The city of Berat is ancient – it dates back over 2,400 years! Started out as an Illyrian settlement in the 4th century BC, it absorbed the influences of Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman rule that put their hand on Berat over the centuries. Walking through Berat is like taking a stroll through history, and in hindsight I wish we had taken a guided tour to learn some of it.

Walking up to Berat Castle is a must-do when you’re in Berat. While you can drive most of the way, we decided to walk the entire climb (what a workout!) along the cobblestone road. You might be wondering if this castle is as impressive as the many others scattered across Albania. The answer is a resounding yes. It’s not just a castle; it’s a whole town inside the citadel, and it’s actually where Berat began. The lower parts of the city, with their strong Ottoman vibes, came much later. The castle area, also known as Kala, is a beautiful, peaceful spot mainly geared toward tourism, as far as we could tell. We almost had it to ourselves, except for the stunning viewpoint overlooking Berat.

Now, let’s pick up the story from where we left off in the article about the east. Exhausted after a beautiful day in the canyon and an additional hour of driving towards Gjirokastra, we arrived at the Archaeological Park of Antigonea—our first, but definitely not our last, ancient site of this trip. The weather shifted from warm and sunny to gray skies heavy with rain. Then the storm hit. We had to wait it out in the car, feeling like the last people on Earth—and we both loved it! When the rain finally passed, it left us with a spectacular view, and we could finally explore the park. This ancient city, founded by King Pyrrhus of Epirus in the 3rd century BC and named after his wife, Antigone, didn’t last long—no more than a century—but its numerous vestiges let us trace its past. With lightning and thunder as our backdrop, visiting this place felt surreal. Truly an unearthly moment.

Our car entered Gjirokastra by night, with the storm resuming and soaking us as if we had just stepped out of the shower. The first challenge was finding a place to park—in Berat, we didn’t have this problem as those days our transport was that lousy scooter (all this is described in the main article too…). If Berat seemed steep, then Gjirokastra takes it to another level! The town’s crazy altitudes made simply walking from the car to our guesthouse feel like a proper hike. As for the guesthouse, I couldn’t be happier with our choice. It was a true Ottoman house with the owners living inside (no English spoken, but that didn’t bother either of us). Guesthouse 1805 turned out to be one of the best accommodations of our entire trip.

Another Ottoman house I was eager to visit was Ismail Kadare’s House. It was our last stop in Gjirokastra, and we arrived literally half an hour before closing time—phew! Yes, this is the same Kadare who had accompanied us throughout the trip, whose apartment we visited in Tirana, and now we were finally seeing his native house. Sadly, Ismail Kadare passed away not long after this trip, while I was in the midst of posting our Albanian articles. It makes me happy to think that we visited his country while he was still there. Once again, the museum was very well done, seamlessly combining literature, history, and architecture—I couldn’t have asked for more.

Another must-see in Gjirokastra is its Fortress. Perched on a hill like a proper castle, it dominates the town and offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the Drino Valley. This fortress dates back to the 12th century and has seen numerous expansions over the centuries—guided tours can provide you with more detailed history. We’ve already talked about castles in Shkodër and Berat, but Gjirokastra Fortress is something completely unique—it’s enormous! Inside its vaults, it hosts a military museum, and I’m not sure I’ve seen fortresses this tall before. The information page at the entrance suggests an hour and a half for the visit (excluding the museum), but I can safely recommend spending a minimum of two hours there. 

Our food recommendation for Gjirokastra would definitely be Taverna Kuka – it’s tastefully decorated, the service is perfect and the food – delicious. We came there twice and would not hesitate to come again.

And this will be it for these two beautiful towns that deserve 100% their place in the UNESCO heritage list. The last part of Albanian adventure is ahead – buckle up for many turquoise beaches!

As always, we are happy to read your comments and thoughts, so don’t hesitate to drop us a line. :)