A little bit about the castle
The 13th-century castle in Berat isn’t the best preserved, but it’s still Albania’s best castle, and there’s more than enough at the castle to get a glimpse of what it looked like before.
Berat Castle is essentially a whole neighborhood on a hill, surrounded by castle walls. The castle is a must-see attraction in Berat and is easy to explore.
The best time to visit Berat Castle is early morning for fewer crowds, and late afternoon to enjoy the sunset, as it’s the city’s best sunset spot. We were there multiple times during our stay in Berat, and also enjoyed a lovely dinner there.
What to see in Berat Castle
On our first visit, we took a leisurely 1 hour to walk around Berat Castle, and finished off with the Berat Viewing Platform, from which you can see the river and the Gorica neighborhood. Below is the order in which we recommend exploring the castle to see the best things the best way.
Things to see at Berat Castle in order of visit
- Berat Castle Gate and Viewpoint
- Colossal Head of Constantine
- St. Mary of Blachernae Church
- Onufri Iconographic Museum (Byzantine art and iconography)
- Holy Trinity Church
- Water Cistern
- Ruins of the Red Mosque
- Berat Viewing Platform
Want to learn more about the castle during your visit?
We recommend the 🚶♀️ Berat Walking Tour with a local guide, which, in addition to the Castle, also visits the Mangalem Quarter and the Gorica neighborhood.
Castle Gate and Viewpoint
As you enter through the gate of Berat Castle (the main entrance), you can walk up some stairs on top of the ruins to get some lovely views of the castle and the surrounding area. This is an excellent spot for sunset!
If you’d like to get some souvenirs, this is also the best spot in the castle for that, as the local families living in the castle display their products around the gate area. We recommend buying something on the way out, so you don’t have to carry it around as you explore the castle.
Colossal Head of Constantine
The most surprising thing we saw at the Berat Castle was definitely the Colossal Head of Constantine. You’d expect something like this to be in a museum, but no, here, it’s right out in the open. And it’s surprisingly well preserved!
St. Mary of Blachernae Church
Just steps away from Constantine’s head is St. Mary of Blachernae Church, an Eastern Orthodox Church with beautiful frescoes inside. It’s a Byzantine church named after the same-named church in Constantinople (now Istanbul).
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We always get the best value-for-money eSIM we can, based on reliable signal, fast internet speeds, and coverage across the country. 🌐
Now that eSIM plan prices are more than reasonable compared to regular phone plans (which are more of a hassle to get), we really see no reason not to get one for each trip.
Onufri Iconographic Museum
The small national museum of Iconography in Berat houses Byzantine art, iconography, and religious objects from the Orthodox history of Albania. If religious topics interest you, we recommend taking the audio guide, which goes into detail about what you see inside.
Holy Trinity Church
We loved the area around Holy Trinity Church, as it offers some of the best views of the landscape to the west of Berat. The inside of the church is not as well preserved as that of other churches, with many frescos damaged, but that’s more than compensated for by the outside.
Ruins of the Red Mosque
Continuing uphill from the Holy Trinity Church, you come to the ruins of the white mosque, and shortly after, the ruins of the Red Mosque.
The Red Mosque ruins are the only remaining mosque ruins within Berat Castle, as nothing remains of the white mosque after a major Ottoman attack (as with many other buildings).
Berat Viewing Platform
Continuing from the Red Mosque ruins, you will pass the abandoned Church of St. George, and then soon after, you descend and reach the Viewing Platform (known as the flagpole observation deck) on one of the castle walls.
From this viewpoint, you get amazing views of the Gorica neighborhood, the Osum River as it passes through Berat, and parts of the Mangalem Quarter.
How to get to Berat Castle
From Berat’s old town (Mangalem Quarter), it’s a 20-minute walk up the steep Rruga Mihal Komnena road to reach the Berat Castle. It’s quite a walk up to the castle, but doable for everyone. About mid-way up, there’s also a shortcut you can take, but it’s still a steep zigzag.
