Lorenc Guesthouse & Hostel

Berat


Push open the dark wooden door, clamber up the uneven whitewashed stone steps and enter the home of the loquacious Lorenc, a former opera singer who puts his talents on display with little urging. This 400-year-old Gorica house once belonged to King Zogu's Minister of Finance, and although hardly kingly today, the simple rooms have plenty of charm (some with gorgeous original ceilings).

The shaded garden is a perfect place to relax, and with Lorenc and his family living in the same building, you've a guaranteed homely atmosphere.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Berat attractions

1. Chapel of St Michael

0.16 MILES

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…

2. Bachelors' Mosque

0.27 MILES

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…

3. Mangalem Quarter

0.32 MILES

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…

4. Red Mosque

0.34 MILES

The Red Mosque, by the southern Kala walls, was the first mosque in Berat and dates back to the 15th century.

5. Sultan's Mosque

0.4 MILES

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)…

6. Kalaja

0.42 MILES

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…

7. Ethnographic Museum

0.43 MILES

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…

8. Church of the Holy Trinity

0.47 MILES

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…