Berat albania attractions. Berat - Berat, Albania. Cuisine and restaurants
Berat is a rare exception among Albanian cities that have preserved ancient architecture. Of course, the UNESCO organization did not ignore it, including it on the World Heritage List in 2008. If you are planning an independent holiday in Albania or want to travel here from Montenegro, I advise you to set aside a day for Berat, or better yet, an overnight stay. We were in Berat on May 10 and it was already hot... So in summer I advise you to explore the city early in the morning. Let me remind you that for Russians and Belarusians in 2018 from April 1 to October 31, for Ukrainians, Armenians and Kazakhs it is visa-free all year round.
In the photo - the historical district of Mangalem, view from the terrace of our hotel - 
We left for Albania for 3 days from Budva, driving 1000 km along different roads, from village and road roads to free, beautiful highways. IN first day visited Shkoder, swam under the Ottoman Bridge in the Kir River, and received gastronomic ecstasy at the Mrizi and Zanave restaurant (). Second day: Berat - Gjirokastra - Saranda. 
From Shkodër, I advise you to turn off at Fuska Kruja towards the city of Durres, there will be an excellent expressway everywhere. And I advise you to skip Tirana because of traffic jams, this is a metropolis of millions, from which it will take you two hours to get out... Andrey could not get enough of the smooth roads and high speed after the Montenegrin serpentines 😁 I’ll show you on the screenshot from maps.me as we were driving, be sure to download this map to your phone! But keep in mind - sometimes she makes a shorter road, and doesn’t choose highways, here you just use your wits, the routes on maps.mi differ in shade, the best one is red fat 
I will return to the hotel in Berat - I was attracted by its panorama of the city and parking for cars. The hosts are lovely, the room was 30 euros, freshly renovated and had a comfortable bed. In the evening they made hot tea at my request, free of charge. In the morning they laid a luxurious table, breakfast for 2 people in Albanian was tasty and hearty 
One night's stay gave us the strength to explore the city in the morning, because its fortress is located on a hill, where we still need to climb🌄🏰 I read from a friend of a traveler's blog that there are goat trails with free entry to the Berat fortress. 
I opened maps.mi and found it! Hiking trails - dotted line. The top star on the left is our hotel - 40.706434, 19.951659 We walked along the paving stones, then through the forest and calmly found the entrance. We walked around the fortress, visited the Onufri Museum of Iconography and went down another path to the river on a nearby hill. 
On the way we met a young couple, the Albanian spoke excellent Serbian-Croatian, because... worked in Croatia in a bakery. And we met such people who speak Russian or Croatian several times during our trip to Albania. In the fortress itself, a policeman gave us a historical certificate, telling us the meaning of the paths to the river during the Second World War in clear English. 
To briefly describe my interest in Albania, the country has not lost its authenticity, it is incredibly diverse, picturesque, and what a pleasant price tag! Pay attention to the two elderly men sitting over their morning coffee, both dressed in suits, and this is how all Albanians look in the cities - intelligent, with dignity, despite their income or employment! 
The streets in Berat are all cobblestones, Ottoman architecture, an abundance of stone and red tiles and embroidered tablecloths instead of boring magnets created a wonderful ensemble! 
Berat is located on the Osumi River at the foot of the Tomori mountain range, 70 km south of Tirana. I saw on advertising brochures that they offer rafting on this river. And the panorama of the Goritsv area was taken from the huge antenna on the fortress 
This is the view on the left - Mangalem with old houses, and in the center - modern streets and buildings, with a dome - this is the University. 
The fortress on the hill is still partially inhabitable, you can rent an apartment! 
The most interesting thing behind the fortress walls seemed to me to be the Onufrius Museum, named after one of the main masters of Albanian painting of the 16th century. It was opened in the premises of the old “Dream of the Virgin Mary” church in 1986. 
Above the entrance there are frescoes 
It’s amazing how, under the harsh communist regime and the declaration of atheism, Albania retained the luxurious iconostasis of 1807... The Albanian Orthodox Church has a special status and a special liturgy. 
The museum's collection consists of 173 objects selected from approximately 1,500 objects from the fund, part of the church and monastic funds of Albania and the city of Berat, 106 objects of which are icons and 67 are liturgical objects. 
