Tirana Entertainment Guide

Tirana is the one Albanian city where you can get a fairly wide range of things to eat- both local and international. In comparison with other towns, Tirana has a number of eateries- both fancy as well as budget, where you can end up spending anything between US$ 5 to over 20 for a meal. Besides offering local food, many restaurants across Tirana, especially in the more fashionable parts of town, serve international cuisine, including fast food. For a budget meal, among the best places to visit are the many restaurants around Skënderberg Square and on Bulevardi Dëshmorët e Kombit.

Tirana is probably Albania’s liveliest city- but don’t expect anything close to the kind of nightlife you’ll find in many other European cities. Recently, a number of rather smart bars have opened across the city, and discotheques are coming up, but it’s still fairly quiet. Amongst the locals, cinema is easily the most popular form of entertainment (most Western films make their way here, with subtitles in Albanian), followed, none too closely, by theatre. Tirana has a few venues where you’ll be able to see cultural performances. Pay a visit to the Palace of Culture - besides art galleries, it also has a theatre. The city has some cultural institutions, including the National Theatre, the Theatre of Opera and Ballet, the Estrada Theatre and the Ensemble of Folk Music and Dances; between them they manage to put up quite a few good performances through the year. If you’re interested, make enquiries at the tourist information office, or keep an eye on listings in the dailies.