Places to Visit
1) Skanderbeg Square
It is the most famous main square of Tirana, named after the national heroes and the meeting point of the locals. Iskender Bey Square was officially named in 1968. Around it is the National History Museum, the Palace of Culture, the Tirana International Hotel and a little further away is the Ethem Bey Mosque. Number 1 on the map
2) Et'hem Bey Mosque
It is the oldest and most important mosque from the Ottoman period. Built in 1793, this mosque attracts attention with its architecture and ceiling fresco. Number 2 on the map
3) Tirana Clock Tower
Tirana Clock Tower is one of the most important symbols of the country from the Ottoman period. Located next to Ethem Bey Mosque, the clock tower is one of the places frequented by tourists. It was built in 1822 by Haci Ethem Bey. The tower was thirty metres high at that time. After it was restored in 1928, its height increased to thirty-five metres and a Venetian-style roof was built on it, and iron stairs were built when it was restored instead of wooden stairs. If you wish, you can go up to the clock tower and see the panoramic view of Tirana. You have to climb about 90 steps to reach the view. We could not go up to the clock tower because we were caught in the rain at that time, you can also experience this. Number 3 on the map
4) Bunk'Art 2
It is just one of the shelters built by Enver Hodja, the leader of the Communist regime of the period, against a nuclear attack. This shelter is located near İskender Bey square. It contains halls, classrooms, kitchen, meeting rooms and Enver pasha's room. At the same time, there are interactive exhibitions, clothes, weapons, masks, masks, documents from the communist period in the halls. When you enter here, you almost face history. The museum has a really different atmosphere. Do not enter the museum if you are claustrophobic. The museum is open to visitors on Mondays. Opening hours are 9:30 am -06:00 pm. It is very small compared to Bunk'art 1 and it is very crowded because it is in the centre. Be careful not to go during peak visiting hours. For Bunk'art 1 and Bunk'art 2 combined 1000 LEK per person. For B2 only 700 LEK per person. You should visit at least one of the museums B1 or B2. If you have to make such a decision, you should prefer B1 if you do not have transport and time problems. If you don't have a car, you can take the bus named "porcelain" with the code L11 behind the Opera House for 40 LEK per person and get off at the last stop and arrive at Bunk'art 1 in about 30 minutes. Number 4 on the map
5) House of Leaves Museum
The museum in the centre of the city, which sheds light on the Communist regime that Albania has been under for years. Also known as the leafy house. The museum, in the form of a two-storey villa, was first used as an obstetric clinic, and in 1943 it became the Gestapo headquarters. Later it became the centre of Sigurimi's surveillance activities. The building became a museum in 2017. In 2020, it received the Council of Europe Museum award. Consisting of 31 rooms, the museum has interrogation rooms and rest rooms. There is an underground tunnel in the garden. It has become a place to witness history where you can find details about the cold war and Albania's communist past. The museum is closed to visitors on Mondays, the other days you can visit between am09:00-pm04:00. The ticket is 700 LEK per person. Number 5 on the map
6) Tirana National History Museum
The building covered with mosaics where you can see the figures of Albania in Alexander Bey Square will attract your attention. There are sections such as primeval, medieval, renaissance, World War II, communist period, independence period, St Terasa. The museum, which contains more than three thousand artefacts, mirrors the history of Albania and world history. Since there are quite a lot of artefacts, you need to spend a few hours here. The museum is closed on Mondays. Other days can be visited between 10:00 am and 05:00 pm. It closes earlier only on Sunday. Confirm the hours before you go anyway. You cannot buy the ticket with euro, only LEK is accepted. Number 6 on the map.
7) Opera & Ballet Theatre
It was founded on 29 November 1953 in Tirana. It is also the largest theatre in the country. Unfortunately, you cannot visit the inside of the building except for events. Number 7 on the map
8) Tomb of Kapllan Pasha
It is one of the Ottoman period buildings built in the 18th century. It is one of the oldest mausoleums in Albania. It was built next to the Suleiman Pasha Mosque. During the first communist rule of Enver Pasha in Albania, the buildings were demolished, but part of the tomb has survived to the present day. Number 8 on the map
9) Murat Toptani Street
It is a famous street surrounded by cafes and shops with trees on both sides. You can see some of the walls of Tirana castle from here. The street is named after the Toptani family, one of the richest families in Albania. At the end of the street there is a big shopping centre called Toptani. If you have a car, you can use the indoor car park under the mall here. Number 9 on the map
10) Castle of Tirana
The castle, built in the Byzantine period in the 13th century, is located in the centre of Tirana. Although this castle, which has succumbed to time, has been restored, only the wall remains and has joined Murat Toptani Street. There are cafes and souvenir shops inside the castle. This castle has become a favourite place for tourists. We recommend you to walk around here, but souvenirs are quite expensive. For this reason, it would be more logical to evaluate other locations for souvenirs. Number 10 on the map
11) Tanners' Bridge
It is an 18th century stone bridge from the Ottoman period, located in Tirana, dividing the Lana River into two. At that time, leather tanning works were carried out around the bridge, hence the name of the bridge. Today, when the bed of the river was changed, the bridge was left empty underneath and was not used. Afterwards, it remained as a restored symbolic structure.
