24 Hours in Tirana, Albania

Looking to go to Tirana, Albania but not sure what to do? That was exactly the situation my friend Cora and I found ourselves in. We stumbled upon insanely cheap Ryanair flights from Sicily, $68 round trip for a 24-hour adventure, and immediately booked. The only thing we planned ahead of time was a cooking class at 5:30 PM. Everything else we decided to figure out as we went. And honestly, that is what made this trip so special.

We started our day a little later than planned, around 9 AM, since our flight landed at midnight the night before. First stop was a café because we had heard Tirana’s coffee culture was incredible, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. The café scene is lively, stylish, and full of locals actually sitting and enjoying their time, not rushing in and out. It was the perfect, slow start to the day.

After that, we explored some of the city’s main landmarks, starting with Et’hem Bey Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Albania, and then visiting the impressive Namazgah Mosque, one of the largest in the Balkans. Both were beautiful and definitely worth seeing. From there, we went to Bunk’Art 2 and did the audio tour, which ended up being one of the most impactful parts of the day. Learning about Albania’s communist history in that setting made everything feel much more real and is something you really should not skip. We continued walking past spots like the Clock Tower of Tirana and local markets, just taking in the city.

By this point we were starving, so we stopped for a quick lunch and randomly chose burgers. We decided to save trying traditional Albanian food for our cooking class later. After lunch, we grabbed a taxi to head up toward Dajti Mountain to take the Dajti Ekspres for a scenic view. Unfortunately, due to our very last-minute planning, we did not realize it was closed for maintenance that week. Somehow this turned into the best part of the entire trip.

Our taxi driver, Albert, offered to drive us up the mountain instead, and we immediately said yes. What followed felt like one of those travel experiences you cannot plan. He stopped at scenic viewpoints overlooking the city, then drove us even further into the mountains to a spot that felt completely untouched. We had tea, tried fresh Albanian baklava, and he even surprised us with a round of raki, while he stuck to driving of course. Using Google Translate, he shared stories about his life, his family, and Albanian culture. It was genuine, unexpected, and easily the highlight of the day.

He then dropped us off at our cooking class through Go As Local, hosted by Sindi, and I cannot recommend this enough. The entire experience felt so personal and authentic. Almost all of the ingredients were farm to table from her family’s land, and the wine we drank was made by her father. She welcomed us into her home and taught us how to cook multiple traditional Albanian dishes in a way that was both fun and educational. We ended the class sitting on her patio, eating everything we made, and every single dish was incredible. I am a pretty picky eater, and I was genuinely blown away by how much I loved all of it.

After dinner, we rushed straight to the airport to catch our flight, which perfectly sums up how quick this trip really was. Within 24 hours, we had explored a new country,

learned its history, met incredible people, and had one of the most memorable travel experiences. For $68, it is honestly hard to imagine a better way to spend a day. If you take anything from this, it should be to go to Tirana. It is affordable, full of history, and most importantly, the people are what make it unforgettable.