When planning our weekend in Albania, reviews from other travelers were incredibly helpful, as we weren’t sure what to expect. Some of our favorite tips are: “Nothing will prepare you for the Soviet-era architecture in Tirana,” and “Tirana is an up-and-coming capital city.” These are spot-on, as we saw plenty of that grey, square, and grim architecture, but we also saw a lot of liveliness in Tirana, with winding streets with café restaurants and cute shops, and a fun bar zone.
We took a train from Stuttgart to Frankfurt Airport, allowing for plenty of time to get through security and then passport control, as Albania is not yet part of the EU. Lufthansa flies direct from Frankfurt to Tirana, a quick 2-hour flight.
Tirana
We loved our hotel in Tirana, Sar’Otel Boutique Hotel, with its 5-star service and perfect central location. Skanderberg Square is a few minutes walk, and has historic points of interest such as the Et’hem Bey Mosque and the Clock Tower. Another quick walk from there takes you to Tirana Castle, known as Fortress of Justinian, the 13th century walls from ancient Tirana. This area is full of nice café restaurants, coffee shops, wine bars, and souvenir shops.
Also close, Pizari i Ri is a daily market for vegetables, meat, fish, as well as souvenirs and treasures. The market is surrounded by café restaurants for coffee, Italian food, and traditional grill plates. This is another great area to have lunch or dinner.
One fun thing we noticed in Tirana is all the Honeysuckle shrubs, their lovely scent brightens up the grimmest neighborhood of communist buildings.
The Blloku zone, formerly an area restricted to top communist party members only, is now full of lively bars. The New Irish Pub has a beautiful interior.
During the cold war, Albania’s dictator ordered hundreds of thousands of bunkers built across the country, and there are many left today. Bunk’Art 1 and Bunk’Art 2 are museums set inside bunkers that offer a look at the history of the country.
Traditional Albanian Cooking Class
We booked a Traditional Albanian Cooking Class in Tirana, looking forward to learning more Mediterranean recipes and cooking tips. There were seven people in our class, and all of us were visiting from Germany! We were definitely the best, most hilarious group that Chef Sindi has ever worked with.
We made Fergese Tirone, a traditional meat dish cooked in a ceramic pot, a spinach pastry, and Ballokume cookies. Everything was delicious, the best of all the amazing foods we ate during our weekend in Albania. As a total bonus, we’ve made some lovely new friends.
We highly recommend this cooking class for a fun and delicious experience!
Krujë
Krujë is a mountain town just north of Tirana, a perfect day outing. The road up to the mountain is filled with beautiful scenery, rolling green hills and red-tiled roofs, set against mountain backdrops.
Krujë Castle was the headquarters for Albanian’s national hero, Skanderberg, a military commander who led the resistance against the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. The castle and its gardens are at the top of the mountain, with the town spreading steeply below.
An amazing bazaar winds down a hill, with everything from modern souvenirs to incredible antiques. Slippery cobblestones warning!
Durrës
Finally, our last day in Albania was spent at the beach. We arrived at the Adriatik Hotel in Durrës to find we were upgraded to a room with our own patio, overlooking the sea. The hotel is gorgeous, beachfront, a lovely resort.
We walked the beach, soaked in the sun, ate lots of seafood, and were super relaxed! The water was crystal clear and a little bit chilly, but many people were in swimming.
Logistics and Planning
Driving in Albania
We heard that driving in Tirana, or even throughout Albania, can be challenging. Aiming for a relaxing weekend, we opted to use drivers organized by our hotels. The traffic in Tirana is super busy, and we saw new roads being constructed, which will definitely help in the future. There are probably local driving rules, but mostly the driving seemed to be a big free-for-all with lots of honking and near-misses. We were so thankful to relax while someone else drove us around throughout our weekend.
Tirana Airport
Tirana Airport (TIA) is small in size, and moves millions of people in and out, so it can be a bit hectic. We went through check-in, security, and passport control wondering if there would be any food options near the gates. There are several cafés available on the upper level, and the gates on the lower level can be viewed over the balcony. The whole process was very efficient, considering the number of passengers. Definitely arrive 2-3 hours before your trip home.
Good to Know
- Don’t drink the water
- Most vendors will take either Albanian Lek or Euros, but it is best to have some of both on hand
- Albania uses the standard EU plug-in
- Both hotels we stayed at had the best air-conditioning we’ve found in Europe, our rooms were very pleasantly cold
We had a wonderful weekend in Albania, and highly recommend visiting!!
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