The setting of the city is great with snowcapped mountains all around it. Be sure to visit the 11th-century citadel, which has a stunning view of the countryside, as well as the interesting Ethnographic Museum in the home that was the birthplace of Enver Hoxha.

History:
Gjirokastër is located on the hills of the Wide Mountain (Mali i Gjerë). At one point the city was a castle (Castle of Gjirokastër) and then it began to grow with buildings springing up on the hills around the castle walls. During the 13th century  It was also knows as Argyropoline, Agyrokastron or the City of Argyro. In the 14th century  it was part of the Despotate of Epirus  The houses in Gjirokastër have a distinguished Albanian style. Gjirokastër also features an old bazaar A bazaar is a market, often covered, typically found in areas of Muslim culture, which was originally built in the 17th century. 

The city was developed after World War II  and it is today an economic, educational and cultural center of southern Albania. There are over 20 museums in Gjirokastër today and it is also the city of the National Folk Festival.

Gjirokaster is a commercial center in South Albania, it produces foodstuffs, leather, and textiles. There are several 18th-century mosques and churches and an old citadel (rebuilt in the 19th cent.) in the town. Dating probably from the 4th cent., Gjirokastër passed to the Turks in the 15th cent. It was captured (1811) by Ali Pasha and was the center (late 1800s) of anti-Turkish resistance. In World War II it was occupied by Italy, Greece, and Germany in succession. Enver Hoxha, the Albanian Communist party leader, was born thereGjirokastra is museum city with charasterist houses made from stone.

Getting There:
Gjirokaster is on the main bus route from Tirana to Kakavija and  Saranda, Gjirokastra is not far from northern Greeks towns.

Most through buses stop on the main highway below Gjirokastra.Some buses depart from Cerciz Topulli Plaza below the citadel, including one to Tirana at 5 am.

You can get in Gjirokastra from Tirana, Saranda, Delvina or from Greece. Travelling south to Saranda via Gjirokastra, birthplace of Enver Hoxha the former Communist leader, you will visit the Museum of Weapons and the imposing fortress rebuilt by Ali Pasha.

Eating Out:
The daily diet of most Albanians includes milk and cheese, vegetables and bread. Meat, eggplants, peppers, olives and tomatoes are frequently part of Albanian dishes. Feta cheese and a coarse white cheese called djathe i bardhe are common. Albanians also eat lots of fruit. Turkish dishes have influenced Albanian cooking. Shishqebap (shish kebab), romstek (beef patties) and qofte (meatballs) are popular grilled foods. Other popular Albanian foods include bourek or byrek (layers of pastry filled with cheese, meat, or vegetables), pilaf (a dish made with rice and cheese) and faszle (white bean soup). Beef stew and roast meat with sour cream or yogurt are common. A dessert popular in the city of Gjirokaster is hoshaf, which is made with figs. Breakfast is usually bread and jam with tea and milk and sometimes eggs. The midday meal is the main meal of the day. It usually includes soup, salad, meat, and vegetables. Instead of a sweet dessert, most people will finish the meal with fresh fruit or nuts. However, akullore (ice cream) is popular in summer. In the cities, many people have their evening meal in a restaurant. Did you know? A spring near Gjirokaster provides excellent mineral water for drinking. The water is named Glina after the nearest town. A guest in an Albanian home may be offered Turkish coffee and raki, a clear strong brandy made from grapes. In Kruja, people enjoy boza, a thick drink made with cornmeal, sugar and water. When Albanians gather in coffeehouses or bars, they may toast each other by saying "Gëzuar!" You can enjoy eating in Korculle or Virua.

Festivals:
Gjirokastra is a home of traditional Albanian folk festival, usually on fall every four.The National Folklore Festival has its beginnings in year 1968, when it was organized for the first time in Gjirokastra. Since then, it is held once in four years, and it has become the symbol of the Albanian national folklore. This Festival is the amphitheater of the best offered by the Albanian tradition, music vibes and instruments, folk art and costumes. Happening to be a visitor during the days of the Festival, the ambiance and the sensations one gets, is like walking in and interacting with the ancient folklore, or having at a grip or glance what it would take to travel all over Albania and see with your own eyes.  

About  1100 Albanian singers and dancers from Albania, Kosova (three groups), Maqedonia (one group), Montenegro (one group), Italia (one group), Germania (one group), Switland (one group) and USA (one group) were together in the Castle from September 29 to October 5, 2004.

Museums:
The National  Museum of Weapons at Gjirokastra has a USAF Lockheed T-33A which became lost over the Adriatic in the 1950s and was forced to land in Albania.

Sights:
Gjirokastra is a picturesque museum town in southern Albania. Gjirokastra is like an Albanian eagle perched om the mountain side with a mighty citadel for its head.

The fortress surveys the Drino Valley above the three and four-storey houses clinging to the slopes.Both buildings and streets are made of the same white-and-black stone.

Gjirokastra´s population is around 40,000 and one of the biggest cities of southern Albania. The name Gjirokastra comes from Illyrian Argyres Tribe which inhabited these parts of Europe.

Picturesque town with traditional houses  Medieval citadel (was converted into prison under Nazis; houses museum of weapons). Gjirokaster is museum city. houses are built with stones.

Castle of Gjirokaster
The castle of the city stands like a balcony over the city. Everyone says that the castle perches high over the town of Gjirokaster like an eagle, or a ship. However you choose to describe it, the castle definitely creates a presence over the city. It looms, it protects. It has eyes that follow every move of the city below.It enables the visitors to enjoy the very beautiful landscape. Volcanoes national park is housed in the interior of the castle.