2.5 - 3+ Hours
Daily Tour
Unlimited
English
With a history lost in the depths of the centuries, the visitor has no choice but to explore the culture of Gjirokaster. Ancient Bazaar, the St.Sotir church, the Ali Pasha bridge, the neighbourhood of Cfake and much more make up the cultural character of Gjirokaster.
Exploring Gjirokaster’s rich story and culture has no end, but it can begin here.
Bazaar, built right above the ancient city this is practically the heart of Gjirokaster right in the center of the old town, where there are dozens of shops souvenirs, restaurants and cafés. Definitely the place to be!
The next destination is the St. Sotir church. The church was built in 1784 and is located below the Clock Tower in the Old Bazaar residential neighbourhood, also called the Old Metropolitan. The characteristic cobblestone the orthodox church and some of the oldest houses are the most beautiful elements of this neighbourhood. After passing the “Nanxa” bridge, we reach another ancient neighbourhood in town called “Cfaka”. Here we will pass some old houses which are first monument category and also a tekke which belongs to the Bektashi Order. It is a beautiful combination of Nature, many sheep on top of hills, and old houses to arrive at the “Ali Pasha Bridge”.
The bridge is 30 minutes walk from bazaar and makes for a nice off-beaten-path destination. Ali Pasha Bridge, was part of a large aqueduct system commissioned by Ali Pasha of Tepelene in the beginning of the 19th century. Gjirokastra castle didn’t have an available water source at that time, and Ali Pasha quickly discerned the need for this structure. The Gjirokaster Obelisk is the last destination, a monument in Gjirokaster, which pays tribute to Albanian education in the 20th century. The Obelisk is located adjacent to the area in which the first Albanian school opened in Gjirokastra in 1908, where a new Albanian national alphabet was used. Under Ottoman rule, Albanians were not allowed to use their own language in their schools.
On this tour we will have an amazing experience of most of the old town of Gjirokaster until our way to the Ali Pasha's bridge. The tour lasts 2:30-3 hours. The starting point will be the Bazaar, after a short walk over there we will walk our way to the St. Sotir church, an old orthodox church from the 18th century. Inside we can see some of the original paintings and the beautiful woodcarving that was done by the local wood crafters. After the church we will pass through the neighbourhood of Cfakë. In Cfakë we will pass on through some old houses from the 18th century, which preserve the local architecture. In a few minutes of walking, we will arrive in Dunavat, the most highly elevated neighbourhood of the city, constructed completely on a hill. There we can also see some of the famous bunkers which were constructed during the communist regime. After a little bit of walking, we will have to do a little trekking, walking through a small and hard terrain in the mountain where the bridge its located. The bridge used to be part of the aqueduct system that Ali Pasha's constructed during the 19th century. The view it's just beautiful and one of the best places to take memorable pictures from Gjirokaster. When our tour at the bridge is done, we will start our way down back in bazaar where we will see the Obelisk. Obelisk it's the monument that honour’s the opening of the first Albanian school in Gjirokaster in 1908. After that in Bazaar the tour ends and our guide will show you the places where you can try the amazing traditional food that we offer, or see the locally made souvenirs made by the artisans.
Member Since 2023
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