Berat Castle (Kalaja e Beratit) rises on a rocky hill above the town, its massive Byzantine walls enclosing an inhabited village that has been continuously occupied since the 4th century BC. The citadel is not a ruin but a living neighbourhood: people still live in the old houses within the walls, chickens wander between the Byzantine churches, and cats sleep on the ancient stonework. Walking through the gate and into this self-contained world is one of the most arresting experiences in the western Balkans.
Within the walls are around 20 Byzantine churches, a mosque, a tekke, Ottoman-era houses, and the remains of earlier structures going back to antiquity. Most of the churches are locked, but the Cathedral of the Dormition of St Mary — the main church — contains the Onufri Museum and is open. The castle walls are walkable in sections and give views over both the Osum River valley and the Mangalem quarter below. Go early in the morning when the light is best and the tourist groups have not yet arrived.