Tirana
3
Day Itinerary •
Albania
Three days in Tirana and its surrounds takes you through one of the most surprising and energetic capitals in Europe, a city transforming at extraordinary speed from its communist past, and the remarkable landscapes within an hour of its centre including the extraordinary Ottoman ruins of Kruje, the Dajti mountain cable car and the ancient ruins of Durres on the Adriatic coast. This route takes in Skanderbeg Square and the Blloku district where Hoxha's elite once lived behind walls, the extraordinary Bunk'Art bunker museums built inside Hoxha's nuclear shelters, the National History Museum with its extraordinary communist-era collection, the cable car to Mount Dajti and a day at Kruje with its extraordinary castle bazaar and the finest Albanian crafts market.
Best Time To Visit
April to October
Getting There
Fly into Tirana (TIA), 40 min from city centre
Getting Around
Old city walkable; car for day trips
Budget Per Day
Approx 30 to 60 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, mostly walking
DAY 1
TIRANA
MORNING
SKANDERBEG SQUARE AND THE NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM
Skanderbeg Square is the heart of Tirana and one of the largest public squares in the Balkans, dominated by the equestrian statue of Albania's national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg who resisted the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. The National History Museum on the north side of the square has the finest collection of Albanian history and archaeology in the country, including an extraordinary room dedicated to the communist period with remarkable photographs and personal testimonies. The colourful Italian-era buildings around the square are extraordinary. Museum entry approx 300 ALL. Drive: 20 min walk
MIDDAY
BUNK'ART 2, INSIDE HOXHA'S NUCLEAR BUNKER
Bunk'Art 2 beneath the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the city centre is the most extraordinary museum in Albania, a vast nuclear bunker built in the 1980s for the communist leadership converted into a remarkable museum of the Sigurimi secret police and the surveillance state that monitored every Albanian citizen. The extraordinary interrogation rooms, listening equipment and personal case files displayed are profoundly disturbing and genuinely moving. Entry approx 500 ALL. Drive: 15 min walk
AFTERNOON
BLLOKU DISTRICT, WHERE THE COMMUNIST ELITE LIVED
The Blloku district in central Tirana was the closed residential area of the communist elite, accessible only to party members during the Hoxha era and surrounded by extraordinary security. Today it is the finest cafe, bar and restaurant district in Albania, its elegant tree-lined streets lined with extraordinary outdoor terraces. Enver Hoxha's personal villa is still standing at the edge of the district. The contrast between the bunker museums and the Blloku cafe culture is the most extraordinary experience in Tirana.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The House of Leaves museum is the finest espionage museum in the Balkans, housed in the former Sigurimi surveillance centre where the secret police monitored Tirana's telephone network. The extraordinary listening equipment, case files and the realisation of the scale of surveillance in communist Albania are genuinely extraordinary. Entry approx 400 ALL.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Tirana centre Albanian espresso at the Rogner Hotel cafe or any bar on Skanderbeg Square. Costs 60 ALL. | Lunch: Era Restaurant, Tirana The finest traditional Albanian restaurant in Tirana. Local lamb, byrek and raki. | Dinner: Blloku bar-restaurant Dinner in the extraordinary former communist elite district. International and local cuisine.
DAY 2
MOUNT DAJTI AND KRUJE
MORNING
MOUNT DAJTI CABLE CAR, THE ROOF OF TIRANA
The Dajti Express cable car from the eastern edge of Tirana climbs 1,100 metres to Mount Dajti National Park in 15 minutes, giving extraordinary views over Tirana, the Albanian Alps and on clear days the Adriatic coast 30km to the west. The mountain plateau above is covered in extraordinary beech and oak forest with walking trails and the finest panorama in the Tirana region. The cable car runs daily from 9am. Return ticket approx 800 ALL. The mountain restaurant serves local lamb and raki with the extraordinary view. Drive: 45 min drive north
MIDDAY
KRUJE CASTLE AND THE FINEST BAZAAR IN ALBANIA
Kruje is the finest castle town in Albania, the citadel where Skanderbeg held out against the Ottoman Empire for 25 years in the 15th century. The castle museum tells the extraordinary story of Albanian resistance. Below the castle, the Kruje bazaar street is the finest craft market in Albania, its extraordinary 19th-century wooden shops selling traditional Albanian kilim rugs, copper work, antique Ottoman weapons and the finest collection of communist-era memorabilia in the country. Castle entry approx 300 ALL. Drive: 45 min drive back
AFTERNOON
ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM AND SKANDERBEG TOMB
The Ethnographic Museum in a beautifully restored 18th-century house within the Kruje castle complex is the finest regional ethnographic museum in Albania, its extraordinary collection of traditional Albanian domestic objects, costumes and crafts displayed in authentic period rooms. The Dollma Tekke below the castle is the finest Bektashi religious site in the Kruje area, its extraordinary garden and domed prayer room open to all visitors. Both free to enter.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Skanderbeg Museum in Kruje contains the most extraordinary personal collection related to Albania's national hero in the country, including weapons, armour and documents from the 15th-century resistance against the Ottoman Empire. The helmet on display is claimed to be Skanderbeg's own. Entry included in castle ticket.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Tirana Early coffee before the cable car. Dajti restaurant serves breakfast at the top. | Lunch: Kruje bazaar restaurant Local byrek, grilled lamb and Albanian wine in the extraordinary castle bazaar shade. | Dinner: Restaurant in Tirana Dinner back in the capital. The Blloku district has outstanding choices at every price.
