Nestled amidst the rolling hills and low plains of the Albanian Myzeqe, the town of Fier has long figured as one of the country’s industrial kingpins; home to the oil and bitumen reserves that first got the region noticed by the Greek chronicler Strabo in the first century AD. For most travellers today however, Fier is the gateway to one of the most striking ancient archaeological sites in all of the Balkans: The sprawling remains of Apollonia.
Located just 12 kilometres from the centre of town, the 2,500-year-old site is within easy reach by car or organised excursion, and many Fier tourist guides will no doubt include this most startling ‘must see’ on their itinerary. Take time to wander amidst the crumbling colonnades and structures, taking in the magnificent facades of the Monument of Agonothetes, and the famous artistic remnants of the so-called House with Mosaics.
To round off your trip to Fier, be sure to explore the expansive exhibits of the adjoining Museum of Apollonia to the west of the centre, or delve deeper into the history of the region that now encompasses this oil city, with a jaunt to the nearby hill town of Illyrian Byllis.