Sightseeing stop in Shkodër (Shkoder): discover beautiful places in Albania

Shkodër (Shkoder) highlight

We at Monterrasol Transfers specialize in private car transfers. Together with the transfer itself, we propose that you visit some beautiful places along the transfer route. We call such places optional sightseeing stops (short excursions).

One of the places we selected to propose as a sightseeing stop is a beautiful Shkodër (Shkoder) in Albania. Sightseeing stops are a perfect easy opportunity to see new places during your transfer across Albania, especially during long distance transfers. Take it as a great option to get in touch with local culture and history. It's good to combine transportation and sightseeing together!

One of the continuously inhabited cities in the Balkans, Shkoder, the fifth most populous city of the Republic of Albania, sprawls across the southern part of Lake Shkoder and the foothills of the Albanian Alps on the banks of Buna, Drin and Kir. Due to its proximity to the Adriatic Sea, Shkoder is affected by a seasonal Mediterranean climate with continental influences. Lively city, it's know for many shops, for uphill fortress Rozafa Castle and beautiful Orthodox Cathedral.

Last reviewed: 21 January 2023

Shkodër (Shkoder) description

The etymology of the term Shkoder is a subject which attracts debate. Although the ultimate origin of the term is uncertain, the name was first attested in antiquity in the Latin form Scodra, the same as Ancient Greek Scodra, which was discovered on coins from the 2nd century BC.

In modern times, the term was adapted to Italian as Scodra and Scutari; in this form it was also in wide use in English until the 20th century. In Serbo-Croatian, Shkoder is known as Skadar.

The earliest signs of human activity in the lands of Shkoder can be traced back to the Bronze Age. The favorable conditions on the fertile plain around the lake have brought people here from early antiquity. Artefacts and inscriptions, discovered in the Rozafa Castle in Shkoder, are assumed to be the earliest examples of symbolic behavior in humans in the city.

One of the continuously inhabited cities in the Balkans, Shkoder was founded upon the traditional lands of the Illyrian tribes of the Ardiaei and Labeates in the 4th century BC, which ruled over a large territory between modern Albania up to Croatia. It has historically developed on a 130 meters hill strategically located in the outflow of Lake Shkoder into the Buna river.

The Romans annexed the Shkoder (that time the capital city of the Illyrian kingdom under rule of Gentius) after the third Illyrian War in 168 BC, when Gentius was defeated by the Roman force of Anicius Gallus and Shkoder became a part of an important trade and military route. Shkoder remained in the province of Illyricum, and later Dalmatia. By it 395 AD, it was part of the Diocese of Dacia, within Praevalitana.

Gentius was an Illyrian king from the Labeatan dynasty; he ruled in 181–168 BC and is the last attested Illyrian king. He was the son of Pleuratus III, a king who kept positive relations with Rome.

In the 3rd century AD, Shkoder became the capital of Praevalitana, due to the administrative reform of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. With the spread of Christianity in the 4th century AD, the Archdiocese of Shkoder was founded and was assumed in 535 by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.

Shkoder is regarded as the traditional capital of northern Albania, also referred to as Gegeria, and is noted for its arts, culture, religious diversity and turbulent history among the Albanians. The architecture of Shkoder is particularly dominated by mosques and churches reflecting the city's high degree of religious diversity and tolerance. Shkoder was home to many influential personalities, who among others, helped to shape the Albanian Renaissance.

Constantine Bodin accepted the crusaders of the Crusade of 1101 in Shkoder. During the disintegration of the Serbian Empire, Shkoder was taken by the Balsic family of Zeta, who surrendered the city to the Republic of Venice in 1396, in order to form a protection zone from the Ottoman Empire. During the Venetian rule the city adopted the Statutes of Scutari, a civic law written in Venetian.

After the Black Death killed most of the inhabitants of Shkoder, Albanians and Slavs formed the majority in the city. Venetians built the St. Stephen's Church (later converted into the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Mosque by the Ottomans) and the Rozafa Castle.

In 1478 was again entirely surrounded by Ottoman forces. Mehmed the Conqueror personally laid the siege. About ten heavy cannons were cast on site. Balls as heavy as 380 kg were fired on the citadel. Some balls are still on display on the castle museum. Nevertheless, the city resisted. Mehmed left the field and had his commanders continue the siege.

