Which one to choose in Albania
Two ancient sites in Albania. Antigonea has 2 tickets and tours to book; Butrint has 34 tickets and tours to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Gjirokaster, Albania
Antigonea is a Hellenistic hilltop city of the Chaonians, about 600 metres up on the eastern side of the Drino valley, facing Gjirokaster in southern Albania. Founded in the 3rd century BC, probably by Pyrrhus of Epirus, it was burnt by Rome in 167 BC and never rebuilt, so its walls, street grid and house plans survive with few later layers.
Sarandë, Albania
Butrint is an ancient port city on a wooded peninsula in southern Albania, near the Greek border, where Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian remains lie layered within one compact site. A Greek theatre, Roman baths, an early Christian baptistery and a hilltop castle sit beside a lagoon and the Vivari Channel. It has been on the UNESCO list since 1992.
| Antigonea | Butrint | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ancient City | Ancient City |
| Civilisation | Greek | Greek |
| Founded | 250 BC | — |
| Entry | A small fee in leke at the gate | ALL 1,000; ages 12-18 ALL 500; under-12s free |
| Hours | Daylight hours; a guard keeps the site, so check in Gjirokaster before driving out in winter | 8.30 am to 8 pm Apr–Oct, last entry 6 pm; 9 am to 5.30 pm Nov–Mar, last entry 3 pm |
| Time needed | 1.5 to 2 hours | 2 to 3 hours |
| Booking | No booking; pay on arrival or join a tour from Gjirokaster | Pay at the gate; no need to book ahead |
| UNESCO | — | yes |
| Tickets and tours on GetYourGuide | 2 | 34 |
| Official website | — | yes |