Discover Albania
Three thousand years. One small country.
Illyrian cities, a Roman road, Skanderbeg's castle, Ottoman stone towns and a language like no other. Read the story, then let us drive you to it.
- places
- 16
- places
- eras
- 11
- eras
- stories
- 11
- stories
- treasures
- 5
- treasures
Free with every Tour Alb trip
Your pocket guide to Albania.
Other tours drop you at the viewpoint. Ours come with this guide: the history behind each stop, the treasures to look out for, and the handful of words that make locals smile. Read it before you land, open it in the car, keep it after you leave. No sign-up, no extra cost.
- 16 places, each with its story
- 11 eras, Illyria to today
- Useful words with how to say them
- A driver who can answer the rest
Words worth knowing
Përshëndetje
say “pur-shun-DET-yeh”
Hello
Faleminderit
say “fah-leh-meen-DEH-reet”
Thank you
Ju lutem
say “yoo LOO-tem”
Please
Sa kushton?
say “sah koosh-TOHN”
How much is it?
Gëzuar!
say “guh-ZOO-ar”
Cheers!
Shumë bukur
say “SHOO-muh BOO-koor”
Very beautiful
Ujë
say “OO-yuh”
Water
Mirupafshim
say “meer-oo-PAHF-sheem”
Goodbye
Where
16 places, north to south.
1ThethHighland village · Shkodër County
2ShkodërCity · Archive · Shkodër County
3LezhëHistoric town · Lezhë County
4KrujëFortress town · Durrës County
5TiranaCapital · Tirana County
6DurrësPort · Roman · Durrës County
7PogradecUNESCO · Lake · Korçë County
8ApolloniaArchaeological · Fier County
9BeratUNESCO · Berat County
10VoskopojëHistoric town · Korçë County- 11KorçëCity · Culture · Korçë County
12ByllisArchaeological · Fier County
13VlorëPort · Independence · Vlorë County
14VjosaNational park · Gjirokastër / Vlorë
15GjirokastërUNESCO · Gjirokastër County
16ButrintUNESCO · Vlorë County
When
Eleven eras, Illyria to today.
- Bronze Age tribes settle the western Balkans. Rome and Greece call them Illyrians.
01 · c. 1200 to 400 BCEIllyriaIlirët - Illyrian kingdoms consolidate, dominate the Adriatic, and collide with Rome.
02 · 400 to 168 BCEThe Illyrian KingdomsMbretëritë Ilire - The Via Egnatia turns this coast into the hinge between Rome and the East.
03 · 168 BCE to 395 CERomeRoma - The empire splits and this land sits on the seam, Latin west, Greek east.
04 · 395 to 1190ByzantiumBizanti - The first Albanian state, and the noble houses that follow it.
05 · 1190 to 1443ArbanonArbanoni - Twenty-five years holding off the largest empire on earth.
06 · 1443 to 1479SkanderbegSkënderbeu - Four hundred years, conversion, migration, and a highland law no empire reached.
07 · 1479 to 1878The Ottoman CenturiesPerandoria Osmane - The National Awakening, and a thirty-year argument about an alphabet.
08 · 1878 to 1912RilindjaRilindja Kombëtare - Borders that left half the nation outside, a king, an invasion, and besa.
09 · 1912 to 1944The Young StateShteti i Ri - Forty-one years of Hoxha: three broken alliances, a banned religion, and a bunker every few hundred metres.
10 · 1944 to 1991The Closed CountryVitet e Mbyllura - Collapse, recovery, and a country that chose to leave a river alone.
11 · 1991 to todayThe OpeningHapja
Why it matters
Eleven stories only Albania tells.
- Who the Illyrians were, and the long argument about what they became.
IOriginsPrejardhja - A language with no close relatives anywhere on earth.
IIThe LanguageFjala - Besa, the Kanun, and the sworn virgins of the north.
IIIThe CodeKanuni - Iso-polyphony, the lahutë, and epics sung for a thousand lines.
IVThe VoiceZëri - The xhubleta, the qeleshe, and 200-odd regional costumes.
VThe ClothPetku - Four religions, one banned decade, and the world capital of Bektashism.
VIFaithBesimi - Butrint, Berat, Gjirokastër, and the towers of the north.
VIIStoneGuri - Forty-one years of isolation, poured in concrete.
VIIIThe BunkerBunkeri - Byrek, tavë kosi, raki, and one of Europe's oldest wine traditions.
IXThe TableSofra - The Accursed Mountains, and the last wild river in Europe.
XLand & WaterToka - Arbëresh, Arvanites, Kosovo, and everyone who left after 1991.
XIThe DiasporaBota
Five treasures
- A gospel manuscript written in silver ink on parchment dyed imperial purple.
Codex Purpureus Beratinus - A single-stringed bowed instrument that does not carry melody so much as carry a voice.
Lahutë - The visual memory of an entire region across a century.
Marubi Glass Negative - The first book printed in Albanian, and the reason we can hear how the language sounded in the sixteenth century.
Meshari - An undulating, bell-shaped skirt of black felt strips and dense embroidery, carrying regional and marital information in its pattern.
Xhubleta
Research by ARBËR, the Living Museum of Albania. Published facts are verified or presented as open debate.
Pick the places. We'll plan the road.
A private car from Tirana, a driver who waits, and nights on the way when it's far.
Before you go
Visiting Albania's history. Your questions.
Is Albania worth visiting for history and culture?
Yes. In a country smaller than Belgium you can walk a Greek and Roman city at Butrint, sleep in the Ottoman stone towns of Berat and Gjirokastër, climb Skanderbeg's castle at Krujë and hear a singing tradition UNESCO lists as heritage of humanity. Most of it is a few hours' drive from Tirana.
How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites does Albania have?
Albania has 4 World Heritage Sites: Butrint (1992), Historic centres of Berat and Gjirokastër (2005), Ohrid region, natural and cultural (2019), Ancient beech forests (2017). It also has 5 traditions on UNESCO's intangible heritage lists, including Albanian folk iso-polyphony and Xhubleta.
What are the best historical places to visit near Tirana?
Krujë (Skanderbeg's castle and the old bazaar) and Durrës (a Roman amphitheatre) are both under an hour away. Berat, Apollonia and Shkodër with Rozafa castle are comfortable day trips. Gjirokastër, Butrint and Korçë are best with a night on the way.
Do I need a car to see Albania's heritage sites?
Not your own. Buses reach the main towns but rarely the castles, ruins and viewpoints themselves, and mountain roads are hard work in a rental. A private driver takes you door to door and waits at every stop. Tour Alb runs ready-made trips from Tirana and a trip builder for your own route.
What is the best time of year to visit Albania's historic sites?
April to June and September to October: warm, green and quieter than the coast in August. Highland places such as Theth are best from late May to October, when the mountain road is open.
Is Albania safe for tourists?
Albania is generally regarded as a safe, welcoming country for visitors, and hospitality (besa, keeping your word to a guest) is part of the culture. The main practical risk is the roads: steep, narrow and often unsigned in the mountains, which is why many visitors choose a local driver.