Beyond the mountain range that encloses the Gjirokastra Valley to the northeast, there is another valley with several wonderful sites called the Valley of Permet. Southern Albania is characterized by pointed mountain ranges and fertile valleys between them. Permet is a small town located on [...]

Korçë is a large city on a fertile plain in eastern Albania, not far from Lakes Ohrid and Prespa. It was the largest city in Albania at the end of the 19th century. During and shortly after World War I, Korçë was held by the [...]

Gjirokastra and Melan Tekke Gjirokastra is called the city of a thousand steps, and that is exactly what it is—there are many steps leading to the impressive fortress at the top of the mountain, which was built in the 12th century. The city was part [...]

Sarande and Butrint In the south of the Albanian Riviera, opposite the Greek island of Corfu, lies the city of Sarande, the center of Albania's Riviera. Winding streets descend from the hills surrounding the bay to the promenade on the beach. As elsewhere in Albania, [...]

Berat is an important historical city in southern Albania, located on the banks of a river in a valley between hills, with Mount Tomor—the Olympus of southern Albania—in the background. Pine forests tower over the beautiful Ottoman city, which has been declared a UNESCO World [...]

Mount Tomorr is the holiest site for the Bektashis in Albania, prominent above its surroundings and visible from anywhere in southern Albania, a kind of local Olympus rising to a height of nearly 2,500 meters. The mountain has been sacred since ancient times, and the [...]

Apolonia is one of three cities founded by the Greeks on the Adriatic coast north of Corfu, the other two being Durrës near Tirana and Butrint near Sarandë. Over the years, Apollonia became a kind of independent city-state—one of the two most important entities on [...]

From the mountains, the road will take us to the Albanian Riviera – a wonderful 100 km long coastline, where the mountains touch the sea. On the southern side of the Riviera lies Sarandë,  while on the northern side is the city of Vlore, one [...]