Introduction to Tirana
In this Explorer´s Guide to Tirana, we will talk about Tirana, the capital and largest city in Albania. It is located in the central part of the country, with good connections with most of the main cities and vicinity to the sea. After 35km in the West, we arrive in Durrës, 40km in the southeast there´s Elbasan and only 17km away it´s the main Airport of Albania, Tirana International Airport. Just nearby in the East, there´s Dajti National Park, with an extensive and beautiful mountain range. So in terms of Nature, every possible landscape is near Tirana, the only problem is choosing where to go. Nowadays, Tirana is also a kind of barometer of the state of the country, it can tell you a lot about the development of Albania.
Continue reading and you´ll learn more & more about Tirana.
The topics included in this Explorer´s Guide of Tirana are as follows:
- When to visit
- How to go there?
- How to get around?
- What to do?
- What to eat?
- Last remarks
When to explore Tirana
One of the great features of Tirana is that you can visit it at any time of the year. Most of the time, the weather is mostly clear and sunny, typical Mediterranean, giving a lot of opportunities to discover the city. Depending on what you want to do in Tirana, you can easily decide when to visit. Of course, as in other parts of Albania, Summer is the crowd season, with a lot of tourists from other countries, so it will be a little noisy and pricey, but still visitable. Spring and Autumn will be less crowded, quieter and cooler. In the Winter you can enjoy also a little snow in the Dajti National Park. So the only problem is to just pick a date and go there!
How to go to Tirana?
The very good location of Tirana makes it easy to go there. The airport of Tirana is just minutes away and the Port of Durres is only a half hour away by car. From all the other main cities in Albania, there´s a direct road to Tirana. We have thought about it in our Explorer´s Guide of Tirana and here is an overview of all possible connections:
- By landing at TIA. The airport has many direct flights within Europe, but also from other parts of the world with transit flights. After landing, you can take a cab directly from the airport. To do this, consult the information on the Internet to find the best offers or directly ask the drivers of the cabins located there. But you better check the Internet and get everything ready before flying to Tirana. You can also take the bus operating exclusively between Tirana-TIA. If you want to be more flexible, you can rent a car at the airport.
- By ferries to Durrës Port. Then it´s possible to take a cab or the bus directly to Tirana. Take a look at the public transport platform etransport for the timetable and stations. The Bus station is just a few minutes walk from the Port. Car rental is also possible there.
- You can consult the website etransport if you want to start the journey to Tirana from another city or location in Albania, with a bus or a van.
- Meanwhile, construction works are going forward to finish the new Railway lines Durrës-Tirana and TIA-Tirana. They should be operative from the next year 2024. So in this way, rail transportation will be again available in the capital.
- If you book any tour, that has all included, then transport won´t be a problem anymore. Make sure you consult all the offers on the Internet and reserve ahead of time to ensure a smooth experience. Usually, the tours can be for one or many days and comprise a lot of activities, not just transportation. Normally these tours comprise other cities and locations in Albania, not just Tirana.
You can go to Albania and Tirana also with a camper or just a personal car. There are enough sites for campers available in Albania, you can take a look at one of our earlier posts.
How to get around in Tirana?
Once you´ve gotten to Tirana, chosen a place to stay and got set up, it´s time to start enjoying the activities that you have planned. An important part of the plan is of course moving around the city. To make it as easy as possible, we put some valuable tips about it in our Explorer´s Guide of Tirana. Just check the list below:
- Tirana is in an ever-evolving mode, so to be updated with information about the city in general, we recommend paying a visit to the Tourist Information Office or taking a look at this website.
- There is the service of public transportation (with buses), with the actual number of 16 lines that cover most parts of the city. Now is possible to learn more about public transportation via the Internet. You can consult the Map of Tirana’s bus network at this link. You can also visit the official website of the Municipality of Tirana or even better download the app “Tirana Ime 2.0”, for both iOS and Android systems. There you can find helpful information about transport, parking, traffic and other topics regarding the capital. But some problems persist, for example usually there aren´t timetables at the bus stations, the buses come with varying frequency because of traffic etc. The ticket cannot be bought online or at an automat, it´s only possible inside the bus from the ticket controller. Only one-way tickets are offered (one ticket costs 40 Lekë, in the actual exchange rate is 0.40 Euro) and a monthly pass (from our last infos, it costs 1600 Lekë or 15.25 Euro). To buy these monthly passes you have to go to some exclusive kiosks near some bus stations. Sometimes you can buy them also from the ticket controller, but it´s not for sure.
- Taking a taxi is also a fast solution, they are easy to find or you can call them directly on the web, but you have to take the traffic into account.
- Car rental can be a solution, but more practical if you want to visit places outside the city. Like every big city, the traffic can be very overwhelming and the parking situation is quite problematic.
- Getting around with a bicycle or just strolling through the city will be practical since Tirana has a good network of bicycle lanes, that you can consult at the “Tirana Ime 2.0” app.
What to do in Tirana
In Tirana, there are a lot of activities that you can do be it inside or outside the city. We´ll concentrate in this Explorer´s Guide to Tirana on things to do inside the city. We´ll try to give all the hints based on our experience of living there for several years. But as we said, the city is changing in real-time, so something new will come up till you visit Tirana.
Based on what you want to do there, you can decide how many days to spend there. It´s possible to spend a weekend there, or maybe a couple of days more.
From our experience, we can give the following recommendations:
- Bus tour around the city or a free walking tour from the locals, before exploring it for yourself. You can find information on the Guruwalk or Tirana Free Tour.
