☰Gjirokastër Castle

The massive stone fortress crowning Gjirokastër is one of the largest castles in the Balkans — a huge sprawl of ramparts, cisterns, and vaulted halls clinging to the crest of the hill above the old town. The current walls were rebuilt by Ali Pasha of Tepelena in the early 19th century, but the site has been fortified since at least the 12th century. Inside the fortress are the National Weapons Museum (displayed in the old prison cells) and, incongruously on the ramparts, a captured US Air Force T-33 reconnaissance aircraft — forced down over Albania in 1957 during the Cold War and left here as a trophy. The views over the stone rooftops and the Drino valley from the walls are the best in the city.