
Cycling in Gjirokastër
Discover a map of 52 cycling routes and bike trails near Gjirokastër, created by our community.
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Get to know Gjirokastër
Find the right bike route for you through Gjirokastër, where we've got 52 cycle routes to explore.
4,076 km
Tracked distance
52
Cycle routes
23,437
Population
Community
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The best bike routes in and around Gjirokastër
Προς Αργυρόκαστρο, day 6
Cycling route in Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania
- 45.1 km
- Distance
- 650 m
- Ascent
- 462 m
- Descent
ALB-08 Gjirokastër to Butrint
Cycling route in Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania
Cycling out of the old town of Gjirokastra continuing through the main road to Greece which is safe for cycling. Remember to turn right in Jorgucat through Muzina pas. The short side trip to the Blue Eye is at around mile 21. When you come from Xare to Butrint you need to cross the canal with a small boat. Hotel Livia is right in Butrint.
- 82.3 km
- Distance
- 913 m
- Ascent
- 1,124 m
- Descent
Gjirokaster-Saranda
Cycling route in Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania
Gjirokaster-Saranda
- 53.5 km
- Distance
- 529 m
- Ascent
- 818 m
- Descent
Gjirokaster, Albania
Cycling route in Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania
Gjirokastër is a city in southern Albania, in a valley between the Gjerë Mountains and the Drino, at 300 meters above sea level. Its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, described as "a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate". The city is overlooked by Gjirokastër Fortress, where the Gjirokastër National Folklore Festival is held every five years. It is the birthplace of former Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha, and author Ismail Kadare.
The city appears in the historical record dating back in 1336 by its Greek name, Argyrokastro, as part of the Byzantine Empire. It became part of the Orthodox Christian diocese of Dryinoupolis and Argyrokastro after the destruction of nearby Adrianoupolis. Gjirokastër later was contested between the Despotate of Epirus and the Albanian clan of John Zenevisi before falling under Ottoman rule for the next five centuries (1417–1913). Throughout the Ottoman era Gjirokastër was officially known in Ottoman Turkish as Ergiri and also Ergiri Kasrı. During the Ottoman period conversions to Islam and an influx of Muslim converts from the surrounding countryside made Gjirokastër go from being an overwhelmingly Christian city in the 16th century into one with a large Muslim population by the early 19th century. Gjirokastër also became a major religious center for Bektashi Sufism. Taken by the Hellenic Army during the Balkan Wars of 1912–3 on account of its large Greek population, it was eventually incorporated into the newly independent state of Albania in 1913. This proved highly unpopular with the local Greek population, who rebelled; after several months of guerrilla warfare, the short-lived Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus was established in 1914 with Gjirokastër as its capital. It was definitively awarded to Albania in 1921. In more recent years, the city witnessed anti-government protests that led to the Albanian civil war of 1997.
Along with Muslim and Orthodox Albanians, the city is also home to a substantial Greek minority. Together with Sarandë, the city is considered one of the centers of the Greek community in Albania, and there is a consulate of Greece.
- 16.2 km
- Distance
- 580 m
- Ascent
- 580 m
- Descent
Discover more routes
- Gjirokastra, Kelcyre, Benje, Permeti
- Distance
- 83.1 km
- Ascent
- 950 m
- Descent
- 905 m
- Location
- Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania
- Albania_dzień_7_Girokastra_Butrinti
- Distance
- 69.7 km
- Ascent
- 598 m
- Descent
- 800 m
- Location
- Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania
- Albanie 4den - Gjirokastra - Ksamil
- Distance
- 65.8 km
- Ascent
- 604 m
- Descent
- 924 m
- Location
- Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania
- 02_101-194 (do Corrovoda)
- Distance
- 80.7 km
- Ascent
- 946 m
- Descent
- 848 m
- Location
- Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania
- argirocastro - Permet
- Distance
- 65.7 km
- Ascent
- 717 m
- Descent
- 667 m
- Location
- Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania
- epiro
- Distance
- 274.8 km
- Ascent
- 2,027 m
- Descent
- 2,244 m
- Location
- Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania
- Rruga Alqi Kondi 5766, Gjirokastër to Rruga Freskia, Ksamil
- Distance
- 66.1 km
- Ascent
- 1,535 m
- Descent
- 1,763 m
- Location
- Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania
- albanija 6d
- Distance
- 67.9 km
- Ascent
- 427 m
- Descent
- 400 m
- Location
- Gjirokastër, Qarku i Gjirokastrës, Albania