LOTUS EATERS TRAVEL

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TWO DAYS IN TIRANA: A GUIDE FOR AN EASY-GOING COUPLE OF DAYS.

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We recently visited Tirana for the fifth time – the capital city of Albania just keeps calling us back. We love the energy of the place, it hums with a vibrancy that is difficult to describe. Residents of Tirana seem to be contented, thriving and driven. The pace of change in Tirana is quite staggering and every time we visit there’s something new to see or a whole area of the city has been completely transformed.

Probably my favourite thing about Tirana is that there’s a dynamic feminine power to the place. Everywhere you go there are young professional women. Beautiful groups of friends hanging out in the numerous aesthetic bars and restaurants. As a woman, Tirana just feels like a city that I want to spend time in. It is inviting. Somehow I feel that I should put on my best dress, a bit of red lippie and head out for cocktails.

As a European city destination, Tirana is off-beat and cosmopolitan, yet it is still overlooked by many tourists. It is a friendly city, busy and bustling, but residents seem to have time to drink coffee in the morning and wine in the evening.

The affluent area of Blloku is the trendy nightlife hub of Tirana. There are simply too many amazing restaurants and bars around the city and beyond Blloku to keep tabs on. Tirana is an excellent place to visit for epicureans, those who want to enjoy good food and drinks, but for a snip of the price you’d pay in Paris, London or Berlin.

In this blog post, you can find a two day itinerary for anyone who wants to see the cosmopolitan highlights of Tirana.

Not sure whether to include Tirana on your itinerary? Find out why we think Tirana is worth visiting here.

Tirana two day itinerary: What you can expect in this blog post

We are quite picky about how we spend our time in cities. Our number one rule on a city break, is not to do too much. Honestly, I think you see a city best when you stop and take time to enjoy it, rather than rushing from one activity to another.

For this reason, our city guides will always showcase the best of a city, but at a slower pace. If you want a two day itinerary filled with endless activities – then this is not the best blog post for you.

Secondly, my pet-hate when I read an itinerary for a city is finding a list of “things to do” with no context about how to get from one place to the next. For this reason, our city itineraries always provide sensible suggestions for things you can do in one day – without travelling significant or illogical distances.

In summary, this blog post will give you a relaxed, unhurried and authentic way to enjoy two days in Tirana. With an emphasis on good eating and drinking, this is the perfect two day itinerary in Tirana for epicureans.

Don’t have time to read the full article?

How many days do you need in Tirana?

As you can probably guess by the title of this blog post, we think two days and two nights is an ideal time to spend in the city of Tirana. This will give you the opportunity to see the main sites and enjoy some of the best restaurants and bars.

If you have longer in Tirana, you could definitely fill the time. You can find some of our suggestions for more activities to do in Tirana below.

Two day Tirana Itinerary

Below you can find our two day Tirana itinerary – a slow paced meander around one of our favourite cities over 48 hours.

Two day Tirana itinerary: a map

You can find a map below which includes all the key attractions, restaurants and bars that are referenced in our Tirana two day itinerary.

Day 1: Tirana two day itinerary

AM: BRUNCH & A WALKING TOUR

COFFEE & BRUNCH

Your first day in Tirana absolutely should start with coffee and brunch. There’s a quite serious coffee scene in Tirana, with many coffee shops competing to offer specialist java. Having tried quite a few of the more renowned coffee shops as well as more low key and local offerings – we can safely say that there’s no such thing as bad coffee in Tirana.

Yes, you can spend your time bouncing from one top-rated coffee shop to another, but to be honest sometimes the less lauded places are better and more authentic. Look for the places where locals gather and drink their morning espresso and not cafes full of tourists.

The coffee shop chain Mulliri is excellent, you’ll see it everywhere in Tirana. They offer a mean espresso and sweet pastry. Alternatively, take coffee away and grab a “byrek”, a cheese, spinach or meat filled savoury pastry available at bakeries all around Tirana. For a more relaxed affair, try brunch at Cafe Botanica or Le Baza Gallery Bar – both near to the centre of the city (all details on the map above.)

