 Tirana Budget Travel Guide
Tirana Budget Travel Guide: Skanderbeg Square
Author: Marc Morell (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Introducing Tirana
Tirana Budget Travel Guide is created to provide travel tips to people who are planning to visit the capital of Albania. On this page you can find useful information about Tirana and a list of its tourist attractions. It has a population of 620,000 people, and is situated roughly near the center of the country.
About Tirana
Tirana is the capital and biggest city of Albania. It was founded by Sulejman Pasha in 1614. However, the area has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years ago, with archaeological excavations at the Cave of the Pellumba yielding evidence of early humans.
Tirana Clock Tower
Author: Fingalo (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)
Tirana was made the capital of Albania on 8 February, 1920. In 1939, the city was captured by Fascist forces. Two years later, Albanian communists mobilized the people of Tirana to fight the Italian Fascists as well as later, the German Nazis. With the Nazi withdrawal, the communists came to power in Tirana.
Under the communist, Tirana witness significant development, in the form of socialist-styled apartment blocks. Many historical buildings were unfortunately demolished when Skanderbeg Square was created in the middle of Tirana.
The period immediately after the fall of communism in Albania is one of the worst in terms of urban development, as the city tried to metamorphose from a centrally planned economy to a market oriented one. A concerted effort to beautify the city was under way at the turn of the new millennium, with the reconstruction of many roads, and the beautification of river banks and parks.
Budget Travel to Tirana
The Mother Teresa International Airport (TIA) is the main gateway for international travelers. From the airport, there is an express bus to the city.
Budget Travel within Tirana
The city center can be explored on foot. For longer distances, there are intra-city buses, with those marked Unaze following the ring road that loop the city center.
Photos of Tirana
|
Places of Interest in Tirana
- Biblioteka Kombëtare e Shqipërisë
The National Library of Albania, home to a million books including ancient manuscripts.
- Blloku
A precinct that was once the exclusive residence of government officials, out of bounds to commoners, now a trendy neighborhood in Tirana.
- Bulevardi Deshmoret e Kombit
Major (but potholed) boulevard extending south from Skanderbeg Square, lined with historical buildings.
- Et'hem Bey Mosque
19th century mosque regarded as the most beautiful in the country.
- Kopshti Zoologjik Tiranë
A modest zoo in Tirana with only a small number of animals.
- Kulla e Sahatit
Clock tower in the very center of Tirana, regarded as the symbol of the city.
- Martyrs' Cemetery
Resting place of 900 partisans who fought for the liberty of Tirana.
- Mount Dajti
1612-meter mountain and recreational resort with scenic views of Tirana.
- National Art Gallery
Gallery on Bulevardi Deshmoret e Kombit with historical as well as modern artworks.
- National History Museum
The main museum of Tirana with a wide range of exhibits covering all aspects of the history of the country.
- Petrela Castle
Castle located just a short distance south of Tirana.
- Piramida
Pyramid-shaped cultural center designed by the daughter of Enver Hoxha and built in 1987. It was the most expensive building built under the communist regime.
- Skanderbeg Square
The city center of Tirana, with many major attractions within its vicinity.
|
