UltimateCity Guide Tirana
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The magazine

Stories from Tirana, Albania

Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Tirana City Guide, in one place.

Practical

Plan your trip

The practical things first: arriving, getting around, staying healthy, hiring a car and buying property.

Tirana, the Grand Park lake and the mountains seen from the southEssentialsTirana essentialsMoney, entry, safetyThe terminal of Tirana International Airport Nënë TerezaGetting aroundAirport, buses & taxisFrom Rinas to the centreThe mountain road over the Llogara Pass down to the Albanian RivieraHealth + WellnessHospitals & spasIn an emergency, call 127The Lana river in central TiranaMotoringCar hire & drivingDesks and road tipsPropertyBuying in AlbaniaAgencies and new towers

History

History & heritage

How a seventeenth-century Ottoman market town became Albania’s capital in 1920, shaped by Italian architects, by the closed decades and by today’s colourful, creative city.

The Clock Tower of Tirana beside the Et’hem Bey MosqueHistory & heritageFounded in 1614, capital since 1920: Tirana’s heritageFrom an Ottoman market town to a colourful capitalSkanderbeg Square with the Et’hem Bey MosqueThe back storyTiranaTirana became Albania’s capital in…Krujë CastleThe back storySkanderbeg: the hero on the squareThe double-headed eagle on Albania’s flag comes from Skanderbeg’s…

The Balkans, with love

From byrek and raki to the market halls of the New Bazaar: the life Tirana shares with the whole region.

Café terraces on Veliki trg in old Zemun, Belgrade, under the tower of the Church of the AssumptionThe regionThe Balkans, with loveCafés, markets, the table and the welcomeKotor’s old town and the bay from the fortress walls, MontenegroThe long readThe Balkan SoulCafés, markets, the table and the wildGrilled ćevapi with fries and kajmakThe regionFood & Drink in the BalkansThe shared table, guide by guide
  1. The regionMarkets & Shopping in the BalkansFrom the New Bazaar to Baščaršija

Tirana neighbourhood by neighbourhood

Three guides to the parts of the city you will spend most time in, and our pick of the luxury side of Tirana.

Fruit and vegetable stalls under the new roof of the New Bazaar, TiranaNeighbourhood guideOld Town & New BazaarSquare, castle and marketSteps climbing the renewed Pyramid of Tirana at the edge of BllokuNeighbourhood guideBllokuCafés by day, bars by nightA shady avenue in Tirana’s Grand ParkNeighbourhood guideGrand Park & the LakeWoods, water and the zoo
  1. Luxury guideLuxury TiranaHotels, tables and spas

Our advice

Up the Pyramid at sunset

Climb the Pyramid at sunset for the light over the boulevard and Mount Dajti, then walk to Postbllok and into Blloku for dinner. The Pyramid

Day trips

Albania on your doorstep

From Tirana, the UNESCO towns of Berat and Gjirokastër, the Alps, the Riviera, Korçë, Durrës and Krujë are all within reach.

The Ottoman houses of the Mangalem quarter rising above the Osum in BeratUNESCO guideBeratThe town of a thousand windowsThe stone roofs of Gjirokastër’s old town below the mountainsUNESCO guideGjirokastërThe stone cityThe Theth valley in the Albanian AlpsMountains guideShkodër & the AlpsTheth and ValbonaCoast guideThe Albanian RivieraFrom Llogara to ButrintThe beach at Dhërmi below the Ceraunian Mountains, seen from the seaSummer journeyLake Ohrid to the RivieraKaneo, Ohrid pearls, Llogara and Dhërmi

Closer to home

Nearer the capital, the amphitheatre and beaches of Durrës, Skanderbeg’s castle at Krujë, and the icons of Korçë.

  1. Coast guideVlorë & NartaFlamingos and independence
  2. Day tripDurrësAmphitheatre and beaches

The ULTIMATE Tirana magazine

In-depth features on the places that tell Tirana’s story: the House of Leaves, the Pyramid reborn, the cable car up Mount Dajti and the miller’s kitchen.

The House of Leaves museumFeatureThe House of LeavesThe watchers and the watchedThe Pyramid of Tirana after its renovationFeatureThe Pyramid rebornFrom shrine to coding schoolTavë Elbasani, lamb baked with yoghurtFeatureMullixhiuThe miller’s kitchen

Our advice

Dinner above the city

Take the Dajti Ekspres up in the late afternoon, eat at Ballkoni Dajtit at sunset, and ride down as the city lights come on. Dajti Ekspres

In depth

Tirana’s stories

An Ottoman founding, a 1920 capital, Italian boulevards, the 20th century in bunkers, and a city painted in colour.

Tirana’s centre lit up for the festive seasonSkanderbeg SquareChristmas in TiranaA festive fair on the square, and the whole city out at New YearForested slopes and limestone ridges in Dajti National Park, a lake in the valleyIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild TiranaMount Dajti and the lakesThe back storyBunkers and memoryThe museums
  1. The back storyThe new TiranaColour and concrete

Know your neighbourhoods

Skanderbeg Square with the Et’hem Bey MosqueNeighbourhood

Skanderbeg Square & the centre

The main square, the Et’hem Bey Mosque, the Clock Tower, the Opera, Bunk’Art 2 and the castle walls.

Explore Skanderbeg Square & the centre The dining room at Artigiano, with shelving of wine and plants between the tablesNeighbourhood

Blloku

The once-closed quarter of the leadership, now Tirana’s liveliest district of cafés, bars and restaurants.

Explore Blloku The Ottoman Tanners’ Bridge in TiranaNeighbourhood

The New Bazaar

The renovated market square: produce, raki and honey, restaurants and cafés.

Explore The New Bazaar A shady avenue in Tirana’s Grand ParkNeighbourhood

The Boulevard & the Grand Park

The Italian boulevard, the Pyramid, the University and the lake in the Grand Park.

Explore The Boulevard & the Grand Park The Dajti Ekspres cable car above TiranaNeighbourhood

Dajti

The mountain above the city: the cable car, Bunk’Art 1 and the national park.

Explore Dajti

The ULTIMATE letter

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