Skanderbeg Square
The large central square of Tirana, ringed by government buildings, the National Historical Museum and a mosque, with a statue of the national hero Skanderbeg on horseback. A natural place to start exploring the city.
Tirana
Bunker museums from the Cold War, Skanderbeg Square, brightly painted buildings and a cable car running up Mount Dajti fill this lively capital.
Attractive locations
Et'hem Bey Mosque
A small Ottoman-era mosque on the main square, known for the painted flowers, trees and landscapes covering its interior. Visitors should dress modestly and respect prayer times.
Mount Dajti
A mountain just east of the city, reached by cable car from the edge of town. It offers wide views over Tirana, forest walks and cooler air on hot days.
Pyramid of Tirana
A striking concrete pyramid built in the communist era as a museum, later left to decay. It has since been redeveloped as a community and technology space in the middle of the city.
House of Leaves
A museum in a former secret-police building that tells the story of surveillance under Albania's communist regime, with listening equipment, documents and personal stories. The facade is covered in leaf-like patterns.
National Historical Museum
Albania's largest museum, on Skanderbeg Square, with galleries running from ancient Illyrian times to the communist era. A large mosaic of Albanian figures covers the front of the building.
Bunk'Art 1
A huge Cold War bunker built for the communist leadership, now a museum on Albania's twentieth-century history. It is reached through a long tunnel, and many rooms keep their original layout.
Airports
Tirana International Airport Mother Teresa TIA
It is about 13 km in a straight line from Tirana.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Albania page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan2.0 °C93 mm
- Feb3.2 °C83 mm
- Mar6.6 °C77 mm
- Apr10.6 °C69 mm
- May15.3 °C64 mm
- Jun20.1 °C45 mm
- Jul23.6 °C29 mm
- Aug24.0 °C27 mm
- Sep18.4 °C74 mm
- Oct13.4 °C95 mm
- Nov8.4 °C109 mm
- Dec3.4 °C109 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Oct, Nov, Dec.
Costs
Prices here are about 46% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
culture
Summer Day (14 March)
Ballokume cakes feature in this spring festival, above all in Elbasan.
Who can help
Emergency
112. Police 129. Ambulance 127. Fire 128.
local government
State Police (Policia e Shtetit)
Helps with: Albania's national police. Its website lists 129 and 112 as the numbers to call, and an email address. The pages found show no separate tourist police unit.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Albania who needs the police, including visitors.
Phone: 129
Email: policiaeshtetit@asp.gov.al
local government
National Tourism Agency (AKT)
Helps with: Albania's national tourism agency, based in Tirana. Contact it by email or at its office for tourism information. Its contact page shows no usable phone number.
Who qualifies: Anyone visiting Albania or planning a trip there.
Email: info@akt.gov.al
Address: Gjergj Fishta Boulevard, Shallvaret Palace A12, 1010 Tirana
ngo
Albanian Red Cross (Kryqi i Kuq Shqiptar)
Helps with: Albania's national Red Cross society. Its programmes include disaster response, first aid training, psychosocial support, blood donation and help for vulnerable people. Contact its Tirana headquarters.
Who qualifies: People in Albania who need its disaster, first aid, social or health support.
Phone: +355 4 22 22 037
Email: info@kksh.org.al
Address: Rruga Pjeter Budi, Building 19, Entrance 10, Tirana
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Albania
Helps with: The UN migration agency. Its Albania office works on migration management, crisis response and migration policy, and has worked in the country since 1992.
Who qualifies: Migrants and authorities working on migration in Albania. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Email: infotirana@iom.int
Address: Rr. Brigada VIII, P. LID, Kati III, Ap. 303, Tirana
embassy
Foreign embassies in Albania (official diplomatic list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The Albanian foreign ministry's State Protocol diplomatic list (January 2026) lists the missions in Tirana with contact details.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or consulate.
local government
National Civil Protection Agency (AKMC)
Helps with: Albania's civil defence agency, which leads disaster risk reduction and emergency response. Its page gives 112 as the emergency number, plus an office address and email in Tirana.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Albania affected by an emergency or disaster.
Phone: 112
Email: info@akmc.gov.al
Address: Ministria e Mbrojtjes, Rruga e Dibres, Garnizoni Skenderbej, Building 36, Tirana