This archaeological site (Parku Arkeologjik i Apolonisë) extends over 750 ha around two hills about 100 m above sea level, and includes a museum, a medieval church and two restaurants. It houses the remains of Apollonia of Illyria, the most important of the thirty cities dedicated to Apollo in the Mediterranean region. It was founded around 588 BC by Greek settlers from Corcyra (Corfu) and Corinth (Peloponnese), who exploited deposits of naphtha, a crude oil used as fuel and to waterproof amphorae and ships. Coveted by the Illyrians and Macedonians, the city came under the control of Rome in the ^3rd century BC. In the ^1st century AD, the future emperor Augustus came to live here for six months to complete his education. He later granted Apollonia the rare status of "free city", enabling it to retain its currency and institutions. Abandoned in the^5th century, it was "rediscovered" by travellers in the ^18th century. But it was under the direction of two French archaeologists that the most important excavations were carried out: Léon Rey (1887-1954) in the 1920s, then Pierre Cabanes (b. 1930) from 1976 onwards.

Bunkers, stoa and nymphaeum. While the site is pleasant, with explanatory panels in French and beautiful views over the Vjosa delta and the sea, the visit is a little disappointing, as many of the remains disappeared in 1967 when almost 400 bunkers were installed here. Several large buildings remain visible, however. To the left of the entrance stands the portico of the bouleuterion, which housed the city council (the boulè). Also known as the monument of the Agonothetes, it was erected in the ^2nd century AD. Opposite, the remains of a Roman odéon (covered theater) with rows of seats leaning against the hill. To the left, the row of 17 niches was part of a stoa, a covered promenade. Then follow a long path through the site (1h round trip) to discover the poorly preserved theater, a vast palace of 3,500^m2 known as the "House of Athena", and then, to the far north, the nymphaeum, a monumental ^3rd-century fountain that is the most imposing vestige of the site. Water cascaded down the hill in 35 cascades to a large basin adorned with a portico. Unfortunately, two of the portico's columns were seriously vandalized by unknown assailants in 2020.