1. CLIMB TO BERAT CASTLE (BERAT KALA) FOR INCREDIBLE VIEWS
The long brushstroke of chestnut-coloured rooftops that make up Berat’s historic centre is painted through the Osum river valley. Twin peaks rise on either side. Gorica Hill, the taller of the two, wears a stony crown: The formidable 13th century Berat Castle.
Berat Kalaja is the biggest castle in Albania. Unlike other fortifications in the region that have been hollowed out over time, Berat Castle is mostly in-tact. Within its walls, you’ll find a vast citadel complex of stone streets, houses and Byzantine churches mixed in with ruins from various epochs.
Having visited dozens of fortresses in the Balkans, Berat Castle feels completely unique.
The area is also referred to as ‘Castle Quarter’ because many families still dwell inside the citadel walls. Some homes have been converted into guesthouses, restaurants or souvenir shops. Others remain private residences.
As you wander around, it’s not unusual to see men herding sheep, kids kicking soccer balls and women selling lace and embroidered tablecloths from little stalls set in front of their homes.
Berat Castle isn’t a relic – it still has a heartbeat. One of the nicest things to do in Berat is join locals in their evening stroll around the grounds.
Apart from the walls and ramparts themselves, key points of interest within Berat Castle include the 14th-century Holy Trinity Church, the 13th century St. Mary of Blachernae Church with its beautiful frescoes, and the remnants of the old acropolis, including a subterranean water cistern.
Designated lookout platforms offer the best panoramic views over Berat, but you can find nice views from just about anywhere – including epic sunsets.
It takes a long, steep climb up a slick stone road to reach Berat Castle from the lower town, but it’s worth it for the lovely setting. It’s open 24 hours. Officially, an entrance fee of 100 lek applies between 9am and 6pm, but we weren’t charged on the two occasions we visited.
You’ll need a few hours to explore the interior part of the castle (plus another 30-90 minutes for the museum – see the next section).
If you prefer to go with a guide, try this walking tour of Berat Castle.
2. FIND THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY
Built in the 13th and 14th century, the Church of Saint Trinity (Kisha Shen Triadha) is another Berat landmark with immense significance. Whoever designed this church was both inspired and resourceful: The architecture combines Byzantine and Western elements, and inside, several of the column capitals are repurposed from old ruins.
Even if you don’t step inside, it’s enough to just enjoy the views of the domed church perched on the hillside.
3. ADMIRE THE RELICS AT THE ONUFRI ICONOGRAPHY MUSEUM
The Onufri Iconography Museum (Muzeu Onufri) was established to safeguard a collection of icons, artworks and artefacts salvaged from the ruins of Berat’s religious buildings.
If you’re going to choose just one museum to visit in Berat, I think you should make it this one rather than the Ethnographic Museum. It offers a window onto a unique and very beautiful aspect of Albanian history.
Located inside the castle grounds, the Onufri Museum is housed in the Church of the Dormition of St. Mary, a triple-nave Byzantine basilica that was restored in 1797. The entrance leads to a preserved part of the cathedral where you can see the original altar, amvona and Bishop’s Throne, all covered with ornate frescoes and wood carvings.
The second part of the museum is gallery-style. A sizeable collection of Orthodox icons, paintings and other ephemera is displayed against white-washed walls. There are a few works by Onufri, the 16th-century archpriest and painter for whom the institution is named.
The museum offers a 90-minute English audio guide, although it wasn’t operating at the time of our visit. I do recommend taking it if you get the chance as signage inside the museum is limited.
The Onufri Iconography Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am until 6pm in summer. In winter, the museum closes early at 4pm and opens from 10am-2pm on Sundays. Entrance costs 400 lek (500 lek with the audio guide). Double check times and prices here.
4. EXPLORE THE MANGALEM QUARTER
The river valley that runs through Berat dissects the city into two precincts: Mangalem (Mangalemi) and Gorica. There’s not any meaningful difference between the two today – but in centuries past, Mangalem was traditionally the Ottoman or Muslim Quarter, with Christians living over the river in Gorica. Together they make up Berat Old Town.
Mangalem, the larger of the two neighbourhoods, fans out under the castle’s wing. Houses inch up the hillside like creeping vines drawn towards the sun, all vying for a precious slice of that priceless Berat view.
Spiralling stone alleys and narrow streets link impressive Ottoman-style houses. Halveti Tekke, Berat’s Dervish House built in 1782 by Ahmet Kurt Pasha, the Bachelor’s Mosque, orthodox churches and other Old Town landmarks are all located along Mangalem’s historic alleys.
5. CROSS THE RIVER TO GORICA QUARTER
Mangalem and Gorica are linked together by Gorica Bridge, a seven-arched stone bridge with a similar design to the Ottoman bridge in Visegrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Over in Gorica Quarter, the architecture is just as beguiling and the narrow alleys equally precipitous. Many of the 18th century homes have been designated cultural landmarks and are signposted with information boards.
6. SUMMIT GORICA HILL FOR A SUNSET PANORAMA
Clamber up the sloping cobblestoned streets on the left bank of the river behind Hotel Muzaka to find your way to the top of Gorica Hill.
On the way up, you get stunning views of Mangalem’s white houses front-on, with Berat Castle silhouetted against the distant mountains.
