Albanian Cities

Shkodra

Shkoder

Shkoder

Shkoder

Shkoder

Shkodra the biggest center of the Northern Albania. It is one of the most ancient cities in Albania founded in the IV century B.C. Shkodra city has played through centuries a very important role in Albanian culture and history.

Shkodra retains its characteristic appearance with narrow streets with tall stone walls on both sides and tall gates. Serresh and Gijadol are the two most attractive quarters of the city where you can witness the richness of the culture. But you can not leave Shkodra without visiting the old castle of Rozafat which is situated on the western part of the city. With a spectacular sightseeing it has also a very interesting legend.

Other places where you can enjoy the time is the beach of Velipoja with its curative sand, the Shkodra Lake suitable for fishing, rowing, and the picturesque area of Razma in the middle of a fantastic nature.

Tirana

Tirana

Tirana
Tirana
Tirana

Tirana is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Albania. It was founded in 1614 by Sulejman Pasha and became Albania’s capital in 1920. It has a population of 700’000 inhabitants. Instead of different industries, Tirana has a variety of cultural elements.

The Et’hem Bey mosque which was begun in1789 and finished in 1821. Another landmark located near the Et’hem Bey Mosque, in Scanderbeg square, is the clock tower which was built in 1830. The tabakeve and Herezive bridges date from the beginning of the 20th century. The tomb of Kapllan Hysa, near the monument of the Unknown Soldier was built in 1816. The fortress of Petrela, 12 km from Tirana, dates from the 4th century B.C.

Tirana also features many governmental and social buildings of great importance for the state. Mother Teresa Airport is located 25 km northwest of the city, off the road to Durres. Tirana is a very lively city. In the morning you can jog in the lake park of Tirana, then you can organize your day with different cultural activities, and the night is as lively as the day with a lot of night clubs fully frequented by the youth.

Tirana is on the same parallel as Naples, Madrid and Istanbul and on the same meridian as Budapest and Krakow.

Pogradec

Pogradec
Pogradec
Pogradec
Pogradec

Pogradec lies on the southeastern part of Albania, lake shore of Ohrid Lake. It has ancient historical background. Situated 720 m above sea level and surrounded by mountains and Ohrid Lake, the town represents a basin of special and pleasant climate. In addition to the climate, the Lake Ohrid, the deepest in Balkan, makes the town more attractive and one of the most preferred tourist resorts, providing good opportunities for bathing, swimming, fishing and water sports.

Rich are the rare species of the water fauna in this lake. Worth mentioning the fish Koran, hardly to find in other lakes of the world over. It is famous for its delicious meat, which winter period is red and during the summer is white. The tourist resort of Driloni 5 km away from the town which beauty and natural surroundings will leave you breathless. There, the decorative trees and plants are full in harmony with water springs, characteristic bridges and three bars and restaurants offering typical local dishes.

The lakeside village of Lin is a charming opportunity to see Lake Ohrid from a traditional perspective. The Byzantine church ruins, under World Heritage protection, have a modern cover constructed to keep the treasures from further deterioration.

Gjirokastra

Gjirokaster
Gjirokaster
Gjirokaster
Gjirokaster

Gjirokastra, the stony city, is a picturesque museum town in Southern Albania. Gjirokastra is like an Albanian eagle perched on the mountain side with a mighty citadel for its head. The fortress surveys the Drino valley above the three and four stores houses clinging to the slopes. Both buildings and streets are made of the same white and black stone. 

Gjirokastra’s population is around 40’000 and one of the biggest cities of southern Albania. Gjirokastra has a flourishing bazaar where embroidery, felt, silk and the still – famous white cheese , TR,were traded. What strikes the visitors most in Gjirokastra are its typical and characteristic houses which resemble little fortresses, clustered one above other. In the center of the town is the Memedheu ABC Monument, commemorating the renaissance of Albanian education around the turn of 20th century. Dominating the town is the 14th century citadel, now a museum of Armaments, with a collection of old cannons and guns.

Durrës

Durres7
Durres9
Durres4
Durres6

Durrës One of the oldest cities, the country’s main sea port, the second largest industrial center after Tirana. Durres lies on a small peninsula on the coast of Adriatic Sea. All through the history, Durres was the most important city which linked West Europe with East. Between the 1st and 3rd centuries it was an important port and trading center on the Via Egnatia trading route between Rome and Byzantium. 

