Gjirokastra · Old Town · Albania

Castle of Gjirokastra

castlefortressmuseumgoogle verified

moderate

9/10

best: morning, late-afternoon

dramatic, historic, eerie

A local would say...

Twelve centuries of fortress walls, and parked inside is a Cold War jet — Albania keeps surprising.

A moody hilltop castle with an eerie collection of armoury, including a recovered US Air Force jet shot down during the communist era — a surreal exhibit in a 12th-century fortress. The steep walk up from the Old Town is rewarded with sweeping views over the old Ottoman mansions and the mountain valley below. The castle is also the setting for the occasional Gjirokastra folk festival.