The Ottomans were already frustrated by the stubborn resistance. The castle is situated on a naturally protected hill and every attempted assault resulted in considerable casualties for the attackers. Anyway, on January 25, 1479, an agreement between the Venetians and the Ottoman Empire ended the siege, the city fell to the Ottomans, permitting the citizens to leave unharmed, and the Ottomans to take over the deserted city. The defenders of the citadel emigrated to Venice, while many Albanians from the region retreated into the mountains. The city then became a seat of a newly established the Sanjak (Ottoman administrative unit) of Scutari.

Around the 17th century, the city Shkoder began to prosper as the centre of the Sanjak of Scutari. It became the economic centre of northern Albania, its craftsmen producing fabric, silk, arms and silver artifacts. Construction included two-storey stone houses, the bazaar, and the Central or Middle Bridge over the Kir river, built during the second half of the 18th century, over 100 meters long, with 13 arcs of stone, the largest one being 22 meters wide and 12 meters tall.

Shkoder was a major city under Ottoman rule in southeast Europe. It retained its importance up until the end of the Ottoman empire's rule in the Balkans in the early 20th century. During the Balkan Wars, Shkoder went from one occupation to another, when the Ottomans were defeated by the Kingdom of Montenegro.

During World War I, Montenegrin forces again occupied Shkoder in 1915. In 1916, Shkodër was taken over by Austria-Hungary and was the centre of the zone of their occupation. When the war ended on 11 November 1918, French forces occupied Shkoder as well as other regions with sizable Albanian populations. In the second half of 1920, Shkoder resisted another threat, the military intervention of the forces of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

The city was an important meeting place of diverse cultures from other parts of the Empire, as well as influences coming westwards, by Italian merchants. It was a center of Islam in the region, and an important trading center for the entire Balkan peninsula. It had over 3,500 shops, and clothing, leather, tobacco and gunpowder were some of the major products of Shkoder.

A special administration was established to handle trade, a trade court, and a directorate of postage services with other countries. Other countries had opened consulates in Shkoder ever since 1718.

The first Albanian newspapers and publications printed in Albania came out of the printing press of Shkoder. Shkoder is the center of Roman Catholicism in Albania.

Rozafa Castle has played an instrumental role in Shkoder's history as the residence of Illyrian monarchs and a military stronghold. Located in the south of Shkoder, its foundations are associated with a legend about a woman who sacrificed herself so the castle could be constructed.

A famous widespread legend about sacrificing a female victim and immurement with the aim of building a facility is traditionally orally transmitted by Albanians and connected with the construction of the Rozafa Castle.

Nowadays, Shkoder is lively city, know for many shops, with fortress Rozafa Castle overlook the city and beautiful Orthodox Cathedral.

Quite famous touristic attraction close to Shkoder is Mesi Bridge. The bridge is located in the village of Mes, about 5 km northeast of Shkoder. It is a monument of Ottoman culture, turning the site into a tourist attraction with a lot of visitors from all around the world. For foreigners the architecture of the bridge is intriguing with round slick stones and stone plates. The surrounding panorama gives the bridge an even more picturesque view. The Albanian Development Fund invested good money so the tourists could step on the bridge and watch it closely because there was no entry way to the bridge.

It was built in the 18th century, around 1770, by Kara Mahmud Bushati, the local Ottoman pasha, and spans the Kir River. The building was divided in 2 phases where the first phase was only the middle arc and the arc near it and the second phase included the other 11 arches. The purpose was to connect the city of Shkoder with the city of Drisht and other cities of the northern side. It is 108m long, 3.4 meters wide, 12.5 meters high with 13 arches, and is one of the longest examples of an Ottoman bridge in the region. It was built as part of the road that goes up the Kir Valley, eventually to Pristina.

We know good things to see in Albania. We know the roads, well-known tourist attractions like UNESCO sites, and off-the-beaten-path places.

If you would like to learn more about Albania and explore it by visiting different attractions, come with us for a private tour. We can travel all across Albania and we will show you all the important tourist attractions together with the hidden gems of this beautiful country. Feel free to contact us!

We have developed numerous itineraries for private car tours in Albania as well as in neighboring countries, including tours passing through several countries as one journey. Solo private tours and tours for Seniors are available also.

Transfers to Shkodër (Shkoder)

Currently we know prices for these car transfers to Shkodër (Shkoder):

Private transfers from Montenegro

• private car transfer Kotor to Shkoder (Shkodër)

• private car transfer Perast to Shkoder (Shkodër)

• private car transfer Tivat to Shkoder (Shkodër)

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