Grand Park & Artificial Lake

About Grand Park & Artificial Lake

By the ULTIMATE Tirana Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

The Grand Park, 289 hectares around the artificial lake south of the University, is where Tirana comes to breathe. A loop path of about five kilometres circles the water through pine woods, past monuments, playgrounds, cafés, St Procopius Church, the Presidential Palace and the Commonwealth war cemetery; the zoo and the Botanical Garden lie at the southern end. Walk or jog it early in the morning, or join half the city on the evening stroll. Bikes can be rented near the entrance.

The city’s green lung

The Grand Park of Tirana, also called the Park of the Artificial Lake, covers 289 hectares on the southern edge of the city, behind the University. It was laid out in the 1950s around a 55-hectare reservoir, and it is run by the municipality’s Agency of Parks and Recreation.

A loop path of about five kilometres circles the lake through pine woods and open lawns, and in the early morning and the evening it is busy with runners, walkers, families and couples.

Two hundred and eighty-nine hectares of woods, paths and water, where half of Tirana goes to walk, run and talk.

What you find there

Along the way are monuments to Albanian personalities, the small Church of St Procopius, the Presidential Palace behind its walls, an amphitheatre for summer events and cafés with views over the water. In a quiet corner lies the Commonwealth war cemetery for British soldiers who died in Albania in the Second World War.

At the southern end are the University’s Botanical Garden and Zoopark Tirana, reopened in 2022, which make a good half day with children.

A daily ritual

On summer evenings the park becomes part of the xhiro, the city’s evening stroll, and the lakeside bars stay open late. In winter it is quieter and the views of the snowy mountains are lovely.

Our advice: walk the full loop early in the morning when the light is soft and the paths are calm, then have breakfast at one of the lakeside cafés.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Grand Park & Artificial Lake before you go.