This was my second trip of 2025 and this time, leaving Chris in our new house pondering over the design of the garden, I embarked on a mini solo budget backpacking trip to 3 Eastern European countries. This included the capital city of each.
I began in Tirana, the capital of Albania, a country I had not previously visited and which became my 100th country of the list of 195 UN countries! Only another 95 to go but I can now officially join the 100 Club!
Albania has been on my country radar for many years, from the first time I first saw the rocky hazy outline in the distance. This was across the small stretch of the Ionian Sea from the north east side of Corfu in 1987.
Back then Albania was a communist country mostly closed off from the rest of Europe. A short geographical distance from the lush Greek holiday island with its lively nightlife but a world away for visitors.
This was the itinerary:
- Tirana, Albania
- Shkoder, Albania
- Podgorica, Montenegro
- Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Jajce and Travnik, Bosnia
On Easter Monday I left damp and rainy Luton Airport and 2.5 hours later Wizz Air delivered me to the sunny blue skies of Tirana and a temperature which reached 24 degrees during the afternoon. This was the temperature for the first 4 days of the trip, until I reached Sarajevo…
For just 4 euros (cash only) I took a bus from the airport which dropped me near to Skanderbeg Square, the centre of Tirana. Skanderbeg Square is a large central plaza and is the focal point for many cultural sites of the city. The square was named after ‘Skanderbeg’ a military commander who led the rebellion against the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century.
At Skanderbeg Square you can see Et’hem Bej Mosque, which was closed while Albania was under communist rule, but re-opened in 1991. It was originally constructed in the 1790’s and is famous for its decorative frescoes.
You can go inside Et’hem Bej Mosque but you must remove your shoes. It is worth visiting to see the amazing decorations of the walls and ceilings.
The Clock Tower is next to the Et’hem Bej Mosque and for 2 euros you can climb to the top to see great views of Skanderbeg Square and beyond.
It was too early to check-in to my accommodation so my small backpack and I walked next towards the Pyramid…
I walked through the well kept and pleasant Rinia Park, a lovely open space in the city centre. This means ‘Youth Park’ and was built in the 1950’s.
Built in 1988, the Pyramid of Tirana was previously a museum, built to commemorate the life of former dictator Enver Hoxha who ran Albania for 4 decades as a communist state where colour televisions were banned, clothing was scarce and food was rationed.
Following the overthrow of communism, in 1991 it became a conference centre and in 1999 the building was used as a NATO base during the Kosovo War. It fell into ruin until it was transformed into a creative youth IT centre which opened in May 2023.
Today, this 21 metre structure is covered by a series of steps where you can climb from any angle to the top of the Pyramid. This reminded me of the Oslo Opera House where you can also climb to the top of the roof!
You can go inside the Pyramid and see brightly coloured classrooms which were created as part of this £multi million re-development.
Next, I headed towards Blloku (which means ‘Block’), Tirana’s trendy neighbourhood with its upmarket cafe’s, restaurants and shops. During the communism period, this area which consists of villas built by Italian architects, symbolised power and privilege and was only accessible to government officials.
After a coffee and a short wander around the Blloku district, it was time for a birds’ eye view of the city! I located the entrance to the Sky Tower to visit the Sky Club.
The views from the top of the Sky Club bar were magnificent. Top photo tip: the Sky Bar is inside and has windows so if you take photos from there, you have to take them through the glass. If you go down one level there is an outside bar which will result in better images.
In 2023 the building was transformed and the bar at the top is the largest rotating bar of the Balkans. It was fairly quiet during my mid afternoon visit and I found a table overlooking the views of the city which constantly change as the bar slowly rotates 360 degrees.
The theme of this trip is budget backpacking and at 600 Albanian lek (£5.26) a glass of cold, sparkling and refreshing Prosecco was less than half the price of a cocktail. A small price to pay for a relaxing drink with splendid views.
From the Sky Tower I continued exploring the centre of the city and headed off towards the Namazgah Mosque. I knew nothing about this mosque but found I could go inside, again after removing my shoes.
