Albania’s capital Tirana is a thrilling mix of the old and new, with communist-era buildings and modern skyscrapers, wild green spaces, bazaars and buzzing markets.
Skanderbeg Square (Photo: Anne-Katrin Zahn)
Just a few years ago Albania was relatively cut off from the rest of the world. Once isolated by the insular communist regime of dictator Enver Hoxha, the country only really started to open up to tourism in the early 1990s. Then, not helped by the Kosovo War, it was only in the 2000s that visitors have started discovering the wonders or Albania and its capital Tirana. To visit may have you wondering why you ever bothered with a long-haul flight to some far flung destination in search of adventure – Albania has it all, despite being usefully located between Greece and Germany. This is a land of mountains, giant lakes, forgotten villages and ancient traditions, where you’ll just as likely see a horse and cart as you will a Porsche SUV. Tirana is just the same, with a frenetic energy that is mixed with a friendly, laissez-fair attitude, making it a city that you can easily immerse yourself in. Here are 13 unique things to do in Tirana.
Start in the centre of the action
Skanderbeg Square in the heart of Tirana is a great place to start any visit. This giant open space, covering almost 28,000 square meters and paved with tiles from all the places where Albanians live, feels like a throw back to the country’s communist past, but its history is a little more complicated. Although it dates back more than a century, the square, which is surrounded by The National Opera, National Museum and National Bank, went through various plans and iterations in the last two decades, including a chaotic period of letting motor vehicles use it, before the tranquil pedestrian-only layout was decided on.
Visit a pyramid
Pyramid of Tirana before renovation (Photo: Oliver Stallwood)
The Pyramid of Tirana in the centre of the city is an unlikely tourist attraction. Originally opened in 1988 as a museum dedicated to Enver Hoxha, the long-time leader of Communist Albania, it has has undergone many iterations since. The seashell-like structure on Bulevardi Deshmoret e Kombit has been used as a NATO base, cultural center, bar, disco and television studio, before falling into a state of disrepair and doubling as the biggest children’s slide in Tirana. In a reflection of modern Albania the Pyramid has now been developed and largely rebuilt, with a new role as a ‘monument for the people’, home for conferences, studio workshops and technology centers.
Explore the New Bazaar
The New Bazaar of Tirana is actually pretty old, but you wound’t guess it. The bazaar dates back to 1931 and is located at Avni Rustemi Square, one of the oldest and most historical residential neighbourhoods. It was reconstructed and modernised in 2016. What makes The New Bazaar worth a visit is that this is a place where you can get to be part of everyday Albanian life without having to drift too far off the beaten track. Along with easygoing cafes and bars, this is a place where locals come for fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood and meat – or just to hang out.
Take a walking tour
Tirana Walking Tour (Photo: Getyourguide.com)
Undoubtedly the best way to get a real feel for almost any city is on foot. Tirana is a place full of surprises, with little back roads and secret markets dotted around, so getting a guide to show you around makes a lot of sense. This tour takes in everything from the ultra-modern high-rise architecture and recently redesigned public spaces, to the newly reopened Toptani castle, and the stone Tanner’s Bridge. There is also a visit the Blloku area, the most expensive area in the city, along with the dictator Enver Hoxha’s villa. The guide explains the history of the city along the way, as well as giving tips on local restaurants, bars and customs.
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Drink some local beer
If you like to drink beers (and vodka shots that are almost the same size) with locals then a really good secret spot is Kaon Beer. Situated on Rruga Deshmoret e 4 Shkurit, this is a small bar with a giant tree growing through the middle of it. It’s lively and open throughout the day, with a selection of good food too. While the clientele are mostly locals the establishment is very welcoming to tourists – the owner, who goes by the name of ‘Albanian Papa’, makes you feel at home straight away. The Kaon beer is a local craft brew from Albania too (costing just a couple of Euros) and well worth trying.
Take a traditional cooking class
Cookery class in Tirana (Photo: Getyourguide.com)
Food is a large part in Albanian culture, playing a central role in family events, celebrations and social gatherings. The best way to get a unique insight into Albanian cuisine is to take a cooking class, where you can learn to make everything from Byrek to Tave Kosi, the national Albanian dish made with lamb and rice. This cooking class (€50 per person) is family-run and features recipes that have been passed down through generation. It’s four hours long and the hosts mostly work with bio-organic local ingredients, from their garden herbs and vegetables to homemade wine and Raki. After you’ve finished cooking you’ll get to try some local desserts too.
