Image of Tirana's Lake Park & City Zoo
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Image of National Theatre of Opera and Ballet
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Skanderbeg square by night
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Image of Clock Tower
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View of Tirana from the Petrela Castle
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Image of Petrela Castle
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The Scanderbeg statue and the Museum of History in Tirana's main square.
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The colorful buildings of Albania's capital.
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Tirana's architecture is a mélange of different eras and influences.
Tirana
Albania's capital is a city full of energy and contrasts. Situated equally a half hour away from the seaside and the wonderful Dajti mountain, Tirana gives visitors a taste of the modern Albanian life.
There's the bustling Blloku district: the formerly communist elite neighborhood that has been recently transformed into the city's place to go for entertainment, food and shopping. There are many coffee shops and restaurants in this district, and there is plenty of life there at all times of day. Another neighborhood, Pazari i Ri (the new market) is in fact one of the oldest areas of the city, with a great market where you can find fresh produce, meat and fish. In the narrow streets that lead to and from the market, you can still find some old Tirana houses. Architecturally, Tirana is best described as, well, a mess. Along the central boulevard, there are several buildings from the 1930s, built during the Italian invasion of the time.
Throughout the city, there are plenty of communist-era buildings and apartment complexes. Many of the latter have been repainted with bright colors and geometrical shapes. But in many neighborhoods of Tirana, there are lots of new buildings, built in the post-communist 90s and notorious for their lack of planning and regulation.
