Tirana

Tirana is inland, and the sea is a side trip rather than part of daily life. The nearest coast is Durrës, under an hour by car or bus, where a long sandy beach runs south of the port past Golem. In July and August the Adriatic reaches about 25°C and the shallow water suits children. The strip is lined with hotels and beach clubs, though, gets very crowded on summer weekends, and close to the port the water is not always clear.

The beaches that make Albania's coast famous, the clear coves of the south around Himara and Ksamil, are many hours away and belong to a different trip. From Tirana, expect a pleasant warm-water day out, not a beach vacation.

Albanian cooking is simple, seasonal and rooted in the farm: slow-baked lamb with yoghurt and rice (tavë kosi), fërgesë of peppers, tomato and curd cheese, stuffed vegetables, flaky byrek from corner bakeries in the morning, and grilled meat with village bread. Tomatoes, olive oil, herbs and cheeses taste of the countryside. Some of the best meals are in the farm restaurants on the hills around the city, where much of the menu comes from the land around the table.

In town, the Blloku district and the streets near the Pazari i Ri market hold most of the restaurants, from traditional taverns to Italian-leaning places. Coffee is a serious habit, drunk slowly at terrace cafés on every block, and raki is offered at the end of almost any meal. International range and high-end dining are limited.

Tirana's sights tell the story of the 20th century more than of the distant past. Skanderbeg Square is the centre, framed by the mosaic-fronted National History Museum, the small, finely painted Et'hem Bey Mosque and the clock tower beside it. The communist era is the strongest theme: Bunk'Art, set in a vast Cold War bunker on the edge of town and a smaller one near the square, and the House of Leaves, the former secret police surveillance building, are the most memorable visits. The concrete Pyramid and the brightly painted facades of the centre add character.

The historic fabric is thin, though, and two days covers the city's own sights comfortably. The older heritage of the country lies outside town.

Going out in Tirana means Blloku, the former closed quarter of the communist leadership, now a grid of streets packed with cocktail bars, lounge terraces and small clubs. The crowd is young and local, the evening starts late after a long dinner, and on summer weekends the streets stay full well past midnight. A handful of larger clubs, some on the edge of town and around the Grand Park lake, run into the early hours.

The scene is stylish rather than underground, with a strong emphasis on dressing up and being seen at terrace bars. Away from Blloku and a few streets near the centre, the city is quieter.

Mount Dajti rises straight from the eastern edge of the city, and a long cable car carries visitors up to about 1,000m in a quarter of an hour. Its national park has beech and pine forest, walking trails, viewpoints over the whole plain to the sea and, for the energetic, the climb to the summit ridge. Closer in, the Grand Park wraps around an artificial lake with shaded paths for running and walking.

Within an hour or so lie the turquoise Bovilla reservoir in its limestone gorge, good hiking around Gamti mountain, and canyons and rivers for rafting further afield. The great peaks of the Albanian Alps, around Theth and Valbona, need more than a day. Summers are hot, so spring and autumn are the seasons for walking.

Albania's heritage lies around Tirana rather than in it, and several of the country's best towns make an easy day out. Kruja, under an hour away on a mountain ledge, has the castle of the national hero Skanderbeg, a museum and an old covered bazaar. Durrës, on the coast, has a large Roman amphitheatre and Venetian walls. About two hours south, Berat, a UNESCO-listed town of white Ottoman houses climbing to a lived-in citadel, is the highlight.

Also around two hours away are Shkodra, with Rozafa castle above its lake, Elbasan's walled old town and the ancient Greek site of Apollonia. Most trips are by car, minibus or tour, and roads add time, so these work best as full days.

Albanians are warm towards children, who are welcome in cafés and restaurants late into the evening, and families join the evening stroll along the boulevards. The Grand Park, with its lake and playgrounds, and the cable car up Mount Dajti are the best outings, and the pedestrian Skanderbeg Square is a good open space to run around.

Beyond that there is little made specifically for children: a small zoo, a few play centres in the shopping malls and a sandy beach at Durrës an hour away. Busy traffic, drivers who rarely yield, and uneven or obstructed pavements make pushing a buggy tiring, and summer heat is strong.

The centre of Tirana is compact and flat, and nearly everything a visitor wants, from Skanderbeg Square to Blloku, the Pyramid and the market, lies within a twenty-minute walk. Walking is the main way to get around, helped by pedestrianised streets around the square.

There is no metro or tram. City buses are cheap and cover the main roads, but routes are poorly signed and confusing for a visitor. Taxis are inexpensive and the usual fallback for Bunk'Art on the edge of town or the Dajti cable car. Traffic is heavy and drivers assertive, so crossing wide roads takes care. Day trips mostly rely on minibuses, tours or a hire car.

Shopping is not a reason to come. The most enjoyable stop is the Pazari i Ri market area, with stalls of local cheese, olives, honey, raki and dried herbs, plus a few shops selling souvenirs, carpets and copperware. Felt hats, embroidered textiles and filigree silver appear here and in Kruja's bazaar.

Fashion shopping is mostly international high-street chains in a few large malls on the edge of the centre, and boutiques around Blloku. There is no luxury street and little independent design.

Tirana is one of the cheapest capitals in Europe for a visitor. Coffee, byrek and a sit-down meal of grilled meat and salad cost a fraction of Western European prices, local wine and raki are inexpensive, and city buses and taxis barely register in the budget. Museum entry fees are low.

Comfortable mid-range hotels and apartments in the centre are good value, while the smarter Blloku restaurants and cocktail bars cost noticeably more, though still well below the norms of most European capitals.

The National Theatre of Opera and Ballet on Skanderbeg Square stages opera, ballet and concerts through the season, and tickets are easy to get. Theatre is performed in Albanian, so of limited use to most visitors. A few bars host jazz and live bands, and summer brings open-air concerts and festivals.

Albania's remarkable iso-polyphonic folk singing, recognised by UNESCO, is more often heard at festivals and in the south than on a regular stage in the capital. A visitor can catch a good evening at the opera house but will not find a deep or varied scene.

Tirana has no bathing tradition of its own, and spa options are mostly the facilities of the larger hotels. The closest thermal springs are at Llixha near Elbasan, about an hour away, with simple, old-fashioned spa hotels around the hot sulphur water.

What the city does offer is a slow daily rhythm: long hours over coffee on shaded terraces and the evening xhiro, the unhurried stroll along the boulevards. The Grand Park and the forested slopes of Dajti are the places to escape the traffic noise, which otherwise fills much of the centre.