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Learn to make pottery in the city
Albania has a long tradition of pottery, with many areas such as Kruja and Gjirokastra known for their artisanal techniques. A unique thing to do in Tirana is to take a pottery workshop, which is also a fun way to get to know fellow travellers. This class is two hours long and begins with an explanation of the process of creating ceramics and a break-down of the necessary steps. Then it’s time to get behind the pottery wheel to create your own masterpiece, all with the help of an expert instructor. There is a wine tasting included too and you can even take your masterpiece home.
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Visit a music festival
Ship stage at UNUM Festival (Photo: Facebook.com)
Feel like you’ve been there and done all the big festivals in Europe? Chances are you won’t have heard of UNUM festival, where top names from the world of electronic music gather, and the DJ booths are on full size pirate ships and in giant sea shells, with stages on the beach and in pine forests. UNUM is just over an hour north of Tirana on the golden beach of Rana e Hedhur, with more than 60 international and local acts over the course of six days and five nights in summer. In Tirana itself there is a host of other concerts and events taking place, including the Tirana Photo Festival and the Color Day Festival, a free event featuring music and a rainbow of coloured powder.
Visit a museum dedicated to surveillance
Behind the fairly innocuous-sounding name of this attraction is a dark past. Located in the centre of Tirana, the House of Leaves was built in 1931 and is so-called because of the clambering plant covering its facade. It was once a maternity ward but soon became the Central Directorate of the Secret Service from 1944 to 1991, used for spying on and detaining many innocent people. The building is now a Museum of Secret Surveillance, with 31 rooms documenting the surveillance equipment and interrogation techniques that the regime used on its own people. It might not exactly be fun but it certainly is fascinating.
Take a pub crawl to boujee Tirana
Tirana nightlife is legendary (Photo: Getyourguide.com)
Tirana has quickly made its name as one of the new nightlife hotspots in Europe. From tumbledown local bars to glitzy, neon-lit cocktail bars, the city has something for everyone. This tour is a small group of no more than ten people and is an introduction to the hottest bars in Tirana, all led by a guide who knows Tirana after dark. You receive free welcome shots at each bar you visit and get VIP entry to a nightclub in the vibrant Blloku district is also included. A word of warning however. Blloku was once a restricted residential area for the members of the Albanian politburo and now it is an area of unrestricted bling. This is very much the new Tirana elite – flashy excess is all part of a night out.
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Get some street food
Albania has many great food options, the rich lamb dish of Tavë Kosi and tomatoey Fergese among them, but there is one dish to try before all others. Although a form of byrek is available in many countries, the Albanians arguably make some of the best versions of this golden phyllo pastry and filling street food. Don’t be surprised to find pumpkin and tomato fillings alongside the classic cheese, spinach and meat offerings either. There are a lot of great places to try Byrek in Tirana but one of the best has to be Byrektore Albani, a local, backstreet eatery that has spinach, cheese, tomato and cheese options, all for around 50 cents – you might have to wait in a queue but it will be worth it.
Get away from it all
Tirana Park is a good place to escape the city (Photo: Oliver Stallwood)
The Grand Park of Tirana, within walking distance to the south of the city, doesn’t sound that great on paper. There is an artificial lake, a zoo and a botanical garden, along with various cafes and restaurants. But it doesn’t take long before you feel lost in the city park, especially as you amble past the tennis courts and down to the north shore of the lake where local couples hold hands and others doze in the sun. It’s an oasis of peace just away from the chaos of central Tirana and a wonderful place to catch the sunset. On the way back you may stumble across a little cafe – one particularly sleepy one in the forest has a ‘party zone’ sign attached to a tree – where you can start the evening before hitting the city.
Climb a mountain – by cable car
Cable car up Dajti Mountain (Photo: Getyourguide.com)
For a unique view of Tirana take a cable car up Dajti Mountain. It’s around 20kms out of Tirana but a winding road means it can take up to an hour to get to the cable car station. At 4.7km, this is the longest cableway in The Balkans and takes 15 minutes over farms, forests, hilltops and bunkers. To make the trip to the top of the mountain hassle-free, there are a number of tours that will pick you up at your hotel and take care of everything. This tour starts early and includes a visit to Bunk Art 1, a former nuclear bunker turned museum.
Book at Getyourguide.com