When arriving in Gjirokaster by bus, you'll be dropped off at the Regional Bus and Furgon Station in the lower part of the new town. It's a very informal bus stop, as mentioned above.

A 5-minute taxi ride up to the Old City will cost around 300-400 lek. We suggest walking a few blocks away from the bus area in the opposite direction to find a taxi on the street. The taxis that wait by the bus station tend to be a bit higher priced.

Alternatively, you can walk for about 30 minutes (mostly uphill) to reach the center of town, or take a local bus from one of the stops along Bulevardi 18 Shtator for around 30 lek per person.

Gjirokaster is small enough making it easy to walk just about anywhere, however it is worth noting that the streets are cobblestone and can be steep. Taxis are cheap and there is a public bus circuit that connects the old town and the new town for around 30 leke. From the runabout at the center of town to the bus station on the National Road is a fairly flat, easy, 10-minute walk along the main boulevard. Taxis will make this trip fro around 200 leke.

Though it's a bit of a challenging climb to get there, or a short taxi ride, it's absolutely worth it to stay between the atmospheric walls of Gjirokastra's old town, rather than in the newer part of town at the base of the hill.

Gjirokastra has a number of great restaurants tucked away between the winding streets, but most are concentrated around the old bazaar. The town's specialty which you'll find on almost every menu is qifqi, rice balls with a generous hit of fresh mint.

Odaja is a crowd favorite in town with balcony vistas or an air-conditioned room perfect for escaping the summer heat. The restaurant offers pretty street views and an excellent friend cheese dish on the menu that is a must try.

Because the city center is made from stone, it gets extremely hot in the peak of the summer. To avoid peak tourist season, we recommend visiting either in late summer (from mid-August) or during early fall in September and early November. The weather should still be nice, and you'll still gave lots of color on the mountains.

Depending on where you are visiting from, many people choose to visit Gjirokastër as a quick day trip. We highly recommend staying at least one night. There are enough things to see and do to keep you busy for at least of couple of days.

Albania is a very safe place to travel, especially smaller cities such as Gjirokastër. As always when traveling, keep your wits about you. Be aware of pick pockets and theft, so don't flash around your valuables. You will notice that Albanian people are overwhelmingly warm and hospitable, eager to help out whenever they can.

The official language in Albania is Albanian. Unlike all of the languages north of Albania, the Albanian language has nothing to do with the Slavic ones. It is rather hard to learn. Many older people won't speak too much English throughout the country, but the young kids really have a great level of English.

The currency used in Albanian is the Albanian Lek. Euros can actually be used pretty much everywhere, and you'll find that the exchange rate is typically better than using lek. However, it is quite rate to find Euros in Albania, so we suggest brining as many euros as you can before your arrival.

Also worth noting, many places only take cash, even in larger and fancier establishments. Cahs is key in Albania.

The tipping culture in Albania is pretty flexible. Most people tip in bars by just rounding up, while in restaurants leaving 100-200 lek (between $1-2) is common. However, if you don't receive great service, you are not obligated to tip.

In an emergency dial 112 is the general emergency services number or 114 for hearing assistance.