2 Day Tirana Itinerary + Things to do
Tirana is the vibrant capital city of Albania. From underground bunkers to busy fruit markets, museums and gondolas there’s plenty of things to do in Tirana. In this blog post I’ll go over my favourite things to do in Tirana + a 2 day Tirana itinerary suitable for every type of traveller.
Although Tirana is lively and offers visitors all kinds of diverse activities I think travellers should spend max 2-3 days here. At the end of the day Tirana is just another big city. “Authentic” Albania exists in the small mountain villages up north or along the Albanian Riviera in the quaint beach towns.
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Albania Google Map – 200+ pins
Don’t feel like scrolling through blog posts trying to find things to do in Albania?
Then my Albania map is for you!
Get my 200+ recommendations all in one place for:
- Outdoors: hiking trails, waterfalls, secret beaches & national parks
- Places: ancient cities, beach towns & historical sites
- Things to do: viewpoints, unique activities & tours
- Planning: lodging, restaurants, bus stops & tedious details
Quick Albania Travel Guide:
**Find my recommended Albania itineraries linked in the section below**
Travel Insurance: ALWAYS purchase reliable travel insurance before your trip. This insurance is trusted by backpackers and adventure sport enthusiasts around the world. You can also use my link to receive 5% off SafetyWing policies. Here’s a blog post with more trustworthy travel insurance options you can compare.
Best Time to Visit: May to September.
Best Activities: Looking for the best tours and activities around Albania? See my Viator shop for my top recommendations.
Currency: Albanian LEK (aka ALL). This is a closed currency so you’ll need to wait until you’re in Albania to withdraw/exchange money. Make sure you exchange any leftover money before you leave the country too. Credins ATMs don’t have a service charge.
Transportation: to enter the country you’ll find 1 international airport in Tirana, 1 port in Saranda (daily ferry arrivals/departures to Corfu, Greece), and a bus line from Montenegro. Buses are very cheap here, but unreliable and taxis are pricey in comparison. Driving is chaotic and there are no trains within the country.
Phone: purchase a local SIM card from Vodafone – the plans are cheap and they include lots of data, however international minutes are typically not available. Vodafone storefronts can be found in bigger cities (Tirana, Saranda, Shkoder, etc).
Language: Albanian, however you can get by with English. Google translate is recommended for smaller cities/villages.
Safety: I found Albania to be very safe. I and my fellow travellers had no trouble with theft and I felt comfortable walking around as a solo female at night. People are generally very welcoming here, but always keep your wits about you – no matter where you travel.
Helpful Info: don’t drink the tap water or bring a purifying bottle like this one. Most hostels/guesthouses/hotels have laundry facilities.
Purchase my Albania map which is downloadable to google maps on your phone. It has 200+ pinned locations around the country – all available at your fingertips.
Packing Guide: here’s my ultimate packing guide/travel essentials.
Albania is one of the last “undiscovered” countries in Europe. Plan your trip while prices & tourism levels are low!
Helpful Albania Blog Posts
Albania Itineraries: 1 week south | 1 week north | 2 weeks whole country | 1 month for backpackers
- My Ultimate Albania Backpacker Guide
- 15+ Helpful Tips You Should Know BEFORE Travelling Albania
- 30+ Best Things to do in Albania: Excursions, Tours, and Destinations
- 17 Best Places in Albania
- Hiker’s Guide to the Albanian Alps
- Valbona to Theth Hiking Guide
- 10+ Albania hikes Worth Doing
- Lodging: best hostels for backpackers | luxury hotels
How to Navigate Tirana
Since Tirana is Albania’s biggest city, you can take a bus from here to almost anywhere in the country.
In addition to the local bus system in Tirana, there also a regional bus station. Tirana’s regional bus station (located here) is where you’ll catch buses departing to cities and towns around the country. The bus “station” – which is more like a giant parking lot – is filled with buses, each having a sign in the window displaying where it’s going.
If you’re trying to get to the regional station from the city centre, there’s a bus stop near Skanderbeg Square behind the Opera.
If you arriving to Tirana’s regional station from elsewhere, the bus stop going into the city is located directly across the street. The bus into the city runs frequently so you needn’t worry about exact timing.
The bus in Albania is flaky and unreliable. Bus schedules are just starting to show up on Google Maps (as of 2024), however I’d still recommend speaking with the locals to ensure you receive accurate information regarding departure times.
2 day Tirana itinerary for backpackers.
Where to Stay in Tirana
At the time of writing this, accommodations typically run anywhere from 10 to 100+ euros in Tirana depending on the type of accommodation you’re booking.
