When did I last visit Tirana? June 2023
When was this article last updated? February 2025
Arriving in Tirana
Bus shuttle: LUNA runs a 24 hour bus service between Tirana Airport and the centre of the city (near the Palace of Opera and Ballet in Skanderbeg Square). It costs 400 Albanian Lek each way, which is an affordable way to get to the city. The journey runs on the hour every hour and takes around 25-30 minutes. Tickets can be bought in advance or in person by cash and card (although it is always best to have cash as a backup in Albania!). Details can be found here.
Taxis are available at Tirana and a journey to the city would normally cost around 2,500 Albanian Lek. Be aware that the arrivals area at Tirana Airport is often busy with taxi drivers vying for businesses and you should try and agree a price before starting a journey. One way to get around this is to pre-book a taxi, as I did through Booking.com’s taxi service for a comparable cost to hailing a taxi.
Rental cars are readily available at Tirana Airport. I would suggest that you should have plenty of driving experience under your belt before driving in Albania as rules of the road can occasionally become optional the further from Tirana you get.
Getting around Tirana
The centre of Tirana is very walkable with most attractions within 10-15 minutes walking distance of the major hotels. You will only need public transport or a taxi to visit attractions outside the city such as Bunk’art 1 and Mount Dajti.
Buses are the most widely found form of public transport in Tirana. The routes are accessible online on services such as Google Maps, although schedules can be unreliable. Waiting times are generally no more than 13 minutes for a bus so it’s best to hang around at a stop for a little bit before trying something else. Tickets are paid in cash to a conductor on the bus, who will hand you a small raffle-sized ticket in return.
Taxis are easily available in the city. Make sure to agree a price before you start your journey – you can also book a taxi through your hotel. Be aware that, as of 2024, there is no Uber, Bolt or equivalent rideshare service in Tirana.
Things to do in and around Tirana
Skanderbeg Square is the main square at the heart of Tirana. Surrounded by museums, bars, statues, hotels and other landmarks, the square is a great place to start your trip to Albania, get your bearings and people watch. The atmosphere of the square changes throughout the day with families, locals and tourists alike sharing the space in different ways. There are plenty of benches and other places to sit and lie down in the square and enjoy the Albanian sun.
Adjoining the square, you will come across the Et’hem Bey Mosque, one of the few religious institutions to survive Albania’s period under dictatorship. The architecture and frescoes of the mosque are worth seeing and, since it’s right in the heart of the city, it only takes a few minutes to go and see!
You cannot miss the National History Museum of Albania with its characteristic mural running alongside Skanderbeg Square. Inside are thousands of exhibits from throughout Albania’s history. If you are looking for exhibits from the Hoxha era, Bunk’art 1 and 2 may be a better bet, but the National History Museum touches upon a number of eras of Albania’s varied and diverse history.
(NB: The museum is currently closed until Spring 2028. Whilst you can’t see the exhibits, go to see the outside mural!)
You can’t visit Albania without exploring some of its famous bunkers. Tirana spoils you for choice with not one but two bunker museums, namely Bunk’Art 1 in a former Cold War bunker on the outskirts of the city and Bunk’Art 2 in a former Government bunker in the heart of the city centre. I chose to visit both and thought they were both worthwhile!
The museums have a clear self-guided tour with information clearly displayed in English and Albanian, telling a story about the history of Albania through the Hoxha period and the experiences of ordinary Albanians. The information is fascinating but don’t forget to take a look at the buildings themselves! Bunk’Art 1 was a real eye opener into the mindset of the then Albanian government and the precautions they took to prepare for a potential war.
A tip for your itinerary – Bunk’Art 1 is best combined with the Mount Dajti cable car, as they are a few minutes walk from each other!
A note of caution for both of the Bunk’Art museums – some of the content is heavy and goes into sometimes graphic detail of torture by Albanian state surveillance. Just something to bear in mind!
The House of Leaves covers the history of the Sigurimi (Albanian state surveillance) during the period of Enver Hoxha’s dictatorship until the collapse of the regime in 1991. It is located in a villa, which was used first by the Gestapo in World War 2 and then by the Sigurimi. Inside the museum, you can find a collection of surveillance equipment, items used for torture and the stories of those impacted during this dark period in Albanian history.
