I’m currently living in Naples, Italy, but am only permitted to stay in the allotted time of a tourist visa. Already seeking a way to legally extend my time here, I found a great hack: leave the Schengen area as much as possible to continuously add days to my time here.
This hack didn’t come from thin air — and instead, was inspired by my recent trip to Mauritius this past June. When I checked into my flight to Venice through Emirates Airlines at the airport in Mauritius, they asked what my departure date out of Italy was. At the time, I had no idea when I’d be returning to New York, though I had figured I’d spend about two weeks in Italy. Not wanting to show any hesitation to the airline check-in employees, I said with my whole chest, “July 2nd!” They then asked if they could see my departure ticket. Problem was, I didn’t have one. So, I quickly scrambled to buy a refundable ticket that left on July 2nd, showed them that, and as soon as I got to Italy, I cancelled that ticket and got my money back. The irony was that I still ended up leaving July 2nd.
Alas, back to the topic at hand — Albania. When recently coming back to Italy yet again, this time to stay in Naples for as long as I could, I didn’t want to run into that same Mauritius issue again, so I booked the cheapest ticket out in the month of October: a $17 ticket to Tirana. I wasn’t really sure if I was going to go or not, but when the date approached, I thought, “Why not?” And so, I flew to Albania for just one day. Here’s what I did.
Pro-Tip: Public transit is limited from the airport into the city. Book an airport transfer in advance here.
Start your morning with a burek
You didn’t really go to Tirana if you didn’t buy a street burek! I went to a random spot on the cusp of the city, and it was my first proper interaction with an Albanian outside of my hotel and cab. I’d like to preface that just about everyone I met was nice, but I got badly ripped off when getting this burek.
Pro-tip: Albanian currency is the Albanian lek, and it’s very easy to understand the conversion in terms of Euro. 1 Euro = 100 Lek. So, if something is 1500 Lek, it’s roughly 15 Euros.
However, since I went into Albania so haphazardly, I didn’t have any lek with me (but my understanding was Euro was widely accepted). I bought a cheese burek, which I was very excited for, handed the woman, what I THOUGHT was a 20 euro bill, and since there was a line piling up behind me, I didn’t properly check my change. The burek was flakey, crispy, chewy, salty, cheesy — basically, what street food dreams are made of. However, later, when I properly checked my change, I realized she had only given me 900 lek back, meaning even if I had handed her a 20, the burek cost 11 euros (which, there’s just no way it was that expensive). Even later, I realize I had actually handed her a 50 .. so my 41 euro burek was more than my roundtrip to Albania!
What’s a little chaotic travel without a little chaotic lesson?
Check out the largest mosque in the Balkans
Namazgah Mosque is a massive mosque, capable of holding up to 10,000 people, located right in the heart of Tirana. While I did not go inside, it’s worthy to check out the exterior and take a few photos. It’s huge and brand new, having just opened in late 2024.
Pro-tip: There’s a lot of street art and modern architecture in Tirana. To see the best of it, take this 2-hour walking art tour of Tirana.
Head to Skanderbeg Square
The main city square in Tirana is Skanderbeg Square. Here, you can see the statue of the country’s “national hero,” Gjergj Kastrioti, who is referred to as Skanderbeg. His praise is due to having united the country against the Ottoman Empire. Today, there’s a statue of him with a horse, and there’s also an “I <3 T” sign that’s great for selfies. Just beware of people trying to sell you things over here!
Go in real bunkers at Bunk Art 2
Albania’s history and past is something the entire world can learn a lesson from, and the coolest way to learn that lesson is to visit Bunk Art 2. Bunk Art 2 is a museum built out of real bunkers that were used during the Communist regime of Albania. The details are harrowing, recalling events like how people simply vanished, whether due to their immigration status, political affiliation, or being outspoken against the regime.
