Gjirokastra, in southern Albania, may not be the most obvious destination for a late-summer European getaway. But this hill town of 66,000 is immensely charming and affordable and a two-hour drive from the fine beaches of the Albanian coast. Still not convinced? A veritable time capsule, Gjirokastra served as a trading hub for some 500 years under the Ottoman Empire (1385 to 1912) and the setting for a real-life game of thrones. Throw in a medieval castle, a Communist-era underground bunker and a U.S. “spy plane,” and Gjirokastra...