Berat in 2 days

Walk uphill from Mangalem, about 1 km and 15 to 20 minutes on polished cobbles, to the main gate, where the booth charges €3.30. Between 200 and 400 people live inside, so the lanes you take are also somebody’s street. The Church of the Holy Trinity sits on the slope just beyond the inner walls and is often shut for restoration. St Mary Vlaherna opens irregularly, and the key lives in the nearest house.

The Onufri Museum fills the Cathedral of the Dormition of St Mary, and the ticket is €4.40. Give it about 45 minutes, then plan on two to three hours for the whole castle. Then look at the large underground cistern in the south of the castle, which has an opening in its roof, so keep children close. The red brick minaret nearby is all that is left of the Red Mosque, and the southern ramparts open the view across to Gorica.

Eat in the old town. Byrek is a morning dish, so it goes first, and tavë kosi, lamb baked under a yoghurt and egg crust, comes at €6.60–9.90. Try Mangalemi Restaurant or Homemade Food Lili.

The Ethnographic Museum fills an 18th-century house and costs €3.30. After it, wander the cobbles of Mangalem with no plan, and if the heat allows, walk on to the King Mosque and the Lead Mosque in the newer part of town.

Cross the stone bridge over the Osum and climb the hill of Gorica for sunset, with Mangalem and the castle lit across the water. Join the xhiro, the evening stroll, and eat at Antigoni, on the Gorica bank of the river. The bridge has seven arches and is 129 m long, so it is worth stopping halfway for the view.

Choose between two trips. The Osum Canyon lies 20 to 30 km south, with walls up to 150 m high, and it runs best from April to June, when the water is high. Prices: tours €35–49. The Bogova waterfall is about 20 km east, a 2.5 km easy walk from the village, and its water is cold. The tours usually take about seven hours. Apollonia is the other choice, 60 km west, reached by bus to Fier in about an hour and then a 12 km taxi or minibus ride. Colonists from Corinth founded it around 600 BC, and Octavian, later Augustus, studied here in 44 BC. Allow three to four hours on site.

The Çobo winery stands in the hills of Berat, 15 to 30 minutes by taxi, and offers a tasting of local wines with traditional products and a walk through the vineyard. The visit is free. Mount Tomorr, which rises to 2,416 m, is for hikers only, and it takes the whole day.