Krujë: The Complete Guide

Krujë is a town 20 km north of Tirana in Albania. The name of the town comes from the Albanian word for the spring which is kroi, krua as the spring within the castle provided its inhabitants with water. Krujë was a quaint medieval village, situated between mountain peaks and the lush valley that extends all the way down to the Adriatic coast.

It was the home of the national hero Skanderbeg who led the resistance to the Ottoman invasions of the fifteenth century. Most visitors head towards the castle via the cobbled street of the Ottoman Bazaar, which is thronged with souvenir sellers. The castle houses the History Museum and the Ethnographic Museum.

The town is the northernmost stronghold of the Bektashism and has server interesting Bektashi sites including a teqe within the castle and one dedicated to the Sufi saint Sarı Saltık, a 13th-century Alevi Turkish dervish, in the mountains above the town.

History of Krujë

Krujë has been fortified since ancient times – with ceramics and coins being found that date back to the 3rd century BC.

Krujë was inhabited by the Illyrian tribe called the Albani, who were enslaved by the Romans Republic during the Illyrian Wars.

The middle-sized fortress gradually expanded into a town between the sixth to the ninth century AD. In 1190 Krujë became the capital of the first autonomous Albanian state and later the capital of the Kingdom of Albania.

During the late 13th and early 14th century Krujë was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, it was then liberated in 1443 by Skanderbeg, who successfully defended it against three Ottoman sieges until his death in 1468.

It was also here that in 1906 there was a local revolt against the Ottoman Empire which was followed by the 1912 Declaration of Independence of Albania. During the Italian occupation Krujë was the center of partisan activities and the resistance leader Abaz Kupi.

Visiting Krujë for the first time and wondering what are the top places to see in the city? In this complete guide, I share the best things to do in Krujë on the first visit. To help you plan your trip, I have also included an interactive map and practical tips for visiting!

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This complete guide to Krujë not only tells you about the very best sights and tourist attractions for first-time visitors to the city but also provide insights into a few of our personal favorite things to do.

This is a practical guide to visiting the best places to see in Krujë and is filled with tips and info that should answer all your questions!

Krujë Bazaar

Kruja Bazaar is one of the oldest in Albania with the original marketplace dating back over 400years. The Ottoman-style bazaar stretches all the way from middle of Krujë  to the Krujë  Castle. It consists of a single cobblestone street along which all sorts of vendors sell their goods from wooden stalls. It is an ideal place […]

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Location: Bazar of Kruja, Rruga Albanopolis, Kruja, Albania | Distance: 1.1km

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Visiting Krujë Bazaar

Skanderbeg Museum

The museum opened in 1982 and is located in Krujë Castle. Since opening the museum has been the most visited places in the country. The building was designed by the daughter and son-in-law of Enver Hoxha with inspiration from Aleks Buda, the then chair of the Academy of Sciences of Albania. Upon entering the museum […]

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Location: Rruga Kala Krujë District Albania | Hours: 9am-2pm & 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-7pm Sun May-Sep, 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Tue-Sun Oct-Apr | Price: 200 lekë | Distance: 1.3km

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Visiting Skanderbeg Museum

Krujë Castle

Krujë Castle is a castle which looks over the town of Krujë, and was built in the 5th or 6th century. During the early period of Ottoman rule in Albania the local populace rebelled and in 1432–36 and there were a series of clashes between Albanian and the Ottoman rulers. Krujë Castle was held by […]

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Location: Rruga Kala Krujë District Albania | Hours: 9am-6pm | Price: 300 lekë | Distance: 1.3km

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Visiting Krujë Castle

Kruja’s Medieval Hammam

Kruja’s medieval hammam is located in the edge of southwest of the castle, near the Dollma’s Tekke. The hammam was restored in 2015 with aid from a Swedish foundation. Built in the end of 15th century and in the beginning of 16th century, Hammam of Kruja is the oldest in Albania. This bath house consists […]

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Visiting Kruja’s Medieval Hammam

The Kruje Ethnographic Museum

The Ethnographic Museum is a museum of Albanian social life, customs and traditions. The museum is located in an authentic 19th-century house owned by the affluent Toptani dynasty within the Kruje castle complex. It includes a total of 15 rooms which tell of work and family life in the town of Kruja. The show starts […]

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Location: Rruga Kala, Krujë, Albania | Hours: 9am-7pm daily May-Sep, to 4pm Tue-Sun Oct-Apr | Price: 300 lekë | Distance: 1.4km

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Visiting The Kruje Ethnographic Museum

Dollma Teqe

At the bottom of the castle complex there are the remains of the old citadel hamam or Turkish bath, now converted to a church as well as the Dollma Teqe. The Dollma Teqe is a small Bektashi temple originally built in 1789. This beautifully decorated teqe has been maintained by the Dollma family since it […]

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Visiting Dollma Teqe

Albanopolis (Zgërdhesh)

Zgërdhesh is an archeological site in Albania near of the modern town of Kruja, in a village called Halilaj. The Illyrian settlement was founded in the 7th or 6th century BC and flourished for the next 3 centuries, before being abandoned in the 2nd century BC. It was built on the hill like most Illyrian […]

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Location: Zgerdhesh, Fushe Kruje Albania | Distance: 5.1km

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Visiting Albanopolis (Zgërdhesh)