Descending from the fortress along another path down to the river, we enjoyed cherries straight from the tree, met a turtle and admired the blooming gardens in private houses
A reconstructed bridge stands on the Osum River 
Let's go for a walk around Goritsa, the houses here are similar, the doors attract attention
Near the nearby bridge I find the Antigoni restaurant to relax and cool off with beer. 
From its terrace there is a view of the city of “1000 windows”, our hotel is somewhere on the right 
We cross the street to find a bank to exchange euros for Albanian leki. There are modern buildings here, people are relaxing, the atmosphere is relaxed, this is not the metropolis of Tirana! 
I read somewhere that Albania is now the first country in Europe in terms of the number of cafes, bars, and restaurants per capita. This is true everywhere in the Balkans - people love to meet in the fresh air, communicate, and solve business not in stuffy offices. 
Immediately we notice a couple of dozen workers from the public utility service with brooms! They were cleaning up the consequences of yesterday's flood; before our arrival in Berat it had been raining all day. 
Of course, in Albania they love coffee... though not cappuccino, although they serve that, but rather Turkish, aromatic, brewed in a cezve and poured into small cups. On the way to the hotel, on the next street we saw a mini shop with freshly roasted coffee. 
We couldn’t resist - we bought 100 grams of aromatic coffee, 120 lek (a little less than 1 euro) 
The day didn’t end there, we continued on our way to Gjirokastra, and we were advised to choose the road to Fier, and from there go down along a good highway. But almost before reaching Fier, we turned to Patos and Balls and saw enough villages, olive groves, poppy fields, and oil rigs! But the road through the villages left much to be desired... Although there were some funny things! 
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Useful information for tourists about Berat in Albania - geographical location, tourist infrastructure, map, architectural features and attractions.
Berat is a city in southern Albania, located on the banks of the Osim River. Began existence in the 3rd century BC. like the Greek city of Antipatrea, a fortress city that for some time successfully repelled the onslaught of the Roman legions. The city is mentioned in the list of fortifications of Emperor Justinian.
At the entrance to this city-museum, a delightful view of the mountain and the white houses that seem to cling to it opens up. Berat is known as the “city of a thousand and one windows” due to the large number of windows in the houses, arranged in such a way that the sun reflects on them with thousands of lights.
The city is divided into Muslim and Christian quarters. The Muslim quarter is famous for its eight historical mosques, which are architectural monuments, for example, Lead and Royal (built in the 16th century); The Batchelors Mosque (Bachelors Mosque) was built in the 19th century and now houses the Museum of Modern Art. The path from the Muslim quarter of Mangolem to the Goritsa quarter, where Christians live, passes through a stone bridge with seven arched spans. The unique architecture of the city buildings, which can be viewed while walking along the narrow and labyrinthine ancient streets, makes this place special.
Attractions
The main city attraction is the 13th century fortress towering above the city on a mountain ridge. It now houses a museum and several churches. This ancient citadel is the only structure of its kind in Albania, where people live on the territory of the fortress (and most of them to this day carry water in buckets and heat their home stoves with wood). The population of the fortress in Berat was Christian, so about twenty small churches were built on its territory. One of them, the most beautiful and famous, is the Church of the Holy Trinity. It was built in a very unusual way - on a slope, in such a way that one gets the impression that it is hanging over a cliff, and below, directly below it, the city and the river itself lie.
In the Museum of Ethnography, which is located in the fortress in an ancient two-story building, the exhibition consists of collections of clothing, household items, weapons, as well as moonshine stills, devices for grinding grain and much more. The museum has brochures and signs in Russian, and the guides speak excellent English.
The most famous museum in Berat is the Onufri Icon Painting Museum, where you can see 173 works of Albanian icon painters, painted from the 14th to the 20th century.
All hotels are located near the center. Berat also has several five-star hotels, as well as many mini-hotels.
When we were planning to go to Albania, we didn’t know much about this amazing country, and didn’t really plan the exact route. We chose a dozen places and decided that we would act a little on a whim - this is, in my opinion, the best way to travel. However, we knew for sure that we had no right to miss - the historical city of Berat, fully protected by UNESCO. This “city of a thousand windows” or “city of windows above a window” struck us from the very first photo, and we waited for it with anticipation - much like you wait for New Year’s Christmas. Needless to say, our expectations were not only met, but beyond our wildest dreams.
