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Offered languages
- English
- English
Four Gjirokastër natives shaped this Albanian hill town — a guerrilla fighter, a novelist, a pasha, and a pioneering feminist writer. A communist dictatorship shadowed all of them. This self-guided audio tour follows their stories through the UNESCO-listed City of Stones.
Starting at Çerçiz Topulli Square, where seven fighters once held off 200 Ottoman soldiers, you'll climb through the old bazaar to Ismail Kadare's childhood home. The 19th-century Skënduli House has 64 windows, four Turkish baths, and a pomegranate-carved wedding room. At Musine Kokalari's house museum, you'll learn how Albania's first female political writer paid for defending democracy with decades of exile. It ends at Gjirokastër Castle, above the ruins of ancient Antigonea, where a downed American spy plane sits on display.
This tour is perfect for history lovers. Download the VoiceMap app and enter your voucher code from the confirmation email to start touring at your own pace.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
This tour starts at Parking Girokaster. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.
This self-guided audio tour ends outside the Skena e Festivalit Folklorik Gjirokastër.
Itinerary
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Gjirokaster (Pass by)
On this walking tour, you'll hear the stories of four remarkable people born in this UNESCO World Heritage city
Admission ticket free -
Çerçiz Topulli Square (Pass by)
The tour starts at Çerçiz Topulli Square, named for the Albanian patriot who led a band of fighters against Ottoman rule in the early 1900s and died in chains rather than surrender.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
On this self-guided tour, you'll pass by the Nostalgia Tunnel. You'll learn about the tunnel while you walk.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
From there, you'll climb through the old bazaar district, past the Obelisk that commemorates Gjirokastra's first illegal Albanian-language school
Admission ticket free -
Skenduli House (Pass by)
You'll stop at Kadare's childhood home – the very house he immortalized in Chronicle in Stone – before reaching the Skerduli House, a 19th-century tower-house with 64 windows
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
You'll also visit the house museum of Musine Kokalari, Albania's first female writer and co-founder of the Social Democratic Party, who spent decades in prison and internal exile after publicly defending democracy in open court
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
The tour ends at Gjirokastra Castle, where the views over the Drino valley reveal the ruins of ancient Antigonea
Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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