If you pick up any guidebook or read about attractions in Albania, you will always find two cities: Berat and Gjirokastra—the “museum cities.” Both are on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and both are worth seeing. But what if you have to choose just one?
O tym przeczytasz
Berat – the city of a thousand windows…
..and narrow streets. Believe me, moving around this city in a heavy campervan is a real challenge. You constantly have to decide: if I drive in there (and I probably will), will I manage to drive out? However, once you manage to park somewhere, the city offers two main attractions that are worth seeing (you can easily do both in the same day).
The Castle in Berat (Kalaja) – a fortress full of life
ou can’t miss the first attraction—even just looking up. It’s the castle and its whole courtyard. This isn’t just an open-air museum. It’s a neighborhood where real life happens. White houses stand right between Byzantine churches and ruined defensive walls. Fresh laundry waves on lines, even in December. Local older women sit on low walls selling honey, homemade fig preserves, handmade tablecloths, or olive oil, while cats run around the courtyards. Before the castle fully woke up, though, we were already at the Onufri Museum.
Even if you usually steer clear of museums, you just have to visit this one hidden inside an old church within the castle walls. The famous, unique “Onufri red” on the 16th-century icons is so intense it impresses even people who know nothing about religious art. It was also a great chance for us to explain to the kids what we were seeing on the icons—though that required us to know our Old and New Testaments pretty well! You can always buy the audio guide option, too.
For us and the kids, walking around Kalaja was like entering a maze. There is no set sightseeing route here. Maybe we turn right, maybe we go straight. It’s worth letting the kids lead the way. You just get lost in the narrow streets, only to suddenly find a viewpoint where the Osum river looks like a turquoise ribbon thrown into the valley. And that brings us to…
A walk through Berat and the bridge with a view of a thousand windows
t was from the castle viewpoint that we spotted the most popular photo spot in Berat – the Gorica Bridge. We even spotted a place where we could park our campervan. As it turned out later, unfortunately, the parking lot could fit our seven-meter vehicle, but the entrance was made for a regular car. Believe me, reversing on a one-way cobblestone street isn’t the most fun experience. However, we managed to find paid parking/camping near the bridge and right next to the main promenade.
In total, we walked onto that famous bridge twice, in two totally different vibes – first in the gray, gloomy light of December, and then a moment later in beautiful spring-like sun. Both experiences were beautiful.
What to eat in Berat? Go blindly to the Eni Traditional Food restaurant. We ate probably the best Albanian food there during our entire campervan trip through Albania
Gjirokastra – The Silver City of stone and… steep climbs
Gjirokastra is just a stone’s throw from the hot springs in Permet. It would be a shame not to visit, even just for one famous spot – Qafa e Pazarit. This place is the heart of the Old Bazaar, where 5 streets meet. It’s the heart of the Silver City, and it looks almost identical to how it did in Ottoman times.
Because of the terrain, you constantly feel like you are walking uphill. Even when you are walking down, it feels like you have to climb. I know, I know, it sounds weird. Luckily for us, it’s much easier to park in Gjirokastra because it has a modern part with wide streets and parking lots. From there, though, you have to walk up to the Old Bazaar for about 10-15 minutes.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay in Gjirokastra too long because we arrived exactly on New Year’s Eve. A large part of the stalls and restaurants were closed. But nothing is impossible if you really want it. This is where we stocked up on souvenirs from Albania and, as per tradition, bought stickers for our campervan.
Berat or Gjirokastra?
We were lucky enough to visit both. And I’ll be honest, it’s a tough choice. Atmosphere-wise, it seems to us that Gjirokastra is the more interesting city, but unfortunately, the empty streets on New Year’s Eve gave us a slightly distorted view. On the other hand, we would go back to Berat just for that restaurant alone. If we had to choose just one, Berat probably stole our hearts a bit more, but that is a totally subjective opinion. If you have the chance, check out both.
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