Albania is a unique country with a rich history that deserves to sit at the top of every traveler’s bucket list. Located in the heart of the Balkans and a short flight away from most European capitals, who knew it would be possible for one country to pack in Alpine mountain passes, glistening Mediterranean beaches and archaeological sites from the Venetian, Greek and Byzantine eras, all while boasting an incredibly warm and welcoming culture? And the numbers don’t lie – the country’s airport last year saw over 10 million passengers!
Most travelers will start their trip in Tirana, the country’s well-connected capital which has fast become the Balkans’ top travel hub. This vibrant and lively city deserves its own few days on your Albania itinerary as the center of the country’s cultural scene and home of its most renowned museums catering to different touristic interests.
These are the top 4 museums and cultural attractions to include in your Albania itinerary, all located within a five-minute walk of Skanderbeg Square:
1. National Historical Museum (Muzeu Historik Kombëtar)
Hosted in one of the most impressive buildings of Skanderbeg Square, the National Historical Museum of Tirana catches the attention immediately. The iconic entrance hosts the famous mural mosaic, “The Albanians,” showcasing Albanian figures from ancient to modern history. Recently renovated thanks to funding from the European Union, the colorful mosaic boasts an array of colors and historical figures as a testimony to Albanians’ undying commitment to protecting their identity. The central figure is a strong woman in traditional dress holding a rifle, representing the Albanian motherland in all its glory and beauty.
The museum features multiple chambers, each covering a different historical era and focus. Whether you’re interested in Albanian antiquity, the Middle Ages or Orthodox Iconography, this Albanian museum is full of fascinating artifacts and paintings that take the visitor back in time. Plan to spend half a day in the museum to cover all the different sections.
Fun fact many don’t know: Mother Teresa was Albanian! Born to an ethnic Albanian family in Skopje, North Macedonia, the National Historical Museum of Tirana has dedicated an entire section to this inspiring woman’s early life.
January 2025 update: unfortunately, the museum is closed due to renovations. We still recommend admiring its iconic mural from Skanderbeg Square!
2. Albanian Night
After your visit to the National Historical Museum, you’ll want to head to Albanian Night, Albania’s first-ever cultural center and performance venue teaching visitors all about Albanian culture and heritage through interactive shows, experiences and workshops. The brand-new center has two floors: the top level, where you’ll enter, is home to Albanian Bazaar, the largest artisanal hall in the Balkans.
Albanian Bazaar is where Albanian craftsmanship comes to life: everything in this hall is hand-made by Albanians who live here or in the diaspora. Each craft showcases Albania’s heritage and cultural ethos, with woodwork, jewelry and art that incorporate elements of Albanian identity. This is the perfect place to purchase a souvenir or gift before you leave Albania.
The bottom floor leads visitors to the costume hall, where traditional clothes from Albania’s different regions are on display. Visitors can even snag a photo of two black xhubleta, formal dresses that highlander women from the North of Albania used to wear which have in recent years been recognized as UNESCO World Heritage items. Knowledgeable staff are on hand to explain the cultural significance of each of these traditional pieces of clothing to visitors, which guests are invited to wear every night at the Albanian Night show!
Each evening at 19:00, Albanian Night leads guests to the costume hall to pick their costumes and enter the world of a traditional Albanian villager. Each participant chooses their costume and heads over to Oda e Zjarrit, a recreated traditional Albanian village house where a captivating performance of live dance, music and intrigue unfolds.
After the show, visitors enjoy a unique, traditional 7-course meal in Oda e Besës, a sofra dining hall to embark on an Albanian culinary journey that takes participants through Albania’s diverse and delicious gastronomical profile.
Albanian Night will also start to host daily classes and experiences in the spring that teach visitors all about Albanian culture: from rakia mixology classes to olive oil tastings to valle dance and wedding workshops, visitors who want to book authentic Albanian experiences will have plenty of options to choose from. With so many immersive cultural experiences available, Albanian Night should top your list of things to do in Tirana!
3. Bunk’Art 2
Originally constructed between 1981 and 1986 as a hidden bunker by the country’s paranoid communist party, this place is now a unique museum shedding light on Communist-era oppression. Bunk’Art 2 is located in the center of Tirana in a repurposed top-secret nuclear bunker. The 1,000-square-meter bunker unveils the harsh reality of political persecution with photographs and equipment. This museum is an extension of Bunk’Art 1 and focuses on the legendary Sigurimi secret police unit in charge of spying on and torturing the communist regime’s opponents.
This somber museum details for how close to five decades, a ruthless dictator closed off the country from the rest of the world and kept the civilian population under lock and key. This bunker, filled to the brim with the stories and pictures of over 100,000 victims of the Albanian communist party who were prosecuted, tortured or murdered, bears witness to the horrors of the past with the hopes of building a brighter future.
One of the most visited museums in town, Bunk’Art 2 is certainly one of the highlights of things to do in Tirana. Not a conventional museum, the cold, reconstructed dome at the entrance typifies communist architecture and serves as testimony to the country’s dark past. Tourists from all over the world, curious to learn about the history of communism and Albania’s recent past, have entered this museum to learn about the tactics used by the secret police to monitor, spy on and recruit the local population and to persecute the regime’s opponents.
4. House of Leaves
This museum in Tirana gets its name from the clambering plants crawling their way up the building that today hosts the museum of secret surveillance in communist Albania. Positioned in Tirana’s center near the Orthodox Resurrection of Christ Cathedral and the National Bank of Albania, the structure served as the Central Directorate of the Secret Service from 1944 to 1991. The House of Leaves Museum unravels the dark period of Albania’s history under communist rule, presenting the terrifying reality of living under the watchful eye of the Sigurimi secret police unit.
An eerie sense of dread overcomes the visitor the moment they step over the threshold of this 1930’s house. Though it started its life as a maternity hospital, things at this building soon took a sinister change when the Directorate of State Security, the Sigurimi, converted the structure into a headquarters that was used as a surveillance and detention center and place of torture. Used by the Nazi Gestapo over the course of World War II, it’s almost as if you can hear the screams of victims as they were tortured for their crimes of opposing the dictator, practicing their religion or not conforming to the ethos of the communist era.
A brighter future isn’t possible without understanding the mistakes of the past; any history buff who wants to understand the brutal tactics employed by the Albanian communist state in the twentieth century will find a visit to the House of Leaves Museum insightful and powerful. In the past, Albanians were scared to discuss what had been to them and their families during communism; today, visitors from the world over can visit the House of Leaves Museum to learn all about and bear witness to the evil perpetrated during this long reign of terror.
How to Explore Tirana’s Culture in One Day
Tirana’s best museums and cultural experiences are all within a few minutes’ walk of each other, so you can easily spend a rainy (or very hot) day at all of them to get a full picture of Albania’s recent and more distant past, and culture. History and heritage enthusiasts are encouraged to see the museums during the day and to head to Albanian Night in the evening, where they can experience Albanian culture in a lively and interactive setting.
Whether you’re exploring the artistic treasures of Tirana’s museums, diving into the lively atmosphere of the Albanian Bazaar or stepping into the captivating world of traditional village life at Albanian Night, this Balkan capital has something to offer every visitor. Feel free to reach out to us on WhatsApp if you have any questions about what to do in Tirana!
