24 hours in Tirana: a solo female traveller’s guide to Albania’s capital

When it comes to Albania, most people are likely to be familiar with the nature scenes of the country: beautiful mountains to climb and crystal clear waters to enjoy during the summer months. What gets little attention is the capital city: Tirana. It is way less popular than many other European capital cities, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere and energy of it. As always, I am going to keep things honest with you: it’s not one of those capital cities that will take your breath away, but it is a city that has a lot of cool things and amazing culinary scenes to offer. So, in today’s post I will share my experience and how I spent a day in Tirana as a solo female traveller, in true slow travel style. 

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Accommodation and getting around 

Tirana is definitely doable in a day, so I would recommend booking somewhere central so that you get to explore on foot. Getting to the centre from the airport is very straight forward, you can take an airport bus that will take you right in the city centre. Most accommodation in this area are likely to be in walking distance. If not, you can also take a taxi, just make sure you have cash on you, as card payments are a bit more tricky when it comes to taxis. Getting a taxi in Tirana is both easy (there are normally loads passing by, so just wave at one) and affordable. I am not saying it’s dirt cheap dirt cheap, but if you need it for any reason, it will not cost too much. 

Safety

Tirana is considered safe for solo female travellers, but of course, just as in any other big city, you do want to practise precautions. I ended up visiting on a day of a half-marathon, so the whole city was filled with policemen, making it feel even safer. But even afterwards in the evening there are lots of people out on the streets, families dining in restaurants until later in the evening, so walking around alone in the centre does feel very comfortable. Most people speak good English, so getting around or asking for help isn’t a problem either. 

Now onto my tips and recommendations!

I started the day with picking up some bakery products, I would say this is something that you may want to do while in Albania. There is a bakery on every corner, the products are delicious and very cheap too. I picked a traditional byrek, and was on my way to Cafe Botanica, a beautiful, green and vibrant caffe right in the centre of the city. 

Once I had my takeaway order done, I made my way to Tirana Castle, a small area filled with shops and restaurants, it has a cozy little vibe to it and feels nice to just walk around here.  Then I headed toward the Pyramid of Tirana. It is a great, 360 viewpoint of the city. On the top of it you can sit down, rewind and enjoy the views. One thing I noticed at this point was how green and lush the city is, there are lots of green spaces. 

In fact, there is a huge lake and park in the city, easily accessible on foot too. It is said to be a great spot for sunsets. Although I did not stay for that long, I did enjoy relaxing by the lake. If you too love a slow travel kind of day, this can be the ideal spot for journaling or taking a long walk listening to a podcast. On my way to the park I also had a little look of the Tirana Moons, a public library in the heart of the capital. A very cool concept!

On my way back to the centre I also found my way to the market. Here you can find some tasty bites and souvenirs. This area felt very cozy and welcoming, the market is not huge like in some other cities, but has a lot to offer and the prices are very budget-friendly.

All this walking made me very hungry, so I visited one of the restaurants from my list: Restorant Tymi. It’s a quirky place with lots of colours, normally not the place I’d pick, but it was said to have some of the best traditional food, so I had to give it a go. I have to say the food was really good, and I also felt very comfortable dining alone. I love low-key dining experiences when alone, making it feel more homey and inviting. The staff was also very kind and attentive (kind of applies to all the places I visited in Albania, people are very welcoming and friendly).  

On my way home I picked up some fresh fruit from a local shop for dessert (which is something I would recommend as they are very cheap and tasty). I have to say, even a small budget goes really far in Tirana. For £15-20 you can dine like a queen, and have amazing service. I feel like Tirana is actually perfect for a laid-back, solo day trip. There isn’t an overwhelming amount of things to do or see, in return there are lots of food and different dishes to try, making it a foodie heaven. The atmosphere of the city is very warm and welcoming, making it the perfect day to explore alone. The prices are also budget-friendly, which makes Tirana the perfect cost-effective city break destination. It is also an ideal location if you are planning on exploring more of the country via day trips. There are many of them available from Tirana, so I think the best thing to do is having a base there, and trying different restaurants at dinner every evening to also make the most of the culinary scenes of the Albanian capital. Tirana is one of those cities that comes alive at night, so that way you would combine the best of both worlds: amazing food and breathtaking scenery. 

I hope you enjoyed this solo day trip guide to Tirana. I think it has a very cool, laid-back but also vibrant and warm atmosphere, making it a good destination to visit even as a solo female traveller. It is a city that grew on me and somewhere I would happily return to for a day or two.