The inside of the Namazgah Mosque, also known as ‘The Great Mosque of Tirana’ is spectacular! This classical Ottoman style mosque was opened in October 2024 to provide a central location for Albanian Muslims to pray in. Until then, with the two existing cathedrals being Orthodox and Catholic, they had felt discriminated against as the smaller Et’hem Bej mosque can only accommodate 60 people.
Islam arrived in the country mainly during the Ottoman period and 51% of Albanians are Muslim which is the predominant religion of the country.
Muslims are required to cleanse themselves before prayer and this is done typically in a dedicated courtyard area.
Only the Ottoman wall remains of the former Medieval castle of Tirana.
Inside the castle walls, you can find many eateries and handicraft stalls.
I visited Bunk’Art2 a museum close to Skanderbeg Square and next to the pink Ministry of Agriculture building.
Bunk’Art2 museum is dedicated to the history of the Albanian communist army from 1912 to 1991 and is located in an underground bunker. It was built between 1981 and 1986 for the Ministry of Internal Affairs as part of a ‘bunkerization’ project where 175,000 bunkers were built across Albania.
Entry to Bunk’Art2 was 9 euros and I was able to pay by card.
Each of the 24 rooms of the bunker contain exhibits showing artefacts from the communist regime. There is a huge amount of literature to read and this is in Albanian and English. The rooms explain, for example, the role of the police in ‘keeping order’ and have exhibits of the helmets and uniforms worn.
There is also an interrogation room, a room dedicated to victims, a room showing secret surveillance techniques and a room with various related quotes, such as: “Evil settles roots when a man begins to think he is better than others” (by Mother Teresa).
This slightly scary robot structure can also be seen in one of the rooms.
Overall, this was an interesting insight into the recent history of Albania and I suggest is worth a visit.
I left Bunk’Art2 and set off on foot in search of my accommodation. Thankfully my small ‘Wizz air size’ backpack was light and it wasn’t an issue to have carried it around with me all day!
Dinner
The lady from the bed and breakfast accommodation had recommended Restaurant Piceri Era, located in the Blloku area for dinner. I was fortunate to get a table as the place soon filled up!
I wanted something traditional and chose ‘Imam Bajalldi’ which was a local home cooked dish of aubergines stuffed with peppers, garlic, fresh olive oil and some cheese melted on the top. It tasted amazing and was possibly the best aubergine dish ever.
While the food was delicious, the service was a tad under par… maybe they were just busy. I asked for the wifi code but was told “we dont use the internet… we talk to each other instead…” which is fine if you have someone to talk to, joked I while gesturing at the empty seat in front of me!
Money matters
While most places in the city were happy to accept a card payment, I found it was still necessary to have cash for small items such as a coffee, a bus ticket or small entrance fees (such as the Clock Tower).
I had Euros with me which was helpful and seemed to be acceptable as a an alternative however I decided to obtain some Albanian lek.
I tried 2 x different ATM’s but one charged a fee of 700 lek (£6.02) and the other charged 800 (£6.87) just to withdraw a nominal amount of 3000 lek (£25)! And this was using my commission free Monzo payment card.
Instead I changed a £20 note at an Iliria98 exchange bureau and received 2284 lek which ‘cost’ me only about 38p to change. This is what I recommend! Take GBP in notes and change them rather than using an ATM.
Accommodation
I stayed in the B & B Artistic which I found on Booking.com. I think there was about 4 or 5 rooms but it felt authentic like staying in someones home rather than a typical small hotel or bed & breakfast. The room had a kettle so I was able to make ginger tea with the teabags I had with me (a budget tip to take these with you). There was also use of a kitchen available to guests.
Summary
With its many decent coffee shops, great restaurants, abundance of history and green open spaces I found Tirana to be a wonderful city to visit. As a solo female traveller I felt safe at all times and would love to visit again hopefully as part of a longer trip to explore much more of Albania, perhaps some of the coastal areas and also the mountains.
Next up
I left Tirana after breakfast the following morning where my adventure continued north to Shkoder, Albania’s 6th largest town.
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