Ancient Sites in Albania: Butrint, Apollonia and the Via Egnatia

The Via Egnatia began at Durrës and crossed Albania along the Shkumbin, through Peqin, Elbasan and the mountains beyond Perrenjas on its way to Lake Ohrid and Thessalonica. This guide sets out the ancient line, the towns to break the journey and the guided walking option.

Apollonia Archaeological Park sits on a hill above the Myzeqe Plain near Pojan, about 12 kilometres west of Fier. Here is what stands there, how the ruins are laid out, how long to give the site, and how to reach it from Fier, Berat or Tirana.

Byllis is an ancient city spread across an exposed ridge above the Vjosa valley, best treated as a half-day walk among walls, a theatre and basilicas rather than a museum visit. This guide covers what survives, how long to allow, how to reach it from Fier and how to pair it with Apollonia and Ardenica.

Butrint National Park protects a small green peninsula of Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian remains between Lake Butrint and the Vivari Channel, 18 km south of Sarandë. Allow two to three hours for the archaeological core, more if you want the wetland edges and the birdlife.

Ali Pasha Castle is a small Ottoman fort at the mouth of the Vivari Channel, reached only by boat from the Butrint side. It takes an hour or two, works best as an add-on to the national park, and is easily confused with the Ali Pasha castle at Porto Palermo.

Butrint's ruins read in order: a Greek sanctuary and theatre, a Roman forum and aqueduct, an early Christian basilica and baptistery, and a Venetian fortress across the strait. This timeline ties each period to the building you can still pick out on the ground.

Butrint is one compact circuit around a wooded headland, with the Acropolis castle museum on the hill above it. Here is how the pieces fit together, how long the visit takes, and how the bus, taxi and car routes from Saranda and Ksamil work.

A tour is the simplest way to see Butrint from Sarandë, but a combined day trip gives the ruins about 90 minutes. Here is what guided visits, self-guided entry, boat trips and the bus actually involve, with entry fees, museum hours and the transport maths to help you choose.

Amantia is an Illyrian hilltop city above the Vjosa valley near Ploçë, with a Hellenistic stadium, two kilometres of circuit wall, a gate, a Temple of Aphrodite, a necropolis and a later Christian basilica. This guide covers the layout, the stadium's unequal seating banks, how steep the walking is, the road from Vlorë and what to see nearby.

Orikum is a small Vlorë County village on the Bay of Vlorë, with the Karaburun Peninsula rising behind it and a separate archaeological park on its edge. Plan it as a half-day from Vlorë or a low-key base, not a resort stop.

Roman ruins in Albania mean three places above all: Butrint in the south, Apollonia near the Vjosë river and the amphitheatre in central Durrës. Each is a different kind of visit, and Berat, though medieval and Ottoman, fits neatly on the same route.