Vlora

Vlora
Vlora
Vlora
Vlora

Vlora is not only a major port but of great historical importance. For it was here in 1912 that the Assembly was convened which first national government headed by Ismail Qemali. In recognition of this, it was proclaimed a “Hero City” in 1962. The city’s main square is Sheshi I Flamurit (Flag Square).

The oldest traces of civilization in the area of Vlora date back to the 6th century B.C. The ancient name of Vlora was Aulona. It was and it is still known for its wine, olives, salt etc. During the Medieval Age, the town’s fate was linked with the Castle of Kanina. Beaches in Vlora are nearby, and at the mouth of the bay is the island of Sazan, the biggest island of Albania.

Vlora is Albania's second largest port, having regular ferry boat connections with Italian ports of Bari and Brindisi. The capital of Vlorë District, the city exports petroleum (from the Kuçovë oil field), bitumen, olives, olive oil, and fruit. Industries include tannin extracting, rice milling, olive oil refining, fishing, and the manufacture of cement, soap, and dairy products.

The city has a museum, a theater, and technical schools; the medieval Kanina Château is to the southeast.

Kruja

Kruja
Kruja
Kruja
Kruja

The town of Kruja is located 32 km in the Northwest of Tirana and 20 minutes by car from the international Airport of Rinas. It provides to visitors the great view of majestic landscape and a rich collection of historical and cultural objects. The most important is the castle of Kruja which was built during the 5th and 6th centuries. The surrounding walls are reinforced by nine towers which served as an observation and signaling post during the Ottoman attack. Despite the wars and the time there can still be found the remains of a few houses.

Saranda

Saranda
Saranda
Saranda

Saranda

The name Saranda derives from an early Christian monastery dedicated to Santi Quaranta (forty Saints).The sea panorama, the variety of flora favored by the soft climate, makes Saranda the preferred centre for rest and recreation and an important tourist town.

Most Albanian couples come to spend their honeymoon in Saranda. That’s why it is known in Albania as the town of honeymooners. Don’t forget to have a coffee at the Lekursi castle on the top of a dominant hill over Saranda, only 2 km far from the town. It is another attractive, historical site, that was built up during XVI -XV centuries, by Sultan Suleimani in his campaign to conquer Corfu.

If you have more time you should go to the magical place of “Blue Eye” spring (in Albanian “Syri i Kalter”), only 18 km northeast of Saranda. At this beautiful spot, shaded by centuries old oak trees, a twelve headed dragon, according to the legend, jeausly guarded and held back the spring waters from the villagers. Consequently, pagan rituals were carried out by sacrificing young voluptuous maidens to the gods of the same waters.

Located in front of the sea and along the main promenade there are some hotels and restaurants which offer you catering facilities and accommodation. Daily ferryboat link Saranda with the nearby Greek island of Corfu.

Berati

Berat4

Berat1

Berat6
Berat

Berati, a city in south central Albania. Located near the Osum River, Berat is the commercial center for the surrounding agricultural region in which tobacco, grapes, and fruits are grown. The town of Berat, overshadowed to the east by mount Tomorr (2400m), is built on an ancient Illyrian dwelling site, which goes back to the sixth century B.C.

Its innumerable monuments and beautiful and characteristic architecture of its houses have proclaimed Berat, a museum town. Much of the city is built on terraces in the steep hills overlooking the Osum river. The city has many historical monuments, including mosques dating from the 15th to 19th centuries and an 18th-century seven-arched stone bridge. A 13th-century citadel built along a ridge high above the river gorge houses a museum and several old churches.

The castle and its fortified walls are interrelated just like a mosaic where various stages of buildings such as " Kala ", " Mangalem ", " Gorice " which are settled on hills units of the town make up an impressive example of our genius creative people. Gorica, on the far side of the river ; Mangalem, on the fortress side of the river; and the residential quarter within the fortress (known as Kalaja). The quarter Gorica in Berat, one of the oldest towns in Albania.

Berat was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List 2008, as well-preserved southern Albanian town bearing outstanding testimony to the Ottoman period in the Balkans.

Lezha

Shengjin
Shengjin
Shengjin
Shengjin

Lezha is a city in Northwestern Albania. It has a population of 40,000 inhabitants. Close to Lezha is located the beach of Shëngjin. At same time it is worth taking a short hike up the mountain to the castle ruins. From the castle you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the mountain, villages and the coast. Lezha was the site of the League of Lezha in 1444 where Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, the National Hero, united the Albanian princes in the fight against the Ottoman Empire. In this city is the final resting place of the hero. His tomb includes the remnants of an ancient fresco.

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