Mistakes everyone makes in Tirana

None of the mistakes visitors make in Tirana is random. Each one sits on a fact that nobody posts at the door: a day when the cable car is shut, a building under renovation, two sites with the same name and a taxi without a price. Most cost an hour rather than a fortune. All of them are avoided by reading this page before the trip, not during it.

The cable car on a Tuesday

The Dajti Ekspres is closed on Tuesday, unless the day is a public holiday, and a ticket is valid only on the day it is bought. Arrive on the wrong day and the trip across town ends at a locked station, after a bus ride of 20 to 30 minutes on the Porcelan line. The official advice for the right day is to arrive between 9 and 11 am, because the queues build later. Swap the days instead: Tuesday goes to Bunk'Art 2 or a day trip, and the mountain waits for Wednesday or later.

The National History Museum

The museum on Skanderbeg Square is closed for renovation. The first phase, the repair of the building itself, is nearly finished, the second phase covers the interior, the courtyard and the roof, and no opening date has been announced. From the square you see only the mosaic on the facade. The House of Leaves, at €7.70, answers the same question about the twentieth century more directly, and Bunk'Art 2 does it in the centre.

One Bunk'Art instead of two

Bunk'Art is two places, and the names are easy to confuse. Bunk'Art 1 is on Rruga Fadil Deliu, behind the cable car, and Bunk'Art 2 is on Rruga Abdi Toptani, in the middle of the city. A combined ticket for both stays valid for three days, so there is no reason to see only one. Do Bunk'Art 2 on the first day, on foot from the square, and Bunk'Art 1 on the day of Dajti.

A mosque with bare shoulders

The Et'hem Bey Mosque beside the square is free to enter, with donations welcome, and it asks for little in return. Knees and shoulders must be covered, women also cover their hair, and shoes come off at the door. During prayer the main hall is reserved for worshippers, and photographs are not taken while people pray. The building was closed under communism, and on 18 January 1991 about 10,000 people walked in with flags, which makes a scarf in the bag a small price.

A taxi without an agreed price

In Tirana a taximeter is not something to count on, so the price is agreed before you get in. From the airport that price runs to €22–27. The Rinas Express, by comparison, costs €4.40 and stops behind the National Opera, about two minutes on foot from Skanderbeg Square. Take the bus. The haggling you skip is a bonus.

The bus without small change

Conductors on the city bus take cash and rarely have change. The fare is paid to the conductor in cash: €0.44 (40 lek). The buses to Krujë, Durrës and Berat are cash only as well, so a card gets you nowhere at the terminal. At the airport cash machine, withdraw lek for a day or two and decline the conversion to euros that the screen offers. Keep a few small notes in the pocket for the bus. In mid-range and upmarket restaurants a card is often accepted, but small places and market stalls want cash.

3 daysThe three-day plan already avoids the Tuesday trap and keeps both Bunk'Art sites on separate days.Tirana in 3 days →

Day tripsBefore you pick a trip, the page on day trips lists the one fact that decides each one.Day trips from Tirana →

When to goHeat in August and rain in November change which of these mistakes cost the most, and the weather page shows how.The best time to visit Tirana →

Getting aroundThe page on getting around gives the airport bus, the Porcelan line and the terminals in order.Getting around Tirana →

BudgetThe budget page puts the taxi and the bus side by side with everything else you pay for.What Tirana costs →

Where to stayStaying close to the square makes most of these errors cheaper, and the accommodation page compares the areas.Where to stay in Tirana →

FoodCash matters at lunch too, and the food page lists where to eat in the centre.What to eat in Tirana →

Hidden gemsThe page on the Pyramid, Postbllok and Pazari i Ri covers the stops that the main circuit leaves out.Tirana beyond the main sights: the Pyramid, Postbllok and Pazari i Ri →