If you are planning a trip to Albania, Gjirokastra should be at the top of your list. Known as the “Stone City,” Gjirokastra is a UNESCO site filled with history, Ottoman houses, and steep cobblestone streets. Driving here is the best way to travel, and when you rent a car in Albania, you can move at your own pace and reach the city and its surrounding attractions.
You will need strong shoes for the slopes and curiosity for the many layers of history waiting here. Our Gjirokastra road trip guide will help you discover the best sites, hidden stories, and travel tips for exploring Gjirokastra by car.
Gjirokastra became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 for its outstanding Ottoman architecture. The old town is built on steep slopes of the Drino Valley, and many of its houses resemble small castles. The city is often called the “City of a Thousand Steps” because of its endless stairways and narrow alleys. For Italian tourists in Albania, this city offers a unique view of the country’s past. It is also the birthplace of writer Ismail Kadare and communist leader Enver Hoxha. The stone-roofed houses, cultural monuments, and historic streets make it one of the most important historical sites in Gjirokastra.
The weather is important to enjoy your trip. In summer, temperatures can rise above 40°C, and walking on the steep cobblestones becomes very tiring. Shoulder seasons such as May to June or September and October are more comfortable, with mild temperatures and fewer crowds.
In autumn, you may see colour in the mountains, while spring brings lively markets and fresh greenery. If you come during May of the festival year, you can attend the National Folklore Festival inside the castle, where music and dance echo through the fortress walls. Planning your travel by season helps you balance comfort, cultural events, and crowd size.
Winter is also possible, but expect colder temperatures, especially in January and February. Days are shorter, and some museums or house tours close earlier, yet the town is quiet and peaceful for sightseeing. Rain is more common in November and December, so bring a light rain jacket. The shoulder months are the best time for Italian tourists because driving is safer, parking in the old town is easier, and restaurants and hotels are less crowded. The Mediterranean climate means long sunny days almost all year.
Gjirokastra is located in southern Albania, about 233 kilometers from Tirana. The drive takes about 3 hours. From Tirana International Airport (TIA), you can pick up a rental car and follow the E853/SH4 highway south. The road passes through towns like Elbasan, Fier, and Tepelene, with farmland, rivers, and mountains. When you reach Gjirokastër, the stone houses appear on the hillside. Parking is easier in the lower town, but you can also find spots closer to the old city if you arrive in the shoulder months when it is less crowded.
Gjirokastra has a wide range of attractions for Italian tourists. Most of the main sites are concentrated in the old town. Walking tours are comfortable, though the steep cobbled streets can be challenging. With a car, you can also reach nearby trails, aqueducts, and viewpoints that extend your exploration beyond the centre.
The fortress of Gjirokastra is the most imposing landmark in the “Stone City” and one of the largest castles in Albania. Built as early as the 12th century, some sources trace its origins back to the 3rd–4th centuries. Over the centuries, it has been expanded and modified by various rulers. Ali Pasha of Ioannina added its iconic clock tower, aqueduct, and fortifications in the early 1800s, while King Zog transformed part of it into a notorious prison for political opponents in the 1930s.
You will find eerie prison cells, artillery vaults, and military relics inside the fortress. The courtyards display a WWII Fiat tank captured from Italian forces and a US Air Force T33 Shooting Star jet, grounded in 1957 under mysterious circumstances. The stone arches, underground passages, and high vantage points provide sweeping views of the Drino Valley and the slate rooftops of the old town.
The castle houses two museums: the Museum of Armaments, which has weapons from Albania’s independence through WWII, and the Gjirokastra Museum, which covers the city’s long history. Every five years in May, the fortress hosts the National Folklore Festival, where musicians and dancers from across Albania fill the ancient walls with traditional culture. Whether for its history, architecture, or views, the castle is the crown jewel of Gjirokastra.
The heart of Gjirokastra lies below the castle in its old bazaar, rebuilt in the 19th century after a devastating fire. Known as Qafa e Pazarit, this marketplace has been active for over 500 years and today is one of the most atmospheric districts in Albania. Its cobbled lanes are lined with Ottoman-stle stone houses, uniform shopfronts, and colourful displays of textiles and souvenirs.
Here you can shop for locally made crafts such as embroidered tablecloths, olive-wood utensils, woollen slippers with pompoms, handmade jewellery, honey, herbal teas, olive oil, and bottles of strong Albanian raki. Masters like Vjollca Mezini, Anastas Petridhi, and Muhedin Makri are known for embroidery, woodwork, and stone carvings. In the evenings, cafés buzz with locals and visitors enjoying coffee or byrek.
The Bazaar Mosque, built in 1757, stands at the centre of the bazaar. Remarkably, it was spared during the communist era when many religious structures were destroyed, though it was repurposed as a circus training hall until the 1990s. Around the mosque, you’ll find several hammams and fountains that highlight the area’s Ottoman heritage. Strolling through the bazaar in the quiet morning hours offers a glimpse of daily life as shopkeepers set up their stalls, while evenings reveal the lively social atmosphere that defines the town.