Our journey from Tirana to Berat is a different story. As I have already written several times - Albania is the only country in Europe where there are no Central Bus Stations, and buses depart from approximately wherever they want. By the way, it turned out that there is a train station in Berat, but this is when you leave from there. But when you go there...
In general, we discovered that the bus from Tirana to Berat leaves from Zogu and Zi Square, at the end of Kavajes Street, one of the most colorful streets of the Albanian capital - . However, we went there in the evening, deciding to spend another half day in Tirana. This had its pros and cons. On the one hand, Tirana is beautiful, on the other hand, going to an unfamiliar city in the evening, especially in Albania, is an adventure in itself)
In addition, we were in a hurry and didn’t take a landmark - that is, we didn’t even know exactly where our hotel was, how to get to it, where we should go, and where exactly the bus stops) And considering that the Internet is also not the most reliable thing in Albania, then we were driving completely at random.
Roads in Albania are also an event in themselves. So it was not possible to rent a car. Literally minutes after leaving Tirana, the bus turned into some fields, and continued driving for three hours (and the journey is only 82 kilometers) through some ruts and potholes. Then it got dark, and you were driving as if in the apocalypse) The climax was the moment when a building grew up in the middle of absolutely nothing, with the word “Berber” (hair salon) written on it, and we just started laughing uncontrollably. Subsequently, it turned out that in terms of the number of hairdressers, Albania seems to be ahead of the entire planet, just like in the county town of N.
As a result, we arrived somewhere (roughly knowing that our hotel was located in the Mangalemi quarter) and began frantically looking for Wi-Fi in order to at least understand which street to look at. In addition, I began to have photo fever (it was too beautiful around) and even in the midst of all this chaos, I threw down my backpack, walked out into the middle of the road and decided that I had to take a few photos. Here is my first shot in Berat)
As it turned out a little later, our hotel was located 50 meters from us (right in the middle in the photo above), and the street we were looking for - we stood right under the sign) If we had just raised our eyes, and not immediately stared at our smartphones, then we would have immediately they found her, and we spent about ten minutes looking for what was right under our eyes. This once again suggests that modern technology is not always good, and sometimes you can just relax and walk around a little. This usually leads to worse results)
In general, having checked into the hotel and sighing with relief, we immediately had a drink and went for a walk. Berat at night is even more beautiful than during the day, and the Mangalemi quarter is something out of this world.
The city of 1001 windows, as locals proudly call it. Many also call Berat the “City of Two Thousand Steps”.
New bridge. The dome of the University of Berat can be seen in the distance
A church in the rock that seems impossible to reach.
At night, only illuminated crosses are visible.
On the second side of the river, there is another ancient quarter called Goritsa. In addition to the new bridge, there is also an old bridge with the same name Gorica Bridge leading to it. Previously, there was the “Bridge of Nine Arches”, built in the 18th century, but it was badly damaged, first by floods in 1888, and then during the First World War. In 1928, a new bridge was built here, the condition of which also clearly leaves much to be desired - in those days when we were in Berat it was being “restored”.
It seems like you can’t walk on the bridge at all (there is some kind of warning sign), but we asked one of the workers, and he waved his hand - they say, walk wherever you want. And we still got through)
Another view of Mangalemi - from the other side of the river
The main street of Berat outside the "old quarters". This is where the whole party happens - both during the day and in the evenings.
It was already quite late, and Berat is still not such a lively city as Tirana, where people seem to generally walk all night - - but a certain number of people were still walking (and it was a weekday and ten in the evening)
Well, the view of Old Mangalemi, it is always beautiful from everywhere
We reach the “central square”.
Berat's main mosque, the Lead Mosque, built in 1555, is located here.
We eventually reached the university, but the building was not impressive. The usual modern stuff, under "Capitol".
That's enough for Berat at night. Let's move on to the morning walk. And to begin with, let's return to our hotel.
