Ishëm Castle

Built in the early 2nd century AD under Emperor Trajan, Durrës Amphitheatre held some 15,000–20,000 spectators and is considered the largest Roman amphitheatre in the Balkans. Archaeologist Vangjel Toçi found it by chance in 1966; houses still cover part of it, and it is on Albania’s UNESCO Tentative List.

Built by the Republic of Venice in the 15th century on the remains of a Byzantine tower, the round Venetian Tower (Torra Veneciane) guarded the port of Durrës. Restored with EU funds after the 2019 earthquake, it reopened in 2023 as a heritage centre with VR headsets and digital periscopes.

Opened in 1951 by the seafront, a few metres from the 6th-century Byzantine wall, Durrës Archaeological Museum displays finds from ancient Dyrrachium, from Roman funerary stelae and stone sarcophagi to small busts of Venus. Damaged in the 2019 earthquake, it reopened in 2026 after an EU-funded restoration.

Named after a leading figure in Durrës art, the Nikolet Vasia Art Gallery is a city cultural venue renovated to host exhibitions. Its changing shows of painting and sculpture feature artists from Durrës and across Albania, plus guests from abroad.

Set within the Roman amphitheatre is a small early Christian chapel, created around the 5th–6th centuries after gladiator games had ceased. Decorated with frescoes and mosaics, it is a natural stop on any visit to the amphitheatre.

The city walls of Durrës go back to Byzantine times and were later reinforced by the Ottomans in stone and brick. Stretches with towers still rise above the old town beside the amphitheatre, easy to take in on a walk through the centre.