Via Egnatia: route guide

The Via Egnatia was the Roman road that continued the Via Appia east from the Adriatic to Constantinople. It ran from Durrës on the Albanian coast through Ohrid and Bitola in North Macedonia, south to Thessaloniki, then east across Greek Thrace to Istanbul. A southern branch started at Apollonia near today's Fier and rejoined the main line in the Shkumbin valley.

The modern traveller follows a corridor, not a single marked trail. Exact Roman alignments are not mapped: the road shifted over the centuries and much of its surface was lost to 20th-century agriculture. Treat the route as a chain of towns and archaeological sites linked by modern roads, with a handful of genuine Roman stretches to see on foot.

Distances below are road distances between the main stops, not the Roman mileposts. They are the numbers you plan fuel, meals and overnight stops around.

Durrës is the western anchor: a port city with ferries from Ancona, Bari, Brindisi and Trieste, and the closest airport is Tirana, about 30 km away. From Durrës the route runs inland to Elbasan, then climbs toward Lake Ohrid. This Albanian stretch is the most mountainous part of the trip, with fast weather changes and cooler nights even in summer.

Ohrid and Bitola are the North Macedonian stops. Ohrid sits on the lake of the same name; Bitola stands near the site of Heraclea Lynchestis, where the two ancient branches met. From Bitola the road drops south into Greece and the flat country begins.

Thessaloniki is the pivot of the whole route and the natural place to break the trip in two. East of it, the road follows the coast past Asprovalta and Kavala, both with beaches, then on to Alexandroupolis near the Turkish border. The final leg crosses into Turkey and runs to Istanbul. Philippi, between Kavala and the border, is one of the archaeological stops worth a half day.

Spring (April–June) and early autumn (September–October) are the comfortable windows. In Albania and North Macedonia the route crosses mountains where weather turns quickly and temperatures stay low; in Greece and Turkey it runs mostly through lowland where summer sun and heat are the real constraint. July and August make long driving days and any walking sections hard work.

If you are walking rather than driving, the shoulder seasons matter more: summer heat in the Greek and Turkish lowlands is the main reason walkers shift the schedule earlier or later. Winter brings snow and closed mountain roads in the Albanian and Macedonian sections.

Book around the towns listed in the stages table rather than looking for accommodation on the Roman alignment itself. Ohrid, Bitola, Thessaloniki, Kavala and Alexandroupolis all have a range of hotels, guesthouses and hostels, and Thessaloniki has the widest choice and the best connections if you want a single base for the Greek section.

In Albania and North Macedonia, smaller places between the main towns have limited beds, so plan the day's endpoint before you set off. Coastal Greece fills up in July and August, when booking ahead is worth the effort. Prices are a 2026 estimate and vary widely by season and standard.

Decide first whether you are driving or walking; the two trips need different kit and different daily distances. Drivers need to check insurance cover for all four countries, border paperwork and whether their rental agreement allows Albania and Turkey. Walkers need to accept that much of the corridor has no dedicated trail and that some sections follow busy roads.

Carry cash in local currencies for Albania and North Macedonia, and check current entry rules for each country before you leave. A paper map or offline maps are useful where signal drops in the mountains. If you are building this into a longer trip, the general planning steps apply as they would to any multi-country route.