Guest house in a historic stone building a hundred metres from Gjirokastër Castle, with terrace, garden and city views, free on-site parking and family rooms.
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Kore Guest House occupies a historic stone house on Rruga Ismail Kadare, in one of the oldest quarters of Gjirokastër, roughly a hundred metres below the castle walls and a couple of minutes from the Old Bazaar. It is run by the Kore family, who have been hosting here for more than a decade, and guests rate the stay an exceptional 9.6 across 1,005 reviews.
The four rooms range from a compact 17 m² double to a 60 m² deluxe suite with its own entrance, living room and washing machine. All are air-conditioned, with private bathrooms, flat-screen TVs carrying cable and satellite channels, wardrobes and hardwood or carpeted floors; several look onto the garden, the river or the stone roofs of the old town.
Beyond the rooms there is a terrace, a patio and an outdoor dining area, a bar, and free parking on site — rare this high inside the historic centre. Breakfast can be brought to your room, the front desk is staffed around the clock and there is 24-hour security. Payment at the property is cash only.
Kore Guest House has four room types, all air-conditioned and fitted with a private bathroom, a flat-screen TV with cable and satellite channels, a wardrobe and free WiFi. Sizes climb steeply, from 17 m² to 60 m², so the range covers couples, small groups and families in one building. The two smaller rooms open onto a terrace with garden views; the family room adds a super-king bed alongside two singles for four people; and the deluxe suite is a self-contained apartment with a private entrance, a separate living room, a dining area and a washing machine. Extra beds are available on request rather than included.
Kore Guest House scores 9.5 for facilities, high for a house of four rooms. Free WiFi covers the building and rates 9.3. There is a terrace, a patio, an outdoor dining area and a bar, plus free private parking on site and street parking nearby — a real advantage in a district of steep cobbled lanes. Rooms come with flat-screen TVs carrying cable and satellite channels, a DVD player, refrigerators, washing machines in the larger units, mosquito nets and heating for the cold Drino valley winters. The front desk is open 24 hours, there is 24-hour security and key access, and laundry, ironing, dry cleaning, packed lunches and room service can all be arranged.
Kore Guest House stands on Rruga Ismail Kadare, in one of the oldest quarters of the stone city, roughly a hundred metres below the castle. Buses and furgons from Tirana, Saranda and Berat use the terminal in the lower town, near Rruga Mujo Ulqinaku; from there it is a stiff twenty-minute climb on foot, so most arrivals take a taxi up for a few hundred lek. Coaches from Tirana take about four hours, while Saranda is some fifty kilometres and an hour away, and buses on that route can drop you at the Blue Eye. The nearest airport is Ioannina in Greece, around seventy kilometres and ninety minutes by road, though most travellers fly into Tirana or Corfu. Driving is easier here than at most old-town addresses, because the guest house has free parking of its own.
Nearly everything is within walking distance. Gjirokastër Castle, one of the largest fortresses in the Balkans, is a few minutes uphill; entry is around 400 lek and the ramparts hold cannons, a cold-war American aircraft and long views down the Drino valley. Just below, the Old Bazaar has been trading for more than five centuries and is the place for slow coffee, silver filigree and qifqi, the local rice balls. Two Ottoman tower houses admit visitors for about 200 lek each: Skenduli House, three centuries old and usually shown by a member of the family, and Zekate House of 1811, with twin towers and a dazzling upper reception room. The Ethnographic Museum recreates a wealthy nineteenth-century interior on the site where Enver Hoxha was born. Further afield, the Blue Eye spring is about thirty-five minutes by car, and buses towards Saranda pass it. Late spring and early autumn are the best months: July and August are hot and crowded, and the cobbles are unforgiving, so bring shoes with grip.
