I love Albania so much that my trips there are now a yearly tradition. I can honestly say that its capital, Tirana, is one of my very favourite cities in the world. Not sure what it is exactly, but I feel at home there, every single time.

Even though tourism in Albania is shooting up, Tirana is still treated as a kind of transit place. Most tourists usually spend there just a day or head to one of the coastal towns straight from the airport.

But that’s such an unjust treatment! This hip, lively and colourful city has more than meets the eye. Here’s my top 10 if you want to give Tirana a go.

Skanderbeg Square

The heart of the Albanian capital and one of the biggest squares in the Balkans, covering 40,0002 metres. Once chaotic with many lanes of constant traffic, it was fully pedestrianised in 2017.

You wouldn’t notice it with bare eye, but the square is slightly raised in the middle. That’s so that water can cool the surface as it trickles down from the ground irrigators. Wonderful idea as the temperature in the summer easily reaches 40 ºC!

Tirana Castle

Not so much a castle as just the remnants of it. What’s left of the 14th-century building is a wall and some recently uncovered foundations, but it’s nonetheless listed as a monument of culture of the first category. It now houses a bazaar with restaurants and shops selling handcraft and souvenirs.

Right next to the castle is the popular Toptani shopping mall, and the pedestrianised Murat Toptani Street. There are many bars and cafés – my favourite one is Millennium Garden.

Tirana Castle fortifications seen from above

Murat Toptani Street with Millennium Garden to the right

Pyramid of Tirana

This conical structure opened in 1988 as a museum dedicated to the dictator Enver Hoxha. After the fall of Communism, it served a variety of purposes, before gradually dilapidating. For some time, it was threatened by a proposed demolition!

Thankfully, the building was saved and repurposed as a youth IT centre. It re-opened in May 2023, fully refurbished, with stairs on its sides leading up to a viewing platform on the top.

2022 – still in refurbishment…

…and ready to climb a year later!

Blloku

The hippest neighbourhood in Tirana, located in the southern part of the city centre. In the Communist times, it was an exclusive residential area restricted to party officials. Since then, it has opened up to the general public and undergone a transformation. Now its leafy streets are lined with trendy bars, restaurants and cafés.

Bunk’Art

Hoxha was a paranoid ruler, and in the 70s, he ordered to build several hundred thousand bunkers all over the country! Two of them have been converted into museums, Bunk’Art 2 in the city centre and Bunk’Art 1 in the outskirts.

The museums will give you an overview of how the Communist regime operated during the bleakest times of the Albanian history… It’s a heavy topic, and the visit will very likely bring your mood down, but it’s a must-do.

Bunk’Art 2, with the Ministry of Agriculture to the left

Mosques and Churches

Albania is a wonderful example of a place where different religions can co-exist peacefully. A Muslim-majority country, Albania also has a sizeable population of Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Our walking tour guide told us that Albanians are very proud of the fact that not at any point in history did they have a conflict stemming from religious differences.

You’ll quickly notice this mix by strolling around the centre of Tirana. The Et’hem Bey Mosque is the oldest surviving mosque in the city. A few minutes’ walk away you’ll find the Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral and the Catholic Saint Paul’s Cathedral.

An old mosque with modern multistorey blocks in construction in the backgroundOld against the new – Et’hem Bey Mosque (2022)

Grand Park of Tirana

If you need a break from Tirana’s wonderful hustle and bustle, head south to the Grand Park. It’s as big as the city centre, and it’ll take you a day to explore it thoroughly. There are several cafés, an outdoor gym, and even an open-air cinema! The huge artificial lake is a popular place for the locals to stroll around.

People sitting on benches along a path in the park; lake in the background, reflecting modern buildings in the water

Street Art

The first thing that hooked me in Tirana was the omnipresent street art. Just minutes after getting off the bus from the airport, I saw Franko Dine’s gorgeous mural Biblioteka. That was only the first of many, and I went on to spend quite a lot of time tracking others. The fascination was so strong, that I quickly wrote a post about them.

More and more murals pop up all over Tirana every year, mainly thanks to the annual MurAL Fest. But you’ll see mini paintings also on electrical boxes throughout the city.

Tunnel of Hearts in Blloku

Café Scene

This was another surprise. Coffee culture is huge in Albania, like in the rest of the Balkans. Coffee lovers will find Tirana a paradise as it’s full of cafés. The choice is endless, from chains like Sophie Caffe and Mon Cheri to independent places such as Komiteti and Hana Corner.

Drinking coffee is very much ingrained in Albanian tradition, and sitting in your favourite café for hours is a normal thing. Cafés stay open late and no one will raise an eyebrow if you ask for another cup at a nocturnal hour.

My favourite branch of Mon Cheri, on Myslym Shyri Street

Dajti Mountain

The longest cable car in the Balkans will take you from the outskirts of Tirana to Dajti Mountain, located in the national park of the same name. The ride takes about 20 minutes and is an attraction in itself. Maybe even a bigger one than the mountain itself?

The view from the top is breathtaking, though: the whole of Tirana on the palm of your hand, and stunning nature stretching further afield. There is a café, several playgrounds for kids, and even a hotel, should you want to stay there for more than a day.

Anything you’d add to the list? Let me know in the comments!