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Am thinking about possible trips for next year – spring/early summer time. Tirana is a possibility for a city break.
Has anyone been? Is there much to see and do?It isn’t sonewhere I’d be rushing back to. Food prices are dirt cheap. But beyond the major international hotels (still generally not brands we’d know) that have a menu in Euro, it can be a struggle to pay with cards. And the local currency can be hard to get anroad, and with excessive charges at ATMs for withdrawals. I found the lack of convenience stores odd. There was one high end department store within walking distance of my hotel, which required a metal detector to be allowed in. But no food in there so I spent the week boiling the hotel room kettle for drinking water.
Are you seriously suggesting that bottled spring water was hard to find in central Tirana? I struggle to imagine this is true, Balkan cities are generally chock full of kiosks selling cigarettes, alcohol and soft drinks. What about in the hotel, surely the hotel bar sold bottled water?
Are you seriously suggesting that bottled spring water was hard to find in central Tirana? I struggle to imagine this is true, Balkan cities are generally chock full of kiosks selling cigarettes, alcohol and soft drinks. What about in the hotel, surely the hotel bar sold bottled water?
I am seriously suggesting it yes. No kiosks or shops where I was staying. The hotel bar would sell you whatever you like, but that wasn’t feasible across a week’s stay on a tight daily expenses allowance.
I was in Tirana for a couple of days last year. I enjoyed it.
I stayed in the Tirana International Hotel overlooking the main square. Next to the Opera – which had a line of nice cafes in the arcade along the front. There were signs around the back of the hotel saying they were building an Intercontinental.
Took a “food tour” around the neighbourhood – there is a public marketplace and some shops just east of the hotel. The young (c23 year old) guide was interesting. He longed for the “good old days”!
Outside Tirana there is a cable car up a hill with a restaurant etc. Nice trip out.
It is so cheap, I wouldn’t be in a hotel with pot noodles!
Plan is to go back to Albania this year – there are flights from Edinburgh now!
Thanks @Colin, mine likely to be a BAH. They look like they’ve added the International to their hotels, so that sounds a good possibility and well situated.
What’s the public transport from the airport like?@BWS, sounds like you had a different experience. Where was your hotel – sounds like an area to maybe give a wide berth to.
I stayed at the HGI.
Transport is all googleable including on Gmaps, and the info I found online was completely accurate. From the airport there is a minivan to the city centre, pay on board (400 leke or 4 euros), departures followed the online timetable. Public transport around the city is great once you understand it, there are around ten circular routes where buses just go round and round all day with no fixed timetable, 40 leke to the ticket seller on board (and I did get checked by a separate inspector once).
No ATMs are free now, but there are hundreds of bureaux de change everywhere and the rate for euros is similar to visa/mastercard rates. If you can’t get euros just bring pounds, you can change 10 or 20 at a time as needed. Many people and some shops would be happy to take euros at 1 to 100, in fact if a shop prices in euros and you try to pay in lek cash the rate will be 110.
I did the free tour (which is a heavily organised business) and the guy suggested a few other places to see which I did. I also went to Lake Ohrid in N.Macedonia which is 4 hours away by coach. For me there is no particular reason to go back to Tirana but I’d like to go to other places in Albania.
I was there a few weeks ago and didnt have any issues with shops, look for Conad supermarkets.
Theres an Intercontinental due to open soon near the main square, I stayed at the HGI and while it was fine, its like a 25 min walk to the center which is too long unless you want to do taxis all the time.
Transport from the airport is by a nonstop bus that goes from the airport to the main square.
Get currency when you arrive at the airport from the exchange, the fees are lower than the atm and its not uncommon for things to be cash only. Supermarkets and airport shuttle, card was fine but things like local buses and even the main tourist attractions were cash only.
Not sure theres a whole lot to do, but enough for a couple of days. The bunker was interesting, theres a cable car which might be worth doing in summer, house of leaves – tho its not very big – and theres a couple of day trips that you could do if youre there for longer
A few bits from me. Stayed for 2 days. We had rented a car. Big mistake. You have never seen driving like it and made Colombia look like a strict UK driving exam. Its very deprived and slightly depressing. Like Soviet split was only months before. Lovely people and great food. Recommend Oxhaket, Oriental City (chinese), Stephen Centre (a great restaurant ran by a US mercenary couple who went there back when they were the 2nd restaurant opened in the whole of Albania in the fall of Soviet.)
In future we will avoid Tirana and head out to the other delights of Albania. We were on a stopover. Note that the traffic to and from the airport can be biblically long.
Family went there a few years ago and said anyone that was accepting cash only was happy with Euros.
Sorry forgot to mention, ATM charge are near enough £6, yes £6 to withdraw money. A good workaround was sending yourself money to Western Union (available everywhere) especially if your new member and first 2x are fee free.