During Albania’s Communist regime, there were internment camps, and there’s one room where a video of a woman plays on repeat. She recalls being so desperate for food that she picked worms out of moldy rice because it was either eat that, or die. There’s a room with a list of 5500 names, all of whom were murdered due to their political affiliation. And then there’s a room with a list of the excruciatingly inhumane ways people were tortured. This was my favorite thing I did in Tirana, and though it left me shaken, if you only have time for ONE thing on this list, I recommend a visit to Bunk Art 2.
Admission is 900 lek, or roughly 9 euros.
Tour Option: To better understand the history of Albania, take this Communist walking tour of the city.
Grab a fresh pomegranate juice
There are plenty of juice stands all over the city, and when I saw one for fresh pomegranate juice, I remembered where I was geographically, and had to get some! I paid 350 lek, or about 3.50 euros. It’s quite tart, but so, so good.
Climb the Pyramid of Tirana
On the other side of the Tiranë river from everything mentioned so far is the Pyramid of Tirana. You can climb to the top (it takes about 5 minutes) to see some city views. The building was a museum until the fall of the Communist regime, when it then became a conference center.
Get some fresh air at Tirana Lake Park
If you’re craving greenery after hitting the concrete all day, it’s time to go to the park. Tirana Lake Park is peacefully quiet, lightyears away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s full of trails and interesting artwork, and there’s even an ampitheatre inside. Just try to pay careful attention to which direction you’re going in, because the park is massive and it’s easy to get lost. Some trails will lead you to Liqeni Artificial, or Artificial Lake. It’s a tranquil setting with lots of swans and areas to sit.
Sip Albanian cocktails at Radio Bar
Now that you’ve gotten your steps in and seen the best of the outdoors in Tirana, it’s time to grab a seat at the bar. Radio Bar is in the hip, youthful Blloku neighborhood of Tirana. It’s a cocktail bar with art-deco music-inspired decor inside, and the expansive menu has sections for every type of booze: tequila, whisky, vodka, gin, mocktails, you name it. But if you want a true local sip, go for the Albanian cocktail section. I opted for a Balkan Collins, made with Albanian gin, blueberry jam, lemon, and fizzy water. It was delightfully refreshing after a busy day of exploring the city.
Try the national dish of Albania
Hopefully you’ve worked up an appetite by now. For me, if I only have one day in a city, whether it’s in a foodie-centric city like Parma or a major capital like Quito, I need to try the signature local dish. With that being said, for dinner in Tirana, you must try tavë kosi. Tavë kosi (pronounced TAHV koh-zee) is a baked casserole of lamb and yogurt. It generally takes 30-40 minutes to prep when done right, so time your dinner accordingly with your hunger levels. A few notable restaurants to try it at are Tradita te Meri and Gjelltore SaUku. I wanted to stay in the Blloku neighborhood so I went to The Rooms Restaurant, which was just right around the corner from Radio Bar. The portion was quite small, but the tender lamb fell right off of the bone. Note that you’ll likely want to get some type of side since it is quite literally just lamb and yogurt. I highly recommend using the Italian “scarpetta” method and getting some crusty bread to soak up all of that yogurt.
Pro-Tip: Looking for a cultural experience? End your night at Albanian Nights, with dancing, local music, and traditional clothing.
Spend the night at Hilton Garden Inn Tirana
Finally, now that it’s late, you’ll want to lay your head somewhere cozy. The Hilton Garden Inn Tirana is located just along the Tiranë River, has an incredible breakfast included everyday (with avjar, feta, tons of veggies, and more), and some of the rooms even offer a balcony. Many come to Albania to hit the coastline, but you’ll likely have to fly into Tirana to get in the country. If you need to spend just one night here, let it be at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Optional: Day Trips
Tirana is an incredible hub for some really fun day trips. I personally took this one to North Macedonia to visit Lake Ohrid, which is a lake that’s larger than the entire country of Malta! But aside from that, some solid options are:
- For beach lovers: Durres day trip
- For mountain lovers: Hiking tour of Gamti Mountain and Bovilla Lake
- For something unique: Visit Berat and Belshi Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- For country-tickers: Book a day trip to Kosovo or a day trip to Montenegro (or be like me and visit North Macedonia!)