Where to stay in Berat

Pick the quarter by its steps, not its street name. Everything in Berat lies within 300 to 800 m of the old core, yet the gap between flat and uphill decides how your evenings and your luggage go. A suitcase remembers every cobble, so choose with that in mind.

Mangalem fills the foot of the castle hill with white Ottoman houses, and it is the obvious base for a first visit, with the castle gate about 1 km up the lane. The lanes are steep, cobbled and polished by centuries of feet. Cars stay on the flat streets below. The luggage goes up on foot, which is easy to forget when you book a room online and see only the photograph of the terrace.

Hostel Mangalem has a guest rating of 9.3 and a terrace, and it feels more like a pension than a hostel. Hotel Mangalemi, a four-star, is the other name to look up on this side. The restaurant terraces over the river belong to Gorica, and Mangalem looks at them from across the water, so decide which of the two views you want before you book.

Gorica lies on the left bank of the Osum, 300 to 700 m from the old quarters, across the stone bridge. It is the quieter side. From the bank you look back at Mangalem and the castle, a view the people living in Mangalem cannot have. The lanes are hardly gentler than Mangalem’s, so driving into Gorica is not recommended.

Maya Hostel stands in Gorica, and the hill above it, with a fine sunset, is a short walk away. Hotels on this side run slightly cheaper than in the centre. Choose Gorica for sleep and distance from the crowd, and accept the extra crossing, over a bridge of seven arches that is 129 m long, each time you want the castle.

The castle lies 700 to 800 m uphill from the core, and every metre is steep, so it is the hardest address for luggage. Vila Art Berat Castle and Kitarat Berat Castle are pensions inside the walls. Sleeping there trades convenience for a quiet evening in a fortress where people live. Nothing up here is flat, and the walk down to dinner is the easy half of the day.

The new town and the boulevard: for the car

East of the core lies the new town, 400 to 700 m away, flat and practical. Drivers and families get the easy parking here, and the Boulevard Republika runs through it, with the Lead Mosque on it. Ask the hotel to confirm the parking in writing before you arrive. This is the one district where luggage rolls instead of being carried, and the car can also wait on the flat streets below Mangalem.

Distances are measured from the old core.

Prices and when to book

The cheapest bed is a dorm, and in a hostel such as Berat Backpackers or Baza Hostel it runs from €24 (bed). Hotels range much wider than that, from Grand White City with three stars and Hotel Mangalemi with four to Colombo with five, and room rates change with the month, so check your own dates. Many pensions are listed only on Booking and Airbnb, so search both before you rule a quarter out.

The bus terminal is about 2 km from the old town, so the way to your room is a taxi for €5.50–7.70 or the city bus: €0.33 (30 lek, old town). Neither distance is large. But the steep lanes and polished cobbles make every metre felt once a suitcase is involved, and more so in the heat.

Getting aroundThe page on getting around explains the bus from the terminal and the walk uphill.Getting around Berat →

2 daysThe two-day itinerary shows where each quarter fits in the day.Berat in 2 days →

When to goHeat and museum hours change with the month, which affects which quarter feels best.The best time to visit Berat →

FoodDinner in Gorica or Mangalem is set out restaurant by restaurant on the food page.What to eat in Berat →

Day tripsDay trips to the canyon, Apollonia and the vineyards start from any of these quarters.Day trips from Berat →