7. IMMERSE YOURSELF IN LOCAL HISTORY AT THE NATIONAL ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM
Back over the river, Mangalem hosts Berat’s National Ethnographic Museum, one of the grandest Ottoman-era houses in the city. We’ve visited a dozen of these house museums in the Balkans: Berat’s is the biggest and one of the most remarkable we’ve seen thus far.
As is customary, the house is set up as it would have been when it was first built. Interestingly you can also see the bathroom here (most house museums have this part of the property closed off).
Entrance costs 300 lek, and it observes the same summer/winter hours as the Onufri Museum.
8. SEEK OUT THE CLUTCH OF HISTORIC MOSQUES
For a city of its size, Berat has some truly magnificent mosques. The ruins of the 15th century Red Mosque and the White Mosque can both be found within the castle grounds.
There are several active mosques in Berat Old Town (on the Mangalem side of the river, of course). These include the King Mosque (Sultan’s Mosque), the steely-domed Lead Mosque, and the recently restored 1820s Bachelor’s Mosque, located on the main cobblestone streets of the riverside.
As the story goes, the latter is named after two young Berati men who went off to work in Istanbul then gifted their hometown this beautiful religious building with the money they earned.
9. EAT TRADITIONAL FOOD AT A BERATI RESTAURANT
If you’ve been travelling around the Balkans for a while, you’ll notice some immediate (and delicious) differences with Albanian food. Cevapi fatigue be gone! Albanian cuisine is a fresh and tasty alternative.
There are a few specialty dishes here that you won’t find elsewhere in the country – you should definitely go out of your way to try at least a few. If you’re wondering where to eat in Berat, here are my top picks.
Homemade Food Lili
The most unique restaurant in Berat. Delicious food is homespun and unpretentious; try the Fergese, pumpkin Burek (seasonal), and chicken cooked in yogurt. Homemade wine and Raki is also served. It’s the hospitality that really makes this place special – let’s just say Lili is not who you might be picturing!
There are only five tables, so it’s essential to book a spot at Homemade Food Lili a couple of days in advance. When we were there, we saw a dozen hopeful people get turned away.
Restaurant WilDor
This restaurant serves traditional fare in a lovely air-conditioned dining room. We ate grilled vegetables with balsamic, and a local Berati dish of pork cooked in a clay pot. It’s popular with tour groups so it’s a good idea to arrive early for lunch.
Hotel Mangalemi Restaurant
The terrace here has some of the nicest views in Berat. You can see the entire city from up here – and taste the gamut of local food specialties.
Meals to try include the homemade sausages, ‘Berati schnitzel’ (pork stuffed with hard cheese), Pispili (spinach pie with a cornbread base) and of course leek pie. The white bean salad with pickles, parsley and slices of fresh lemon is just the thing on a hot day.
If you’re looking for edible souvenirs (raki, jams, wildflower teas) to take home, there’s a nice gift shop in the Hotel Mangalemi lobby.
10. GO FOR AN EVENING XHIRO ON BOULEVARD REPUBLIKA
Xhiro is a tradition all over Albania. Come sunset, entire towns and cities empty out onto the nearest pedestrian street. People lap up and down for hours on end, stopping to chat with friends, play a game of outdoor chess, grab an ice cream or sip coffee in an outdoor cafe.
In Berat, Boulevard Republika is the most popular place for a xhiro. The huge car-free drag is lined with cafes on one side and Lulishtja, a green buffer that runs between the street and the river, on the other. If you want a local experience, strolling here on a crisp evening is one of the funnest things to do in Berat.
If you need a cool place to sit for a few hours, Gimi Kafe (one of the first cafes closest to the Old Town) has excellent air conditioning and WIFI.
11. TAKE A DAY TRIP TO OSUM CANYON & BOGOVE WATERFALL
The landscape in this part of Albania is characterised by dramatic mountains and gorges. If you have some extra time and you’re itching to throw some outdoor activities into your itinerary, I highly recommend doing a combined day trip to Osum (Osumi) Canyon and Bogove Waterfall.
Bogove Waterfall is an hour south of Berat, just past the town of Polican and its shuttered kalashnikov factory. It requires a 40-minute walk to get down to the rock pools from the main road. The whole area is divine, green and shady with deep swimming holes and cascading falls. Just be wary that the water is numbingly cold, even in summer!
Osumi River Gorge, Albania’s largest canyon, is further downriver, another 30 minutes south of Bogove via the same treacherous road. A series of viewpoints around the rim of the gorge offer spectacular views. There are a few spots where you can drive down and have a swim in the warm river. In spring, you can also do white water rafting through the ravine.
You need a proper off-road vehicle and a guide to do this day trip justice. There are two tourist agencies in town that organise excursions to Osumi Canyon and Bogove. We paid 20 Euros per person (group of 4) for the full-day excursion with a car and driver.
For something even more active, this guided 18 km hike through the canyon includes transfers to and from Berat.
12. DO A WINE TASTING AT COBO WINERY
Wine… In Albania!? Believe it or not, Albania is one of the most underrated wine countries in Europe and there are vineyards all over the country. Cobo Winery, the closest to Berat, is a short 20-minute drive from the Old Town. So if you’re looking for more fun activities nearby, a degustation here might be just the ticket.
A visit includes a tour of the property, cellars and vines, plus a tasting of the finest wines and walnut raki accompanied by a decadent cheese board.
Ariana, the owners’ daughter, speaks English and is on hand to show guests around. It’s recommended to call or message a day or two in advance if you want to visit independently.