Here’s a quick crash course for the best accommodations in Tirana according to each budget:
- Hostels – Trip’n’Hostel is a big party hostel in the city, however the Tirana Backpacker Hostel is the most popular choice.
- Budget Guesthouses – Guesthouse NEO, Guesthouse Sense, Home Sweet Home 1.
- Mid-range hotels – Artistic Tirana Blloku (great location) or Hotel LONDON.
- Luxury accommodations – Plaza Hotel, Arté Boutique Hotel, and the Rogner Hotel which is one of the best hotels in Albania.
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Things To do in Tirana
Here are the best things to do in Tirana to add to your Tirana itinerary.
Popular Albania Tours
From Berat: 4×4 tour: Mount Tomorr & Sotira Waterfall | Bogove Waterfall & Osumi Canyon | Osumi Canyon Rafting
From Permet: Benja Hot Springs & Lengarica Canyon | Horseback Riding | River Rafting
From Tirana: Gamti Mountain & Bovilla Lake Hiking Tour | Bike Tour | Traditional Cooking Class | Zipline
From Tirana or Shkoder: Day trip to the Blue Eye of Theth & Grunas Waterfall | Shala River Day Trip
From Vlora: Boat tour to Haxhi Ali Cave & Sazan Island – Karaburun | Snorkelling
From Saranda/Ksamil: Paddle boarding the Islands | Butrint, Ksamil, Blue Eye, Lekuresi Castle – 1 Day | Day Trip to Gjirokaster | Catamaran to Korez & Kokomo Beach
UNIQUE: Multi-day hiking tour: Peaks of the Balkans
You can find more Albania tours I recommend here
Dajti Ekspress & Maja e Tujanit Hike
The Dajti Ekspress is Tirana’s very affordable cable car. The cable car takes you partway up Dajti Mountain where you’ll find restaurants, patios, mini golf, horses, a view overlooking all of Tirana, as well as other games and activities. This was my favourite thing to do in Tirana as it was a nice way to escape the busy city life below.
Here’s a video explaining how to get to the cable car using Tirana’s public transit system.
At the top of the Dajti Ekspress there’s a trailhead for the Maja e Tujanit hike which brings you to a summit overlooking Dajti National Park and Bovilla Lake.
For more information regarding the Maja e Tujanit hike you can reference my trail guide.
Bovilla Lake & Gamti Mountain Hike
If hiking is your thing, something you can add to your Tirana itinerary is the Gamti Mountain hike at Bovilla Lake. This tour involves a quick hike to a beautiful viewpoint in Dajti National Park.
There are no public buses to Bovilla Lake and you need 4×4 to access the trailhead so the tour linked below is likely the only way you’d be able to get to the hiking trail.
You can book the Gamti Mountain hike here
Best things to do in Tirana on your Tirana itinerary.
Free Walking Tour of Tirana
The 2hr free walking tour is one of my favourite things to do in Tirana as it’s an easy and efficient way to see the city’s highlights and learn interesting facts about the local history. Free walking tours are also great if you’re on a tight schedule and don’t have time to research the area you’re visiting before arriving.
Typically the free walking tour of Tirana departs at 10am and at 6pm in front of the Opera at Skanderbeg Square. Check with your hotelier before you go to ensure these times are still accurate.
A knowledgeable guide will take you to places like the local mosques, churches, Enver Hoxha’s house (Albania’s former communist leader), and more.
Tirana itinerary and the best things to do.
Skanderbeg Square
Another thing to do in Albania is visit the iconic Skanderbeg Square.
Skanderbeg Square is the main “meeting place” in Tirana. This is where you’ll find loads of Albanians meeting in the evening for xhiro – or “evening walk.” The square is surrounded by important points of interest like mosques, the opera house, statues, etc.
Something interesting you’ll notice about Skanderbeg Square is that there’s often water covering the tiles. This is used as a technique to cool the square down amidst Albania’s toasty summer heat.
BUNK’ART
BUNK’ART should be at the top of your list of things to do in Tirana. BUNK’ART is a museum located underground in one of the old bunkers from Albania’s communist period. Here you can learn all about the former communist regime; communication devices, bugging devices, camera gear, important paperwork, videos, etc.
There are 2 BUNK’ARTs in Tirana. BUNK’ART 2 has more to see, however it’s located away from the city centre and you’ll need to take a bus to get there. BUNK’ART 2 is near the Dajti Ekspress, so I’d recommend visiting both these attractions at the same time for efficiency.
Things to do in Tirana for a 2 day itinerary.
Grand Park
If you’re craving some nature midst exploring Tirana’s busy atmosphere, you can add Grand Park to your Tirana itinerary. Grand Park offers green space, an artificial lake, outdoor workout equipment, greenery, kids play equipment, patios, etc.
