Tirana
Albania’s capital, built around one great square, with a 23-storey tower hotel, a chef back from Noma cooking by the lake, and an airport open day and night.
- Arrival
- Tirana International · TIA
- To the city
- About 14 km north-west of the centre
- Private jets
- Open round the clock, customs on site
- Best time
- May to September
The city
Around Skanderbeg Square.
Tirana gathers round Skanderbeg Square, where the National Museum of History, the Et’hem Bey Mosque and the opera house face each other across the open space. Just off it, the Maritim Hotel Plaza rises twenty-three floors, opened in 2019 as the first officially certified five-star hotel in Albania.
Summers are hot and dry, with highs of twenty-seven to thirty degrees from June to September. From October the rains return, and November is the wettest month, though the winter afternoons stay mild.
- Skanderbeg Square The vast square at the centre of the city, framed by the history museum, the mosque and the opera.
- The Et’hem Bey Mosque A small mosque on the square, its interior painted with landscapes and garlands.
- The Artificial Lake A lake in the park south of the centre, with paths through the pines and restaurants at its edge.
Arriving
Rinas, open day and night.
Tirana International, at Rinas, lies about fourteen kilometres north-west of the city, open twenty-four hours with a runway of 3,000 metres.
- Vienna 1 h 25
- Tunis 1 h 35
- Dubai 5 h 10
- Accra 6 h 05
- Nairobi 6 h 50 long-range jet
When to go
May to September.
Mediterranean, tempered by the hills: hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. July and August reach thirty degrees with little rain; November brings the heaviest downpours.
- 11° J 127
- 12° F 115
- 15° M 109
- 18° A 97
- 23° M 82
- 27° J 59
- 30° J 37
- 30° A 47
- 27° S 78
- 21° O 108
- 16° N 160
- 12° D 143
Where to stay
On the square.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
The best tables in town.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Albania. Mullixhiu is in 50 Best Discovery and La Liste; The Crown is praised by Gambero Rosso; Gzona is among the best rated fine-dining tables on Tripadvisor.
- Mullixhiu 50 Best Discovery Albanian, tasting menu By the Artificial Lake
- The Crown Gambero Rosso International Seasonal tasting menu $$$$ Rruga George W. Bush, centre
- Gzona Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice 2026 Contemporary Albanian $$$$ Murat Toptani promenade, centre
Elsewhere in Albania
More reasons to come.
- Berat The town of a thousand windows, along the Osum river.
- Gjirokastër The city of stone, its slate-roofed houses below the citadel.
- Sarandë The southern port, across the strait from Corfu.
- Ksamil Small islands and clear coves at the tip of the Riviera.
- Butrint Greek, Roman and Venetian ruins beside a lagoon, listed by UNESCO.
Flying to Tirana?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.