[There is also the 18th century "Tabakëve" mosque (Xhamia e Tabakëve) of Ottoman architecture 200 metres from here. The mosque is not very interesting, so we have not associated it with a separate number. If you want to reach it, you can reach it in 3 minutes in total by crossing the bridge across the river, turning immediately left and then right at the first street.]
To reach the bridge, Number 11 on the map
12) National Art Gallery
It is an art gallery in Tirana, founded in 1946. With over 5000 works of art, the gallery includes works by Albanian artists and international artists. Number 12 on the map
13) The Cloud
It is a design of the Japanese architect Sou Fujimato, which attracts attention with its cloud-like appearance in the city square. This design is located in front of the National Museum of Tirana. The structure created with small metal rods was built to create a canopy similar to trees and attracts the attention of tourists with the visual feast it provides. Number 13 on the map
14) Park Rinia
It is a centrally located park, 1 minute walk from the famous skenderberg square and very close to the city's most popular cafes, bars and squares. People generally prefer it for walking and walking their pets. During your trip, you can visit this park with green areas or take a break and relax in the cafes. There is a mini amusement park and playgrounds for children. Number 14 on the map
15) Pyramid of Tirana
Tirana Pyramid, which attracts attention with its geometric structure, was built by his son-in-law in 1988 as the Enver Hoxha museum. With the end of the communist period of Albania and the arrival of democracy, this place has become the symbol of the communist period. There will be many stair steps waiting for you on the way up here. Number 15 on the map
16) Checkpoint
It is an open-air museum about the cold war and consists of 3 parts. Germany gave a piece of the Berlin Wall as a gift for this place. The wall is exhibited in this open air museum. We mentioned that there are many bunkers in Tirana and there is one here. There were those who tried to go down to the bunker, but they say it is dirty and neglected. Number 16 on the map
17) Tirana National Archaeological Museum
Opened in 1948, the museum is located near Mother Teresa square. It exhibits artefacts from the ancient, medieval, Ottoman and modern periods. The museum is open daily and opening hours are from 09:00 am to 02:00 pm. 300LEK per person. Number 17 on the map
18) Mother Teresa Square
As we can understand from the name of the square, it is the second largest square of Tirana, named after the Catholic missionary. This square was planned by the Italian architect Gherardo Bosio. Mother Teresa is thought to be of Albanian origin and is important for Albanians. You can also see the statue of Mother Teresa in this square. Number 18 on the map
19) The Botanical Park of Tirana
Founded in 1964, it covers a large area. With its landscape, there are various endemic plant species and trees. There is also a lake, walking paths, picnic areas and children's playgrounds. 50LEK per person. Number 19 on the map
20) Grand Park of Tirana
It is a large park in Tirana, away from the noise of the city, which is often preferred by the local people, attracting attention with its beautiful landscape in nature. The park has a lake, walking paths, bicycle paths, playgrounds for children. It also hosts cultural and artistic events. In addition, there are grave monuments of politicians, historians and soldiers who have an important place in the history of Albania. Number 20 on the map
21) Bunk'Art 1
This place, which was built by the communist president Enver Hocan to protect against nuclear attack, will help you understand how the cold war period was managed, what was done to protect the people, the communist period and the psychological tension created by that period. The museum has 5 floors and has 106 rooms and a large conference hall. A very large budget was allocated for that period with these shelters. When democracy was passed, it was abandoned and used as a museum because too much budget had to be spent to demolish it. It is one of the most popular visiting points for tourists. Photography is not allowed but you can still take a few photos. The bunker is a bit cool. The museum can be visited between 09:30 am and 04:00 pm. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Ticket including Bunkart 1 and 2 is 1000LEK. No card is accepted at the entrance, remember to have cash with you. You can get here from the centre by blue line bus L11. Number 21 on the map
22) Farka Lake
A reservoir with a view of Mount Dajti. You can visit this place at sunset to get beautiful photos with the reflection of the water. It is 20 minutes from the city centre by car. However, it is not a place worth coming by public transport. Number 22 on the map