In Tirana now on a BAH at the Marriott which overlooks the Air Albania stadium; another BAH option is The Rogner which is pretty much next door. It’s a 15 minute walk to Skanderbeg Square and BunkArt2 which is this morning’s outing. Excellent food and service in the Marriott; the lounge is very pleasant with the longest “happy hour” I’ve ever encountered 17:30 to 21:30, but fairly limited food options. Rooms are on the small side.
Yesterday we had a full day out with a private guide to Berat, via Durres and a splendid wine tasting at Cobo winery (who knew that Albanian wines were so good). Cobo is probably the best known winery but there are many others. It was a lovely day out and the weather was kind to us.
Tomorrow we’re off to Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia. Private day tours run at about £200 plus tip. A 5 day holiday in Tirana would be too long if you didn’t include a couple of day trips in my opinion.
As a passenger I didn’t think the driving was actually that bad – and we’ve driven in Milan!
Cash is definitely king here, second the outrage of £5 withdrawal fee at ATMs
Very interesting to read all of these, thank you all – most useful for a future trip.
In Tirana now on a BAH at the Marriott which overlooks the Air Albania stadium; another BAH option is The Rogner which is pretty much next door. It’s a 15 minute walk to Skanderbeg Square and BunkArt2 which is this morning’s outing. Excellent food and service in the Marriott; the lounge is very pleasant with the longest “happy hour” I’ve ever encountered 17:30 to 21:30, but fairly limited food options. Rooms are on the small side.
Yesterday we had a full day out with a private guide to Berat, via Durres and a splendid wine tasting at Cobo winery (who knew that Albanian wines were so good). Cobo is probably the best known winery but there are many others. It was a lovely day out and the weather was kind to us.
Tomorrow we’re off to Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia. Private day tours run at about £200 plus tip. A 5 day holiday in Tirana would be too long if you didn’t include a couple of day trips in my opinion.
As a passenger I didn’t think the driving was actually that bad – and we’ve driven in Milan!
Cash is definitely king here, second the outrage of £5 withdrawal fee at ATMs
I went to Albania and Macedonia about 10 years ago. Tirana isn’t pretty, but you can while away a day or so, try the Blloku area for cafes and bars. The highlights lay elsewhere in Albania (Berat, Girojkastra, Saranda) I agree re Cobo winery! Did you try the walnut rakia? Delicious! Lake Ohrid is wonderful, I was on the Macedonian side (Bitola IIRC) and had a lovely time.
In Tirana now on a BAH at the Marriott which overlooks the Air Albania stadium; another BAH option is The Rogner which is pretty much next door. It’s a 15 minute walk to Skanderbeg Square and BunkArt2 which is this morning’s outing. Excellent food and service in the Marriott; the lounge is very pleasant with the longest “happy hour” I’ve ever encountered 17:30 to 21:30, but fairly limited food options. Rooms are on the small side.
Yesterday we had a full day out with a private guide to Berat, via Durres and a splendid wine tasting at Cobo winery (who knew that Albanian wines were so good). Cobo is probably the best known winery but there are many others. It was a lovely day out and the weather was kind to us.
Tomorrow we’re off to Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia. Private day tours run at about £200 plus tip. A 5 day holiday in Tirana would be too long if you didn’t include a couple of day trips in my opinion.
As a passenger I didn’t think the driving was actually that bad – and we’ve driven in Milan!
Cash is definitely king here, second the outrage of £5 withdrawal fee at ATMs
I went to Albania and Macedonia about 10 years ago. Tirana isn’t pretty, but you can while away a day or so, try the Blloku area for cafes and bars. The highlights lay elsewhere in Albania (Berat, Girojkastra, Saranda) I agree re Cobo winery! Did you try the walnut rakia? Delicious! Lake Ohrid is wonderful, I was on the Macedonian side (Bitola IIRC) and had a lovely time.
We did try the raki – excellent digestif. Love the coffee culture here.. and the gyros.
Tomorrow we’re off to Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia. Private day tours run at about £200 plus tip. A 5 day holiday in Tirana would be too long if you didn’t include a couple of day trips in my opinion.
I’d be interested to hear how that goes – the border crossing in particular as I’ve seen places say there can be long waits but you never know how reliable or up to date information like that is.
@GillyDee could you please share details of your private guide? Thanks in advance if you can! Guides tend to vary and if you found a good one, I’d like to arrange a couple of days out with him/her from Tirana later this year. I’m wary of picking someone from the internet?
