Lezhë

One of Albania's oldest continuously inhabited cities, with roughly 2,400 years of recorded history, Lezhë sits in mountain terrain in the country's northwest where it meets the water. The city was a major centre of the Illyrian kingdom and the site of the League of Lezhë, where Skanderbeg united Albanian lords against the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. A compact centre with cafés and restaurants, plus nearby seaside hotels and countryside guesthouses, makes it a workable base for the region.

• Population18,695
• Nearest water from center0.2 km
• Nearest mountain from center1.6 km