Things to do in Durres

Durrës has been a port since it was founded around 627 BC. The harbour still sits where the old one did. Tirana's airport is about half an hour away, and most travellers pass through without stopping.

The amphitheatre, and the port that outgrew it

The Roman amphitheatre, raised under Trajan in the early 2nd century, once seated up to 20,000 people. It is the largest on the Balkan Peninsula. Excavation only found it in 1966, under buildings that had grown up on top.

• The amphitheatre — partly excavated, an early Christian chapel with mosaics built into one gallery.
• The old town — narrow streets between the amphitheatre and the harbour, walkable in under an hour.
• The waterfront market — fish stalls and produce, best worked through in the morning.

What Durrës is used for now

Golem, just south, has the ATV trails. Beach hotels cluster around it, and the city itself works as a base for day trips further out.

• Golem — off-road ATV routes through the dunes and pine woods behind the beach.
• Kruja and Apollonia — both sold as day trips from here, an hour or so each way.
• Berat and Shkodër — full-day trips, the country's other UNESCO towns and its northern lake.

Practical

• Weather. August highs run around 28C; January days sit near 12C, far wetter than the summer.
• From the airport. Tirana's airport is about half an hour's drive; buses and taxis both run the route.
• Getting around. The old town and amphitheatre sit within walking distance of each other and the port.
• Currency. The lek; cards work at hotels and larger restaurants, cash elsewhere.
• Booking ahead. Summer weekends fill the beach hotels between Durrës and Golem fast.