The capital of Albania, this charming city is also the cultural, entertainment and political center of the country. We visited in November of 2020 for our 4th Anniversary.
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Transportation
- Arditi Tours: We traveled the 4 hour journey to Tirana on an 8am bus from the Pristina Bus Station. The tickets were 21 euros (about $24) total. The bus was alright, not the most comfortable but not a horrible ride either, especially for the price.
Accommodations
- Hotel Colosseo: Of all the places we stayed during our Balkan trip, this 4-star hotel was by far our favorite. The staff was very friendly and it was also centrally located.
Our bedroom felt quite luxurious and the bed was so comfortable! It was a great price as well, only costing $143 for the 2 nights.
Breakfast was included and was good. It was a buffet with a variety of meats, cheeses, pastries, and eggs.
To-Do
- National History Museum: Built in 1981, this historical museum houses many different Albanian artifacts. Tickets were only 1000 lek (about $9) for both of us.
It was a good sized museum, with many beautiful things to see, from murals and mosaics…
…to many different sculptures, such as one of Skanderbeg, who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire and one of Commander Bats, who led the most powerful revolts against the Roman Empire during the years 6-9 BC. We spent at least a few hours in there and still didn’t see everything.
- Visit Bunkers: From the 1960s-1980s, over 173,000 concrete military bunkers were built throughout Albania. This was all done under the rule of Enver Hoxha, an Albanian communist politician.
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- Bunk’art 2 Museum: In the center of the capital, this bunker was converted into a museum in 2016 and is the second of the Bunk’art museums. This location focuses on 2 things: the history of the Albanian Ministry of Internal Affairs in the 90s and the Gendarmerie, a political police force that enforced a lot of harsh persecution under the rule of Enver Hoxha.
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There are many winding hallways throughout, but we were able to easily follow the multitude of signs to the different rooms, in order.
There were various artifacts on display such as guns and uniforms. It was very educational and we spent a good while there. The tickets were very reasonably priced, at only 1000 lek (about $9) for both of us.
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- Bunk’art Museum: This was the first of the Bunk’art projects. Opened in 2014, this museum is located on the outskirts of Tirana, inside the atomic bunker of Enver Hoxha. This museum focuses on the history of the Albanian communist army and the daily lives of Albanians during the rule of Enver Hoxha.
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After we purchased our tickets for 1000 lek (about $9) total, we headed up the long walkway to the entrance of the bunker.
Similar to Bunk’art 2, there were so many hallways, but good signage to tell us where to go.
There was an eerie feeling walking through to the different areas, especially the ones that had gas masks on display (those creep us out).
Some of the last rooms we saw were the ones the communist army would have used in case of a nuclear attack. The different sized rooms were in accordance to their rank, with the commander room being the largest of course.
- Dajti Ekspres: This cable car line took us up to the top of Dajti Mountain, to see views of the city. Roundtrip tickets were 800 lek (about $7) per person.
We waited our turn for our cable car and then rode the longest cableway in the Balkans up to the top, 1,613 m above sea level.
The views at the top were spectacular and we spent a few hours up there admiring the picturesque scenery. It was the perfect weather, a mild temperature with just the right amount of sun and clouds.
Food
- Hotel Colosseo: Another nice thing about our hotel choice was that they had an on-site restaurant. They served lunch and dinner, along with room service. All of the food we had here tasted fresh and flavorful, there wasn’t anything that we didn’t like.
For our lunch on the first day we got there, Jonah got a Korca to drink. This happens to be the first beer ever brewed in Albania.
For our appetizer, we got a meat and cheese platter. They served this with some bread as well.
For the entree, Jonah got a prosciutto ravioli dish.
Sierra got the mushroom and pine nut risotto. Altogether, our lunch cost us 2,770 lek (about $25).
We were feeling especially lazy after our long day of traveling and exploring, on our first day, we had dinner and ordered room service. We got a bottle of wine, spaghetti bolognese, chicken risotto, and cheesecake for dessert. It was all delicious.
- Ballkoni Dajtit: We ate lunch here on our second day exploring Tirana, when we were on top of Dajtit Mountain.
Jonah had the Tave Dheu, which is one of Albania’s national dishes. It is a stew that consists of beef, cheese, tomatoes and bell peppers. It was hearty and flavorful.
Sierra got the borek variety platter, which was pastries made of filo dough and filled with meat, cheese and spinach. They made for a tasty entree and it was nice to try different kinds. Lunch came out to 2000 lek (about $18) total.
- Tymi: For our last night in Tirana, we wanted to make sure and eat some more authentic Albanian cuisine.
For the starter, we shared the house salad, which had orange slices, pomegranate, tomatoes, apples, figs, cheese, drizzled in a balsamic dressing. It was fresh and yummy.
For the main course, Sierra had the Tave Dheu, the same dish that Jonah had for lunch earlier that day. The stew dish was cheesy and delicious.
Jonah had the beef chop, which was tender and a huge portion. Dinner cost 3500 lek (about $31) after tip.
Our time in Albania was very memorable and we would absolutely recommend anyone to travel here. The people are very welcoming and the country is breathtakingly gorgeous.