The House of Leaves costs 700 Albanian Lek to enter – it is open for free on a collection of days per year, which can be found on its website here.
Tirana Castle dates back to the 1300s, but has recently been converted into a bazaar with shops as well as a variety of restaurants to sit out and eat. It is located within a busy part of Tirana and can be a nice place to sit down and soak up the atmosphere.
Located a short walk from Skanderbeg Square, the Pyramid of Tirana is a good spot to get a view of the city centre of Tirana. Staircases have only been added recently to the building, before people used to climb up the sides to enjoy the view. The building itself was originally built as a museum to the dictator Enver Hoxha, and has also been used as a conference centre and NATO base during the Kosovo War.
Mount Dajti National Park and Cable Car is located on the eastern outskirts of Tirana. Accessible by taxi and by bus, the cable car station is a short walk away from Bunk’art 1 (if you use Merr Taxi, there is a fixed rate between the city and the base station).
The ride in the cable car itself takes about 15 minutes and costs 14 Euros for a return trip. At the top, you will find a viewpoint, cafe, restaurant and a small park. There is also a small farm park, but frankly speaking it isn’t worth visiting for that.
The views are well worth the journey however and, combined with Bunk’art 1, it is a worthwhile afternoon trip! I would suggest you do the cable car first, so that you aren’t running for the last trip back (trust me, it’s a long journey).
The cable car is open every day of the week, except Tuesday. Opening times can change, so it is worth checking here before making the journey.
There are plenty of small sights to see around Tirana city centre, including mini bunkers and other unique buildings! Below is a small selection of random photos from the city centre.
Where to eat
Tucked away to the east of Skanderbeg Square near the Toptani shopping centre, Oxhakët is a nice local Italian restaurant with a large outdoor dining area. The prices are good value and the quality of the food is good. Perfect spot for a summer’s evening!
Continuing on the theme of good outdoor Italian restaurants, Pastaria 3 to the north of Skanderbeg Square is another good bet for a cheap pasta and a beer! Whilst it is next to a busy road, the outdoor area is walled off to take the noise away. The food is very good and the menu has a wide range of dishes, customisations and culture fusions!
Mulliri Vjeter is your friend for a quick lunch, coffee or bite to eat. They can be found across Tirana, including near Skanderbeg Square and offer a good range of coffees and lunch foods. I can recommend their Freddo iced coffee, which was a staple of my trip!
If you are a fan of people watching, there are a collection of bars at the Palace of Culture alongside Skandenbeg Square which are a great place to pass the time. On a summer’s evening, these bars can get busy with tourists and locals alike drinking, enjoying the sun and looking out over the historic square.
Where to stay
I stayed at the Hotel Elisa Tirana, affiliated by Melia, located to the north east of Skanderbeg Square on Rruga e Dibrës. The hotel is a recent addition to Tirana’s hotel scene, with modern rooms and facilities, a good breakfast assortment and a spa pool located in the basement.
I also considered the Hilton Garden Inn Tirana for our stay, as it is often a good value price and located an easy walk from the centre of the city.
It is important to note that there is a lot of hotel opening and construction going on in Tirana and new hotels are popping up all the time, so it is well worth having a good look around! Anywhere near Skanderbeg Square will serve you well on your trip!
The budget
British Airways, Ryanair and Wizz Air fly regular direct routes to Tirana from London. Flights are available from all major European countries. I flew with Wizz Air at a cost of £110 per person. Flight prices to Albania do vary as the year goes on and you can find some very good deals if you are flexible with dates!
I paid £240 for my stay at the Hotel Elisa Tirana. There are accommodation options for all budgets in Tirana, from hostel all the way up to luxury hotels. New hotels are opening all the time so the choice grows by the month!
One tip I would definitely give for Albania is always carry cash with you. I took some Euros and converted to Albanian lek in Tirana. Some museums and public transport routes do not accept card payments – by having a few spare notes, you won’t miss out on anything! Most restaurants, shops and cafes accept cards.
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