Tirana is the capital of Albania. The city does not have a long history, having been founded only in 1614 under the Ottoman rule. It became the capital of the newly independent Albanian state in 1920, after the Congress of Lushnjë.
Being a relatively new city, Tirana doesn't have many old structures. The oldest one is the Et'hem Bey mosque on Skanderbeg square. Much of the historic centre of Tirana was created in the 20th century, based on designs by Italian architects. In the centre of Tirana is the Skanderbeg square, named after the national hero who resisted the Ottoman invasion in the 15th century. This is a large open square along which the National Museum, the Opera and the Et'hem Bey mosque are located.
Tirana is a relatively green city with many parks and clean street in a good state. The centre of Tirana is currently being developed with new buildings being added and older ones being restored. Major churches include the St Paul cathedral and the Resurrection of Christ cathedral. A large mosque is currently being built.
How to get to Tirana
Tirana can be reached by plane (Nënë Tereza international airport), by car and by train although the train station is 10km out of town.
Accommodation
Accommodation options include hotels and pensions, all bookable via the international booking portals.
01 Mosaic on national history museum 02 Et hem Bey mosque 03 Statue of Skanderbeg 04 Statue of Skanderbeg
05 Opera 06 The Plaza hotel 07 The Plaza hotel 08 Toptani shopping mall
09 Pedestrian area 10 Taxis 11 Toptani shopping mall 12 New mosque 13 New mosque
14 Tirana skyline with mosque 15 Toptani shopping mall 16 The Plaza hotel 17 The Plaza hotel
18 People having dinner 19 St Paul cathedral 20 St Paul cathedral 21 St Paul cathedral
22 Cloud pavilion 23 Cloud pavilion 24 Pedestrian area 25 Historical centre
26 Theatre 27 Ministry of internal affairs 28 Red building 29 Red building 30 Clock tower
31 National history museum 32 Skanderbeg statue 33 Opera 34 National history museum
35 Mosaic on national history museum 36 Mosaic on national history museum
37 Skanderbeg square 38 Historical centre
39 Resurrection of Christ orthodox cathedral 40 Resurrection of Christ orthodox cathedral 41 Dome of resurrection of Christ cathedral 42 Jesus mosaic in resurrection of Christ cathedral
43 Interior of resurrection of Christ cathedral 44 Chandelier in resurrection of Christ cathedral 45 Resurrection of Christ orthodox cathedral 46 Virgin Mary image in resurrection of Christ cathedral
47 Park 48 Channel 49 Tree-lined street 50 Park
51 Enver Hoxha pyramid 52 Enver Hoxha pyramid
53 Theatre square 54 Hotel Vila 1928 55 Hotel Vila 1928
56 Ice cream 57 Ice cream
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