This hotel is worth telling about. I think these were the most kind, friendly and helpful hosts I've ever met - and I've traveled a lot around the world. They happily answered any of our questions, worried about us, as if we were their own children (I will tell you more about this when I write about our trip from Berat to Vlora) and an uncle named Ferdinand took us to the station twice - in general no words. We even thought, when we returned to Israel, to send them a letter of gratitude with a local souvenir, and maybe we will do this again. The hotel had wooden floors and in general the room was extremely romantic. There was also this swan there)
And this is breakfast. Pastries, rice porridge with raisins, cheese, sausage, scrambled eggs, yoghurts, water, juices, jam, butter, vegetables - everything was of excellent quality, the products were natural and very tasty.
Well, now - some beautiful morning Berat. Naturally - the same Mangalemi quarter
At the top you can see Berat Castle, but there will be a separate post about it. I usually don’t like castles, and I’ve seen a lot of them in my travels, but I really liked the castle in Berat. In the meantime, let’s cross again to the second side of the river and begin our movement towards Goritsa. The “embankment” itself was occupied by merchants from early morning)
It's nice to see how life is in full swing in this ancient fairy-tale town
We enter Goritsa and begin our climb up the hill. The houses here are no less beautiful and cozy than in Mangalemi.
Yes, and the streets
Not a single post, even about unique places in the world, has the right to do without kotegoff. Suffice it to recall Bibury, the most beautiful village in England -
In general, we met a lot of living creatures in Berat. For example grasshoppers
And even frogs. Just a tag, in the middle of the street)
Those who do not like living creatures, but prefer berries, can enjoy blackberries straight from the bush
All kinds of wild grapes grow here, but (thank God) they were out of reach
I personally have some prejudice about eating berries from a bush in the middle of a residential area, where all sorts of dogs are running and peeing, but my companion did not have such a prejudice and seemed to survive). After waiting for some time to make sure that the berries were non-toxic, we continued our walk around Goritsa
A little bit of urban Berat
We go to one of two churches in Gorica
Opposite you can see the already mentioned church in the rock of the Mangalemi quarter, which is impossible to reach
Beautiful courtyard in the church
The style seems to be typically Italian.
In general, Berat was once called Berati, and all the streets in it are named after the Italians.
Well, since we are talking about Italian influence, a little history. In fact, the name of the city - Berat - comes from Belgrade, which is good news, since we also managed to get to Belgrade on this trip - and has the same meaning, “White City”. For many years, Berat was called first the “Roman Belgrade” and then the Albanian Belgrade, to distinguish it from the original Belgrade.
Berat is located on both sides of the Osum River, which in turn flows into the Molisht River. Above the Mangalemi quarter rises Mount Tomorr, about which there is an interesting legend. It says that once these mountains were actually a giant who fought with another giant named Shpirag for the attention of a young girl. They killed each other and the girl shed tears, which turned into the Osum River. And Mount Shpirag now towers over the Goritsa quarter, which in Old Church Slavonic means “small mountain.”
Well, since we’re talking about this, a little more of Mount Tomorr and the Mangalemi quarter
There are still many beautiful mountains around
View of Mangalemi through the roofs of Gorica
Truly "the city of a thousand windows"
You can photograph them forever
My favorite shot of Goritsa.
It's starting to get dark... did we already mention the mountains?
General view - mountains and a tired minister at the entrance to the second church of Goritsa
When it got dark, we decided to climb Mount Tomorr and explore Berat Castle in the dark, but alas, we did not have enough strength, and we ended up going there the next morning. But more on that another time)
P.S. Finally, a few hackneyed phrases. I truly believe that Berat is, if not the most beautiful, then certainly the most unique city in Albania, and a Must-See if you are traveling through this country. Despite the different architectural styles, it very much reminded me of Torun, and I think that Berat is in my personal Top 10, and I have already seen many cities in my life. So my advice to you is to go, and right now.
Berat from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Berat.
- Tours for the New Year Worldwide
- Last minute tours Worldwide
Just think how many beautiful places on Earth every year elude tourists who prefer standard routes! Take Europe, for example: Prague is crowded, in Montenegro everyone will soon learn Russian as a native language, and now Paris and Rome will not surprise anyone at all. In this situation, the Balkan countries are an excellent solution for those who want to spend their holidays in comfort, but do not like long flights to exotic countries.
For those who prefer to visit unique places that have miraculously survived in the face of globalization, the Albanian city of Berat is ideal.
