Weekend Guide · Albania
Weekend in Berat
Berat, the 'City of a Thousand Windows', is one of Albania's most beautiful and best-preserved cities. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, its hillside of white Ottoman houses with rows of identical arched windows is one of the Balkans' most photographed sights.
Arrive & Explore Berat
Berat Castle (Kalaja)
A remarkably intact Byzantine and Ottoman fortress crowning a rocky hill above the city
Onufri National Iconographic Museum
Housed inside the 13th-century Cathedral of the Dormition of St Mary within the castle, this museum displays the extraordinary icons of Onufri — Albania's greatest medieval painter, renowned for his vivid use of a unique red pigment
Mangalem Quarter
The Muslim quarter of Berat's lower town — a labyrinth of cobblestone lanes lined with traditional white Ottoman houses whose oversized windows cascade down the hillside
Hidden Gems & Local Flavours
Gorica Quarter
The Christian quarter on the opposite bank of the Osum River from Mangalem, connected by the historic Ottoman stone bridge
Gorica Bridge
An elegant seven-arched Ottoman stone bridge spanning the Osum River, connecting the Mangalem and Gorica quarters
Ethnographic Museum
Housed in an 18th-century Ottoman mansion within the castle walls, this museum recreates traditional Albanian domestic life with period furniture, costumes, weapons, and craft tools
Local Tips
- 1Albania is one of the most affordable countries in Europe.
- 2Albania is generally very safe for tourists.