Albania – Tirana

Tirana, Albania

Just have to say this …..Tirana is one of my top 5 favourite cities in Europe. I know another well known blogger gave it the thumbs down but I found it fascinating and exciting and really want to go back there with friends to show what a great place it is. Take a cable car ride up to the nearby mountains from the suburbs and look over Tirana and the surrounding mountains while taking in the quietness of the forest around you, take a history lesson of Albania’s cruel past under dictator Hoxha by visiting the underground nuclear shelters, in Winter visit the huge Xmas market in the central Plaza, visit the Mother Teresa  Church, visit the small and endearing central Mosque and buy food and drink at some of Europe’s cheapest prices….. now budget airlines are flying there so get there before mass tourism takes over !

Albania is one of those countries that most people have heard of but never really seem to know where it is and anything about it. I must admit I was one of them but the name and seemingly mystery of the country has always made me keep it firmly on the list of places to see. I knew vaguely from my geography school lessons that it was a mountainous country, relatively poor by Western European standards and I had a feeling that it was a country of small towns and villages and a couple of urban cities – that was back in the 1990s and things have definitely changed since then.

• I decided to travel to Tirana, the capital, from London rather than incorporate it into a longer tour when I visited nearby Northern Macedonis (see Skopje, Northern Macedonia review here)  and Kosovo (see Pristina, Kosovo review here) or my one to Montenegro/Bosnia Herzegovina/Croatia. Look up reviews to these countries separately in index. I really felt I wanted to see it separately and spend a little more time than usual in a city to get to know it more. Also the thought of a long bus drive from the other countries through a border crossing that I had read on blogs could be slow and unreliable and then only get to see Shkoder rather than Tirana as there would then be a another long bus trip to Tirana was daunting enough. There was also relatively little reliable info on the bus times from city to city on the web that was in English (yep, I don’t speak the Albanian or Montenegrin that the available bus/train websites were in!).

• Arrival at Tirana airport is stunning as when you leave the plane there is the amazing backdrop of the mountains nearby. Just to note, if anyone needs it, there is a currency exchange booth at the airport (cash only) and an ATM that accepts debit/credit cards for cash withdrawals. It was strangely a German bank’s ATM but it works fine. You have to have an idea of how much money you need in the local currency (Albanian Lek) so be ready to make a mental conversion as it will ask how much you want in Lek not your national currency.

• That caught me out as I had not familiarised myself with the exchange rate beforehand. I had to quickly google it to get out roughly £100 ie just over 14,000 Lek (rate at the time). It had to be ordered in pre-determined amounts so I pushed a button that was nearest to that amount and actually got out more than I would eventually need. I rarely do this but Albanian currency is just not available to get in UK and this was the next best thing advised. I did find out afterwards that the hotel actually can do currency exchange but I hate the idea of landing in a country with no local cash on me.

Where I stayed in Tirana 

Tirana is small enough that all sights are within the central area (apart from the cable var ride to the mountins- more on tha later).

If you stay out of town, maybe for a cheaper rate or at a spa hotel, remember that there is no Metro or urban train system. Forget busues , no timetables published or info around and bus stops are not always obvious. You will have to rely on taxis to get in and out. Your hotel may be able to call you one in or use Uber, but finding a taxi back out ro your hotel with a driver that speaks English will be difficult. There is a central taxi rank but fares are bartered and I don’t speak Albanian.

There are loads of centrally and near-centre hotels in Tirana and the prices and star grades are abundant. However my one piece of advice would be to avoid a road facing room, especially if it is a main road or nearby.

Alabanians have the annoying habit of using the horn for virtually anything, other than as a warning. There is a semi-permanent cacophony of horns blasting in the street. When I commented on why Albanians do this to reception, they agreed its annoting and said they use their horn as an expression of frustration and anger even though blasting their horn in eg a traffic jam will not make any difference – just annoying noise.

This would be my only issue I found in Tirana – but hey, have you ever walked down a main street southern Italy, Cairo or China and not heard the same!

As this was an, unusual for me, one stop trip as I normally try to visit several countries in each trip to make it more economical and less time–consuming.

