Typically, tourists perceive Tirana to be a lovely and fascinating city, where metropolitan and small-town atmospheres coexist with a vibrant nightlife. Tirana is the intersection of the old and modern Albania. Unpaved roads are lined with brand-new Land Rovers, iPhone-wielding youths rub shoulders with street sellers selling a variety of goods, and sparkling glass buildings overlook abandoned construction sites. However, Tirana’s pollution concerns are mostly the result of the city’s fast automobile expansion and ongoing development. Tirana was formerly a raucous city due to its frequent power outages and absence of traffic signals, which caused automobiles to navigate around the city by blaring their horns. Those days are long gone.
Today, the situation surrounding power interruptions has vastly improved. Since the Soviet era, Tirana is undergoing a massive reconstruction. Many of the unsightly, dreary buildings have been repainted, but there is still plenty to do. Youth are fast adopting English as the city’s second language, while many elderly citizens also speak Italian.
Not by chance, the major commercial and leisure district has been renamed “The Block” (Blloku), the region where communist officials formerly lived under close security. Tirana is a young and vibrant city that exudes perpetual vitality. Locals like to congregate at the city’s many cafés and parks. Mount Dajti, where one may have a panoramic view of the city, is a well-liked destination accessible by cable car.
Despite media portrayals of them as robbers and gangsters, Albanians are very welcoming towards strangers. Tirana is highly accessible if you’re the daring kind, since crime against foreigners is uncommon and expenses are relatively inexpensive by regional standards. Albanians’ reckless driving is likely to be the worst experience you have.
Tourist office
- Tourist information office, Rruga Ded Gjo Luli (just north of Skanderbeg Square (behind the National Historic Museum)). open M-F 11.00-16.00 (as of 2013). The English-speaking staff is really accommodating and can give maps and directions to nearby hostels/hotels, etc. In addition, complimentary copies of the “Tirana in your pocket” brochure, which contains crucial information regarding bus and taxi timetables.