13 of the best · Tirana, Albania
A lake in the city and a mountain on the doorstep.
Our 13 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
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Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love Tirana.
A lake in the city
The big park south of the centre, around an artificial lake with paths, cafés and woods.
The mountain above the city
Tirana’s mountain: forest, meadows, trails and views, reached by cable car.
Through the centre
A green corridor along the Lana river through the centre, past painted façades.
Dajti and the Grand Park.
The back story
A mountain national park reached by cable car and a lake in a forest park on the edge of the centre: Tirana is a city where nature is never far away.
Dajti.
Tirana’s drinking water
A turquoise reservoir 14 km north-east of Tirana inside Dajti National Park, with a popular viewpoint hike.
Zip lines on the mountain
A ropes and zip-line park beside the Dajti Ekspres top station, open from May to October.
The mountain above the city
Tirana’s mountain: forest, meadows, trails and views, reached by cable car.
A loop for walkers and cyclists
A lake in the village of Farka, 8 km east of the centre, ringed by a promenade for walking and cycling.
The mountain with holes
A high karst massif east of Dajti, pitted with huge holes, part of a protected landscape.
The Black Cave
A prehistoric cave above the Erzen canyon, an hour’s hike from the village of Pëllumbas, 27 km south-east of Tirana.
Parks and promenades.
A lake in the city
The big park south of the centre, around an artificial lake with paths, cafés and woods.
A new park on an old dump
A lakeside park in Paskuqan, transformed from waste ground with thousands of new trees and a cycle lane.
Through the centre
A green corridor along the Lana river through the centre, past painted façades.
Begun in 1964
The University of Tirana’s botanical garden at the southern end of the Grand Park, begun in 1964 and finished in 1971.
Reopened in 2022
Albania’s only zoo, between the Grand Park and the Botanical Garden, reopened in 2022 after a renovation.
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