WALKING TOUR

After your food and caffeine fix, head out on foot to get your bearings in Tirana.

There are walking tours available in Tirana – an inexpensive option if you’d like to be guided around and learn more. Find a link to a great 2 hour walking tour in Tirana here.

As an alternative, you can take yourself on a walking tour. Start with Start with Skanderberg Sqaure, the main square in Tirana and home to the National Museum. On this square, you will also see the statue of Skanderberg, who is considered to be Albania’s military hero.

Take time to visit Et’hem Bej Mosque, a stunning Ottoman building. Tourists can enter, but must respect the requirement to cover up – shawls are available. The nearby Orthodox Cathedral is also worth a visit – a modern and dramatic building.

Wander along Murat Toptani Street a pretty modern promenade next to Tirana castle, which has now been turned into a cute shopping mall. Then after a stroll through Rinia Park, cross the river to find the Tirana Pyramid. This is a historic monument in the city that has recently had somewhat of a “glow up” to become a conference centre. You can climb the Pyramid and walk around for different views of the city.

After this, head to the Blloku district for either coffee at Antigua, or lunch at the Italian restaurant Artigiano (details for both on the map). I’ve recommend an evening in Blloku, a trendy area of Tirana on your second day, as the district really comes into it’s own at night.

PM: MUSEUMS & TRADITIONAL FOOD

MUSEUMS

For the afternoon, we recommend picking one of two museums to visit in Tirana.

The first is The House of Leaves museum -an incredibly interesting expose on surveillance in Albania’s communist era. The house itself, was once a medical clinic but during the communist period, it was taken over by secretive security forces. It then became a covert operations centre used for spying and interrogation.

It is a well curated museum, with lost of information and poignant exhibits. Well worth a visit. Tickets cost 700 LEK and we recommend spending around 90 minutes there.

The second option is Bunk’Art 2 – a museum set in an underground bunker in the city centre. Given the name, we had expected that the bunker would showcase art, but actually it is far more interesting and a little darker than that. Inside you’ll find vast numbers of exhibits detailing the torrid past of Albania under communist rule.

The subject matter is a little challenging, so we wouldn’t recommend it for young children. And, as the museum is underground in the corridors of bunkers, this museum may not suit anyone with claustrophobia. The current ticket cost is 900 LEK.

*You might be wondering why it is called Bunk’Art 2 – well Bunk’Art 1 is found outside of the city and is the original museum. We’ve heard that it is slightly better as a museum but as it is quite far out of the way, we recommend Bunk’Art 2 instead.

If you have time and budget, you could visit both museums as they are very close to one another. There is a bit of overlap between the content at each museum, but they are both quite different in presentation. We have visited both and would do so again as it was a fantastic opportunity to learn about the important history of Albania. That said, both museums are quite emotionally heavy and it could feel intense to see them both together.

EVENING

For the evening, we’d suggest visiting the lively area around Kavaja Street. We really love this area of Tirana, as it is a little more traditional than the centre and not that many tourists find their way here. We recommend eating at Tymi King Pils – an extremely inexpensive but wonderful taverna with outdoor seating that spills onto the pavement.

This is a grill restaurant offering traditional meat, salad and bread and the sort of place that serves everything as it comes. We’ve visited multiple times and spent hours sampling most of the menu (it’s all excellent), with numerous carafes of house wine.

After supper, head to Hemingway Bar – an eclectic bar serving cocktails. There are tables outside or in, but we recommend grabbing one on the street if you can as there’s always a good vibe outside. As well as a projector sometimes showing old-school movies.

Day 2: Tirana two day itinerary

AM: THE NEW BAZAAR & SHOPPING

On your second morning, we recommend a leisurely trip to the The New Bazaar area, or “Pazari i Ri” as it is called locally. During our latest visit to Tirana, we discovered this area for the first time. The mish-mash of old and new, makes it an interesting part of the city to explore.

