09/08/2026
Largest Roman Amphitheatre in the Balkans 🇦🇱🏛️
Right in the heart of Durrës, Albania, you can find one of the Balkans’ most impressive ancient Roman sites.
The Durrës Amphitheatre was built around the 2nd century AD, when the city was known as Dyrrachium under Roman rule. At its peak, the enormous arena is believed to have held around 15,000–20,000 spectators, who came here to watch gladiatorial contests and other public spectacles. ⚔️
Durrës Amphitheatre is particularly impressive since it’s generally regarded as the largest Roman amphitheatre in the Balkans.
Durrës is also just a cool city, to be able to walk along the Adriatic waterfront, enjoy fresh seafood, discover nearly 3,000 years of history, and still spend the afternoon relaxing on the beach. I really enjoy it here!
And being only around 30–40 km from Tirana, it’s an easy addition to an Albania road trip. 🇦🇱❤️
Roman amphitheatres were built across much of the Roman Empire, so you can find surviving examples in dozens of modern countries.
Some of the main ones are:
🇮🇹 Italy — Colosseum, Verona, Capua, Pompeii
🇫🇷 France — Nîmes, Arles
🇭🇷 Croatia — P**a
🇹🇳 Tunisia — El Jem
🇦🇱 Albania — Durrës
🇬🇧 United Kingdom — London, Chester, Caerleon
🇪🇸 Spain — Tarragona, Mérida
🇩🇪 Germany — Trier
🇨🇭 Switzerland — Avenches
🇦🇹 Austria — Carnuntum
🇭🇺 Hungary — Budapest/Aquincum
🇧🇬 Bulgaria — Serdica/Sofia
🇷🇸 Serbia — Viminacium
🇹🇷 Turkey — Pergamon and other Roman sites
🇬🇷 Greece — Corinth and other sites
🇮🇱 Israel — Caesarea
🇯🇴 Jordan — Roman-era entertainment structures
🇩🇿 Algeria — several Roman archaeological sites
🇲🇦 Morocco — Roman sites such as Lixus
🇱🇾 Libya — Leptis Magna 🏛️
What’s your favourite Roman Amphitheatre?
