Tirana Impression

Tirana - the capital of the Republic of Albania, located under the Dajti mountains, about 40 km from the coast. It is the administrative and cultural center of the country with a population of about 650,000 inhabitants. According to the real situation, I would say that it has more inhabitants, many people come to work to Tirana.

Tirana - city center, Skanderbeg square

If you are interested in Tirana, have any questions or you want to share your experience, you can find us also here.

We arrived in Tirana by a local bus line from Durrës. The bus was pretty nice. A couple of years ago, they were similar in Slovakia, so don't worry about it. The bus station in Durres was just one small building with the sign Bus station and one platform, but it looks fine there. The problem in Durres was to find out which bus was going to Tirana. Usually it is written on buses, but not always. You have to ask.

The journey passed very quickly, the passengers behaved well and we listened to traditional Albanian music from the radio. The bus dropped us off in a kind of parking lot with lots of other buses. According to google maps it was really Stationi i autobusave - Zona e veriut¹. It was teeming with a lot of people . The station was right on one of the main roads to Rruga Dritan Hoxha²which was also directly connected to the Tirana - Durrës.

Famous Skanderbeg

Tirana - national museum

      motorway. So we got off the bus and immediately broke into the Tirana chaos. From there we were supposed to take the bus to the center. Issue no. 1 was to find out where the bus stands. Issue no. 2 which bus goes to the center. Buses in Tirana are not marked with numbers. Passing by the bus stopped, we asked "Qendër?“³the driver answered "Po"⁴ and so we drove on.

It looks like you have Unaza written on the bus, what everyone knew what it was (of course we did not) and what route the bus was going there. When you see this bus on the street, you simply stop it whereever you are. On the bus you buy bilete⁵ for 40 leke, which is about 0.30 euro. Buses are like ants here and stop where they want. This initial confusion, I suppose, can quite unleash. The positive thing about this bus was that it was really clean, nice and air-conditioned. You do not have to worry! People were conversing with each other and there was good atmosphere in the bus.

Pyramide

     So we finally got to the center. We got off on the wide boulevard in the middle with a tree-lined cycling corridor. After the chaotic station, this was a really beautiful sight. On both sides cars were sniffing. This boulevard has brought us to the very heart of the city Sheshi Skënderbej ⁶. There are few monuments. Muzeu kombëtar, Opera, Xhamia Ethem Beu⁷ and in the middle the Skanderbeg .... and of course kuq i zi⁸.

. The whole square bears traces of communism. Time stopped here. The museum is nice and rich in exhibits. There are also many ministries built by the Italians. On the way to another major boulevard, you will cross the Lana river alongside Enver's pyramid (which would not be harmful to the reconstruction), kuvendi⁹ and the main ministry to Sheshi Nënë Tereza¹⁰where you will find Universiteti Politeknik i Tiranës.¹¹It was empty because it was not a school year, but this square is a square of demonstrations and celebrations.

Above the university there is Liqeni Artificial¹²where the locals come to relax. You can rent bicycles and there are a few bars. But it is not possible to swim in it. You will notice that in addition to mosques there are also Orthodox temples. Albania is a country with very moderate islamthat truly tolerates all other religions.

Living in Tirana

Tirana - Llana river

So what is Tirana and why go there? Tirana is noisy, confused, but relaxed and different from what we are used to. There's a lot of to visit. There are department stores, restaurants, bars similar to ours. You exchange money in every bank. There is no problem with ATMs. There are many shops on the famous Myslym Shyri street .

The restaurants cook wonderfully. Albanian bread, lakror¹³, kernacka¹⁴ we could not finish. Tirana is designed for those who are not disturbed that sometimes things lack the system we're used to from home and they can also enjoy its well-being. Certainly do not go there if you start after 5 minutes of waiting for the bus, get nervous and start arbitrarily self-infuriating and cursing at the whole system, without forgetting history just to confirm that you are right.

There is a general southern well-being here. No one gets upset and nervous.Although the cars trumpet are heard here from morning to evening, drivers are calm, nice and smiling. I recommend coming by your own car so you do not get lost. Language may be a problem. If you stop someone on the street, you may not be able to talk to them, but if you have a map, they will show you what you're looking for. Of course, in the case of younger generations, the chances of success increase. On the other hand, investing in a small language guide will certainly not be a shame (it costs about 7 e in our bookstores).

Place for the relax during the hot summer days - Liqeni artificial

    Those who like Albania will definitely enjoy Tirana. It's not for everyone,because not everyone sees her beauty. If you choose it, enjoy its atmosphere to the fullest. Take from it all the nice and positive things it has to offer. 

Wherever you go with each Mirëdita¹⁵ you give Tirana and the heartfelt Albanian nation another chance to leave a good impression and a reason to return. It is not dangerous what the ideas are you may still believe in. Go, check and make your own opinion. Then maybe you will agree ......

Tirana

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