On my travels I often found that 5 star hotels were not all they were made up to be once you got there. Often, while the hotel may or not be great, the personal attention seems less warm, which is what often makes the stay great rather than ok.  This hotel however bucked that trend and was fabulous.

I had emailed the hotel for a taxi to pick me up as they had a very cheap rate for this and there was little info on reliable public transport to the city. I hate the thought of taxi drivers trying to rip off an unsuspecting foreigner with a fare price that you have no idea if it is fair or not. Usually, I could always find out later from the hotel if there is an alternative/cheap direct bus route back to the airport once I had orientated myself around the city.

The taxi met me – a glorious, black, large saloon car that impressed with a suited chauffeur …..this is an impressive start…… and the driver was a charming, super friendly guy that made me feel welcome on my first trip to Albania.

The car swept into hotel’s small driveway in central Tirana and I was escorted to the reception. The male receptionist was charming, so chatty and welcoming and we had a great conversation about my travels and his past work experience abroad. This is the warmth that I talk about that makes a visit so enjoyable as you see and hear about the people in the country and their hopes and feelings.

As it was my first time in Albania he said he would upgrade me to a corner room on a higher floor as a welcome, WOW, (and when I got there it was huge and felt like a suite, so the actual suites must be huge!).

The room from the 15th floor looked out over the central Skanderbeg Square area with the Opera House, National History Museum, historical Et’hem Bej Mosque below me and with views to the mountains and over all the rooftops of Tirana. I heard The Plaza is also the tallest building in Tirana and Albania ! At the risk of seeming to be over the top I have to say that The Plaza was one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in.

Massively attentive and polite staff, superbly modern, clean and stylish, beautiful variety at breakfast and welcoming, professional staff in their two restaurants. Anything I needed they did it immediately and organised any trip, taxi, with efficiency and ease. It is one of the hotels I would definitely chose if I ever get back to Tirana.

What to see in Tirana

So, my trip into town from the hotel was actually a two minutes stroll ! They were refurbishing the park between the Hotel and the Opera House and the plans displayed on the hording made it look like it would be beautiful when finished and become part of the extension of the main Skanderbeg Square.

The Et ‘hem Bey Mosque was literally metres away from the hotel and was my first introduction to Tirana. It was smaller than expected for being such a major Mosque and it only holds about 60 worshippers. However I later found out that they are building a new, huge Mosque (the biggest in the Balkans) near the Parliament building that will hold 4,500 and take over as the main mosque – I did view the construction site of the new one but it looks a while before it will be completed.

As I approached the Mosque I was felt my usual apprehension as to if I would be allowed in as often I have seen notices in other countries that non Muslims are not allowed in. This was not the case here. I was thrown by the different layout of this small Mosque. I couldn’t see where to place my shoes outside (as is normal) and noticed people walking into the building with shoes on ? Strange I thought but not wanting to be disrespectful I still took them off at the door entrance anyhow and carried them in.

Just inside the doorway I saw the shoe rack that I usually see outside at Mosques.

It had a few upwards steps just inside, which is unusual with a wide walkway in the middle with two rooms on either side. The right one being partially blocked with restricted view. I then realised that this format was for the separation of male and female worshippers. I put my shoes in the rack inside the door and stood and looked around realising that there was a bigger room through the door at the end of the walkway, trying again to figure out the layout. I looked over the ceiling and wall decorations which seemed plain but historical and took in the atmosphere.

A few worshippers looked over at me clearly realising that I was not Muslim and a bit intrigued at my presence but resumed back quickly to their prayers. I wanted to go into the room at the end which I could just see through a slightly ajar door but did not want to infringe on their prayers or seem like a curious tourist (which I actually was ! ). An elderly man who seemed to be cleaning areas saw me and came over to me and I initially thought he may question me but he politely asked in broken English “Visitor?”.

I smiled and nodded, not knowing how to say “yes” in Albanian and he sweetly beckoned me towards the door that he probably saw I had an interest in. He said “come” and I followed into the room. On entry, I was amazed at the beautiful wall frescoes, tall ceiling and lovely carved wooden balcony and surroundings. He smiled at me and said “photos ok”, probably second guessing what my next question may be.

