We're staying at a hotel in Blloku. Pretty, recent renovation. 9th floor, glass elevator. The building next to ours has weird corner three-quarters-of-a-circle balconies. Each one is different. The building itself is pretty run down, but the balconies show a glimpse of what Tirana is. Some are "just people" with clothes hanging, some look abandoned. One is incredible: a full cottage-core, rustic look. I’m talking exposed brick wall (on the outside)—must be glued in place right? Plans with terracotta vases, dark wood chairs and table. There are, I kid you not, antlers hanging on the wall. This is a balcony. It has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the building, the other balconies, the neighborhood. Tirana.
Chaos and bars and houses that might look about to crumble on the outside, but might be like a fancy NYC penthouse on the inside. This is not the first city I've been to that's like this; the Balkans and surroundings kind of have this vibe going on. Bucharest, Belgrade, Sofia.
Breakneck Pace
The shock, for me, was how fast Tirana is changing. I was there in February of 2023, and then in April of 2026 (just a few days ago as I’m typing this). My impressions were so different. 2023 was not pandemic, but it was close enough that, combined with being there in February, meant few people around and what looked like a grey, cold post-Eastern-bloc capital. The opposite now. Sunshine, people in parks and squares and restaurants, cafes sprawling everywhere and filled with locals and tourists.
Also, the whole city feels like an open-air construction site. Nowhere feels safe from this, and it feels like everything is being molded and tore down and tweaked and cleaned and rebuilt from scratch.
We stayed in Blloku, the formerly-closed-off area, now the brawling center of the city when it comes to cafes and shops and life. I'd probably recommend staying here for anyone unless you have a specific reason not to stay in this part of the city.
Food
I had lovely food both times I was in Tirana. Cost of living is cheap here, and food is exceptionally cheap. Meat-heavy cuisine. If you've been to other Balkan countries, you'll recognize the style: lots of grilling, qofte-style long-shaped meatballs, yogurt and cucumber-heavy salads. I found quite a bit of Greek influence as well—many Greek restaurants, and Greek-like dishes in most Albanian restaurants (at least a Greek salad everywhere).
There are quite a few touristy eateries around the city. We tried to avoid those at all costs. Our focus was mostly on tavern-style places, or what I think Albanians call zgara: casual dining spots for affordable meals, mostly grilled meats, fresh bread, and salads.
We absolutely adored our two (!) visits to Taverna Amazona. It was technically a Greek restaurant, but we ate so good. Delicious grilled meat and the cheapest beer we found in Tirana: 150 LEK (around €1,50) for 0,5L draft beer—Stela, a local beer. Highlight of our trip.
I also loved Birrera Ke Tori, a basement no-frills spot for beers and meat dishes.
Most other restaurants we hit were somewhat-well-known spots, so I won't bother you with the details.
Attractions
You don't need me to tell you what to see here. Just a rapid-fire list of things I liked:
- Mosque of Namazgah: very pretty mosque.
- Skanderbeg Square: main square. Can't miss it.
- Bunk'Art 2: short underground self-guided tour, ticket around €9, interesting to see the paranoia that led to the construction of this.
- The funicular was a highlight. It's €15 round trip, and the views are worth it in my opinion.