Rruga Murat Toptani
Rruga Murat Toptani is a pedestrian street full of patios and greenery. This is a great place to grab lunch or sit back and watch the culture of Tirana unfold in front of you.
Things to do in Tirana.
Albania Google Map – 200+ pins
Don’t feel like scrolling through blog posts trying to find things to do in Albania?
Then my Albania map is for you!
Get my 200+ recommendations all in one place for:
- Outdoors: hiking trails, waterfalls, secret beaches & national parks
- Places: ancient cities, beach towns & historical sites
- Things to do: viewpoints, unique activities & tours
- Planning: lodging, restaurants, bus stops & tedious details
Experience Albanian Night Life
Albania is a very social country, but the nightlife in Albania is different. At clubs in Albania you’ll find very loud music and great venues, but the locals don’t drink or dance much. There seems to be a lot of standing, staring, and “looking cool” from their end. Plus every looks SO glamorous.
Tirana is the best place in Albania for nightlife, but to be honest I wouldn’t recommend partying here unless you’ve got a good crew with you. I had a bit of a bizarre night out – entertaining in it’s own way, but not full of dancing and shenanigans like I’m used to in North America or Western Europe.
If going out is something you’d like to add to your Tirana itinerary, the Blloku District has the best bars and clubs.
Things to do in Tirana. 2 day Tirana itinerary for backpackers.
Discover More of Albania’s Communist History
Tirana is easily the best city in Albania to learn about history. In Addition to BUNK’ART there’s the National Museum of History and the House of Leaves. Both are jam packed with information, each offering something a little different.
Bike Tour
If exploring the city by bike with a knowledgeable guide is something you’d like to add to your Tirana itinerary, you can book the tour linked below.
Traditional Cooking Classes
If you’d like to learn how to cook traditional Albanian meals, this is also something you can do in Tirana.
Ride a Zipline
If you’re looking for something adventurous to do in Tirana, consider this zipline in nearby Petrelë.
2 Day Tirana Itinerary
This 2 day Tirana itinerary is the perfect blend of history, food, nature, and relaxation.
Day 1 in Tirana
Your first full day in Tirana starts off with a hearty breakfast which will likely be included wherever you lodge. I recommend staying at the Tirana Backpacker Hostel for a budget option. For a mid-range hotel, Artistic Tirana Blloku or Hotel LONDON make perfect choices.
After breakfast head to Grand Park for a relaxing stroll around the pond then head back to the city centre to explore BUNK’ART 1. If you have time you can also see the House of Leaves or the National Museum of History before grabbing lunch at Rruga Murat Toptani; a beautiful pedestrian street full of greenery, patios, and cafes.
After more wandering around and maybe venturing into a fruit market or two, plan to end day 1 of your Tirana itinerary with a free walking tour of the city. I like the evening tour as the temperatures cool slightly by then.
After the free walking tour you can opt to spend some time in Skanderbeg Square, grab a bite to eat, and do some people watching. Albanians come out for their evening walk (aka Xhiro) once the sun comes down, so the atmosphere will become very social during this time.
Day 2 in Tirana
On day 2 of your Tirana itinerary take the bus to the Dajti Ekspress – here’s an instructional video for how to get there. If you’re feeling adventurous you can hike up to Maja e Tujanit from the top of the cable car.
Afterwards return to the city centre. At this point you’ll have more time to explore the highlights you learned about on last nights free walking tour. If you’d like to venture inside the local churches, mosques, or museums now is the perfect time.
End your last day in Tirana in the Blloku District for drinks or a tasty dinner. If you want to experience nightlight this a great time to do so.
and that concludes my 2 day Tirana itinerary. Enjoy!
Things to do in Tirana.
Albania Google Map – 200+ pins
Don’t feel like scrolling through blog posts trying to find things to do in Albania?
Then my Albania map is for you!
Get my 200+ recommendations all in one place for:
- Outdoors: hiking trails, waterfalls, secret beaches & national parks
- Places: ancient cities, beach towns & historical sites
- Things to do: viewpoints, unique activities & tours
- Planning: lodging, restaurants, bus stops & tedious details
Things to do in Tirana on your Tirana itinerary.
Happy adventuring!
Taylor ♡
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About the Author
HI, I’m Taylor – the voice behind The Holistic Backpacker.
After moving to Banff National Park in 2020 I became an outdoor adventure enthusiast and vowed to never stop exploring.
I now spend my days travelling the world, climbing mountains, and spending nights under the stars in the Canadian Rockies backcountry.
I created The Holistic Backpacker so I could share my adventures and help connect people like you with the same amazing experiences.