Gjirokastra’s fame as the “Stone City” comes from its fortified Ottoman-era houses, which resemble small castles with massive stone foundations and slate-tiled roofs. More than 500 of these houses are protected as cultural monuments. They date mainly from the 17th and 18th centuries and often rise three to five storeys high. They are a combination of residential quarters, guest rooms, hammams, and defensive features.
The Zekate House, built in 1812, is one of the finest examples. It has twin towers, double-arched façades, and frescoed upper rooms decorated with painted walls and wooden ceilings. The Skenduli House, dating back to the early 1700s, is equally fascinating. Still owned by the same family after nine generations, it includes six hammams, twelve seasonal rooms, a hidden mezzanine for women, and even a small private bunker. Guided tours by the owners add rich personal stories.
Another key site is the Ethnographic Museum, built on the birthplace of Enver Hoxha. The original home was destroyed in the 1960s, but the reconstructed house presents a model Ottoman residence. Its four floors display 19th-century costumes, traditional furniture, and domestic objects, offering a glimpse into how wealthy families once lived. Together, these houses represent the most authentic Ottoman architecture in Gjirokastra.
The Cold War Tunnel is hidden beneath the fortress. Built in the late 1970s and early 1980s during Enver Hoxha’s paranoid regime, this 800-metre underground bunker was designed to shelter 200 officials in the event of a nuclear attack.
The bunker consists of 59 rooms, including offices for ministers, decontamination chambers, toilets (only for men), and a massive conference hall for the war cabinet. Unlike Tirana’s staged Bunk’Art museums, Gjirokastra’s tunnel has been largely untouched. You can still see original furniture, abandoned paperwork, generators, and machinery as they were found after communism collapsed.
Tours are organised through the Tourist Information Office near Çerçiz Topulli Square. Entry is inexpensive, and guides lead visitors through selected rooms, explaining how the regime prepared for threats that never came. The interior remains steady at 16°C year-round, so it is both a chilling history lesson and a refreshing break from the heat.
High above the old town is the Gjirokastra Obelisk, a monument dedicated to education and the Albanian language. The obelisk, which rises 7 metres above the city’s first school, appears to be taller due to its elevated position. From this viewpoint, you can capture some of the best photographs in the city. The panorama includes the bazaar’s rooftops, the castle perched on its hill, and the Drino Valley stretching into the distance. The spot is beautiful in the early morning when the sun strikes the stone houses or at sunset when the mountains turn gold. It’s a quiet, rewarding climb that provides a sense of Gjirokastra’s layout and scale.
Just outside the town lies one of the most picturesque remnants of Gjirokastra’s Ottoman past — Ali Pasha’s Bridge. This structure is not a bridge but the surviving span of a once-mighty aqueduct built in the early 19th century by Ali Pasha to bring water to the castle’s cisterns from springs 10 km away.
Much of the aqueduct was dismantled in the 1930s for building material, but this stone arch remains, perched dramatically across a gorge. You follow a 45-minute uphill walk from the old town to reach it, finishing with a rocky descent into the valley. Along the way, you pass quiet neighbourhoods such as Manalat, where traditional restaurants like Taverna Tradicionale serve hearty meals, and where locals still live away from the tourist crowds.
Arriving at the bridge, you may encounter shepherds and goats crossing, adding to the timeless feel of the place. The site is particularly photogenic at sunset. It is a rewarding combination of light hiking, history, and landscape photography for Italian tourists in Albania.
Trying out food is one of the best ways to experience Gjirokastra. Many dishes are unique to this part of Albania and are still prepared by families and small tavernas using recipes passed down for generations. Meals are usually hearty, seasoned with mint, and often accompanied by local wine or raki.
The most iconic dish is qifqi, a baked rice ball seasoned with fresh or dried mint and black pepper. Unlike Italian arancini, they contain no filling, but when made well, they are crisp on the outside and fluffy inside. You can taste them at taverns and cafes, where tomato or vegetable ragout versions are prepared. Another must-try is oshaf, a dessert made from sheep’s milk, sugar, and dried figs. Restaurants decorate it with cinnamon patterns that mirror the designs of the old bazaar’s stone pavements, creating a symbolic and delicious dish.
Other favourites include pasha meatballs cooked in yoghurt, shapkat, a baked cornbread layered with wild greens, and stuffed vegetables such as peppers or vine leaves. Influences from the nearby Greek minority also appear on menus, with dishes like tarator soup, a cold cucumber and yoghurt soup that is refreshing in the summer months. Try Kujtim or Rrapi, two long-established restaurants in the old bazaar known for generous portions and homely service. Cafés around the bazaar are perfect for a mid-afternoon espresso or sampling a glass of raki while people-watching.
Exploring Gjirokastra is like stepping into a living museum. The fortress, the stone houses, the bazaar, and the Cold War Tunnel each tell a different chapter of Albania’s story. Italian tourists in Albania can spend at least one night to enjoy its quiet evenings and panoramic views without the day-trip crowds. To travel comfortably, rent a car in Albania with Final Rentals. You can book online, choose from a wide range of vehicles, and pick up your car at Tirana Airport when you arrive.