- The city has a lot of history, so it´s worth visiting the museums, and the cultural and historical buildings, such as:
- The Tirana Mosaic is the only archaeological monument in the city. It dates back to the 1st century AD and it´s thought to be a rural villa or Roman house.
- The Castle of Tirana, the only castle inside the city’s territory. It dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries and is mostly in relatively good condition. Several other castles are located outside Tirana, but nearby.
- The Tirana Clock Tower, built in the 19th century, is almost 200 years old. It´s 35m in height and stands together with the Et´hem Bej Mosque as an architectural ensemble. Both are worth the visit.
- The Scanderbeg Square and Scanderbeg Monument, are both two very important landmarks in Tirana and Albania. They are dedicated to the National Hero of Albania Scanderbeg (Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu). The Square is located in the centre of the city and the Monument is at the south end of it. The Square has changed its configuration several times since 1937 when it took the name of Scanderbeg and till the actual organisation it has nowadays. The Monument was inaugurated in 1968.
- The National Historical Museum is the biggest and most important museum in Albania. It´s located at the north end of Scanderbeg Square, like some of the most important landmarks of the capital. A huge number of original artefacts are homed there. The best chance to learn the history of Albania is to pay a visit there.
Many other museums and important buildings can be consulted on the official website of the Municipality of Tirana (Bashkia Tiranë).
- Visiting hot spots and landmarks in Tirana:
Other landmarks and attractions can be consulted on the official website of the Municipality of Tirana (Bashkia Tiranë).
- Explore the Grand Park of the Lake of Tirana.
The Grand Park (Parku i Madh i Liqenit Artificial të Tiranës) is the largest in the capital. Here we find a hilly terrain that´s combined with the Artificial Lake of Tirana. The best place to relax or to engage in sports activities in the capital and of course is a must-visit. Inside its territory, you can find several zones to practice different kinds of sports like football, basketball, tennis etc.
Also, there are plenty of lanes to go for a run or bicycling and lately, it´s possible to engage in kayaking. For more information about sports activities consult the official Tirana Ime Outdoor app, as far as we know there´s only a version for the iOS system.
- This Explorer´s Guide to Tirana is not only for everyday life but for the nightlife too. The capital is also known for its nightlife scene with plenty of bars, nightclubs and so on. You can find the bars in well-known locations such as Blloku, Rruga “Mustafa Matohiti” (or locally called “Rruga e Salës”), at Tirana´s Castle (Kalaja e Tiranës). There are some famous ones also in the suburbs.
During the year a lot of international music stars come and give concerts in the Capital, just make sure to check in advance for these events. A very helpful tool is the app TEA Tourism Events of Albania (iOS or Android).
What to eat in Tirana?
Now this is the tastiest part of our Explorer´s Guide to Tirana. In the capital, there´s the chance to enjoy a vast traditional and international cuisine scene. Normally the local dishes belonging to Tirana cuisine are a must, like the most famous tavë dheu or fërgesë (casserole baked in clay dish, with cottage cheese = gjizë, vegetables and with or without meat). It´s one of the most preferred in the entire Albania. Then you can taste a special type of soup called Paçe with meat (usually with plëndës (an organ of the digestive apparatus in animals like bovines) and it´s served with Pilaf (rice). It is usually eaten in the morning, especially in small traditional taverns (Mëngjezore). Other local dishes are tavë me qofte (casserole with meatballs) or just qofte, tavë me perime (casserole with fresh vegetables of the season),.
You can taste traditional dishes of Albania, in general, like tavë me patate dhe mish (casserole with potatoes and meat), tavë me qofte (casserole with meatballs), mish në hell (cottage cheese = gjizë), sallatë me perime të freskëta (salads with fresh vegetables of the season), beans (fasule), the popular Byrek (a pie made with filo pastry and different kinds of fillings like cheese, meat, vegetables, gjizë), arapash (porridge with corn and with or without meat) etc.
For desserts, typical ones of Tirana are said to be the qumështor (milk pie), tortë me peta (cake with pastry layers, creme and walnuts). You must try them otherwise, you´ll regret it!
In Tirana, we can find also other typical tasty Albanian desserts such as bakllava (layered pastry pie filled with walnuts), syltiash (dessert with rice and milk) etc.
To drink you have a big offer of traditional ones:
dhallë (soft drink made of yoghurt, water and salt) is very popular in Albania and goes well with some of the dishes mentioned above, especially with byrek.
- local beer made in Albania or wines.
- the famous rakia. It´s a very popular alcoholic drink in Albania, you must try it! They come in a lot of flavours like grape, blackberry, plums, mulberry, apple etc. Just ask the locals and you´ll be fine.
- enjoy a cup of coffee and tea made in the local style.
The selection of dishes that we presented here and more is easily reachable at the local restaurants. Lastly, the best way to get the dish that you like is to ask the locals.
But in Tirana, you can taste the international cuisines, too. There’s a good offer of Italian cuisine especially pizza restaurants. We can find also Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Mexican restaurants & more.
Last remarks
Tirana has quite a huge tourist offer for everyone who comes for a visit. It´s possible to spend a day, a weekend or even more, there´s always something new to see or discover. You just need to make up your mind and travel to. Take the time you need to experience and discover as much as possible in the capital of Albania. It´s also a very good start for longer holidays in Albania. We hope that our Explorer´s Guide to Tirana will be helpful during your stay in the city so that you can take the best memories with you.
If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below and we’ll be more than happy to answer! Happy Travelling!