Went a couple of years ago. We’d booked a car from the airport and drove to Prizren in Kosovo for a night – the drive was nice and Prizren was lovely. Drove to Tirana the next day and stopped at a couple of sights along the way. Stayed at an Airbnb near the Taiwan Pool which worked nicely for us. Did a walking tour of Tirana that I put together as well. Can highly recommend Tartuf Shop Restaurant if you like truffle (but definitely not if you don’t!) and we also enjoyed Restaurant Tymi for much more local fare.
Also drove to the cable car, then spent a few hours in Durres the day we left – I’d been there before and remembered it being much nicer, but the weather wasn’t great. If you have time and the inclination to drive, definitely look at where else you can get in a few hours.
It’s not the greatest city but I do like it. Didn’t find the driving an issue at all! And we never struggled for water etc – there are plenty of kiosks and shops in the city as has been said.
Thanks all, so far the positives seem to outweigh the negatives so I’ll leave Tirana on the possibles list
Any further feedback @GillyDee would be welcome if you have time!
Its on my radar for this summer.
We plan to stay in Durres, a beach town not far from Tirana.
We will do a day trip into Tirana, but otherwise just hang out at the beach.
Melia have 2 hotels in DurresThanks all, so far the positives seem to outweigh the negatives so I’ll leave Tirana on the possibles list
Any further feedback @GillyDee would be welcome if you have time!
Very happy to give further feedback.
@E guide booked through the hotel so not sure who the agency was; will check – he was excellent but only works weekends.
@Ant M. Different guide/agency tomorrow but will report back about border crossing. OH is ferociously impatient so could be challenging!Thanks @GillyDee – have a good day!
We spent nearly two weeks travelling through Albania last year and found it fascinating. We didn’t stay in any International chain hotels. In Tirana we stayed at Hotel Opera, which is opposite Skanderbeg Square and opposite the new IC, which was a good focal point – the top of the building was yellow! Our hotel was in an excellent location. Lots of restaurants close by and small shops selling snacks, food, water etc. Also Tirana has a central market not far from the Square. BunkArt2, National Museum in Square and Dajki Express cable car all worth visiting. There was a nice restaurant at the top and I think a hotel. A couple of days itself in Tirana should be sufficient.
We originally booked a BAH for a long weekend to Tirana staying at HGI end March 2020. Obviously we didn’t go. But having now visited, think a hotel more central than the HGI was better and May was probably a better month as there was still snow on the mountains and it could get cold at night.
Whilst in Albania try to visit Butrint or Byllis historic sites and a town like Gjirokaster, Berat or Kruje which will give you a good feel for the country.
Food was very simple which we enjoyed – lots of cheeses, plates of grilled vegetables, fish and excellent wine.
As posted up thread, Conad supermarkets and other small ones found throughout the country. Buses took a bit of getting used to but hotels helped and used taxis too. We took Euros which were used in many places but also easy to change into Lek at money change offices in all towns. They gave a slightly better rate than banks. Lek needed for some hotels, restaurants and small shops away from main tourist areas and for buses.
We took long distance bus to Ohrid, which was well worth a visit. No issues crossing border, unlike some of the delays on journey from Sarajevo via Dubrovnik to Kotor.
Enjoy your trip.
@E Turned out that both days out were through the same agency – goaslocal – it was the same car! Different guide though; both were excellent. If allowed I can give you the manager’s WhatsApp number.
@ANTM We crossed the border at the North of Lake Ohrid. We were in a queue of 3 cars, process looked a bit random but we were through in 15 minutes, only 1 checkpoint. Ferociously impatient meltdown avoided! Guide said to avoid weekends and summer. We returned via the South of the lake where there are 2 checkpoints; no queues at either.Ohrid was a nice experience; the much photographed basilica of St Jovan Kaneo is worth the effort to get to it. You can walk down through the town and along a boardwalk which runs along the lake or down a steep path through a pine glade then stone path and steps from the castle. Whichever way it could be challenging if you have mobility issues. Nice Paper Museum in the town where they demonstrate paper making and (nerd alert) have one of only 2 replicas of a Guttenberg printing press in the world.
St Naum monastery also worth a visit – so early in the “season” it was almost completely empty of tourists. Another nerd alert – King Zog apparently gifted St Naum to Macedonia in 1925 – will they give it back to Albania next year? Who knows?
Stopped @ Pogradec to sample the Ohrid trout (Korani). Best fresh fish (and real home cut chips) I’ve eaten since Crete.
You could drive yourself – really not scary – and DIY the sightseeing, but for the money 💰 on a short trip I really couldn’t be @rsed, and I’ve loved it.
Thanks @GillyDee, I’ve looked them up and found them here – https://goaslocal.com/tour-destination/day-tours/
No need to send me the manager’s Whatsapp as I’m happy with just the recommendation of a decent agency. If you found both guides excellent them I’m reassured. Several months till we get there but I’ll file the details away for then.
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