A three-star guest house in Gjirokastër's stone city, minutes from the old bazaar, with air-conditioned rooms, balconies, free parking, garden, sun terrace and free WiFi.
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Ahmetaj Guest House is a three-star, family-run property on Rruga Pertef Kokona, on the slope below the old bazaar of Gjirokastër, the Albanian stone city listed by UNESCO. Guests rate it 9.6 across 720 reviews, with a flat 10 for staff and 9.8 for location — the two highest marks in the set.
The seven rooms range from 15 to 30 m² and every one has a private bathroom with a bath and a shower, air conditioning, heating, a flat-screen TV, a desk and a refrigerator. Most have a balcony looking out on the garden, the mountains or the roofs of the old town; the two larger twins open onto an outdoor dining area instead.
Downstairs there is a garden, a sun terrace, a coffee house, a snack bar and a minimarket, and the tour desk arranges bicycle rental, bike tours and walking tours. Parking is free and on site, WiFi is free throughout, and pets are welcome at no charge on request. Payment is cash only, so plan ahead.
Ahmetaj Guest House has seven rooms, and every one of them has a private bathroom with a bath, a shower, a hairdryer and free toiletries. Air conditioning, heating, a flat-screen TV, a desk, a refrigerator and a socket beside the bed are standard throughout. What changes is size and outlook: the Double Room with Mountain View is the largest at 30 m², the Twin Room and the Twin Room with Private Bathroom measure 20 m² and open onto an outdoor dining area, while the four 15 m² rooms have parquet floors, a balcony and a different view each — garden, mountains or the roofs of the stone city. Bed configurations are listed below.
For a family-run guest house the list of extras is unusually long. Parking is free and on site, which matters in a town where the lanes are narrow and steep, and WiFi is free throughout. Outside there is a garden, a sun terrace and an outdoor dining area. On site you will also find a minimarket, a coffee house, a snack bar and a barber and beauty shop, plus an ATM and currency exchange — useful in a city where cash is still king. The tour desk arranges bicycle rental, bike tours and walking tours, and a shuttle service and car hire can be booked. One thing to plan for: the property accepts cash payments only.
Ahmetaj Guest House stands on Rruga Pertef Kokona, on the slope below the old bazaar of Gjirokastër. The city has no airport and no passenger trains, so everyone arrives by road. The closest airport is Ioannina, across the Greek border, about 84 km by road and an hour and a half's drive; most visitors instead fly into Tirana and continue by bus. Coaches leave the North and South Terminal in Tirana through the day, roughly from 05:00 to 20:30, take about four hours and cost around 1,200 lek. From Saranda the trip is far shorter: buses and furgons run between about 06:00 and 17:00, take an hour and cost from around six euros. Buses set you down on the main road in the new town, below the historic centre, from where it is a short taxi ride or a steep walk. Free parking at the guest house makes driving the easiest option of all.
Gjirokastër is the stone city, a UNESCO World Heritage site of slate roofs and Ottoman tower houses stacked above the Drino valley. The old bazaar, about ten minutes uphill, is the natural starting point, with the Ethnographic Museum just beyond it. Two tower houses repay the entrance fee: Skënduli House, open daily from roughly 09:00 to 19:00, and Zekate House, from about 08:00 to 17:00, each around 300 lek. The castle above the town costs about 400 lek and holds a Cold War bunker, the weapons gallery and a captured American aircraft; it stays open until 19:00 in summer and closes at 16:00 out of season. Carry cash, because cards are rarely taken. Further out, the Blue Eye spring lies about 36 kilometres away, roughly an hour by car, with a two-kilometre walk in from the car park. Late spring and early autumn are the kindest seasons; July and August are hot and busy, and the cobbles turn slippery after rain.
