Berat
Hidden behind the crumbling walls of the fortress that crowns the hill above Berat is the whitewashed, village-like neighbourhood of Kala; if you walk…
Must-see attractions in Central Albania
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Berat
The Onufri Museum is situated in the Kala quarter's biggest church, the Church of the Dormition of St Mary (Kisha Fjetja e Shën Mërisë). The church itself…
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Durrës
This ultra-modern, well lit and labelled museum just back from the seafront has a breathtaking collection of historical artefacts. Highlights include the…
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Central Albania
Korça's best museum is housed within a new, purpose-built space that really allows the stellar collection of Orthodox icons to shine. Highlights of the…
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Berat
They might be fairly small, but these waterfalls, which from a distance appear to disappear in and out of the rocks, have a rare beauty and make for a…
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Berat
Just off the steep hillside that leads up to Berat's castle is this excellent museum, which is housed in a beautiful 18th-century Ottoman house that's as…
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Durrës
The weathered Roman-era Amphitheatre of Durrës was built on the hillside inside the city walls in the early 2nd century AD. In its prime it had the…
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Central Albania
This traditional home in the castle complex below the Skanderbeg Museum houses one of the best ethnographic museums in the country. Set in an original…
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Berat
Down in the traditionally Muslim Mangalem quarter, there are three grand mosques: the Sultan's Mosque, the Lead Mosque and the Bachelors' Mosque. All are…
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Central Albania
Right at the bottom of the castle complex are the remains of a small hammam (Turkish bath) as well as a functioning teqe – a small place of worship for…
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Central Albania
Designed by Enver Hoxha's daughter and son-in-law, this museum, inside the castle complex, opened in 1982. Its spacious seven-level interior displays…
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Central Albania
This Ottoman-style bazaar was restored in 2015 and now looks better than ever. It's also one of the country's best places for souvenir shopping and has…
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Central Albania
Housed in the guesthouse of a larger mansion dating from 1870, this interesting (though itself fairly antique) museum has an excellent collection…
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Berat
The 16th-century Sultan's Mosque is one of the oldest in Albania. The Helveti teqe (a place of worship for those practising the Bektashi branch of Islam)…
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Central Albania
Kruja's once important castle is these days just an impressive ruin. Within its crumbling walls are Albanian flag sellers, pizza restaurants and an array…
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Berat
Perched on a cliff ledge below the castle is the artfully positioned 14th-century chapel of St Michael, best viewed from the Gorica quarter across the…
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Central Albania
At the eastern end of town is a long sandy beach. In summer the water is just about warm enough to swim in, and at this time the beach is covered in…
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Berat
The Orthodox church of St Theodore, close to the fortress gates, is normally closed, but if you are granted access, you'll discover some wonderful wall…
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Berat
The big mosque just off the town square is the 16th-century Lead Mosque, so named because of the lead coating its sphere-shaped dome.
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Berat
The Red Mosque, by the southern Kala walls, was the first mosque in Berat and dates back to the 15th century.
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Berat
The substantial and picturesque Church of the Holy Trinity sits below the upper fortress. Of all the churches within the fortress walls, it's the best…
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Berat
The 19th-century Bachelors' Mosque is down by the Osumi River. It was built for unmarried shop assistants and junior craftsmen, and is perched between…
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Berat
The small chapel of St Mary Blachernae, which dates from the 13th century and contains some 16th-century wall murals, is unfortunately normally kept…
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