Apollonia and Durrës: Roman and Greek Albania off the tourist circuit

Albanian archaeology doesn’t end at Butrint. In the centre of the country, a short distance from Tirana, there are two Greco-Roman sites that very few travellers visit despite being first-magnitude in the Adriatic: Apollonia of Illyria and Durrës (ancient Dyrrachium). They’re half-day destinations, ideal as a cultural counterweight to the Riviera or as a stop en route from the airport. This post explains what they are, how to reach them and what to expect.

Apollonia of Illyria

Founded in 588 BC by colonists from Corinth and Corcyra, Apollonia was one of the great Greek cities of the eastern Adriatic. In Roman times Cicero called it “magna urbs et gravis” — great, serious city — and it was here that the young Octavian (future emperor Augustus) was studying rhetoric when he learned of Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC. From Apollonia he sailed to Rome to claim the inheritance, and history changed.

What you see today:

• Bouleuterion (council house) with six restored facade columns — the site’s signature image.
• Small odeon (covered theatre for music).
• Portico of 17 niches with statues.
• Commemorative obelisk.
• 13th-century Byzantine monastery of Saint Mary, built over the acropolis. Today it houses the site’s archaeological museum, with recovered pieces.

The site is vast — 170 hectares — but only a small part is excavated. A full walk takes 2-2.5 hours, including the museum.

How to get there: Apollonia is near Fier, 125 km south of Tirana (1.5 h by motorway), or 115 km north of Sarandë. From Fier, it’s 12 km on a secondary road. Easy with your own car. By bus: Tirana-Fier (several departures, 2 h, 400 LEK), then taxi to Apollonia (1,500 LEK round trip with wait).

Hours and entry: Summer 08:00-20:00, winter 08:00-16:00. Entry 400 LEK (4 €), includes museum. Virtually never a queue.

Durrës: the amphitheatre and imperial memory

Durrës is Albania’s second most populous city today (120,000) and the major ferry port from Italy. But beneath the modern city lives Dyrrachium, founded in 627 BC and in Roman times the western terminus of the Via Egnatia — the great road linking Rome to Byzantium via Thessaloniki.

Essentials:

• Roman amphitheatre (2nd c. AD), built under Trajan. Original capacity 15,000, the largest in the Balkans. Today partially excavated, with parts still under modern houses — a curious mix of ruins and 20th-century urbanism. Inside is a Byzantine chapel with 13th-century frescoes.
• Archaeological Museum: the country’s best alongside Tirana’s. Roman mosaics, statuary, Illyrian-Greek-Roman-Byzantine pieces. Entry 300 LEK.
• Byzantine walls along the corniche.
• Villa Zog on the hill (former summer residence of King Zog I, interwar Albanian nationalist, closed to the public today but visible from outside).

Durrës also has a seafront promenade and a long beach. The beach itself is second-tier — acceptable sand, but water and infrastructure inferior to the Riviera. Don’t come for the beach; come for the amphitheatre and museum, with fish lunch at the port as a bonus.

How to get there: 40 km from central Tirana (40 min by motorway), 20 min from the airport. Train (restored in 2020 after decades without service) slow but works. Buses every 30 min.

Amphitheatre hours: 09:00-18:00, entry 200 LEK.

Why visit them

Neither Apollonia nor Durrës competes with Butrint in spectacle. They’re not as complete or photogenic. But together they tell the story of ancient Albania that Butrint, being in the far south, doesn’t quite deliver: the Albania that was a gateway between East and West, the Roman crossing from Italy to the Balkans, the place where Augustus was formed. If classical antiquity beyond the postcard interests you, Apollonia + Durrës is a must half-day, and it combines well with Tirana arrival/departure.

Suggested itinerary

Half day from Tirana:

• 09:00: drive to Durrës.
• 09:40-11:30: Durrës amphitheatre + museum.
• 11:30: depart for Fier (1 h).
• 13:00-15:00: Apollonia + museum + light lunch in Fier.
• 15:30: back to Tirana (1.5 h) or continue south.

For travellers landing in Tirana and heading south, inserting Apollonia as a stop between airport and Berat works perfectly.

Far Guides’ complete Albania guide includes a detailed map of both sites, context on the Via Egnatia and a combined route with other ancient sites (Byllis, Antigoneia).