Getting around Gjirokastër

The road to Gjirokastër is long, and once you arrive nothing drives you anywhere, because the town is walked. You ride to the bus station, climb to the bazaar, and keep climbing from there. Plan the day around those two facts, a half-day of transport and a town on a hill.

To Tirana

Every route starts in Tirana, so fly into Tirana airport (TIA) and take the Rinas Express into the centre. It runs non-stop and takes about an hour. Fare: €4.40 (Rinas Express to Tirana).

The Rinas Express leaves you in central Tirana, and the bus terminal is a separate leg. The South & North terminal stands by Casa Italia Mega Outlet, about 25 minutes from Skanderbeg Square, and that ride is not covered by the airport fare. Count it into the day before you promise yourself a lunch in Gjirokastër, and take the earlier departures if the plan includes the castle on the same day.

By bus to Gjirokastër

Argjiro and Tirka 2000 run the line, about 220 km, with Argjiro the faster of the two. Pay the driver or the counter in cash, because seats are not reserved, and furgons leave when they fill, which makes them the flexible choice for anyone who has missed the timetable.

There are around ten departures a day, the first around 5.00 and the last around 20.30. Pay the driver or the counter in cash, or book online through Gjirafa Travel. Ask the day before whether the times still hold.

The station and the climb

The bus station is in the new town on the SH4 road, below the old bazaar, so the first thing the town asks of you is a climb. With a suitcase, take a taxi up. Steep cobbles and suitcase wheels do not agree, and the ride saves the legs you will need for the castle.

Drivers have their own problem. Park in the lower part of town or in the paid car park beside the bazaar, because the spaces under the castle fill early in summer. After that, leave the car where it is and walk, because the old town is built for feet and the car has no use in the lanes.

Around town

Walking is the only transport, and the streets make that plain: steep, narrow and in places one-way. Wet limestone turns slick, so shoes with real grip matter more here than in most towns. Zekate House sits 10 to 15 minutes uphill from the bazaar through the Palorto quarter, which is the longest single climb of a normal day. Do it before 4 pm, since the house has no electric light. In summer do it before the heat as well.

To Sarandë and the Blue Eye

Sarandë lies 53 km away and takes one to one and a half hours by bus. Ask at the station for the day's departure times rather than planning to a number. Ksamil is 64 km, with a change at Sarandë, and Berat is 147 km away, a drive of 2.5 to 3 hours.

The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër) is a different case. It lies about 36 km from town, the drive takes 45 min–1 h, and from the car park it is a walk of about 2 km. Buses to the coast mostly do not stop there, because the new road runs through a tunnel and passes the spring by, and the old road via Muzinë needs a taxi or a car. Ioannina is 89 km away across the Kakavija crossing, and Përmet is 61 km.

GuideTirana, where the bus leaves from, has a page of its own for the day before or after the ride.Tirana →

Day tripsThe day-trip page turns these distances into half-day and full-day plans.Day trips from Gjirokastër →

2 daysThe two-day itinerary shows how the climbs fit together once you are inside the walls.Gjirokastër in 2 days →

Where to stayThe stay page sorts beds by how far they sit from the station and from the bazaar.Where to stay in Gjirokastër →

When to goThe when-to-go page explains why the same climb feels different in July and in May.The best time to visit Gjirokastër →

FoodThe food page lists what to eat once you have reached the top.What to eat in Gjirokastër →