DAY 3
DURRES
MORNING
DURRES AMPHITHEATRE, THE LARGEST IN THE BALKANS
Durres is Albania's second city and principal port, founded by the Greeks in 627 BC and known to the Romans as Dyrrachium. The extraordinary Roman amphitheatre in the city centre, the largest in the Balkans with a capacity of 20,000, was discovered accidentally in 1966 during construction and is now partially excavated in the middle of a modern residential neighbourhood. The extraordinary Byzantine chapel inside the amphitheatre with its remarkable mosaic floor is free to enter. Entry to amphitheatre approx 300 ALL. Drive: 30 min walk
MIDDAY
DURRES ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM AND VENETIAN TOWER
The Durres Archaeological Museum is the finest classical antiquity museum in Albania, its extraordinary collection of Greek and Roman artefacts from the Durres excavations including ceramics, sculptures and coins spanning 2,500 years of occupation. The Venetian Tower on the seafront is the best preserved section of the extraordinary medieval city walls. The walk along the old walls from the tower gives the finest view over the modern city and the Adriatic beyond. Museum entry approx 300 ALL. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
DURRES ADRIATIC BEACH AND RETURN TO TIRANA
The Durres beach is the largest on the Albanian Adriatic coast, a long sandy stretch with the extraordinary backdrop of the city, its ancient walls and the mountains behind. The beach is heavily developed in summer but offers fine swimming and the extraordinary experience of Albania's communist-era holiday infrastructure alongside the modern development. The drive back to Tirana takes 30 minutes on the motorway for the final flight home.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The ancient city of Apollonia near Durres is one of the finest Greek ruins in the Balkans, founded in 588 BC and visited by Julius Caesar. The extraordinary Bouleuterion colonnade and the site museum in the converted Byzantine monastery are outstanding. Entry approx 300 ALL. A 45-minute drive from Durres.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Tirana Early coffee before the Durres drive. The motorway takes 30 minutes. | Lunch: Restaurant near Durres port Fresh Adriatic fish and mussels in the port area. Extraordinarily cheap and fresh. | Dinner: Restaurant in Tirana Final Albanian dinner in the capital before the flight. Blloku has the finest options.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Tirana Blloku, all nights Hotel Rogner or Trip Inn Tirana. Approx 40 to 90 euros per night. Budget option Hostels and guesthouses in Tirana from approx 15 to 30 euros per night. Near airport Several hotels 10 min from TIA for early flights. Approx 40 to 70 euros.
Top Tips
1. Bunk'Art 1 and 2 are the finest museums in Albania. Built inside Hoxha's nuclear bunkers, they document the communist period with extraordinary honesty and detail.
2. The Blloku district where the communist elite lived behind walls is now the finest cafe and bar area in the Balkans. The contrast with the bunkers is extraordinary.
3. Kruje bazaar is the finest craft market in Albania. The antique dealers have extraordinary finds including Ottoman weapons, communist-era memorabilia and traditional textiles.
4. The Dajti cable car gives extraordinary views over Tirana and the Albanian Alps. Go in the morning before cloud builds and eat lunch at the mountain restaurant above.
5. Albanian coffee culture is extraordinary. Espresso is the default, it costs 50 to 80 ALL, and spending an hour in a Tirana cafe watching the world go by costs almost nothing.
6. Bolt ride-hailing is the finest way to get around Tirana. A typical city journey costs 200 to 400 ALL. The drivers are unfailingly friendly and speak some English.
Total Budget
30 to 60 euros/day