Gjirokaster 1-day itinerary

Start your day at the imposing Gjirokaster Castle, one of the largest in the Balkans, dominating the hillside above the stone city. The fortress dates back to the 12th century and houses a military museum with captured artillery, a recovered US Air Force jet from the Cold War era, and sweeping views across the Drinos Valley to the Nemercka and Mali i Gjerë mountain ranges. Beneath the castle, explore the Cold War tunnel — a secret underground bunker built during Enver Hoxha's paranoid regime, designed to shelter the city's leadership during a nuclear attack. The tunnel was only opened to visitors in recent years.

Descend into the Old Bazaar, a cobblestoned Ottoman marketplace restored and recognised by UNESCO. The lanes are lined with artisan workshops selling hand-carved wood, woven textiles, and silver filigree. Walk through the residential streets to admire Gjirokaster's signature tower houses — fortified stone mansions with slate roofs, narrow windows on the lower floors for defence, and large ornate windows above. Visit the Skenduli House, a restored 17th-century tower house open to the public, to understand the distinctive architecture from inside.

Climb to the viewpoint near the castle entrance for sunset — the stone rooftops of the old town catch the golden light and the Drinos Valley turns purple as the sun drops behind the mountains. Gjirokaster's restaurants serve some of the best traditional Albanian food in the country: try qifqi (fried rice balls with herbs and egg — a local specialty found nowhere else), tavë dheu (earthenware-baked meat and vegetables), and stuffed peppers with walnuts. Pair with local raki and enjoy the cool mountain evening air.