What a lovely sweet man who saw my apprehension and helped me explore this wonderful Mosque. His actions stay in my memories still as a welcoming gesture. I was aware I was alone in this room and realised that this is the main prayer hall but is usually not used in quiet times like now as the two outside ante-chambers were in use. I felt privileged to be allowed into it and it made the room feel even more special……ok, I’m gushing a bit now but it meant a lot to me as if he hadn’t seen me and reacted I would have completely missed this gem.

I took my pics and a few scholarly men came in and went into a nearby room, not being phased by my presence. After 10 mins I left the room and went back out making sure I closed the door behind me as others had done and then saw that a couple of worshippers were being politely corrected by an attendant as they had taken their shoes of after the steps rather than before as they were supposed to respectfully do….even the worshippers were as confused as me with those steps !!! I was so glad I had taken mine off outside, ie before the steps as I think I would have made the same mistake !

Skanderbeg Square

In the main huge plaza of Tirana stands the statue to the founder of Albania with the square named after him. Right in front of the statue, as it was a few weeks before Christmas, was a huge, decorated Xmas tree, attractively lit up at night.

Beside the statue is the Palace of Culture where Opera and Ballet is performed.

It is a big imposing structure but I never got to go inside  as it was closed. As it was nearly Xmas, the building was decorated and also creatively lit up at night giving them a different aspect daytime and night time.

The rest of the square had a Winter/Xmas market and was full of stalls selling all manner of Xmas goodies. There were also plenty of food and drink stalls with seating and some attractive display of lights and creations celebrating the nearing Xmas event. .

The trees lining the square had been covered in hundreds of small fairy lights and there was even a huge star with a trailing path as a central feature nearby.

I popped back here at night as my hotel was minutes away and enjoyed food and drink in this very festive atmosphere with beautiful displays.

This one, (see Bunkart info here), had been opened up to the public now as it was directly below and near Govt buildings and showed the inside of the bunker – actually a big cavern of walkways, rooms and control areas in the event of an attack. It even had a nuclear de-contamination area ! Lots of displays are here with original artefacts used by Hoxha and his men, including the bed he slept in, his personal room, communications room with equipment and lots of wall displays showing events and military scenes over the period.

It was interesting to see this type of site in Europe as apart from a few WW2 bunker areas, I had never seen defensive works underground, from a more modern setting.

The outside has a 46 metre bell tower, impressive in itself and from the outside looks quite blocky rather than a slim slender style. One of the reasons is that it was built to also be used as a theatre or conference centre and the Cathedral inside is basically one huge dome with marvellous painted frescos and painted roof. It feels big and strangely un-church like inside but from the outside commands a big presence.

Independence Monument, Tirana

This is quite a unique shaped monument and at first it took me by surprise in its quite creative design.

It was placed here 28^th November 2012 ro symbolise Albania’s 100 years of independence and is a symbol of Albania's resistance in difficult times and wars.  .

It is 6.5 metres high, 5.5 metres wide and weighs15 tons and was actually created in Austria..

The shape is one of an open tower, symbolizing the opening of Albania toward independence.  Its shape is significant as it has two parts that join toegether to form a whole block. One apart holds a side wall and the roof of the block  and the other contains the other side wall and the floor section.

Placed together - you have to imagine that - it would form a solid block of symbolic independence. Cute eh?

Further down the road is the statue of Ismail Qemali, the man who declared Albania’s independence by raising the flag in Vlora in 1912.

It has several mosaics and lovely stained glass windows dedicated to post and present Popes and Saints i.e. Mother Teresa, Pope Paul and the present day Pope. The inside, like the Orthodox Cathedral, is not particularly ornate but the simplicity adds worth to the windows and altar piece.

However with the dramatic fall of Communism across Europe, including Albania in 1991 it was not in favour as a Museum to him and converted into a conference centre and then several other uses until today when it now stands vandalised and derelict. The building is definitely unique in style and was clad originally in marble, so would have had a polished, almost Egyptian Pyramid look to it.

One of the “must do” things in Tirana for kids is to climb the pyramid to the top – dangerous I know – but many were doing just that on my visit.
There is a lot of graffiti on most of it but one side actually has some arty and thought provoking illustrations that I found amusing – especially as I hate graffiti in general.

