The Durrës Amphitheater (Albanian: Amfiteatri i Durrësit) is a large Roman amphitheatre in the city of Durrës, Albania. Built in the second century AD, it is located in the centre of the city and is only half unearthed. The Durrës Amphitheatre is the largest amphitheatre in the Balkans, once having a capacity of 20,000 people. It was discovered in the late 1900's and today has become a popular tourist attraction.
It is a large Roman amphitheater built in the second century AD. It is located in the center of the city and is surrounded by the old city walls as well as modern houses.
It is the largest amphitheater in the Balkans, once having a capacity of 20,000 people. That's about a third the capacity of the Colosseum in Rome. A walk around the amphitheater, tracking the old city walls, would be very enjoyable. There are generally a few tourists in the area, but you'll mostly run into local Durrës citizens, going about their daily business.
The amphitheater is surrounded on all sides by the city of Durres, and a section of the arena itself has been built upon with modern housing.Thus, development pressures threaten the long-term preservation of the site. Durres is the most ancient and one of the most economically important cities of Albania. It's located on the central coast about 20 miles west of the capital Tirana, at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea. The city was founded as Epidamnos in 627 BC by Greek colonists from Corinth and Corfu.
Its geographical position was highly advantageous, being sited around a natural rocky harbor which was surrounded by inland swamps and high cliffs on the seaward side, making the city very difficult to attack from either land or sea. Epidamnos was noted for being a politically advanced society, prompting the ancient philosopher Aristotle to praise its political system.
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However, Corinth and Corfu quarreled over the city, helping to precipitate the Peloponnesian War in 431 BC. Today Durres is an important link to Western Europe due to its port and its proximity to the Italian port cities, notably Bari.
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How To Get There:
By Bus Bus is the main form of transport within Albania. The main routes from Shkodra, Korça, Saranda, Gjirokastra, Peshkopia and Durres to Tirana are operated by private bus companies.
By Train Durres is well connected to other cities in Albania such as the capital Tirana, Shkodra, Elbasan, Pogradec, Fieri, and Vlora.
By Ferry Durres ferry port operates a service to Bari with Azzurra Line. There are 2 crossings weekly with a 9 hour sailing time.
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