History & Archaeology
The Roman Amphitheatre of Durrës
Durrës · Tirana & Central Albania
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- History & Archaeology
- COUNTRY
- Albania
- REGION
- Durrës · Tirana & Central Albania
- DURATION
- 1–2 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
The amphitheatre sits in a block of ordinary houses like a ship in a bottle: an elliptical arena of 136 by 112 metres, galleries rising 20 metres, built at the start of the 2nd century under Trajan for gladiatorial games at the empire’s chief Adriatic port. Earthquakes in the 6th and 10th centuries toppled and buried it; medieval houses grew over the stonework, and its rediscovery in December 1966 — during works in the town centre — opened one of the Balkans’ great archaeological finds. In the galleries, an early-Christian chapel keeps a mosaic of two saints — among the oldest Christian monuments in Albania — and the site’s excavation continues between the living walls.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
Dyrrachium’s amphitheatre was built in the early 2nd century under Trajan and used until the 4th; the earthquakes of the 6th and 10th centuries destroyed it twice, and its stones fed the medieval walls and houses. A chapel was cut into the galleries in the early-Christian era, its mosaic of Dorian and Praesidius dated to the 5th–6th century. The buried arena lay under the town until systematic excavation began after its 1966 discovery — Albania’s most important archaeological find of the decade — and UNESCO put it on the tentative list in 1996. Conservation and partial reconstruction continue, with the chapel mosaic now protected in situ.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The arena floor and the vaulted galleries from the upper rim.
The early-Christian chapel mosaic in the gallery (5th–6th century).
The excavation boundary where Roman stone meets living houses.
GOOD TO KNOW
Facts & Curiosities
The largest Roman amphitheatre ever built on the Balkan Peninsula — capacity up to 20,000.
Built in the early 2nd century under Emperor Trajan; elliptical axis 136 m, walls 20 m high.
Destroyed by earthquakes in the 6th and 10th centuries and buried under the medieval town.
Discovered in December 1966; on Albania’s UNESCO World Heritage tentative list since 1996.
MAP & LOCATION
The Roman Amphitheatre of Durrës
The Roman Amphitheatre of Durrës, Durrës, Tirana & Central Albania, Albania
41.3235, 19.4420
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Durrës
THINGS TO DO
Things to do nearby
Stand in the 2,000-year-old amphitheatre’s arena among the houses.
02Walk the Byzantine-Venetian wall circuit at sunset.
03Swim the Adriatic off the promenade, then eat grilled sea bass on the terrace row.
04Drive the Cape of Rodon headland to Skanderbeg’s sea castle.
05Take the Bari ferry from the port for a day on the Italian side of the Adriatic.
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Piazza (the promenade) — the port’s seafood terrace: grilled sea bass and mussels from the bay.
Restorant Joni — the old-town fish house near the walls, generations of regulars.
Beach-strip grill rows — qofte and corn on the sand, the Tirana weekend ritual.
Apollonia café at the amphitheatre corner — espresso over the arena walls.
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Seafront hotels on the promenade — full-service rooms over the bay.
Boutique guesthouses in the old town — quiet lanes steps from the amphitheatre.
Beach-strip resorts south toward Plepa — pool-and-beach family stays.
Hotel Arvi — the practical port-side classic.
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
PART OF
Keep exploring
The atlas goes on — more attractions, destinations and stories from every corner of the world.