Visit Gjirokaster, the silver city - Half day guided tour

Half day tour from Saranda to Gjirokaster

Are you looking for tours from Saranda? Take a guided tour of one of Albania's most popular historical sites. Visit Gjirokaster, a must-see site for anyone who plans to travel in the south of the country. Thanks to the excellent level of conservation, the Ottoman medieval architecture and the splendid fortified castle are worth the visit. you will be able to spend unforgettable hours here, amid history, culture and traditions. 

Gjirokaster, a breathtaking view

Leaving from Saranda to Gjirokaster it will only take you about one hour to arrive. Approaching the old town you will be able to begin to perceive the beauty of the "stone city". The feeling is similar to what you feel when you approach Italian jewels such as San Gimignano, Assisi, and Orvieto. Of course, here the ambience is different. A castle surrounded by a village stands in the center of the valley. Gjirokaster's silhouette is dynamic. In other words, the profile of the stone city varies greatly according to the point of view.

It is also known as "the city of a thousand steps", because you will need to walk a lot to get around the city. Others call it 'the stone city' because of its unique architectural structure. Houses with rather thick walls, and with very small windows. Cobbles and steps, doors and arcades, houses that look like small fortresses, topped with roofs that are works of art, in their shining simplicity. Everything converges towards the center, the magnificent castle also mentioned in the Greek name. The silver castle, this is the original etymology of the name that the Greeks gave to the city. Silver reflections that continue from the castle also in the town center. On sunny days, the stone roofs of the houses surrounding the historic center immediately catch the eye. The gray of the stone shines when struck by the rays of the sun, making each building look like a small fortress.

Gjirokaster guided tour

Once you are in Gjirokaster, you immediately notice the magic that flows through this place. The architecture of the Ottoman era, the narrow streets covered with cobblestones, bring you back to the Middle Ages. And entering the ancient village, you will discover jewels of rare beauty. Museums, stalls and small antique shops are the signs of a time that never seemed to have stopped.

You will go up along the paved paths, to admire the old houses with stone roofs and reach the top of the hill where you will have a Gjirokaster castle guided tour. The manor was built in the 12th century, but the structure visible today is that dating back to the works done in 1490 by Ottoman Sultan Bayezid. Today the National Folklore Festival takes place here every five years. During this guided tour you will learn more about the history of the fortress and its environments. Starting with the defensive towers, the Clock Tower, the Church and the Cistern. You will also go to the castle dungeons, used as prisons for political opponents during the period of the communist regime. To learn more about the political communication of communist propaganda, you will finally go into the Museum of Arms, which preserves very interesting finds.

Leaving the castle you return to the old town, entering the Qafa e Pazarit neighborhood, to deepen the magic of the Ottoman houses and stop to shop in the craft shops. Here you will also visit the House of the Zekat family, with its splendid carved and well-preserved wooden ceiling and the museum House of Ismail Kadare, among the most important writers and men of culture in the country. And, then you have the option to visit the Ethnographic Museum (or enjoy your free time) before returning to Saranda.

Gjirokaster, geography

Protected by the Mali i Gjerë mountain range, whose highest peak reaches 1,800 meters above sea level, the city of Gjirokaster is strategically located. In fact, it lies along the valley washed by the fresh waters of the Drinos River, which is a branch of Vjosa River.

Gjirokaster, a bit of history

The first findings of Gjirokaster was in 1336, when the site is mentioned with its Greek name, Αργυρόκαστρο, as an integral part of the Byzantine Empire. The city became an Orthodox Christian diocese together with Adrianople. In those days there was a dispute over these territories between the Despot of Epirus and the Zenevisi family with the Albanian tycoon Sarbissa (Giovanni Sarbissa or Giovanni Zenevisi), which was originally from the territories between Permet and Gjirokaster. As had happened elsewhere, the Ottomans managed to enter the dispute and, in 1417 they conquered the city, renaming it Ergiri or Ergiri Kasrı. Over the course of 5 centuries of domination, the Turks favored the conversion to Islam of the population of the surrounding countryside, and what was a fervent Orthodox Christian center turned into an important Ottoman Turkish cultural religious site. It is no coincidence that an important Bektashi tradition developed here, the Islamic brotherhood of Sufi origin.

Starting in 1913 Gjirokaster became an integral part of the new independent state of Albania, but the population, rebelled against annexation, entering guerrilla war and founding in 1914 the autonomous Republic of northern Epirus. In 1921 Gjirokastra finally became an Albanian city.

•Due the moderate amount of walking to reach the main attraction sites could be better to wear comfortable shoes and clothes.

•We suggest this tour to customers who are able to climb and descend streets and stairs.

•This tour is not suitable for customers in wheelchair. 

•In case of hot weather we suggest you to bring a cap with you

•Please reach the meeting point 15 minutes before the departure time.