gjirokaster
Gjirokaster
highlights
Published on 26/11/2025
In the main article, you could already read that getting to Gjirokaster was an adventure. Multiple bus companies go to Gjirokaster from Sarande. We unfortunately chose the company that goes into the direction of Gjirokaster, but drops you off 15 km from the town. So there we stood with stranded passengers. However, the locals were chill, so we tried not to freak out. And indeed, three taxis showed up. We had to mix a bit who had to go where, but we ended up at the old town of Gjirokaster. We paid €10 for this taxi still, which were costs we did not anticipate. There is nothing to cry about if this happens, because you will arrive, but know that this can happen.
The ‘normal’ bus drops you off at the bottom of the mountain. Gjirokaster is quite high, so you might still want to get a taxi to bring you to the top. We were therefore not mad at all about the ‘mandatory’ taxi we had to get, as we otherwise had to climb all the way up.
We let the taxi driver drop us off at the bazaar, but as it was quite early (before 09:00 even), it was really quiet there. We were able to take some pictures with no people in them, so that is a win? I would recommend doing the bazaar a bit later, when the streets are also filled with life and you can buy souvenirs.
noëlle
Hi! I am Noëlle and I wrote this article for you!!! Hopefully, you like reading this article and find my tips and struggles helpful. Also, ignore the grammar and spelling mistakes; I did not proofread it. I absolutely loved Albania and hope you will have the most amazing trip too! :)
After the quiet bazaar, we walked to the castle. We were one of the first to arrive at the castle. This was for the better, as it was already getting very hot. The castle asks for a small fee to enter. You can also book tours, but we decided to walk around ourselves. We did the outside parts of the castle first, to dodge as much of the heat as possible, but we were still melting. There was also no shadow outside, so be aware of this. Bring lots of water and a hat, because even at 09:00 in the morning, it is very hot. The castle had several informative parts, which were interesting to read. However, I would say you need a bit of knowledge beforehand about the history of Albania to understand more about the castle. The views from outside were beautiful and you are able to look over the entirety of Gjirokaster. When we could not bear the heat anymore, we went inside the castle, where it was luckily cooler. After 1,5 hours we left the castle.
We tried to find the Ali Pasha Bridge, but we never found it (we also gave up quite early). We walked a bit from the castle, saw a bridge and decided that must be the Ali Pasha Bridge (it was not). Then we had a drink, because that short walk and failed search for the bridge already beat us. We then walked back to the Bazaar in hopes that it was busier. However, we got distracted by a sign that said viewpoint or something. Or it was a tunnel. I think it was a tunnel, actually. We walked through it because there was a man selling things in front of it and it looked cool (and it had shade). On the other side of the tunnel, there was a road and nothing more. We walked a little bit and then turned around because there was nothing. We then finally walked on to the bazaar and yes! it was busier. The streets were full of vendors selling beautiful ornaments and there were many more people. We walked around a bit and viewed some stores. However, the bazaar consists of 4 streets, so you’re done within half an hour. It is very nice though and you can spend much longer if you also explore some restaurants and roam the streets surrounding the Bazaar.
We took the bus back around 13:00. As the bus stop was at the bottom of the mountain, we had to walk quite a steep part downhill. We bought a snack on the way and started the journey. We arrived a bit early at the bus stop, but we also wanted to make sure the bus would actually leave. They told us it would leave in half an hour, which was perfect. We walked to a nearby restaurant and had a drink to kill the time. We were the only women inside, because Gjirokaster is a bit more traditional town where women usually do not sit in cafes (that’s what I’ve heard at least). They did treat us normally, though, so don’t worry about this. We waited for a bit at the bus station after our drink and the bus brought us safely back to the (real) city center of Sarande.
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It was a very nice day trip and I can definitely recommend visiting Gjirokaster if you are in Sarande.