Next to it is a rather industrial, minimalist park with some modern interpretations but the most striking was the Peace Bell, which, like the one in Hiroshima, Japan, you can go up to and ring ...... Did I do that? ....you bet, much to some local kids amusement who must have seen people do this thousands of times!

Around this park was general graffiti - which as anyone who knows will tell you is a major annoyance for me - I hate the idea of vandals destroying and ghettoising the places that others have to live in and suffer the mess, but here it was encouraged. Much to my surprise I saw many pieces that were actually quite arty and thought provoking and done in a way that felt more like genuine good street art than vandalism ..... don't they say that travel broadens the mind ! Here are a few I actually quite liked.

The cable car goes over the rooftops of nearby houses and then over a small lake, continuing on across rocky terrain and trees and at certain points is high above the terrain then near to the escarpments as it rises sharply. The views back towards Tirana are amazing and on a clear day you can see for miles.

There are several points where the cable car goes right over someone’s property which gives interesting views into their gardens and outhouses !

The final part of the journey involves the cable car going near upright as it rises to the top of the cliff on which sits the cable car station. The only disappointing bit was that the windows had been heavily scored with a knife even though the car itself was clean and modern

Once at the top of the Mount there is little to do unless you are a keen hiker and the weather is good. There were some guys offering target practice with air rifles and horse rides were evident with someone else offering quad biking over rough terrain. This was all very locals doing it for money and there were minimal safety standards ie no helmets for bikes or horses and a rifle range that people could easily walk into by mistake. !

Scenery was beautiful and I spent about 30 mins walking the tarmacked road to the cliff edge and looked down on Tirana. there were hikers passing me and a few cars but it was all very relaxing and quiet. At times I was the only person in sight so it was a change from the bustle of the city

There was an hotel with a large restaurant/bar with a great viewpoint over the mountain and down towards Tirana. There is also a more famous traditional wood chalet style restaurant with an amazing view point down the mountain but it was meals only and I just wanted a coffee so settled for the tower view instead. Unfortunately it was a hazy day and the views were not as clear as they could be but it certainly gave me an impression of what it was like.

It takes a few hours to go around as there is so much to see and walking through various steel reinforced access doors gives you a sense of the impenetrability of the complex. Communications rooms, kitchens, sleeping areas etc make this a day trip in itself.

The rooms have been recreated just as they wood have been in the 1970's when it was in use and includes the rooms that Hoxha used personally including his armchair and bed !

Communications room with the telephone that Hoxha would have used himself. You can pick it up and hear his voice speaking to you on the other end!

The exit is so inconspicuous in order to avoid anyone noticing it in its day.

During WW2 there was intensive fighting in Albania between the occupying German Forces and British forces. There are two very neat and tidy war graves in the park commemorating those from both sides who died in the conflicts.

Don’t know why as they had a great exhibition by a modern English artist. These are pics of the outside monument that is also lit up at night to tremendous effect.

Tirana street art

You know how every graffitist sprays and vandalises those green telephone exchange boxes in the street – well Tirana has a way of dealing with it …. get great looking and funny murals on them by artists and graffitists won’t want to spray them ! …clever

My favourite piece af street art was this. It's actually a park bench and used mainly by people buying coffees from the nearby cafe in the park it's set in.

Spiderman leaping over this amazing red artistic ceative bench! It caught my eye and impressed me in what the locals are trying to do, to be creative and inspiring in what was a dairly hum-drum city during Communist rule.

My thoughts on Tirana

So, my view of Tirana may be controversial to some, but hey, I loved this city.

It's rough round the edges and unfinished.  Dare I even say that its somewhat unmaintained feel, strangely appealed to me. It is clear they are trying to make it better and in many areas it is more than accomplishing that. The potential here is enormous and what I have seen them doing already is incredible.

The park was glorious, the street artworks creative and the people so welcoming and friendly that it makes up for any shortcomings in abundance. Watch this space as this city is going to be a major attraction in the near future!

I'll return here, I know, with friends, so they can get the feel of this lovely place. Hope they like it as much as I do!

Dec, 2017.