//
Photo: Albinfo, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
People have picnics and have fun, and the natural beauty allows it because of the huge trees, open spaces, and mountains surrounding them. An artificial lake lies in the middle of the Park. It is popular with locals and tourists as a place to walk around and enjoy a lunch or coffee at one of the restaurants or cafés. Over 120 types of plants. A popular swimming pool complex is nearby.
The Grand Park of Tirana, or the Park on the Artificial Lake, also as Artificial Lake Of Tirana, is a 289 hectare public park situated on the southern part of Tirana, Albania, and administered by the Agency of Parks and Recreation of the Municipality of Tirana.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Located at the southern side of Deshmoret e Kombit Boulevard, this square features typical fascist architecture. Buildings include the University of Tirana, Archaeological Institute, Academy of Arts and the National Stadium.
Muzeu Arkeologjik Nacional
Features ancient artifacts from Illyrian to Roman and Hellenic times: wonderful mosaics, Roman statues and illustrative maps. The collection here is comprehensive and impressive in parts, but there's only minimal labelling in Albanian and none at all in English (nor are tours in English offered), so you may find yourself a little at a loss unless this is your field.
As non-profit exhibition space founded in 2007. With its 150 m² area on the second floor of a mixed residential and commercial building at Abdyl Frashëri Street No.7 in the Blloku area of Tirana (zona Libri Universitar: between Santa Margherita Wine Shop and LC Waikiki Store), ZETA functions as an autonomous cultural venue for contemporary visual arts, including painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, sound, and performance. Besides exhibitions, ZETA also hosts educational programs, workshops and discursive events, in cooperation with local and international partners.
Nation's Martyrs Boulevard
A panoramic boulevard built by the Italians in the 1930s similar to the Champs de Elysee extending south from Skanderberg Square. The boulevard features Fascist, Communist, and modern architecture of government buildings, business centres and hotels. Many local parks are found here. This street runs from the south end of Skenderbeg Square, across the Lana River, to Mother Teresa Square. The sidewalks and crosswalks on this street are wider and more walkable than most in the city. If you walk southbound, the Polytechnic University of Tirana building is beautifully framed in the centre of the street. It's nice at night when all of the buildings, including the Polytechnic building, are lit up (and especially nice in December and early January when the trees and the buildings along the street are decorated with lights for the Holidays). The street passes by several Tirana landmarks, including the Park Rinia, the Pyramid, the Rogner Hotel, the President's Office, and the Palace of Congresses (event centre).
The Block
Among the apartment blocks, one can find some of Tirana's trendiest cafés, shops, and restaurants. Here is also located the villa of the former dictator, Enver Hoxha. During communism, the area was reserved solely for government officials and was not allowed to be entered by the commoner. It was opened to the public in 1991 and since became the number one spot for Tirana's youth. At night the area gets full of people especially on weekends when most night clubs are full. The streets, especially in summer afternoons, are filled with Tirana's citizens and expensive cars cruising around. From the Block you can go almost anywhere for less than 10-15 minutes. If you need to have a coffee or relax while taking a look at the parade of trendy and elegant people, the block is a perfect place for you. In the Block you can buy trendy clothing items and French delicacies. You can also get taxis.
International Centre of Culture
Completely renovated and reopened in May 2023, the pyramid was built in 1987 according to the design of Enver Hoxha's daughter and was opened as a museum dedicated to her father. In 2007 US President George W. Bush gave a speech in front of this building. The building was the most expensive erected under communism, but by 2017 it had been empty and derelict for some time and threatened with demolition, instead it was saved and rebuilt. It is possible to walk up the stairs to its peak and get a nice view of the city.