Fun and entertainment Albania

Here is an address for all those who have (already) the evil of the country! This site, which aims to recreate the atmosphere of a typical Parisian café, opened its doors in 2000. The head of the premises, a French woman who has been in Albania for over ten years, has successfully recreated a tea room on the ground floor and a bistro at the first. You will find fresh fresh bread, lightning, macaroons and other sweet delicacies, as well as good salads and bistrotiers dishes which will be an excellent lunch.

It is one of the three bars of the small chain in the country (other addresses in Tirana and Korça). Nice decor, cocktails, rakis, etc.

The "Grenade sauvage" bar-café offers fruit juices, cocktails and snacks. This pleasant place serves up some rather healthy and welcome drinks and snacks, such as bowls of yoghurt with fresh fruit or freshly squeezed fruit juices. Erjon, the owner, speaks passionately about local products and his region. He also owns a tourist agency (see website above) for activities to discover Shkodra and its surroundings: guided tours of the citadel, exploring the lake by bike, etc.

This establishment launched the restaurant-nightclub concept in Tirana in 2019. You can eat international dishes (bao buns, salads, burgers...) in a very pleasant green setting: the decor and name are inspired by the American TV series Lost (2004-2010). You can dance to soft music in the company of forty-somethings. Good cocktails, but on the whole rather expensive. On the same street, you'll find the imposing Iranian embassy and a host of chic restaurants and bars. An ideal place to spend the evening with friends.

This raki bar is decorated with bric-a-brac from the communist period (hence the name Komiteti, "people's committees"). Here you'll find the richest collection of rakis in Albania: at least 25 different types, plus "arranged rakis" with herbs, fruit and a fearsome spicy raki (raki spec djeges). Snacks and a fine collection of infusions and mountain teas. Very pleasant during the day, with a small shady courtyard. Other addresses in Korça, Vlora, Gjirokastra, Dhërmi..

This big nightclub is located near the Ministry of Culture and the Akademia Marubi, in the Kinostudio district of the former Communist film studios. A few good DJs sometimes perform here. But it's generally crowded and smoky. What's more, drinks are expensive and foreign customers are often refused entry. If you really want to go, it's best to book by phone: +355 69 35 85 997 or +355 69 992 95 85 for the VIP area. Bus: line no. 15a and get off at the Kinostudio stop.

Located at the back of the national historic museum, this large, brand-new café impresses with its modern furnishings and the pleasant freshness of its large room. Pastries, coffees and fruit juices attract students from the private university located above. On the mezzanine, dozens of Internet posts allow you to view your emails comfortably. Summer terrace.

Opened in 1995, this cinema is located on the Murat-Toptani pedestrian street, near Tirana Castle. The well-equipped 260-seat cinema screens mainly English-language films with Albanian subtitles. A few silly French comedies are also occasionally programmed. And since the complex also includes a pleasant garden restaurant (Millennium Gardens), you don't have to eat popcorn exclusively. Otherwise, there are three other cinemas in town, but no real arthouse cinemas.

Thiscoworking space is ideal for mobile workers. Comfortable chairs, ergonomic (but shared) desks and high-speed Internet access are all available. The reception team is dynamic, and the coffee corner is pleasant. Monthly rates include access to printers, a locker and isolated phone rooms. Not the kind of address for those seeking idleness, we know. But more and more self-employed people are coming to work in Albania.

This university, founded in 1966 (Universiteti i Arteve), occupies the former palace built in 1941 for the Fascist Free Time Organization. During the academic year, the music, theater and fine arts departments regularly organize shows and exhibitions. Almost every week, a concert takes place in the large hall named in honor of Çesk Zadeja, considered the father of Albanian classical music. Behind the building, the Fab Art gallery showcases the work of fine arts students.

This nightclub is located on the southern ring road, between the Grand Parc and the Elbasan freeway. It's frankly not very good: smoky atmosphere, foreign customers refused and exorbitantly priced drinks. But it's only by buying a very expensive bottle that you can access the VIP area, which is a little quieter. If you really want to go, it's best to book by phone: +355 68 555 08 61 or +355 69 378 43 12 for the VIP area.

