Self-guided audio stories · Albania

Roots Albania: audio stories about 211 places
in ten Albanian cities

Roots Albania is an app for iPhone and Android with self-guided audio stories about 211 places in Tirana, Durrës, Berat, Gjirokastra, Kruja, Shkodra, Saranda, Vlora, Korça and Pogradec. Every place has a short introduction and a deeper story of about six minutes, in 28 languages, with a male and a female voice. The stories are written by local people. No account, no sign-up: open the app, pick a city, press play.

Download on Google Play Download on the App Store

No account · Ten cities · 28 languages · Plays offline once a city is downloaded

A sample of what you’ll hear

Stories, not star ratings.

This square has been renamed four times. Each name tells you who was in power, and what they wanted you to forget.

Skanderbeg Square

During communism, this neighborhood was off-limits to ordinary Albanians. Today it's where everyone wants a coffee. Same streets. Different country.

Blloku

The Pyramid was built as a museum to one man. It became a nightclub, a NATO base, a ruin, and now a tech hub. Tirana doesn't tear things down; it rewrites them.

The Pyramid

Why Roots Albania

The city, but with the volume turned up.

Walk at your own pace

Start when you land. Stop for a coffee. Skip what doesn't interest you. The city waits.

Hear all ten cities

Tirana's layered eras. Berat's hillside Ottoman quarter. Gjirokastra's stone roofs. Shkodra's lakeside fortress. Kruja's mountain bazaar. Durrës on the Adriatic, Vlora and Saranda on the Riviera, Korça and Pogradec by the lakes. Ten chapters of the same country.

Written by people who live here

The stories are written by local people, about the places they know best.

How It Works

Three steps. Then the city does the rest.

Download

Get the app. One story in every city is free, no sign-up.

Walk

Open the map. Pick any of the ten cities: Tirana, Durrës, Berat, Gjirokastra, Kruja, Shkodra, Saranda, Vlora, Korça or Pogradec, and any place on it.

Listen

Tap play. Start with the short introduction, then go deeper with the story of about six minutes.

This is not a tour

Not a guided tourno fixed time, no group to keep up with, no umbrella to follow.
Not a basic audio guidenot dry facts read over a map pin.
Not a generic travel appnot the same Top 10 list you've already scrolled past.

It’s a city walked at your pace,
with local stories in your headphones.

What’s Inside

Everything you need, nothing you don’t.

211

places across 10 Albanian cities

cities, each with its own map of places

languages

Male + female

a voice of each, in every language

stories for every place: a short introduction and a story of about six minutes

Offline

download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection

Available in

AlbanianArabicBulgarianChineseCroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishFinnishFrenchGermanGreekHebrewHungarianItalianJapaneseMacedonianNorwegianPolishPortugueseRomanianRussianSerbianSpanishSwedishTurkishUkrainian

New in the app · Events & Activities

Not just the past. What’s happening now.

The stories tell you what a place was. These two tell you what it is this week, and what you can do next.

Events

What’s on tonight and this week

Parties, live music, happy hours, promotions, and food and drink at real venues around you. Browse what’s on today, tomorrow, and the days ahead, each with the time, a spot on the map, and a tap to call or message the place. Some come with an offer just for app users.

Activities

Things to do, and book

Boat and sea trips, hiking and nature, food and wine, culture and crafts, adventure, and day trips. Each one shows how long it runs, when it’s on, where you meet, a price to start from, and a tap to get in touch and book.

Both update live, in all 28 languages, right on the map. Free to browse, no pass needed.

Pricing

Try one story free. Unlock everything for less than a coffee a day.

Day

€5

24 hours

Quick city stop

★ Most Popular

3-Day

€10

72 hours

Most travelers pick this

Week

€20

7 days

Slow travelers & deep dives

Month

€30

30 days

Living here a while

3-Month

€60

90 days

Albania for a season

All passes include: 211 stories · ten cities · 28 languages · offline access

You’ll see the same Albania as everyone else.
You just won’t read it the same way.

The buildings are there for anyone with a camera. Who built them, who feared them, who loved them, what they meant in each era. Those you only get one way.