A Simple Sightseeing Guide to Tirana, Albania

2.5K

Although Tirana is Albania’s capital, it’s not the easiest Balkan destination to plan a visit to. Travellers can easily find a long list of things to do in Tirana, but working out the priorities of what to do in the city can be tricky.

Even after spending several days sightseeing in Tirana, broken up between visiting other places and things like day trips to Kruje, I still can’t tell what the city’s main attraction is. Not that this stopped me from enjoying this unusual and remarkable place. If you, too, are trying to make sense of visiting Tirana, hopefully, this guide will help you plan your first visit.

 

How to get to Tirana

If you’re thinking of a trip to Tirana, first you need to get there.

Since it’s the national capital, Tirana is home to Albania’s main airport. The only airlines that use Tirana International Airport regularly are Ryanair and Wizz, plus Air Albania. Expect to only find flights to Tirana from major European cities and one or two in the Middle East.

Buses run between the airport and the Tirane Central Bus Stop behind the National Library.

Another option for getting to Tirana is to take a ferry. Several ferries operate from Italian ports such as Bari and come to Durres on the coast near the capital. Once you land at Durres, you can drive or take a bus to Tirana.

But I think it’s far more likely you’ll come to Tirana by bus.

Buses can be taken from all over Albania to Tirana, as well as from neighbouring countries. Common connections include Ohrid and Skope in North Macedonia, Podgorica in Montenegro, and Pristina in Kosovo, but there’s even a bus from Thessaloniki in Greece.

 

How to get around Tirana

Unlike some European capital cities, Tirana is quite a straightforward place to navigate.

Walking is a good way to get around the city center, both because this is where you’ll find many of the things to see in Tirana and also because this part of the city is pedestrian-friendly. The same goes for Blloku, the neighbourhood south of the center, which I enjoyed wandering about.

To cover any distance you don’t want to walk, you have Tirana’s bus network.

For instance, when you arrive in Tirana by bus, you’ll pull in at the South and North Albania Bus Terminal. This station is a long way from the city center, way too far to walk. Instead, just take the #4 bus into the city centre.

Buses also help you reach attractions in the city center or farther out, such as Bunk Art and Tirana Park. Tickets are bought onboard and cost 40 lek, roughly €0.40, meaning it’s cheap to use.

 

Where to stay in Tirana

An important step in planning your Tirana visit is working out where to stay.

You can find places to stay in Tirana in nearly every part of the city, but my advice is to focus on those near Skanderbeg Square or the Blloku neighbourhood.

These areas make it easiest to see the sights and find places to eat. The city centre in the blocks around Skanderbeg Square also benefits from the best public transport connections.

During my on- and off-time in the city, I stayed at three hotels. Allure Boutique Hotel and Vila e Artё are comfortable 3-star hotels within easy walking distance of the city center. But I also stayed at Doanesia Premium Hotel & Spa, a 4-star option opposite the bus station. While it is a nice hotel, its location only makes sense for people doing day trips from Tirana like I planned to.

Other highly-rated places to stay in Tirana to save you time are:

• Mulaj Hotel
• Xheko Imperial Luxury Hotel & SPA
• Rogner Hotel Tirana
• Garden Boutique B&B

 

Common tours from Tirana

Thinking of using Tirana as a base to explore Albania?

Tight on time?

Then booking tours is a great way to see more of the country. Your options range from destinations with preserved historical attractions like Berat and Gjirokaster to scenic landscapes such as Bovilla Lake and Gamti Mountain, which I’ve yet to do.

These are the most common day tours from Tirana to consider:

• Tirana to Berat guided tour
• Hiking tour of Bovilla Lake and Gamti Mountain
• Tour to Prishtina and Prizren in Kosovo
• Tirana to Kruja guided tour
• Komani Lake and mountains tour

 

Things to do in Tirana

Getting to what to do in Tirana, you’ll soon see why this can be a hard destination to figure out. Tirana is such an eclectic city where you find cultural landmarks alongside repurposed historical attractions. As I think you’ll quickly see, there’s nowhere quite like this city.

With 1 or 2 days in Tirana, this is what I’d recommend you include in your itinerary. You can also just let a tour guide handle things, with city tours that cover a lot and don’t cost too much.

 

Skanderbeg Square

Nowhere speaks to the unique look of Tirana more than its main square, Skanderbeg Square.

Named after a beloved figure in Albanian history, this great wide plaza fills the heart of the city. I can’t think of another city in Europe with such a large, empty space like it.

Skanderbeg Square is the best starting point for visiting Tirana because of the assortment of attractions either on the square or nearby. Do a spin around, and you’ll see an unexpected mix of religious landmarks, old brutalist buildings, older 20th-century buildings, and modern skyscrapers.

With so much free space, this is a common event space in Tirana, as I found when the square suddenly had a big stage and fencing on it.

If you need a break while sightseeing, head to the cafes facing the square on the terrace of the Opera & Ballet Theatre. Cafe Botanica was my pick.

 

National Historical Museum

Hard to miss on Skanderbeg Square, thanks to its huge mosaic facade, is the National Historical Museum.

The museum traces Albania’s history from the prehistoric area to the 20th century and does a reasonable job of explaining it. By visiting, you also get to explore this big brutalist building that hasn’t changed a bit over the years, I’m guessing.

There are some drawbacks to this museum. Not every exhibit piece has an English explanation, so you feel like you’re just passing through some sections. A bigger problem is that the museum is a sauna in summer. They do set up fans around the building, but they only do so much against the heat.

The biggest problem is that the National Historical Museum is closed until 2028. Until then, you’ll just have to enjoy its facade.