History paragraph
This place is made to be admired. Here you don’t want to talk, but you want to listen, absorb, remember, in order to return home in a state of “enlightenment.” The history of this city goes back more than two thousand years; we can say that the city has witnessed all important events for humanity. Civilizations changed, wars flared up and died down, and Berat still stood there, a little gloomy, but no less charming for that. The splendor of Berat comes from its nature and unique architecture.
How to get there
Getting to Berat is not difficult: just three hours from Tirana and you are there.
Search for flights to Tirana (the nearest airport to Berat)
This is interesting
The nature of Berat is subdued but beautiful. On one side the city is surrounded by the Tomor Mountains, on the other it is surrounded by the Osun River. Residential buildings are arranged in tiers, and although they are built almost side by side, they do not cause a feeling of cramping. Maybe it’s because these white houses under tiled roofs have a lot of windows? It’s not for nothing that Berat is called the “city of a thousand windows.” Although a thousand windows, of course, is a clear exaggeration. There are only 60 thousand inhabitants here, in our understanding it is difficult to even call it a city. But relaxing in the peace and quiet of a leisurely town, where everyone is a neighbor, can serve as excellent therapy for a metropolitan resident exhausted by the bustle.
Since the mid-20th century, Berat has officially become a museum city, and in 2008 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Cuisine and restaurants
Berat's cuisine is simple, like everything ingenious. It is no coincidence that it is a center of trade for nearby villages. Here you can taste delicious grapes and other fruits, and buy wonderful tobacco.
Hotels
You can stay at the three-star Castle Park Hotel. This hotel offers beautiful views of the city as well as Mount Tomori. If you want to enjoy the history and culture of this place in privacy, you can book a separate cottage. Well, if you want local flavor “without cuts,” rent a room from an Albanian grandmother who will feed you freshly baked harapshi pie and goat’s milk.
Guides in Berat
Entertainment and attractions in Berat
The best part is that there are attractions in Berat literally at every step. Every house is an architectural monument or a museum, every church is an ancient shrine. So it’s simply impossible to miss something important. The pearl of Berat is its fortress, which is perfectly preserved. These walls have stood here since the 6th century and remember the rule of both Christians and Muslim Turks. People still live in the houses near the fortress. And they don’t just live, but as if nothing had happened, they graze cattle, engage in crafts, and generally do not seem to notice the splendor of this fortress. Every year, lovers come to the fortress who want to get married in this place. By the way, the traditional Albanian wedding ceremony also deserves attention.
Of course, most of Berat's buildings were built during the Ottoman Empire, but Christian heritage is also respected and protected here. This is proven by the fact that, along with mosques (for example, the Lead Mosque, the Royal Mosque, the Mosque), the Church of St. Michael, the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God, the Church of the Holy Trinity, and the Church of the Evangelists have been preserved.
The most famous museum is Onufri, which contains icons and paintings. Also in Berat there is a community of dervishes - a mystical sect; you probably know their strange way of entering a trance while dancing. There are two quarters in the city - the Muslim Mangalem and the Christian Goritsa; they are connected by a bridge of seven arched spans.
Trip to Berat
Albanian Switzerland
Berat is called Albanian Switzerland and deservedly so. This country is reminiscent of the hilly terrain, and it would be unforgivable to come to Berat and not wander around its surroundings. You can take a bottle of local or Greek wine, warm bread bought from the peasants, and go for a picnic to the Fortress. The clear, cool water of the Osun River encourages leisurely walks along its banks. And in May you will be able to witness an amazing miracle of nature - many living lights lit by fireflies. This phenomenon can now be seen rarely in the world due to poor environmental conditions. Berat has retained the purest air to this day.
From Tirana to Berat it’s “only” 120 km, and what’s nice is not through the mountains, but along a flat path, i.e. along the highway. Well, or let’s say this: 80% of the path is smooth, and 20% is over bumps and unevenness. We were already accustomed to the fact that in Albania the journey should be calculated not in kilometers, but in hours, so we knew that we would have about 3 hours of travel there and the same amount back (since we did not want to stay there overnight).