Alternatively, you can do a short hike to Berat Castle via the steep path to St. Michael’s Church, a medieval Byzantine-era Albanian Orthodox Church located in the middle of the hill. It takes about 30 minutes from the road.
Sadly, we didn’t have time to do this short hike, so we only saw the church from the Gorica bridge. You can also do it the other way around and go down from the castle on that path.
Best way to explore Albania?
RENTING A CAR
We love exploring places at our own pace and on our own time, especially to avoid crowds at popular destinations we visit. Plus, watching sunrises and sunsets at epic locations is a must. ☀
That’s why renting a car for us is a no-brainer, and an unmissable part of most trips. 🚗
We love having the choice to compare prices, choose different pick-up and drop-off locations (one-way rentals), and pay for a reasonable full insurance policy without going broke. 🤑
Where to park at Berat Castle
There is a free parking lot right in front of the Berat Castle Gate. In addition, you can also park for free right inside the castle grounds.
We parked our Fiat Panda for free just after entering the gate, which worked out great.
Heads up: If you’re unlucky like us to arrive at Berat Castle by car right when tour buses are coming, you might experience what we did – buses completely blocking the roundabout at the top of the hill. Just know that it’s a daily occurrence.
We had to wait about 10 minutes for the buses to move out of the way and stop blocking the whole road. They really should find a better spot to drop off passengers. 🤷♂️ This was also the only road to our hotel, so we had to deal with this every day. 😅
Can you stay in a hotel in Berat Castle?
Yes, you can stay in a hotel within the Berat castle grounds, and there are some fantastic hotels housed in centuries-old historic buildings (refurbished, of course!).
In our opinion, it’s the best place to stay in Berat (read our Berat Hotel Guide for more information).
We recommend the Berati Castle Hotel, and the cheaper alternative, Hotel Kalaja, both located on the first square inside the Berat Castle – comfy rooms, and views of the walls. Also, if you’re coming by car, you can park right in front.
For families and groups, a top choice is Villa Athina, a historic three-bedroom house right at the Castle Gate – you can book the whole place for an excellent price.
Best restaurants within the castle of Berat
In Berat’s castle grounds, a great restaurant choice is the family-run Restaurant Klea with top-quality food, as well as Zeri Traditional Food, a low-key tavern with local food at reasonable prices.
We planned to eat at Zeri, but they were closed during our late October visit. So, our tip if you plan to eat at the castle outside the season is to contact the restaurants to confirm their opening hours.
Arijana celebrated her 30th Birthday in Berat, and we chose Te Zalua restaurant inside the Castle for dinner. It was a great choice, as the traditional food was fabulous – we tried their famous Eggplant Musaka, and the traditional Fergese, plus a village salad. All dishes were delicious.
The restaurant also has some tables on the side of the hill with a fantastic view towards the east of Berat. Since the evening was a bit cold, we stayed in the covered part instead. But during the day, that spot is superb!
Albania trip
MUST-HAVE ✔
💳 Save money when changing currencies or taking out cash by bringing a backup travel card. Oh, and in case an ATM swallows your card. Yes, it happened to us. 🤦♂️
🔌 Bring a Universal Travel Adapter with fast-charging capabilities (45W and Power Delivery).
📶 Stay online by getting an eSIM. You can get our favorite eSIM at a 10% discount.
Continue your Berat and Albania trip planning
- ⭐ What Not To Miss in Berat (best places and experiences)
- 🛌 Best Hotels & Areas (where to stay in Berat)
- 🌊 Osumi Canyon River Tubing (our favorite thing we did in Berat)
- 🚶♀️ Wading through Holta Canyon (fun little half-day trip)
Must-read - 🇦🇱 Best of Albania in Two Weeks (day-by-day itinerary)
- 🌄 North Albania in One Week (rivers, lakes, hikes, swimming spots)