Located in the Palazzo della Cultura, this cultural center (Italian Institute of Culture) organizes numerous events throughout the year: opera, dance and classical music in the Palazzo dei Congressi, as well as pop, rock and rap concerts by Italian artists in the Piazza d'Italia (in front of the national stadium). The institute also offers film screenings in various cinemas and art exhibitions at the ArTurbina center. Program in Italian on the website.

With its decor full of Buddhas and Asian elephants, this bar doesn't bother with the old clichés of Western colonialism. But since 2012, it has been preparing Blloku's finest cocktails. Here, you'll find old-fashioned classics like the Cosmopolitan, Rusty Nail, Mary Pickford and Kir Royal, as well as original creations like the Sunset Shkodra, Scutari Split and Colonial Hot Whiskey. Pleasant terrace, but tough bouncers.

Created in 2018, this art center currently houses the troupe of the National Theater of Albania, whose historic 1940 building was demolished in 2020 to make way for a tower, near the Et'hem Bey mosque. There is also an exhibition space and two performance halls with 400 and 150 seats (theater, concerts, ballets). For the record, the name "ArTurbina" combines the words "art" and "turbine": the center is housed in a former factory where turbines for the country's hydroelectric power stations were tested.

This cultural center (Tulla Culture Center) is located in the "Commune de Paris" (Komuna e Parisit) district, 750 m west of Wilson Square (Blloku) on Sulejman-Delvina Street, then left on Medar-Shtylla Street. It organizes concerts (rock, electro...), exhibitions and workshops (cooking, photography, gardening for children, meetings with artists...). Program on the Facebook page (facebook.com/tullacenter) and on Instagram (tullarecordstore). Also on site: record shop, bookshop and café.

Located on "party street", right in the heart of Blloku, this bar is one of Tirana's few gay-friendly venues. Beautifully decorated with retro furniture, graphic posters and an American cinema-style bar, it's a popular spot for its artistic evenings, concerts and cutting-edge DJs. We particularly recommend their excellent cocktails. We also appreciate the garden, the efficient waiters and its location in the Blloku district: an ideal place to spend a lively evening in Tirana!

This film school (Akademia e Filmit dhe Multimedias Marubi) bears the name of Albania's pioneer of photography, Pietro Marubi (1834-1903), and is located in the street named after the great Austrian actor of Albanian origin Alexander Moissi (1878-1935), in the heart of the former film studios of the communist regime. It regularly organizes free screenings and exhibitions, notably as part of the Cinéma des pays francophones cycle in March. Bus: line 15a, get off at Kinostudio.

Located south of Blloku, near the Lana and opposite the Swiss Embassy, this juice bar seats just six (plus a table on the terrace), but it's a good address for a "healthy" break. It offers all kinds of fresh juices, smoothies, sandwiches, vegetarian dishes and homemade cakes. Similar establishments can now be found all over Tirana, such as BioTeka (instagram.com/bioteka_juice), north-east of Blloku on Ibrahim-Rugova Street, open daily from 7am to 9pm.

It's been a staple of the Blloku district since 2012. This cocktail bar is one of the best in the country. Tirana's golden youth and Western tourists love the cheerfully variegated colors, slightly offbeat atmosphere, good music and weekend concerts. Behind the bar, Sofokli Cali and his team of bearded hipsters prepare a wide range of cocktails at reasonable prices. Among the house recipes, we recommend the English climber, made with gin (English) and mountain tea (Albanian).

Opened in 2009, this trendy bar in the Blloku district is renowned for its colorful decor, live music and DJs, terrace heated by stoves in winter, peanut shells, haughty waiters and cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. We particularly recommend those based on local spirits: rakberry with raki and blackberry, ballkan collins with juniper raki and Albanian gin, kaipiraki with raki, grape juice and fig jam, and konjakito, a mojito but with Skënderbeu "cognac".