TiranaCapital
Albania · Country profile
Tirana is the vivid, quickly-transformed capital of Albania, the colourful city of the Balkans that spreads its painted buildings, its broad boulevards, its mushrooming towers and its cafe-terraced squares across the plain of the central west of the country, beneath the sharp ridge of the great mountain. Emerging from the grey isolation of the communist years as one of the most energetic small capitals of Europe, it has painted itself, opened its markets and its museums, and adopted its monuments and its public art with a rare enthusiasm. The great square with its mosque, its opera and its history museum, the fortress quarter with its boutiques, the parks and the villas and the many cafes anchor the essential visits, while the mountain and the riverside villages of the region fill the escapes beyond the city. Fresh, loud and endlessly sociable, Tirana is the bright beating heart of the youngest country of the old continent.
About Tirana
Tirana is the capital of Albania. The city's documented population is around 430,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Albanian Lek (ALL) and Albanian is spoken; the dialling code is +355.
The Square of the Skanderbeg and the Mosque of the Painted
The city is compact and walkable, its essential days moving between the great square, the museum quarter and the boulevard, with the parks and the cafes filling the famously sociable hours. The central square with its national hero on his horse, the history museum with its enormous mosaic, and the colourful old bazaar quarter behind the mosque anchor the classic stops, while the grand boulevard with its former ministries and its new towers runs the ceremonial spine and the lake park of the south gives the green lungs. The cable car of the mountain, the wine and the history villages of the region and the long Adriatic coast of the country fill the day trips.
The Boulevard of the Martyrs and the Park of the Lake
The climate of the city is the continental of the interior plain, with the hot, dry summers, the cold, wet winters with their mountain snows on the ridge, and the green springs and the long golden autumns of the wide valley. The lek is the currency, the Albanian the language and the English and the Italian common in the young and the cafe world. The centre, the boulevard and the mountain make the core visits, and the coast and the villages of the region lie within an easy drive. A light jacket for the evenings and comfortable walking shoes complete the simple kit.
The Mountain of the Dajti and the Villages of the Wine
The great square of the capital, the enormous pedestrianised square with its equestrian statue of the national hero, its mosque with its beautiful painted exterior, its opera house and its national history museum with its colossal mosaic, is the ceremonial and the everyday heart of the city, while the pedestrian spine of the grand boulevard runs past the former ministry blocks and the Italian-era villas of the centre to the new institutions of the modern state. The colourful bazaar quarter, the restored market district with its boutiques, its cafes and its restaurants clustered under the fortress walls, the lake park of the south with its cycling and its paddle boats, and the bunkers and the art galleries of the recent era give the layers of the city. The cable car of the mountain with its viewpoints over the whole plain, the wine and the craft villages of the hills and the beaches of the coast fill the excursions. Fresh, colourful and endlessly inviting, Tirana is the true surprise capital of the modern Balkans.
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- Country
- Albania
- Population
- 430,000
- Capital
- Tirana
- Region
- Europe
- Currency
- Albanian Lek (ALL)
- Languages
- Albanian
- Calling code
- +355
- Country code
- AL
Entry requirements for Albania
Visa status for travellers from common origins visiting Albania for tourism.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tirana the capital of Albania?
Yes — Tirana is the capital of Albania.
What currency do I need in Tirana?
The local currency is the Albanian Lek (ALL). Languages spoken in Albania include Albanian.
What is the dialling code for Albania?
The international dialling code for Albania is +355.
Do I need a visa to visit Albania?
It depends on your passport. Among the origins we track, travellers from Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Italy currently enter Albania visa-free for tourism. Use the entry requirements tool to check your own nationality and purpose of travel.
Flying out of Tirana? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.