A Day in Tirana, Albania

Skanderbeg Square

Refreshed from a good night’s sleep, we take a short walk to Skanderbeg Square which is the heart of Tirana. The sun is bright and spirits are high and it is John’s birthday!

It is hot out and going to get hotter today; 34 degrees Celsius.

My favourite building on the square is the late communist National Historical Museum with it’s beautiful mosaic.

The city is very clean.

We head to an outdoor cafe with a great view of the square. The others order coffees… cappuccino and Americano. I just order a plain coffee. When they arrive everyone gets a full size cup except for me, I get a dinky size cup that John explains is an espresso. Apparently you need to order an Americano if you want a regular “Canadian” coffee. Live and learn. 

We have a full breakfast before heading out to explore the city.

The square is flanked by the National Historical Museum, the Et’hem Bey Mosque, Skanderbeg on a horse monument, the Cultural Centre/Opera House and the Tirana Clock Tower.

FIFA fever is big here. We pass the FIFA fan zone area.

Bunk’Art 2

We visit Bunk’Art 2 which is one of the underground bunkers built during the communist regime. It is now a museum about Albania from the German occupation to the communist regime.

Toptani and Tirana Castle Ruins

We head to the Toptani area. This is a pedestrian area with touristy shops and restaurants. The Tirana Castle ruins from the Ottoman period are here but they are mostly just pieces of wall.

Pyramid of Tirana

Our next stop was the Pyramid of Tirana. This used to be a museum dedicated to the dictator Enver Hoxha (but not anymore, it has had many other uses since). It now offers a great view of the city…but you have to climb lots and lots of stairs. Which is not a lot of fun in the heat. Click here for a short panarama from the top.

We pass a Japanese modern art display called “The Cloud”. I am not impressed… it looks like scaffolding to me. but then again, modern art is not usually my thing.

A Rest in the Afternoon Heat

It’s very hot and we are jet lagged so we head back to the apartment for air conditioning, short naps and light refreshments in our apartment’s beautiful garden.

Afternoon Sight Seeing

Feeling rested we head to Pazar Ir Ri which is a market area in the heart of the Old Ottoman quarter. It was constructed in the 1930s and renovated in 2016.

Nearby is the old cobblestone Tanners Bridge from medieval times which we check out. 

By this time Louise and I are super hot and in need of gelato. We find a nearby air conditioned gelateria. Yum, yum…pure ecstasy.

We continue our tour to the trendy Biloku district which is filled with restaurants, bars and cool cafes. Because of the hot weather, we are all craving something light and healthy. We find this great restaurant called Greens and Protein. There are so many delicious recipes.

Rinia Park and a Large Demonstration Against a Development

Heading back to our apartment, we stop at an outdoor restaurant and bar in Rinia Park for celebratory birthday gin and tonics for Louise and John, a beer for Lance and two small scoops of gelato for me.

As it’s evening, the temperature has cooled and people come out. The people watching is fabulous. I find the locals are very stylish.

As we leave, we pass a huge demonstration against environmental issues and non transparency of the government, particularly in regards to Trumps daughter and son-in-law  buying a nationally protected area for development. Albanians are really angry.

We take one last lap around  Skanderbeg Square in the dying sun before heading back to the apartment.