Tirana – What to Visit in 3 days

Tirana has always been a very impressive city to me since my first visit in 2019. It is a place with historical icons, welcoming people, budget-friendly food, and the best bunker museums in the world. In this post, we will be showing you full itinerary of Tirana – what to visit in 3 days.

Day 1: Tirana International Bus Terminal Arrival

Our journey begins as we arrive at Tirana International Bus Terminal around 7 PM. We booked an apartment near Skanderbeg Square via booking.com. Skanderbeg Square is a good central point for sightseeing with most of the worth-going points nearby. Most of the apartments / hotels nearby are inexpensive and very spacious. We spent only USD 92 2 nights for 3 people for a spacious apartment with two bedrooms, living rooms, a kitchen and toilet.

There was around 30 minute walking distance from the international bus terminal to Skanderbeg Square. Taking a taxi from there would be around 5 EUR or 550 Lek .Taking a bus would be less than 1 EUR or 40 Lek.

For us, we chose to walk our way to the square. On our way, we also took a break from one of the largest shopping complexes in Tirana called Tirana Ring Center and exchanged for the local currency (Albanian Lek) at the street nearby the center. The exchange rate is usually more favourable for the shops in the street compared to large shopping mall there. EUR : Lek is around 1:105 at the time this post was written and ~ 112 at the time we went to Tirana this in 2023 April.

Traditional Alabanian Cuisines at Oda

After settling into our accommodation, we headed to Oda. Oda isa local traditional Albanian restaurant which offered traditional Albanian dishes at a very economical price. We would recommend to go there before peak 7 PM to avoid long queue. Oda also provided a variety of lamb dishes including several cuisines made with lamb’s organs. We ordered all lamb related dishes but unfortunately the lamb baked in wooden oven was sold out.

Day 2: City Center Icons Visit

With the full day at our disposal for Tirana – What to Visit in 3 days. We started our day by joining a free walking tour. The tour was around 2 hours giving us information about some recent development in Albania plus more information about the icons to visit.

Et’hem Bej Mosque

After the walking tour, we resumed our journey by visiting the Et’hem Bej Mosque, one of the oldest buildings in Tirana founded in 1821 with Ottoman architectural style. The mosque is open to public visits during certain periods of the time. Daily visiting time could differ according to the notice at the front door.

Reja – The Cloud

We then proceeded to Reja – The Cloud, an art piece designed by a Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, featuring a cloud-like structure with a series of steel frames. There was even a heart sign at the exterior for photoing.

Lulishte Ismail Qemail Park

Walking a block further, we reached a park called “Lulishte Ismail Qemail”. It is the place where you could find some leftover bunkers and the Berliner Mauer. For the leftover bunker near the corner of the street, you can even go inside, although it is a bit smelly there.

Tirana Castle for Pistachio Crepe

On our way back to Skanderbeg Square, we paid a short visit to Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral before settling down at a crepe shop in Tirana Castle. We initially only bought a crepe with kiwi and bananas with pistachio source. But bought another two more other favours after being impressed by the taste of the first crepe. The price per crepe was around 300 – 400 lek. Although, it is a bit more expensive compared to other local shops, we still thought it acceptable given its outstanding quality.

The Must Visit Icon – Bunk’Art 2

After that, we headed for the most important icon of the day – Bunk’Art 2. While, we focus on telling you about our journey for Tirana – what to visit in 3 days with detailed itineary. In case you only had one day for Tirana or could only visit one icon, Bunk’Art 2 is the to go place. It has around 24 rooms each recounting the stories of political persecutions of Albanians during the period. It is probably one of the best and most reachable bunker museum in the world.

The ticket price was only 500 lek (less than 5 euros per person). There was a adiscount if you purchase Bunk’Art (1) ticket in one go. You may refer to the official website for the opening hour and ticket price.

Dinner for Day 2

In the evening, we returned to Oda for completing our “lamb collection”. This time ordered the lamb cooked in wooden stove. While the taste was acceptable, I would not recommend it given the portion was relatively small and was relatively expensive at 950 lek (~ 9EUR). We ended up buying a takeaway roasted chicken at a street shop nearby after a short meal in Oda.

Day 3 : Bunk’Art 1 & Departure from Tirana

On our final day, we decided to make use of our final morning in Tirana to visit the Bunk’Art. On the way to the bus station, we also paid a visit to the Friendship Monument at the opposite of the bus station to Bunk’Art. 

After a 30 minute bus ride, we walked pass a tunnel and finally reached the Bunk’Art (1).  Similar to Bunk’Art 2 it also displays the dark period of Albania during the oppressive regime of Enver Hoxha. It is also the largest bunker built during the period and probably one of the largest (if not the largest) bunker museum in the world with 5 layers. Though, it has some distance from the Skanderberbeg square but it is definitely worth a half-day visit.

Final Meal in a Local Restaurant

Completing the visit to Bunk’Art 1, we chose to chill out at a barbecue shop near Oda before taking the airport bus to Tirana International Airport. To our surprise, the food in the restaurant was exceptionally good and budget friendly. We took 20+ meatballs,  some chicken wings and stews with a beer for only 1300 (~ 12 EUR) for 3 people. That marked a very great final moment for our stay in Tirana.  

Wrapping Up the 3 Days

I hope you would find our recommeddations for Tirana – what to visit in 3 days useful. Embark on this journey and discover the hidden treasures of this captivating Albanian capital. It is also a very good location for transportation to other Balkan Countries.

Then I completed my second visit to Tirana. It was a pity that the icon (Tirana Pyramid) that I had intended to revisit and climb originally, was no longer possible, as it had been demolished.

However, I still found the journey very memorable and happy to see the development of Albania. This time I got to finish all the lamb menu from Oda, visiting Bunk’Art 1 and even had lots of tasty local food including the crepes in Tirana. The recent history of Albania depicted by both Bunk’Arts has been very impressive. In addition to the fact that, the bunker museum in Tirana is probably one of the most unique icon in the world, I would definitely recommend you to add Tirana to your bucket list of annual leave escape.

Tirana – what to visit in 3 days detailed itineary