23) Petrela Castle
It is located in a village close to Elbasan, Albania. The castle built by Justinian I, located on the hill, attracts attention with its 1500 years of history and view. Although you have to overcome many stairs to reach the castle, you get a beautiful view. Although it is a small castle, it has a beautiful view. Number 23 on the map
24) Pellumbas Cave
This is a suggestion that should be considered only for extreme nature lovers. It is a karst cave close to the village of Pellumbas, which requires a small amount of effort to reach. As it is located in the Dajti national park, you will also witness a beautiful view of the mountain. Although small, it is one of the six karst caves in the whole of Europe. We, who enjoy being in nature, liked this place. The cave takes about 30 minutes from where the track starts. It has a relatively easy route. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes as you will be hiking. Make sure you pack plenty of water, snacks (maybe even snickers) to provide energy and cold beer to enjoy. Also a bag to keep your rubbish in on the way back. Unfortunately we saw some rubbish when we arrived. This upset us but we tried to make up for this mistake by adding them to our bag. The most important thing to remember is that you will need a strong flashlight in the cave. Because it will not be enough to move forward with phone lights. We usually carry our head torches in our travelling bag because they are small. However, you can rent a lantern from the reception of the place where you park the car for a nominal price of 5 euro. For those who want to come by public transport, there are buses with the sign "Pellumbas" from Tirana Southeast bus station for 100LEK per person. Number 24 on the map
25) Dajti Mountain & Dajti Cable Car
Located 26 km east of Tirana, the 1600 metre high Dajti mountain has the status of a national park. You can reach the mountain by cable car. There are also restaurants and cafes here. In addition, there are activities such as horse riding, climbing, paragliding for activity lovers and there is a macerapark. It is useful to check the macerapark hours because it may be different from the cable car hours. The cable car takes about 15 minutes and costs 1400LEK per person per round trip. Opening hours are between 09:00 am and 06:00 pm. We only went up here expecting a panoramic view and the view fulfilled our expectations. To get there by public transport, you can take the L11 coded bus right in front of the cable car station. Number 25 on the map
26) Lake Bovilla
It is a reservoir in the Dajti national park. Tirana's drinking water is obtained from here. Since it passes through the canyon between two mountains, it creates a landscape worth seeing. There are activities such as climbing around the canyon. Number 26 on the map
27) Preza Castle
Located in the village of Preza, built in the 15th century, the castle, which has four towers, is also one of the most beautiful views of Albania. If you come at sunset, you can enjoy this beautiful view more. There is also a restaurant on site and the Preza Mosque built during the Ottoman period inside the castle. Since it is very close to the airport, you can stop by when travelling from the airport to Tirana. Number 27 on the map
1) L'Osteria Restaurant
It is a place where you can eat pasta with Italian flavour. It is a small place but the pasta is delicious. The staff are friendly, and the location is near the city centre. Number 1 on the map
2) Restaurant Tymi
We can say that it is a more vintage style place. In this colourful and nostalgic restaurant decorated with old records, you can eat local dishes or snacks. There are options such as casserole dish, meatballs, shish kebab. Number 2 on the map
3) Sky Tower Bar
It is a place where you will experience local beer with a panoramic city view of Tirana in Albania. Located on the 18th floor. Number 3 on the map
4) Artigiano at Vila
The restaurant is a place where you can eat both Italian food and local Albanian food. The atmosphere and pizza are nice. Sometimes it can be full, so it will be useful to make a reservation. Number 4 on the map
5) Radio Bar Tirana
A place where you can try different cocktails or local drinks. Number 5 on the map
6) Cioccolatitaliani Bllok
You can also go here to try delicious desserts such as Italian sweets, waffles, pancakes and ice creams. Number 6 on the map
7) Era Villa Restaurant
Most famous, casserole dish is eaten. You can taste the local Albanian cuisine or Italian dishes, and don't forget to taste the local wines. You should make a reservation before you go. Number 7 on the map
8) Sophie Caffe, Sheshi Wilson
It is one of the coffee spots of Tirana. A place to drink coffee and listen. Number 8 on the map