Tirana, Albania’s capital and largest city, is also the capital. It is situated in central Albania, surrounded by hills and mountains, with Dajti rising towards the east. A slight valley to its northwest overlooks the Adriatic Sea. Because it is so close to the Mediterranean Sea and its location on the Plain of Tirana, Tirana has a Mediterranean-influenced seasonal climate. It is one of the sunniest and wettest cities in Europe, with approximately 2,544 hours of sunlight per year.

Berat, the ninth most densely settled city in Albania, is in the south. It is surrounded by mountains and hills, with Tomorr declared a national park to the east. Before it empties into Seman in the Myzeqe Plain’s Myzeqe Plain, the river Osum flows through the city. Its total length is 161 km (100 miles).

Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the cultural center of Albania. Berat is home to many churches and mosques. It is located seventy-one km north of Gjirokaster and seventy Kilometers west of Korce. It is seventy-one kilometers south of the national capital. It lies thirty-three kilometers east of Fier.

Durres, the second-most populous city in the Republic of Albania, is also the seat of Durres County. It lies on a flat plateau along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast, between the mouths of Ishem and Erzen at the southeastern end of the Adriatic Sea. The Mediterranean seasonal climate strongly influences Durres’ climate.

Durres was established by Ancient Greek colonists of Corinth and Corcyra, known as Epidamnos. They did so in collaboration with local Illyrian Taulantii around the 7th Century BC. Durres, also known as Dyrrachium, was essentially developed when it became part of the Roman Empire. The Via Egnatia was the continuation of Via Appia and ran from the city to Constantinople in the east.

Gjirokaster, a city in Albania, is the seat of Gjirokaster County. It is situated 300m above sea level in a valley between Gjere mountains, Drino, and Drino. The UNESCO World Heritage Site describes the old town as “a rare example” of a preserved Ottoman town built by large-estate farmers.

Gjirokaster Fortress overlooks the city, where the Gjirokaster Nation Folklore Festival takes place every five years.

Kruje is both a municipality and a town in north-central Albania. The city lies between Mount Kruje Ishem River and is just 20 kilometers north of Tirana, Albania’s capital.

The ancient Illyrian tribe of Albani lived in Kruje. Kruje was the capital of the principality of Arber, an Albanian state that emerged in the middle ages. It was later the capital of the Kingdom of Albania. Ottoman Empire then conquered Kruje in the early 15th Century.