The New Bazaar has recently been renovated and offers a modern covered market, but selling traditional Albanian fare. From food and spices to home furnishings – like vibrant rugs and cushion covers. Wandering the market is a bit of escapism from the city.

Around the market area, you can also find traditional kebab restaurants, or the opportunity to stop for a strong black coffee as required.

If you want to do something a little more active – you could join a cooking class. This four hour class is a fun way to learn more about local cuisine.

PM: TIRANA PARK & EXPLORING BLLOKU NEIGHBORHOOD

For early evening we recommend stretching your legs and walking to Tirana park. Here you can stroll in the park, visit the lake or grab a drink in one of the cafes.

Later, we suggest heading back to the trendy Blloku neighborhood. This seems to be the fastest changing area of Tirana. Every time we have visited over the last few years there are new restaurants or bars – it’s like the Manhattan of Tirana.

Start with cocktails at Radio Bar, a fun and eclectic space. Or on the sprawling terrace of Mugo. If you can’t get a table at Mugo, there are so many amazing bars, from Tiki Bars to retro spaces and places with gorgeous gardens – even on the same road as Mugo (Rruga Pjetër Bogdani) alone.

For dinner, Blloku offers the chance to enjoy any cuisine imaginable. From Italian, to Sushi and more. When we are in Tirana, we do like being a little bit bouji and eating somewhere extravagant. Keeping in mind that even a quite luxurious meal in Tirana could set you back by only around 50 Euros for two people, sometimes it’s worth spending that little bit extra.

Salt Restaurant in Blloku is normally the type of place we would avoid as it is uber hip – but when in Blloku! It offers sushi, steak or anything else indulgent that you could dream of. But, if you want to get in, you’ll need to make a reservation.

Our second recommendation, which is much more low key but equally as mind-blowing is Ksamil Market fish restaurant. It is found just outside Blloku, making it a lot more budget friendly.

On arrival to this restaurant, you’ll be asked to pick your seafood or fish from a display, then this will be cooked to your liking. We had an astronomical amount of fresh and delicious seafood with wine for 30 Euros. You may have to wait for a table, but I promise it is worth it!

Tirana three day itinerary

If you have an extra day in Tirana, there are a few options. Of course, you’d be perfectly entitled to wander around a little bit more – eating and drinking. We have certainly done this before! But, if you’d like something a little different, you can find our suggestions below.

DATJI CABLE CAR

A popular activity in Tirana is to take the Datji Express cable car – this is a 4km cable car taking you to the top of Datji Mountain at a cost of 14 Euros per person. Many tourists choose to take the cable car to enjoy the views at the top or enjoy drinks in the retro rotating restaurant.

You can also do something active, such as hiking or mini-golf. We haven’t included this in the two day itinerary because the cable car is around 30 minutes out of the city and we think it feels too hectic to visit unless you have more time. There are buses to get to the cable car though, so it is manageable if you have an extra day. Or, as an additional activity in two days if you like things faster paced. Find the cable car here.

DAY TRIP OUT OF THE CITY

If you have a third day in Tirana and you aren’t planning to explore more of the country, there are two day trips that we would suggest.

1/ A day trip to Lake Bovilla – this is an enjoyable day trip to an artificial lake – however, there are some caveats to our recommendation. Read more here.

2/ A day trip to Kruje – Kruje is a really cool small city close to Tirana, where you can catch a glimpse of more traditional Albania. There’s a cute market and castle. A great place to spend half a day or so. Find out more here.

How to get from Tirana airport to the city

There are two ways to get from Tirana airport to the city. The first is by taxi, which you can expect to take around 25-30 minutes.

Our recommended way to get from Tirana airport to the city is by shuttle bus. The airport shuttle bus leaves the airport once an hour until quite late at night. From the city, you can take the bus back to the airport – buses also leave on the hour.

