Which one to choose in Albania
Two ancient sites in Albania. Antigonea has 2 tickets and tours to book; Durres Amphitheatre has 4 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.
Durres, Albania
The Roman amphitheatre of Durres, begun under Trajan in the early 2nd century AD, is the largest ever built in the Balkans and once seated about 20,000 people. Rediscovered only in 1966 beneath houses in the centre of Albania's main port, it keeps vaulted galleries, stairways and a small chapel with early Christian mosaics.
| Antigonea | Durres Amphitheatre | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ancient City | Theatre & Amphitheatre |
| Civilisation | Greek | Roman |
| Founded | 250 BC | AD 150 |
| Entry | A small fee in leke at the gate | Small fee in ALL at the gate |
| Hours | Daylight hours; a guard keeps the site, so check in Gjirokaster before driving out in winter | Roughly 9 am to early evening in summer, shorter hours in winter |
| Time needed | 1.5 to 2 hours | About an hour |
| Booking | No booking; pay on arrival or join a tour from Gjirokaster | Pay at the gate; no need to book |
| Tickets and tours on GetYourGuide | 2 | 4 |