A thick layer of dust covers the crumbling remains of a set of abandoned bunkers and tunnels hidden in the hillside just outside the beautiful city of Berat.

‘Ah bunkers’ you might say, hardly uncommon in Albania. And you’d be right. But these bunkers are ginormous, some have multiple rooms and long dark tunnels, eerie and atmospheric in equal measure -especially considering you will be there alone.

For these bunkers cannot be found anywhere else online, so I can all but guarantee the only footsteps and torch light will be your own.

This adventure is definitely not for everyone, but if you’re a lover of strange and mysterious places, read on.

How to find the secret Berat bunkers

A word on safety

The bunkers are derelict and we don’t know how stable any of them are. Though we saw nothing to be concerned about, exploring abandoned buildings always carries a slight risk. Please enter at your own risk and make sure you wear proper shoes rather than sandals due to the rubbly floors.

Where to park

You do need a car for this adventure but the road is sealed the whole way and it’s an easy 5.5km drive from Berat. The parking point can be found here on Google maps. It’s basically just a pull out off the Palikështi Road, with room for a few cars to park - though it’s highly unlikely there will be anyone there.

The walk to bunker one

Not sure it can really be called a walk as the first bunker is just 330m from the parking area! Follow the track straight on from the parking area and then turn right after 70m.

Roughly 110m later you will turn left, heading up the obvious path. There’s a big hole/cave at the 300m mark and the first bunker is 30m away to the right.

This is the easiest bunker to access and one of the biggest.

Bunker one

The first bunker is actually more like a huge tunnel, running for a full 200m! Entry is easy as there is just one small rocky patch to walk over before you’re at the entrance.

Light still penetrates the bunker for the first minute or so but then you’ll reach a junction (after 40m) and from here torches are definitely required.

You will be walking over rubble and bits of fallen ceiling so you’ll want to keep an eye on the ground as you move through the tunnel.

There are two passageways to explore and though there is not much to see in this one, it’s the longest tunnel of them all and walking through feels ever so slightly eerie.

It was my second favourite bunker to explore and easier than the best one (bunker 4) which we’ll come to later.

Bunker two

Bunker two is 60m away to the right of bunker one, you need to exit the first one and then follow the worn path along the hillside to the entryway for the second bunker.

This one also has easy access and two passageways, though it’s smaller than the first one.

There are several large holes in the floor which you need to watch out for, it’s not like you would fall far but it could certainly cause some damage if you stepped straight in without noticing.

Other than that there is a bit less rubble on the ground than in bunker one so it’s a bit easier underfoot if you don’t like walking on uneven terrain.

You’ll come to a junction after 30m. Heading left leads to a sealed up exit after 70m. Heading right leads to a caved in entrance, which you’ll reach 65m after leaving the junction.

Don’t continue past bunker two!

There are more bunkers on this side of the hill but the path is pretty much non existent and it’s really overgrown. There are hundreds upon hundreds of little bobbly seeds that will stick to you like glue. We were covered before we realised and both ended up with rashes.

Worse still, removing the sharp little suckers covered our hands in tiny cuts which really sting. So though there’s no lasting harm from continuing on, there’s also no real point when you can continue to the bunkers on the other side of the hill which includes the best one of all.

Bunker three

Head back along the path to the original hole/cave you passed before bunker one. As you continue back you’ll see a worn trail on the left leading into the gully, it’s at the 140m mark.

Head across the gully and up the bank on the other side (closer to the road). You’ll see a big hole 10m later and bunker three is 20m further on.

This bunker is only small at just 15m long, more of a traditional bunker than the longer tunnels on the other side of the gully.

There are nine concrete sleepers, though we couldn’t work out what they might have been for. This one is not a must do, but you’ll pass it on route to the most interesting bunker so you may as well stop in.

Accessing bunker four - the best one

The last bunker we explored was around 100m further on from bunker three. The ‘path’ is unkempt and rubbly, with some ups and downs to avoid overgrown sections.

You may end up with a few scratches and bobbly seeds sticking to you along this stretch, but it’s so much better than the bit when carrying on from bunker two and this one is worth a little discomfort.

There are two possible ways you can enter and both are slightly trickier than any of the others. The first is to make your way to the opening in the cliffside which is possible to see from the path but a bit overgrown.

It goes slightly uphill and has a short narrow rubbly section which wasn’t the nicest to walk on. If you slid you wouldn’t go far but it would be into undergrowth.

The next option is to pass this first entrance and head for the second opening (I guess you might say the exit) which is about a minute further on.

This allows you to walk straight in easily, but to continue from the first room further into the bunker you need to climb over a small wall. It’s not too difficult but it’s very dusty, so don’t wear anything you wouldn’t be comfortable getting a bit dirty.

Bunker four

Bunker four is the most extensive of all the bunkers and the most interesting. It basically feels like you’ve entered an apocalypse movie set. It’s incredibly atmospheric and if you only wanted to explore one bunker it should be this one.

As you move through the passageway you will see many rooms and you can still walk inside them.

A thick layer of dust covers the crumbing walls and bits of goodness knows what hang from the ceiling, adding to that feeling you’ve entered some kind of disaster movie set.

It’s one of those places that really gets the imagination going, especially because it is completely silent. Your breathing and footsteps are the only sounds you’ll hear.

In many countries in the world it would be locked off, but here in Albania it’s yours to explore.

We didn’t go beyond bunker four and in honestly I think you’d have to be a real enthusiast to want to see more than four, so assuming you’re not, from bunker four you simply head back to the parking area which takes around five minutes.

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, that we will earn a small commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase. This helps towards the costs of running our website. Thanks for your support.