We spent two days exploring the Albanian capital, Tirana our our Balkan Road Trip. Having studied East European Studies at University, I’ve long been intrigued with Albania. This small country in south Eastern Europe, which kept itself isolated for so many years, is now easily reached by air, ferry or land from across Europe. Prior to visiting, most of what I knew about Albania came from a project I did at university in 1986, so I wasn’t not really sure what to expect. It turned out to be a fascinating place to spend a few days. Here is my pick of the top 10 things to do in Tirana.
How to get to Tirana
We drove to Albania from North Macedonia. The drive and the border crossing were both very easy. We rented a car via Hertz, who provided us with a ‘green card’ (a wallet full of documents verifying the vehicle’s credentials and permission to take it abroad).
We were through the border in a matter of minutes and heading for Tirana. We stopped on the way into the city at Bunk’Art 1 and the Dajti Ekspres, which are around 4 miles from downtown Tirana.
Getting Around Tirana
Tirana is a compact city with a population of less than a million. It’s the perfect city to explore on foot.
Note: We drove to Bunk’Art 1 and the Dajti Express, which are only a few hundred metres apart, en route to Tirana. If you don’t have a car, these attractions can be reached from the city centre by bus; The Porcelan bus is blue and departs from the Clock Tower every 5-30 minutes. The journey takes approximately 20 minutes and the fare costs 40 Leke.
Where to stay in Tirana
Accommodation in Tirana is reasonably cheap. We opted for the Dinasty Hotel, which is to the south of the city centre, close to the Grand Park. This is an ideal base from which to explore the city on foot, with the added benefit of free parking. And we even had thrones in our room!
A substantial breakfast buffet was also included in the room price.
Tirana: Top 10 Things to do
| 1 | Visit Bunk’Art 1 |
| 2 | Take the Dajti Ekspres |
| 3 | Eat dinner in Blloku |
| 4 | Explore Postbllok |
| 5 | Visit the Pyramid |
| 6 | Visit the National Gallery of Arts |
| 7 | Visit the National History Museum |
| 8 | Wander round Skanderbeg Square |
| 9 | Visit the Orthodox Cathedral |
| 10 | Stroll round the Grand Park of Tirana |
No 1 – Visit Bunk’Art 1
We drove to Bunk’Art 1 and the Dajti Express, which are only a few hundred metres apart, en route to Tirana. If you don’t have a car, these attractions can be reached from the city centre by bus; The Porcelan bus is blue and departs from the Clock Tower every 5-30 minutes. The journey takes approximately 20 minutes and the fare costs 40 Leke.
Former president Hoxha was obsessed with building bunkers to defend his population from an attack from the West. In Tirana, his personal bunker is now a museum.
Bunk’Art is part museum, telling the story of Albania’s communist past, and part art gallery, with a range of topical installations. One exhibit depicting a child going to school to combat illiteracy, is so scary it looks like a scene from Bride of Chucky. The old man swears it moved while I photographed it!
Bunk’Art 1 is open between 9.30 am until 4.30 from Wednesday to Sunday. Entry costs 500 lekë. (There is also Bunk’Art 2 in central Tirana, which we didn’t visit as we figured one bunker themed museum was sufficient.)
No 2 – Take the Dajti Ekspres
Before continuing to Tirana, we took a ride on The Dajti Ekspres; an 18 minute cable car ride over a lake and a valley and finally up the side of a cliff to a park atop Mount Dajti. The views are stunning but it’s not a ride for the faint hearted.
There are various activities available at the top such as mini golf, a restaurant and an adventure park.
The cable car operates daily from 9 am until 5.30 pm (7 pm at weekends). A return ticket costs €14.
No 3 – Eat dinner in Blloku
Once in central Tirana, we took a wander round the suburb of Blloku; an area once only accessible to senior party officials. Among the trendy bars and restaurants stands Hoxha’s former villa, which lies empty, as no one really knows what to do with it. There are plans to open it to the public.
Era Restaurant
There are plenty of great places to dine in Blloku. We chose Era. The food was amazing, although the size of the starter floored me before the main course even arrived.
No 4 – Explore Postbllok
On the corner of Blloku, where the checkpoint controlling entry to this elite area once stood, is Postbllok; a collection of the relics of communism comprising a bunker, part of a labour camp and a chunk of the Berlin Wall.
No 5 – Visit the Pyramid
A trip to Tirana isn’t complete without a visit to the Pyramid. This hideous carbuncle was designed by Hoxha’s daughter as a memorial to his legacy. After lying derelict and decaying for years while its future was debated. Since our visit, the Pyramid has been redeveloped and is now a cultural hub. It is now possible to climb to the top via stairs, rather than in this rather undignified manner.
No 6 – Visit the National Gallery of Arts
The National Gallery of Arts has some great socialist realist art. In front of the gallery is a large white installation; Reja (The Cloud) which you can climb into for the obligatory selfie.
Inside the gallery, photography is prohibited but the guard, like many Albanians, was a smoker. So I managed to photograph almost the entire collection during his cigarette breaks.
There’s also an interesting collection of old communist statues out the back.
Note: The National Gallery is currently closed for refurbishment.
No 7 – Visit the National History Museum
The National History Museum documents Albania’s history from the Stone Age onwards. Unfortunately, shortly after the Roman invasion, the English subtitles ceased. From here, if (like us) you can’t read Albanian, it’s just a random collection of stuff, until we reached the post-war era and then the subtitles reappeared.
The museum is open daily from 9 am until 6 pm. Entry costs 500 leke.
No 8 – Wander round Skanderbeg Square
In front of the National History Museum is the enormous Skanderbeg Square, which isn’t sure if it’s a pedestrian plaza or a fountain, with water pouring out of vents between the marble tiles onto the feet of passers-by.
No 9 – Visit the Orthodox Cathedral
The ultra modern Orthodox Cathedral is one of the largest churches in the Balkans. Its separate bell tower, at 46 metres high, looms over the cathedral.
No 10 – Stroll round the Grand Park of Tirana
I finished my visit to Tirana with a jog round Tirana Lake; an artificial lake in the Grand Park which has a footpath round it.
It’s a lovely scenic run (or walk) with the lake in the foreground and a backdrop of mountains. The lake looks like the designer used a paint splatter as a template. So even though it isn’t that big, a run round the edges is 6 km (it would make a great parkrun). Also in the park are a theatre, swimming pool and a zoo.
I hope you found the above information useful. For more top picks from other destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full Top 10 Things To Do list here.
Other Blogs about Albania
- Trip taken: September 2018
- Updated: January 2025
Jane's Midlife Journey 
Leave a comment