The airport bus will drop you off and pick you up from this bus stop – just behind Skanderberg Square.

The price of the bus (at time of writing) is 400 LEK, you can pay by card or cash (ideally LEK but they will accept Euros.)

How to get around Tirana

Here are our top tips for getting around Tirana.

BY BUS

There is a good bus network in Tirana. In particular, you may need the city bus to get to and from the major bus stations (if for example, you come from/ go to another city in Albania or arrive via international bus.) Bus number 2 goes from the center of the city to the East Gate bus station, where you’ll find onward buses to North Macedonia and Kosovo for example.

For shorter distances, we would suggest avoiding taking the bus if you can. Tirana is very walkable and there’s quite a bit of traffic, so taking the bus can sometimes slow you down!

In terms of paying on the bus, you can buy tickets on board in cash only. Normally you won’t pay the driver but instead a bus conductor will come to you and give you a ticket in exchange for cash. A short journey will cost approximately 40 LEK.

BY TAXI

Taxis are easy to hail in Tirana. You’ll see yellow cabs everywhere, evoking a bit of New York City imagery. The cab driver will put the journey on the meter, which obviously has risks.

We have taken cabs in Tirana and tried to agree a price before getting in- often the drivers have quoted us such high prices that we thought we were being ripped off, then we got a second and a third quote and they were all the same. Taxis do seem expensive in Tirana, but we’ve always had such friendly drivers that by the end of the journey we end up tipping them.

Locals tend to use taxi apps – UPs Taxi, Speed Taxi and Taxi.Al are all popular in the city.

WALKING

One of the reasons that we love Tirana and keep coming back, is that it’s such a walkable city. Most of the main sites can be reached on foot in a short amount of time.

To navigate in Tirana, we find that it’s helpful to remember that the River Lana cuts through the centre. To one side of the river you’ll find Blloku and the Pyramid, to the other Skanderberg Sqare and the Bazaar Area.

Where to stay in Tirana

We would recommend finding accommodation in the center of Tirana.

From experience, ideally we recommend that you opt for a hotel or hostel, rather than an apartment. The reason we say this is that sometimes the apartments can vary in quality, and often they are quite “informally” managed, or you’ll have to pay in cash on arrival. We think this is a bit of a faff, especially if only in the city for two days.

Here are a few suggestions for the best places to stay in Tirana:

BEST HOSTEL: Vanilla Sky Hostel is found in the trendy Blloku neighborhood close to great bars and restaurants. Guests love the location and decor. As an alternative, Red Goat is also a super hostel in Tirana.

BEST MID-RANGE HOTEL: Bristol Hotel is a low-key hotel with comfortable rooms. We have stayed here multiple times and think this is an ideal location for proximity to all the main areas. An alternative is Triss Hotel.

BEST LUXURY HOTEL: For luxury hotels in Tirana, try either Xheko Imperial which is uber decadent. Maritim Hotel Plaza is a more modern alternative.

Where to next in Albania?

We love Albania and have written extensively about the different places to visit around the country.

You can find our guides to the towns and cities of Albania below:

• Is Tirana worth visiting?
• Is Bovilla Lake worth visiting?
• Best things to do in Durres
• A guide to the best beaches and beach towns of the Albanian Riviera
• Best things to do in Himare
• Ksamil or Saranda – which one is best?
• A three day circular itinerary for hiking in the Albanian Alps

Be sure to read these country guides too:

• Mistakes to avoid when visiting Albania
• A two week itinerary – Albania without a hire car

Want to visit countries nearby?

If you’re looking to extend your trip and visit some more countries in The Balkans, why not consider some of these beauties:

Written by Emma

Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.

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Albania Travel Guide

If you’re looking for a more detailed travel guide for Albania, you can now purchase our Short Guide to Albania. A 119 page ebook, detailing the best experiences in Albania, vital information to help you travel and suggested itineraries. Buy it now in our online shop.

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