What to See in Durrës, Albania: Free Audio Guide
Things to do in Durrës
Durrës is Albania’s largest port city, where ancient ruins, Ottoman mosques and a lively seaside promenade meet just a short trip from Tirana. It offers visitors a blend of history and beach life that makes it a worthwhile stop on any Albanian itinerary. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Durrës with 12 narrated places.
Explore Durrës’s highlights
Roman amphitheatre of Durrës
The Roman amphitheatre, built in the early 2nd century AD under Emperor Trajan, once seated about 20 000 spectators, making it the largest of its kind in the Balkans. Although earthquakes in the 6th and 10th centuries damaged the structure, its ruins were uncovered in 1966 and remain a central ancient monument in the city centre.
Durrës Archaeological Museum
Opened in 1951, the Durrës Archaeological Museum is the country’s largest archaeological museum and holds over 3 000 artefacts from the ancient sites of Epidamnos and Dyrrachium. After suffering damage in 1997 and the 2019 earthquake, it was renovated between 2010 and 2015 and again from 2022 to 2026 through the EU4Culture programme.
Royal Villa of Durrës
Known locally as Vila e Zogut, the Royal Villa sits on Kodër Vilë hill nearly 98 metres above the bay, offering sweeping views of the Adriatic. Commissioned by King Zog I and completed in 1937, it was designed by the Italian architect Florestano Di Fausto, combining Italian Rationalism with grand terraces and a pyramidal form, and features neoclassical interiors decorated with imported marble, gilt and double‑headed eagle motifs.
Durrës Castle
Durrës Castle, or Kalaja e Durrësit, encloses the medieval old city. Its stone walls date back to the late 5th century and were reinforced throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern era, reflecting the city’s long strategic importance as a fortified settlement.
Fatih Mosque
The Fatih Mosque, also called the Small or Old Mosque, was erected shortly after the Ottoman takeover of Durrës, around 1502–1503, and bears the name of Sultan Mehmet Fatih, the conqueror of Constantinople.
Great Mosque in Durrës
The Great Mosque (Xhamia e Madhe) rose in 1931 under King Ahmet Zogu, funded largely by local merchants, and stands today as a protected cultural monument of Albania.
Hammam of Durrës
This 18th‑century Ottoman bath centres on a large changing room under a restored spherical dome 5.8 metres high, pierced by twelve small windows and topped by a smaller half‑dome. Stone arches support the structure, while ceramic pipes once fed steam to two adjacent washing chambers.
Aleksandër Moisiu Theatre
Opened on 11 January 1953, the Aleksandër Moisiu Theatre honours the Albanian‑born actor Alexander Moissi. Its inaugural production was the comedy “The Girl from the Village.”
Concathedral of Saint Lucia
Built between 1858 and 1868, the Concathedral of Saint Lucia is the city’s oldest Christian church and serves as a concathedral for the Archdiocese of Tirana and Durrës.
Durrës Orthodox Cathedral
The Durrës Orthodox Cathedral, dedicated to Saints Paul and Asti (Shën Palit dhe Shën Asti), stands as the city’s principal Orthodox place of worship.
Museum of Martyrs
Designed by Kristo Sotiri and begun in 1947, the Museum of Martyrs commemorates World II partisans and victims of Nazi camps. Its mausoleum holds the remains of the fallen, while a marble panel bears bronze‑engraved names of those who perished in concentration camps. A 1976 mosaic, “The Liberation of Durrës,” depicts eight partisans entering the city in 1944.
Experience Durrës with Neywo
Neywo provides one walking tour in Durrës: “Durrës: from King Zog’s villa to the Roman arena” covering 3.12 km, taking about 103 minutes, with 11 narrated stops. As you walk, the app plays the story of each site exactly when you reach it, letting you explore at your own pace with no group or fixed schedule. The audio guide is available in 11 languages and free to download.
Download Neywo today and let the city’s stories unfold at your own pace.
Places with an audio guide in Durrës
8 places in Durrës with a Neywo audio guide. Each one starts telling its story as you reach it.
Self-guided tours in Durrës
1 tour in Durrës, free in the Neywo app. Each stop tells its story as you reach it.
- Walk
Durrës: from King Zog's villa to the Roman arena
Begin on the hill where King Zog built his summer palace, drop to the archaeological museum and enter the walled old city of Durrës. Pass Ottoman mosques and the steam-heated hammam, visit the oldest Christian church in town, then stand inside the largest Roman amphitheatre in the Balkans before ending at the Museum of Martyrs, with its monumental mosaic.
Royal Villa of Durrës · Durrës Archaeological Museum · Durrës Castle · Fatih Mosque · Hammam of Durrës · Durrës Orthodox Cathedral …
Open this tour: Durrës: from King Zog's villa to the Roman arena
Walk Durrës with Neywo
Neywo turns Durrës into a self-guided audio tour. Stories arrive as you reach the place they belong to, and the route reshapes when you wander off it.
