Sights · Our pick
Berat Castle (Kala)
Still lived in
Berat’s hilltop citadel, where families still live among Byzantine churches and stone lanes.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Mariaperrett · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Sharon Hahn Darlin · CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons1 / 3
About Berat Castle (Kala)
Perched 214 metres above the Osum river, Berat’s Kala is not a ruin but a living neighbourhood, where families still make their homes in old stone houses. Dating mainly from the 13th century, the citadel shelters Byzantine churches, the ruined Red Mosque and the Onufri Museum, all linked by cobbled lanes that lead to viewpoints over the valley and the town of a thousand windows below. The climb is steep, so wear good shoes and go early in summer. Then stay on for sunset, as the light fades over Mount Tomorr.
Our take
- Inhabited citadel
- Byzantine churches
- Sunset over Tomorr
- Address
- Kalaja
Berat, the Balkans - Our city guide
- On our Tirana guide
- Price guide
- € (sights price guide)
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Berat Castle (Kala) before you go.
Last checked: October 2026 How we choose
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Read next
SightsMangalem quarterWhite Ottoman houses stacked up the hillside below Berat’s castle, window above window.
Arts & CultureOnufri MuseumIcons by Berat’s 16th-century master painter, inside a church within the castle walls.HotelsMuzaka Boutique HotelA restored stone house in Gorica, looking across the Osum to the windows of Mangalem.