Krujë

The castle dominates the town. Its walls reach back to the early Middle Ages, but its place in Albanian memory was sealed by Skanderbeg's three successful defences against Ottoman sieges. Inside, the monumental 1980s museum tells that story through armour, weapons and replicas of the helmet and sword that became national symbols. The top terrace looks over the valley to the Adriatic. Ticket 200 ALL. Allow 1h 30m.

Inside the castle walls, an 18th-century Ottoman house preserved as a museum: traditional costumes, carved wooden interiors and a window into northern Albanian domestic life. A quieter, more human complement to the Skanderbeg Museum next door. Ticket 200 ALL. Allow 45 min.

A single cobbled lane of wooden-shuttered Ottoman shops running below the castle, restored after the 1967 fire and now the best-preserved bazaar in Albania. Stalls sell hand-woven carpets, filigree silver, antique copperware, alabaster carvings and countless Skanderbeg busts. It is a working market, not a re-enactment. Morning is best for the light and the smell of grilled meat.

A centuries-old Bektashi pilgrimage cave on the mountain above town. Moderate hike of about 1h 30m one way through pine forest, rewarded with sweeping views over the Krujë plain and the Adriatic. Sturdy shoes essential; carry water. A working shrine, so dress modestly inside.

The castle terrace and the streets above the bazaar look west across the plain of Tirana toward the Adriatic. Late afternoon light is best. A café or two just outside the walls make good rest stops with the view.