 

Et’hem Bej Mosque

The next landmark that might catch your eye in Skanderbeg Square is Et’hem Bej Mosque.

Compared to the big brutalist buildings and modern skyscrapers, this mosque feels delicate, with a real sense of history. It dates from the late 18th century and was closed for decades during the country’s communist rule.

The painted details around its exterior continue and gradually scale inside. Frescoes cover the top of the walls in the outer corridor, but in the heart of the mosque, the painting fills the space, including across its dome ceiling.

It’s one of the more beautiful European mosques I’ve seen and is open to tourists, which isn’t always the case.

 

Bunk Art 2

Now, we’re straying a little farther from the main square into an area of government buildings and one hard-to-miss concrete dome.

This dome is the top of Bunk Art 2, an underground art installation in one of Tirana’s old bunkers. As its name suggests, Bunk Art 2 isn’t the original version of this concept. But since Bunk Art 1 is less easily accessible, this is the easier version to see. (To visit the original, you need to head out of the city to the foot of Dajti mountain.)

Take the steps down into Bunk Art 2, and you’ll be presented with a weird mix of Socialist-era exhibits and strange art pieces. I don’t think you’ll find many people interested in both sides of the experience, but I do think it’s worth visiting. Tickets are 500 lek (€5), which is the highest I’d pay to visit, especially with the narrow tunnels mildly triggering my claustrophobia.

 

Tirana Castle

Look at a map of Tirana, and you may spot a landmark that seems promising – Tirana Castle.

And when you’re walking down the Shëtitorja Murat Toptani leafy pedestrian street, you may start to wonder where it is. That’s because all that’s left of this Ottoman castle are some walls and gates. Behind them? A modern dining and entertainment complex that uses the ruins as a barrier for ambiance.

It’s another example of the city repurposing its past for its present. While I was disappointed there wasn’t more here, I know some visitors will want to experience the shopping and nightlife this area offers.

 

House of Leaves

Visit the House of Leaves for a really effective insight into Albania’s history during the rule of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania.

This museum, set in the former headquarters of the Sigurimi secret police, explains how the secret police operated for 50+ years. Exhibits describe and show the horrors of the surveillance state and effectively explain how it was heavily felt by people in Tirana.

Of the museums I visited in Albania, I’d argue this is the best.

Although the country’s communist era ended only 30-odd years ago, many from the older generation lived through it, just as in East Germany or the Baltic. That level of distrust, paranoia, and division is hard to get rid of. Knowing this makes the museum and this history feel more real.

In an oddly fitting way, you are not allowed to take photos inside the museum. The 700 lek (€7) entry fee is worth it.

 

Lulishte Ismail Qemali

After exploring the city centre, I suggest you walk south to the Lulishte Ismail Qemali park.

This achieves a few things.

As you’re walking here, you’ll pass the lovely greenery of Rinia Park on one side and the strangeness of “The Cloud” (below) and the Pyramid of Tirana on the other. This part of the city highlights how clashing Tirana can be.

Once you reach the park, you’ll find another odd collection of things to see. Here, a section of the Berlin Wall forms part of an installation called “Checkpoint—Memorial to Communist Isolation.” In the park around it, you’ll see old communist bunkers and concrete ruins.

On their own, each site seems odd and disconnected. But it was around here that I started to appreciate that Tirana is a city grappling with its 20th century history and a habit of exploring that through the medium of art.

 

Blloku

The neighbourhood of Blloku is really the southern half of Tirana’s city center.

It’s an area of leafy streets that feels less open and modern and more like a living neighbourhood. People often choose to stay in this area for its dining and nightlife, but walking through in the morning is nice enough, too.

In terms of landmarks, Blloku’s most notable is Enver Hoxha’s Former Residence. This was where the former communist ruler lived, and as it just sits there untouched – not destroyed or turned into a museum – it’s a clear sign that Albania and Tirana is still grappling with that era in history.

Ultimately, I recommend visiting Blloku just to see what local life is like there. You can see this in other neighbourhoods of the city, but this area of the city feels more like its own little town.

 

Tirana street art

Look about when you’re sightseeing in Tirana and you should notice some pretty big murals.

It seems Tirana hasn’t avoided this common modern trend. What I did notice is that local street artists don’t go small, every mural I saw was huge.

While there are some in the streets around Skanderbeg Square, you can find more in Blloku. At the Sheshi Wilson roundabout, you’ll see the rainbow buildings, where the street art feels a little more integrated into the neighbourhood than in the city center.

 

Visit the beach at Durres

Finally, if you tire of sightseeing in Tirana or have a free day, consider visiting the beaches of Durres.

Just 40 minutes away by bus, Durres is a port city with some small city beaches and the great long arc of sand known as Durres Beach.

I went to Durres for a few days because the coastal breeze made Durres a nicer place to be than Tirana in summer. But for most, the appeal is that this is the closest beach to Tirana. If you can’t wait until you visit the Albanian Riviera (or aren’t going), this might be hard to resist.

You’ll find nicer beaches in Albania, but soft sand and gentle surf make it an easy and popular place to go.

 

Other things to do in Tirana

While this sightseeing guide should give you a starting point, I admit it’s not a complete list of things to do.

The intense summer heat killed my enthusiasm a bit near the end, as did general travel fatigue after 2 months of travel. I think I did a decent job of exploring Tirana, but there were places I missed, such as:

• Tirana National Archaeological Museum – a well-reviewed museum in the city’s south
• Tirana Park – a huge park with a lake that could make a nice change of scenery
• Bunk Art 1 – a much bigger take on the concept, but a trip from the city center