Our journey through Albania is now coming to an end and our final destination is the capital of Albania, Tirana. I had read and been told that you only need one night here but I didn’t heed this advice much to my annoyance! One of the reasons was that we thought we would go Djati Express cable car. Sadly we didn’t get to do this for various reasons.
We were staying at Hotel Opera and after leaving the car in the carpark at the back of the hotel for the driver to pick up, we checked in to our 12th floor room. We had a fantastic room with a large verandah with no furniture though.
Also when we arrived in Tirana it was 37 degrees. At this point I was already thinking what were we going to do for three days. The first thing we did was find a restaurant for a very late lunch.
After a delicious lunch we set off exploring. Our hotel was within walking distance of Skanderberg Square. Named after the national hero Gjergj Kastrioti, also known as Skanderberg. He led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire, starting in 1444 and lasting for 25 years. There are some famous buildings around the Square and some seating areas, but we thought it was a bit underwhelming. We found the white tiles making up the Square to be almost blinding in the brilliant sunlight. We much preferred the tree lined boulevards providing welcome shade.
There was some amazing murals and sculptures dotted around and over the next two days we went walking to find them. Tirana is a wonderful walking city and there were so many other murals I never got to see.
Murals of Tirana
Artist – Case Macleam
Sculptures and Statues
A monument donated to Albania by Kuwait to remember the friendship between the two nations. It has the flag colours of Kuwait on the canopy.
Buildings and Churches
There are some spectacular buildings in Tirana that are easily comparable to other major cities around the world, and there are many structures in the process of being built.
Christ Orthodox Cathedral
One morning we visited Bunk’art 2 and walked smack bang into the middle of a protest. At first I thought it was a queue to get in! There were dozens of police officers and a whole crew of media. It was a protest about the Israeli war.
Anyway we managed to dodge all the crowds and made our way down into the bunker. We both had completely the wrong idea about this place thinking it was an art museum, we were soon disabused of this notion. Quite a harrowing and depressing place to visit and we were relieved to make our way back up into the sunshine.
As you can see, dozens of police waiting for trouble
BUNK’ART 2 reconstructs the history of the Albanian Ministry of Internal Affairs from 1912 to 1991 and reveals the secrets of “Sigurimi”, the political police that was the harsh persecution weapon used by the regime of Enver Hoxha. Source – Bunkart
I reminded Anthony it was a museum and not a department store and this jacket was not for sale.
The exhibits and information were quite horrific, menacing dogs and lists of torture, so I didn’t feel inclined to take many photos.
We did manage to find a department store after and Anthony wandered around for a while and I found a stool to sit and scroll!
During the day and night we wandered up and down the streets of the Blloku District, a small leafy suburb of Tirana with hip and happening bars and trendy shops. During the era of Communist rule, it was a closed-off precinct for the party elite, and the villa of long-ruling dictator Enver Hoxha still stands.
The apartments were handed back to the owners when Hoxha was ousted as the deeds were never destroyed. It looks like they haven’t been maintained at all.
There are so many good restaurants in Tirana, especially traditional ones, which we enjoyed.
All in all we filled our time well in Tirana, although on hindsight we could have condensed it down to two nights. This city did grow on me and for a weekend break from European countries it’s ideal. Tirana is great for day trips to Durres or Berat also.
Information for travelling in Albania
There are plenty of ATMs available in the area, so accessing cash is convenient and hassle-free although cash is readily accepted everywhere.
Hiring a car is not difficult as I previously read, and it was relatively easy to arrange a one way booking – of course with a fee.
Driving is on the right hand side, so can be tricky if you’re from a country that’s opposite. Albanian drivers are fearless and impatient, pull over to let them pass for a stress free trip.
The currency is Lek, although Euros are taken. If you’re using cash Lek takes up more room in your wallet!
Travel off season – before or after summer.
I hope you’ve enjoyed travelling through Albania with us on this fantastic road trip. Albania is one of the most diverse and interesting countries we’ve ever been to.
Posted also as part of Leanne’s Lens Artist Challenge – Tourist Attractions
and Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share/Public Art Challenge
