Ancient City · Greek · Albania
Antigonea
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.
Photo: Albinfo, CC BY-SA 4.0
Antigonea tickets: which one for you
Our pick for each kind of visit, with live dates and prices from GetYourGuide. Free cancellation on most.
Best for: A guided day out with lunch
Transport, a guide on the hill and a village lunch in one outing, with stops for photographs; it spares you the taxi negotiation and the drive on mountain roads.
- Two days around Gjirokastra: Gjirokastra 2 day tour village farm antigonea Combines the ruins with the old town and a farm in a nearby village over two days, with transport arranged, for travellers who want the region organised end to end.
Tickets and tours: all the options
Antigonea is not a ticketed attraction in the way Butrint is: there is no online sale, and the small entry fee, where it is collected, is paid to the guard at the gate in Albanian leke. Information panels explain the main excavated areas, so you can walk the site on your own without booking anything.
Two kinds of tour are sold online. The first is a guided day out with a driver, which pairs the ruins with lunch in a village restaurant and photo stops in the surrounding countryside, so it saves you hiring a taxi and finding the side road yourself. The second is a two-day package based in Gjirokastra that adds meals or a stay on a farm in a nearby village and a walk through the old town; it suits travellers who want the whole region handled for them. Check what is included: transport and a guide are standard, while the entry fee and drinks are not always covered.
Independent visitors usually hire a taxi in Gjirokaster and ask the driver to wait for about two hours; agree the price before you leave. With your own car the visit is simple. The sensible choice for most people is a half-day by taxi or car, or the day tour if you would rather not drive the mountain roads.
What to see at Antigonea
Southern walls and gate
The visit starts near the guardhouse below the southern end of the hill, where the best-preserved stretch of the circuit wall survives. Built of large dressed blocks, it once ran right round the summit before the Romans pulled much of it down in 167 BC. Follow it to the south-western gate, the clearest of the city's entrances, and look along the line of the wall towards the valley.
Early Christian church
Where the southern wall ends stands a small church with three apses, the last building put up in ancient Antigonea. Its mosaic floor shows a figure with a human body and an animal head, read as Saint Christopher or as an echo of the Egyptian Anubis, next to a Greek emblem. Mosaics here are often covered for protection, so ask the guard what can be seen.
2 tickets and tours for Antigonea
Live dates and prices from GetYourGuide. Free cancellation on most tickets.
Street grid and peristyle house
Climb north to the central hill, where the town was laid out on a regular grid of straight streets crossing at right angles. One whole street has been cleared, with the stone foundations of houses opening off it. The finest is a house built round a courtyard ringed by columns, whose rooms, thresholds and drains show how a well-off Chaonian family lived in the 3rd century BC.
Acropolis on the northern hill
The path continues up to the acropolis on the northern summit, the highest and most defensible part of the city. Little stands above knee height, but the position explains why the site was chosen: the whole Drino valley spreads below, with Gjirokaster and its castle on the slopes opposite. Walk back down by the same path, which is loose in places.
A short history
Antigonea was founded in the 3rd century BC as the main inland town of the Chaonians, one of the tribes of Epirus. The likeliest founder is Pyrrhus, who would have named it after his wife Antigone, a stepdaughter of Ptolemy I; some scholars credit Antigonus II Gonatas instead. Its hilltop controlled the routes through the Drino valley towards the coast. The city backed Macedon against Rome, and after the Roman victory of 167 BC the consul Aemilius Paullus had it burnt with some seventy other towns of Epirus. A small church shows that life returned in late antiquity, until raids in the 6th century AD. Dhimosten Budina identified and excavated the site; an Albanian and Greek team works there now.
Getting there
Gjirokaster is the base. Buses reach it from Tirana in about four hours and from Saranda in about an hour, and the old town lies above the main road. Antigonea is on the far, eastern side of the Drino valley: drive down to the valley floor, cross the river and follow the signs for Saraqinisht, then climb the side road to the site, roughly 30 minutes in all. No buses go there, so without a car take a taxi from Gjirokaster and either arrange the return or have the driver wait. There is room to park by the entrance. The nearest airport is Tirana; Corfu, a short ferry crossing from Saranda, is an alternative for travellers coming from Greece.
Rules and what to bring
Do not climb on the walls or step on exposed mosaics, and leave any pottery shards where they lie, since removing finds from Albanian sites is illegal. Drones need permission. There is no cafe or shop on the hill and facilities are basic at best, so bring water, food, a hat and sunscreen. Wear shoes with good grip, as the paths are steep and loose in places, and watch for snakes in the long grass in summer.
When to go
Antigonea is rarely busy. On most days you will share it with a handful of visitors and perhaps one small tour group, so the main issue is weather rather than crowds. The hill is open and exposed: in July and August the midday sun is fierce and temperatures in the Drino valley often pass 35 degrees, so go early in the morning or after about 4 pm, when the light over the valley is also at its best.
Spring is the finest season. From April to early June the grass is green, wild flowers cover the slopes and snow on the surrounding mountains makes a backdrop for photographs. September and October are also good, dry and mild. In winter rain turns the paths muddy and the gate may be unattended, so confirm before you go. Allow about two hours on site, plus an hour for the drive there and back from Gjirokaster.
Combine it with
Gjirokaster itself, a UNESCO-listed Ottoman town of stone-roofed houses below a large castle, fills the rest of the day. The Blue Eye spring is about 45 minutes south on the road to Saranda, and Butrint, the region's major classical site, lies some 30 minutes beyond Saranda. Finds from Antigonea, including a bronze sphinx and a statue of Poseidon, are displayed in Tirana.
At a glance
| Hours | Daylight hours; a guard keeps the site, so check in Gjirokaster before driving out in winter |
|---|---|
| Closed | No regular closing day published; confirm locally |
| Entry fee | A small fee in leke at the gate |
| Time needed | 1.5 to 2 hours |
| Best time | Morning or late afternoon; Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct |
| Booking | No booking; pay on arrival or join a tour from Gjirokaster |
| Access | Steep hill paths over rough stone and grass, almost no shade; not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs |
| Getting there | Taxi or car from Gjirokaster across the Drino valley via Saraqinisht, about 30 minutes |
| Founded | 250 BC (3rd century BC (midpoint)) |
| Abandoned | 167 BC |
| Civilisation | Greek |
| Elevation | 600 m above sea level |
| Checked | October 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
When is Antigonea open?
Daylight hours; a guard keeps the site, so check in Gjirokaster before driving out in winter. Closed: No regular closing day published; confirm locally.
How much is the entry fee for Antigonea?
Entry fee: A small fee in leke at the gate.
How long do you need at Antigonea?
Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for Antigonea.
Do I need to book Antigonea in advance?
No booking; pay on arrival or join a tour from Gjirokaster.
Can I book a ticket or tour for Antigonea online?
Yes. GetYourGuide lists 2 tickets and tours for Antigonea, with live dates and prices and free cancellation on most of them.
When is the best time to visit Antigonea?
Morning or late afternoon; Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct.
How do I get to Antigonea?
Taxi or car from Gjirokaster across the Drino valley via Saraqinisht, about 30 minutes.
Is Antigonea accessible, and what is the terrain like?
Steep hill paths over rough stone and grass, almost no shade; not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
Is Antigonea worth visiting?
Worth it for a quiet walk among Hellenistic walls and house plans with views over the Drino valley. Skip or shorten it if you want standing temples and theatres, or have no car, since nothing runs there by public transport.
How old is Antigonea?
Antigonea dates from 250 BC (3rd century BC (midpoint)). It was abandoned in 167 BC.