Lonely Planet Albania by Lonely Planet

Author:Lonely Planet
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lonely Planet

Eating in Shkodër: Our Picks

Traditional Food: It won’t win any design awards, but this spot does delicious Albanian food, including qofte (meatballs) and stuffed peppers at rock-bottom prices. 7am-11pm €

Stolia Coffeehouse: Western-style brunch – delicious smoothie bowls, stuffed croissants and avocado toast with ice coffees. 7am-7pm Mon-Fri, to 4pm Sat & Sun €

Puri: Come try their ‘Father’s Rice’, a well-spiced meat patty, goulash (meat stew) and fasulë (white bean soup). 6.30am-11pm €

Fisi: Hearty portions and fair prices for mixed grilled meat as well as friendly service. A Shkodër classic. 11am-10.30pm €€

Vila Bekteshi: All white tablecloths, potted flowers and timber floors, along with tasty pasta, pizza, and grilled surf’n’turf. 8am-11pm €€

Aleksi: Slice into a fresh carp steak while overlooking its former home, Lake Shkodër. 10am-10pm €€

Pelikani Kaçurrel: Make this your cycling destination: a lovely fish restaurant and beach on Lake Shkodër. 8am-11.30pm €€

Tradita Hotel: Delivering one of the city’s finest restaurant experiences, this painstakingly restored 17th-century mansion once belonged to a famous local writer. €€

Enter a Communist Prison Cell

Shkodër’s fascinating history museums

During the communist period, the Site of Witness & Memory Museum (Vendi i Dëshmisë dhe Kujtesës; 200L), which started life as a Franciscan seminary, was officially used as the Shkodër headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. What does that actually mean? It was an interrogation centre and prison for political detainees. Over the years, thousands of people spent time in the prison – some never to re-emerge. The museum is a chilling memory of the horrors that took place here.

Inside, there are walls of photos of the victims who died here, and testimonies from survivors. Walk through the museum’s red-painted tunnel and inside the prison cells used to hold political detainees. There are also signs discussing Shkodër’s role in overthrowing communism when it became the site of student protests in January 1990.

Another museum to visit to understand this city’s past is the Shkodër History Museum (Muzeu Historik i Shkodrës; 200L). Housed in a gorgeous 200-year-old Ottoman-era residence, the museum has a collection of archaeological discoveries dating back to the Neolithic period on the 1st floor, and an ethnographic museum upstairs with traditional Albanian costumes from the north, including a UNESCO-recognised xhubleta (long woollen dresses often adorned with metals that chime with movement).

Finally, the Diocese Museum (100L), located behind the beautiful St Stephen Cathedral, is a small non-profit dedicated to the north’s proud Roman Catholic tradition. The museum collection includes paintings, sacred art, vestments and liturgical objects.

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