Tirana, the capital of Albania is one of those cities that doesn’t appear on many peoples list of top European city break destinations. But it should.
A friend of mine suggested a group of us travel to Tirana for his birthday. It offered an alternative to the usual European cities, we all know the ones – incredible destinations but can be crowded, expensive and too familiar. Tirana had daily low cost carrier flights from Luton using Wizzair, inexpensive hotels and a sense of the unknown, so we got it booked.
We travelled in late May and decided on a 72 hour break to allow time to really explore the city. After a lot of research we decided to stay in the area of the city known as Blloku. Once the guarded enclave at the heart of Albania’s communist regime, where only the top ranking political figures were allowed. Today it’s transformed into Tirana’s most vibrant and trendy neighbourhoods, with a thriving cafe culture, tree lined streets, incredible architecture and a buzzing nightlife.
Taxi’s are plentiful and inexpensive, so we hopped into one from the airport (which was only €20) to our accommodation, the Whisky Boutique Hotel, bar and restaurant. The Whisky is in the heart of Blloku with our quirky but comfortable rooms only €65 per night. The modern bar restaurant downstairs is one of Tirana’s coolest spots, serving morning coffees and transforming into a nightclub in the evenings.
Central Tirana is a vibrant, bustling city, with tree lined avenues, clean streets and it feels especially safe. There’s some incredible modern architecture, with more buildings in construction as the country expands it’s infrastructure with the expected boom in tourism. Tourists were evident in the city but only in minimal numbers which lends itself to a feeling of discovering something new.
We took a cultural walking tour with a local guide which I can highly recommend. It offered insights into a country, city and way of life that would have passed us by if we hadn’t taken the time to join the tour.
Tirana is clearly looking to the future but it’s not ignoring it’s recent turbulent past with reminders of it’s ultra communist and isolationist history still very much in evidence.
Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, however it was after World War II, when a politician named Enver Hoxha established a repressive communist dictatorship that isolated Albania from the rest of the world, that had the biggest impact on the country. They built over 170,000 bunkers to protect from imagined invaders. The regime forced the population into fear, spying on each other, propoganda and into poverty. Dissenters disappeared.
The regime collapsed in 1991, followed by a difficult transition to democracy and recent rapid growth into a liberal region with a goal of inclusion into the European Union.
So for those looking for an alternative European city break here are a list of top tips and observations to help plan your Albanian adventure:
- Where to stay – we enjoyed Blloku for it’s bars, cafes and restaurants
- Hotel recommendation – The Whiskey Boutique hotel. Friendly, inexpensive, comfortable and great location.
- Food – our favourite restaurant was “Salt” situated in Blloku. It’s high end with a variety of Asian food and steaks. Book well in advance as it’s popular. Also the locals seemed quite proud that their eateries were local, other than one KFC and a Burger King you won’t find any US franchises like Starbucks or McDonalds. A definite plus point!
- Currency – cash is preferred but a lot of places take card. The Albanian Lek is a closed currency but can be accessed via cash points, however they do charge a fee of approx €7. Euros are accepted everywhere.
- To Do – try visit one of the museums like Bunkart or the House of Leaves. They are reminders of a dark history but provide a real insight into the 20th century Albanian experience. Give a cultural walking tour a go with a guide to show you around the city centre. Or try the cable car up to the top of Dajti Mountain, it’s the longest cable car in the Balkans and takes around 15 mins with great views of the city from above.
- Weather – Winters are mild. Spring and Autumn temps are a pleasant mid 20’s Celcius (the weather during our stay was warm) and summer can be very hot and humid into the mid 30’s C.
- Bars – The Radio bar is a great spot, filled with retro radios and memorabilia from the last century. Beers are generally around €2.80 – €4.70 with local beers being the cheapest.
- Street sellers – you may notice lots of street sellers looking to sell used books or toys, or some playing instruments or even offering to weigh you for a fee! There’s still clearly a wealth gap in the country and rather than beg those less well off look to provide a product or service to make money.
In summary, we really enjoyed our time in Tirana, it’s chilled, safe, friendly, interesting, inexpensive and the weather is great. Expect Albania to only get more and more popular with tourists, so don’t wait too long before visiting!
- Footnote: Albanians have been protesting for almost a month in what has been dubbed the Flamingo Revolution protesting a controversial, luxury mega-resort backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. The project threatens ecologically protected wetlands, prompting demonstrations that have evolved into a nationwide movement demanding an end to government corruption, wealth disparity, and the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Protests have been peaceful but have affected the city center and other locations.
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