blue car parked near brown concrete building during daytime

Berat

Berat is a UNESCO World Heritage town in southern Albania, known for its inhabited castle, its churches and mosques, and old houses with many large windows above the Osum river.

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Berat is a city in southern Albania, about 70 km south of Tirana in a straight line and about 120 km by road. The Osum river runs through it, and the old town has three parts: Kalaja on the castle hill, Mangalem at its foot, and Gorica on the left bank. Many of its old houses have large windows overlooking the town, which gives the city its nickname, the Town of One Window Above the Other. UNESCO inscribed Berat as a World Heritage Site on 8 July 2008.

The castle is still inhabited and holds the Church of the Holy Trinity, a 14th-century church with Byzantine murals. The King Mosque, built between 1481 and 1512, is the oldest mosque in town and now operates as a museum. Other stops include the former cathedral of St Nicholas, which houses a museum on the 16th-century painter Onufri, and the seven-arch Gorica Bridge. Summers are hot and dry, with an average maximum of 28.2 °C in July, while winters are mild and wet.

Berat in five

Sleep in the old quartersThe UNESCO-listed old town is Mangalem, Gorica and the castle district, continuously inhabited for centuries. A night there gives you the lanes at dusk and early morning, after day trippers from Tirana have left.
Climb to the castle earlyThe Kala was built mostly in the 13th century on a rocky hill and still holds houses, churches and the Onufri iconography museum. Wear shoes with grip for the cobbles and ask the gate for current hours.
Cross the Osum bridge at duskThe historic bridge links Mangalem with Gorica, the two neighborhoods whose houses face each other across the river. It is a short walk and the best time for photographs is before the light fades.
Add Apollonia on the way to the coastThe tourism agency's itinerary pairs Berat with the Apollonia archaeological park, which has an ancient theater and an odeon, before the road continues to Vlora.
Choose Berat or Gjirokastra if you must pick oneBoth share one UNESCO listing. Berat suits white facades and a living castle by the river; Gjirokastra suits stone tower houses and a larger fortress above the Drino valley.Gjirokastra travel guide

Things to do in Berat

See all attractions in Berat

A large white building with a tall tower in the background

Mosque · BeratBachelors' Mosque

A group of houses sitting on top of a hill

Sight · BeratMangalem

A white mosque with two tall minarets beside a river and mountain range

Mosque · BeratKing Mosque

Free trip plannerPlan a trip to BeratPut the places you like in Berat on a map, give them days, and let one button order each day. Free, with no account.Plan a trip

Need to know

Airport: None in Berat; Tirana (TIA) is the usual arrival airport
Getting there: By road from Tirana, Durrës or Vlora; check bus times on eTransport
Getting around: On foot; the old quarters are cobbled and steep
Best base: Mangalem or Gorica, or the castle district
Time needed: One night; a day trip is rushed

Weather by month

Rainy days
Days with storms

Best
Good
Mixed

JanuaryPartly cloudy12 rainy daysHigh11°Low4°Cool, quiet
FebruaryPartly cloudy9 rainy daysHigh14°Low5°Cool, wet
MarchPartly cloudy11 rainy daysHigh16°Low7°Mild, green
AprilPartly cloudy11 rainy daysHigh20°Low10°Spring lanes
MayRain13 rainy daysHigh23°Low13°Warm, flowers
JuneClear9 rainy daysHigh29°Low17°Hot start
JulyClear5 rainy daysHigh33°Low20°Hot, steep climbs
AugustClear5 rainy daysHigh33°Low20°Hottest
SeptemberClear9 rainy days1 day with stormsHigh28°Low16°Warm, clear
OctoberClear8 rainy daysHigh23°Low12°Mild, quiet
NovemberRain12 rainy days1 day with stormsHigh17°Low9°Wet, short days
DecemberPartly cloudy10 rainy daysHigh13°Low6°Cool, wet

Average daily high and low in Berat, 2016–2025. Rainy day: 1 mm of rain or more.

Right now in Berat

Local time, today's weather and the exchange rate, refreshed through the day.

Feels like: 11°
Humidity: 66%
Wind: 12 km/h
Chance of rain: 100%

Berat

09:47 PM

Monday, November 2

GMT+1

Today21°10°100%Monday: Rain. High 21°, Low 10°. Chance of rain 100%.
Tue17°11°73%Tuesday: Rain. High 17°, Low 11°. Chance of rain 73%.
Wed18°9°0%Wednesday: Cloudy. High 18°, Low 9°. Chance of rain 0%.
Thu19°9°0%Thursday: Cloudy. High 19°, Low 9°. Chance of rain 0%.
Fri18°9°2%Friday: Partly cloudy. High 18°, Low 9°. Chance of rain 2%.
Sat17°8°32%Saturday: Cloudy. High 17°, Low 8°. Chance of rain 32%.
Sun18°10°33%Sunday: Cloudy. High 18°, Low 10°. Chance of rain 33%.

Updated 05:32 PM local time · Powered by WeatherAPI.com · Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Money

Mid-market rate1 USD = 81.47 ALL

Amount

Converted to

ALL · Albanian Lek

Rates from Nov 2, 2026 · Rates By Exchange Rate API

Day trips by train

Apolloniaon the road to the coastAncient theater and odeon in an archaeological park, on the way to Vlora.
Tiranaback to the capital by roadThe usual start or end of a Berat trip, with museums and food.Read the guide
Gjirokastralong drive south, best as a moveStone tower houses and a bigger fortress in the south. A night there splits the long road toward Saranda into two shorter days.Read the guide

Before you go to Berat

Guesthouses in Mangalem or GoricaOld-quarter rooms with river viewsCheck availability

Berat day tours from TiranaTransport and a local guideCompare day trips

eSIM for BeratMaps for cobbled lanes and bus timesRead the guide

Insurance for Albanian roadsCover for winding drives and fallsRead the guide

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Rules for Berat, checked

Berat and Gjirokastra are a joint UNESCO listing; Berat's castle was mostly built in the 13th century and its churches are largely 13th century.Checked Oct 4, 2026 · Source

Plan around Berat

Tirana travel guide

The capital, one road north of Berat

Read the guide Gjirokastra

Stone tower houses, further south

Read the guide Durrës

Roman amphitheater and the Adriatic port

Read the guide Tirana in 2 days

A route for the city before or after Berat

Read the guide Getting around Albania

Buses, furgons and car hire

Read the guide All of Albania

Entry rules, coast and mountains

Read the guide

Berat FAQ

Is Berat worth visiting?

Yes, for a UNESCO old town of white Ottoman houses, a castle that people still live in and quiet lanes in the evening. It is small, so it suits one night better than a long stay.

Can you visit Berat as a day trip from Tirana?

You can, by road, but it is a long day for a small town. A night in Mangalem or Gorica lets you see the lanes after the day trippers leave, which is the reason to come.

How many days do you need in Berat?

One night and two half days: the castle and the Onufri museum, the Osum bridge and the two neighborhoods. Add Apollonia if you are driving toward the coast.

Berat or Gjirokastra: which should you visit?

Choose by route more than by town: Berat suits a trip that starts in Tirana, Gjirokastra one that ends in Saranda. With time for both, sleep a night in each; the essentials above set out how the two differ.

Do people still live in Berat castle?

Yes. The tourism agency describes the citadel as holding residential houses, narrow cobbled streets and Byzantine churches, so you walk through a lived-in quarter rather than an empty ruin.