‘Ignore the negative headlines – this country is well worth visiting’
Intriguing nuclear bunkers, good weather and cheap coffee in buzzy cafes – this Balkan destination should certainly not be written off, says our writer
In the 1970s, Albania had a dress code for the few foreign visitors it admitted; no mini or maxi skirts for women, while men with long hair or “exceptional” sideburns were shorn in a barber’s chair at immigration, labelled as “degenerate importations”.
The barber’s chair is now a museum exhibit, and arriving in Albania’s capital today could not be more different; the first pleasant surprise is Tirana’s dinky modern airport – from easyJet flight to exit via baggage collection took five minutes, and as the electric taxi speeds into the city, the landscape and modern buildings resemble neighbouring Greece.
The fact I’m slightly surprised by this leads me to contemplate Albania’s image problem. It was once Europe’s North Korea, almost closed to the world from 1945 to 1990, when its communist regime fell. It has a lot of catching up to do and more recently, people smugglers have exploited rural dwellers wanting a more prosperous life, sending them to the UK’s shores. Casual racism about Albania abounds, but a visit to its capital will address any lingering misconceptions.
Our first morning takes us to the city’s main plaza, Skanderberg Square, once overlooked by a statue of Stalin and another of his devotees, Albania’s communist leader Enver Hoxha, a WWII hero turned villain who died in 1985. It took another five years before the statues and communism itself fell, hence the country’s late development as a tourist destination.
The 1979-built Tirana International Hotel – once routinely bugged – fronts onto the square almost as a monument to Hoxha’s era but dwarfing it immediately behind is a vast InterContinental Hotels tower opening in 2025, one of many springing up in the city and a concrete reminder of change.
Bunker down
Hoxha was notorious for murdering huge numbers of opponents, spying on the general population and enclosing the country with barbed wire, shooting anyone trying to leave. Albania’s fabulous beaches are still dotted with the 168,000 domed concrete bunkers built by the paranoid leader to deter invasion, one of which is reconstructed as the entrance to Bunk’Art 2, bordering Skanderberg Square.
Bunk’Art 2 was one of Hoxha’s secret nuclear bunkers and, as you descend its steps, there are memorial photos to the disappeared. Downstairs is the famous barber’s chair plus rooms with exhibits a lot more alarming that sit uneasily with modern art installations, hence the Bunk’Art name. The party leaders naturally had the plushest quarters here and the original furniture, old telephones and radios evoke the Cold War era.
We emerge blinking into the sunlight and for some light relief head to the nearby Komiteti Kafe Museum. Here, we snack on carrot cake among a wacky hoarder’s trove of mid 20th-century trinkets, furniture and some dubious art. Tirana is lacking in places like these, so Komiteti is a pleasurable discovery after numerous chain cafes – although all these serve cheap coffee and will keep hipster visitors happy, with egg and avocado toast a mere £2.60.
Back at Skanderberg Square, we are drawn into the National Historical Museum by its enormous communist era mosaic, later reworked to remove most references to this period. Inside are more mosaics, this time from Greek and Roman eras, evidence of which are found throughout the country. There are also poignant reminders of the harshness of Hoxha’s rule, including trousers made of rags sewn with human hair made by political prisoners.
Nearby is the 1930s House of Leaves, a former clinic used to detain enemies of the state during communist times, which now houses a fascinating collection of retro surveillance equipment. The spies were themselves spied on, thanks to a brave cleaner who hid a bug in her broom.
Sunny, happy vibe
You may sense a theme emerging here and if it all sounds unremittingly bleak, believe me, it isn’t. Perhaps because of its torrid past, the Albanians we met were without exception happy to see tourists and while Tirana is not the prettiest city, it has a young vibe and a cafe scene that will appeal to anyone, even if Cold War history is not your thing. Tirana has a lot going for it; a Mediterranean climate (high 20C in late October), enough to see and do for a long weekend and it’s cheap: dinner for two is around £25, a coffee £1.20, a beer £1.15 and a glass of delicious Albanian wine just £2.65. European tourists are here in numbers, but despite the cheap booze and bars showing live Premier League, beery Brits and other “degenerate importations” are absent.
Outside the city, Albania’s coast and mountainous rural areas are staggeringly beautiful, resembling Greece or Croatia, and you can have an easy taste by taking the cable car (€12) at Dajti, a 30-minute, 32p bus ride from the city. The top of the mountain is the entrance to a national park and a favourite place for Tiranans to promenade. At 1,200m, the restaurant there rewards you with views stretching to the coast, and as I gaze at the view, it strikes me that the £5 pizza we eat is the cheapest mountaintop meal I’ve ever had.
Near Dajti, the cheery bus conductor drops us at the entrance to a road tunnel carved into a verdant hillside. A few hundred metres later, we emerge and begin climbing a path bordered with wild cyclamen until we arrive at Bunk’Art 1. Sorry, we’re back to that theme again, but trust me, this really is a highlight.
Not content with one nuclear bunker, Hoxha built a second carved into a hillside in a suburb. An entrance chamber with foreboding double concrete doors leads you to countless rooms telling you the complete story of Albania’s history. I face the stage in its central chamber, the size of my old school assembly hall, trying to imagine the enforced adulation that took place there for an egotist crazy enough to order such a construction.
With that as the finale, our weekend ends and as we leave, I tip the hotel concierge, who expresses his gratitude – tipping is not part of the culture here. “You like Albania, it’s great isn’t it, very beautiful?” He asks. I can only agree. Albania gets a bad rap – but go there and you’ll see it with different eyes.
Book it: Regent Holidays’ five-day Tirana Short Break tour includes visits to all the main sites, a trip on the cable car and a visit to Durres on the coast. It costs from £1,320pp including flights and breakfast. regent-holidays.co.uk
Albania spotlight
Smarter: Guidebooks tell you euros are widely accepted; certainly take a few but almost everything is payable only in lek. Cashpoints levy hefty charges for withdrawals, so encourage clients to pre-purchase.
Better: Smoking is a national pastime, so check the hotel’s policy as bars etc can be unpleasant.
Fairer: Encourage tipping; the more money that goes to locals, the more likely they are to want to stay in the country and help its tourism industry develop.
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