I initially visited Tirana as part of a journey through the Balkans in 2021, with the country having more of a relaxed attitude to covid restrictions than in Western Europe.
I subsequently returned to visit for two months in 2023 and was impressed once more.
Tirana has a great range of options on Airbnb and with it still being somewhat off the radar as a mainstream tourist destination, you shouldn't have any problems getting a great quality apartment for a very reasonable price.
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New legislation
Recent changes introduced by the Turkish government has made short-term rentals for under 100 days more restricted. Keep an eye on Reddit threads for up-to-date assessments of how the new legislation is impacting short-term rentals in practice.
There are a number of options in the city centre with Coolab being the stand out choice.
Tirana has apparently the highest per capita of coffee shops in the world, and whilst I don't for a second doubt the validity of that statement there weren't many that struck me as good working environments.
Tirana is great value with an abundance of places to eat out for casual meals and lunches making it on a par with other neighbouring countries in the Balkans and noticeably better value than in Western Europe.
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The yen is currently at a 34-year low
While this is undoubtedly a negative for the Japanese, it makes for an exceptionally good time to visit Japan from abroad. Although this trend is unlikely to reverse significantly in the short term, it's still worth checking before visiting.
Read moreAt first glance, it’s hard to claim Tirana as an exciting destination. However, I found it surprisingly satisfying to spend time wandering around the city. Blloku is always busy on weekends, and the adjacent park and lake are consistently popular spots for relaxation. The city has one of the highest volumes of coffee shops per capita in Europe, which seem to draw people together throughout the day. While "exciting" might not be the right term, it’s a place where I never felt unstimulated.
Albania operates on Central European Time (CET), aligning with Western Europe.
I've written a guide on how to structure your day to get the most out of the time difference.
Without doubt, being able to speak Spanish with a degree of fluency is a huge asset when visiting South America. I had always put off visiting the continent due to my Spanish skills not extending beyond requesting a "cerveza grande".
But even with my incredibly primitive linguistic capabilities, it was not in any way to the detriment of the trip. English is spoken sparsely, but armed with a few phrases, some polite enthusiasm and a translator, it shouldn't deter you from visiting.
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View from the ascent on the Dajti Ekspres cable cart.
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Sunset looking across the lake at the Grand Park of Tirana.
Given the instability in Argentina over the past few years, I found that most advice on key topics, even if written within the last 12 months, bordered on being dangerously outdated.
I have attempted to summarise some of the most misleading points I encountered.
Card availability is now excellent across the city. Even if you are purchasing a single empanada, bananas from a greengrocer, or buying cans of beer off a man in the street before a football match. Some businesses may offer a 10% discount if you use cash, or charge a small surcharge for card payments.
"It's difficult to get a SUBE card"
This was true in recent years, as there had been a shortage of the cards across the city due to a lack of the plastics needed to create the card. I had no problems going to the nearest off-licence and getting a card on my first attempt. It's worth asking your Airbnb host who may have a spare.
The biggest misconception that may still linger, even if you are reading articles from 2023. If planning on eating out heavily, then expect European prices or even higher on more imported day-to-day goods. Eating out aside, day-to-day expenses are still good value by global measures.
This advice would continue to make sense for Americans who already have dollars, but I wouldn't recommend making an effort to purchase with the intent of exchanging them on the ground. Collecting money via Western Union was convenient and good value, which I would recommend to anyone visiting from outside the US.
"Make sure you get the blue-dollar rate"
The dramatic stabilisation of the peso by late 2024 means that this difference is nowhere near as significant as it was 12 months ago. At the time of writing, there was only a 10% difference between the official and blue rate. If you are only in the city for a short period you may not even have to grapple with this.
"Restaurant service is poor"
I did see some evidence of this, especially in cheaper, traditional restaurants. In comical fashion, drinks would not appear or the bill would never materialise. In more contemporary outlets, it was never a problem.
"It is a football mad city"
There is absolutely no doubt that this is as true as ever in 2024.
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