Albania

Tirana is an attractive destination for a weekend break. Every extra day you spend in Tirana helps you understand more about this intriguing city, but most of all, its friendly people. In 48 hours stay in Tirana you can explore not only the city, but some villages and nice places in its outskirts.

Day 1- explore the city center( 2-3 hours)
If you are a first-time visitor to Tirana, we recommend you start the first day in Skanderbeg Square visiting the historic centre, the National History Museum, Clock Tower, Et’hem Bey Mosque and government buildings. You could also visit the National Gallery of Arts, and then continue along the Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard, laid out by Italian architect Gherardo Bosio. Along the boulevard you can’t miss Rinia Park with the Taiwan complex surrounded by green grass and trees. If you want to enjoy Tirana as a local, we suggest you stop for a morning coffee at Taiwan; it’s a pleasant place to sit, meet Albanian people, see children playing in the park, old people relaxing and young people drinking coffee at one of the open bars. Continue walking along the boulevard and past the Pyramid, one-time mausoleum of Enver Hoxha, as well as the Peace Bell Monument, and then explore the Postbllok monument, a memorial to the dictatorial regime. Most government buildings are situated along this boulevard and you can enjoy Italian architecture along the way. The boulevard ends at Mother Teresa Square, hosting some more Italian architecture, as well as the Palace of the President, the Palace of Congresses, the University, Archaeological Museum and Arts Academy.

Afternoon
After spending the morning walking and wandering through the city centre, at midday you can take enjoy an amazing view of Tirana from the Mountain Dajti, through a ride with Dajti Ekspres cable car.  Opened in 2005, the Austrian-built cable car provides a breath-taking 15-minute journey towards the top of Mountain Dajti, with views of forests, farmland, villages and bunkers. You can eat a traditional lunch at Ballkoni i Dajtit. Dajti National Park, 33 square km, offers outdoor activities to suit all interests: from hiking to target shooting, horseback riding and mountain biking. You can also spend some time walking around and take the cable car back to the city before noon.

Evening
The best idea is to go to Blloku area, mingle with the people there and you will be amazed to see how young Tirana is. It makes you believe that this is the best part of the day here. You can enjoy excellent cocktails and music among very fashionably dressed young people and feel how they feel.