We went to Berat on our own, i.e. by car. To do this, you first need to leave Tirana, get along a completely civil highway (two lanes in each direction, divided in the middle) to the port of Durres (about 40 km, almost everywhere the permitted maximum speed is 80 or 90 km/h), then turn south towards Rogozin - again along a good highway. After some time, the part of the road that was put into operation becomes unfinished. This forces you to be more attentive, because... You may come across drainage hatches that have not yet been sealed, holes in the middle, or other “joys” of the driver. Transitions between sections of the highway are now a separate story - continuous potholes that you literally need to crawl over in the lowest gear. Not all segments have the necessary markings or lighting, so traveling at night is a special topic in motor sports for survival. However, road work is underway and from month to month there is a noticeable difference for the better.
At the Lushnije level, you need to navigate the map and turn towards this town (the main highway goes on the right hand towards Fjer). Frankly, the quality of the road changed so dramatically and immediately that it even seemed to me that we had lost our way. We stopped near a cafe with local drivers, and they kindly explained to us in understandable Albanian :) that we were going the right way and that we needed to stay on this strange road further.
The road seemed strange to me because of its disgusting nature. It’s just that Berat is a famous tourist destination, a city under UNESCO protection, etc. For some reason it seemed that some kind of normal route had been laid there. But no. The remaining 30 km from Lushnje to Berat, the cruising speed was about 30-40 km/h (from 5 to 70 km/h), we constantly had to keep our eyes on the road and make sure not to fall into the next hole or go around the next crack in time. old asphalt. There were also simply torn up areas, where there was pothole on pothole.
Albanian drivers, in principle, are not reckless. There is no place to particularly accelerate here. But what’s nice is that they are not malicious and rather try to help than show aggression. The maximum way their impatience can be shown is by pressing the horn. But few people pay attention to this seriously. Well, it’s customary to use the horn here when overtaking on the left to warn the other driver, as well as in the mountains before the next blind turn.
Already from afar there is a beautiful view of Mount Tomor, snow-capped at this time of year.
Berat gained fame and tourist attractiveness due to its well-preserved historical center, very picturesquely located along the Osum River, and representing an example of urban development from the Ottoman Empire. The first Greek settlements here date back to the 4th century BC, but the modern name of the city comes from the name “Belograd” (white city), given by the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I in the 9th century. The city was part of the Bulgarian kingdom until the 11th century, and later was part of the Epirus Despotate. In the 13th century the city was again part of the Byzantine Empire. In 1345, the city became part of the Serbian Kingdom under Stefan Dusan. In the 15th century, Berat was the capital of the Principality of Muzaki, in 1432 -1444. - the capital of the principality of Arianiti.
The city was conquered by the Ottomans in 1431. In 1450, Berat was included in the Ottoman Empire and remained part of it until 1912. By the way, it was here that the independence of Albania was proclaimed in 1912.
In Albania itself, Berat has the definition of “the city of a thousand windows” because of the specific impression given by dense buildings on the slopes of two low mountains.
We actually parked in the very center in the Mangalem area, just on the street and went to explore the surroundings. We didn’t have much time (since we left Tirana very late), so we limited ourselves to only one part of the city, leaving the rest for our subsequent trips here.
On the mountain we saw a nice church and decided to climb higher there to take a closer look.
The road up the mountain is essentially an ancient street paved with white stone.
Along the way there are very pleasant panoramic views of the surrounding area.
The church turned out to be closed, but we read in the guidebook that it was consecrated in honor of St. Michael and dates back to the 16th century.
As is usual for Albania, the closer to the south, the more Orthodox churches (in the north of Albania there are more Catholic ones). In general, historically Albania is a Christian country, the Apostle Paul baptized here, and Islam appeared here along with the Turks and not earlier than the 15th century. Albanians converted to Islam mainly for economic reasons, to avoid taxes on non-believers. The Greeks helped pay this tax to their coreligionists in the south, so Christianity remained stronger there. Rome financed Catholics less actively, so the influence of Islam is more noticeable in the north, and many Albanians who did not want to change their faith emigrated to Italy (where, by the way, they still retained the language, living in separate communities... and did not preserve it having writing).
However, interesting stories could also be told about Islam in Albania, because... it is not at all homogeneous and has very interesting features.
Albanians themselves are quite indifferent to religion, and are also tolerant of all religions.
The descent down the narrow streets is very picturesque.
Fortunately, it's not hot in February (though not cold, the sun was shining and we even took off our jackets in the end).
In the summer, when everything is in bloom, there must be wonderful shade from the grapes...