Things to see and do Tirana

This square is a good landmark. It is located in the north-western corner of the Blloku district, at the intersection of Sami-Frashëri street, which leads to the Grand Park dam. It features colorful buildings painted in the 2000s, a good Mulliri Vjeter café and amusingly detailed road signs (sharks on the one for the roundabout, a flying saucer for the crosswalk...). It is named in honor of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who was the first to recognize Albania's independence in 1919.

Founded in 2007, this associative cultural center organizes numerous exhibitions devoted to the work of young contemporary Albanian and foreign artists in a 150^m2 space. Various arts are presented: painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation and performance. Beware, though, that the place is a little hard to find, and opening times are not always respected. The gallery is located on the second floor of the Helka Center building.

This river, known as the "stream" in Albanian (Përroi i Lanës), flows through the center of Tirana, with Skanderbeg Square on the right bank and Blloku and the Grand Park on the left. Rising from Mount Dajti (1,613 m above sea level), it stretches for 19 km before joining the Tirana River 6 km northwest of the city center. The Lana is very narrow here: it was canalised in the 1960s. After the fall of communism, the banks were covered with illegal buildings, which were demolished in the 2000s.

"Visit Albania" is the current name of Albania's national tourism agency (Agjencia Kombëtare e Turizmit). It has an office right in the center of Tirana, but the staff are not very helpful. The website is rather rich in beautiful photos and travel suggestions, but without any real practical information and few updates. Since 2023, however, the agency has been offering the "TEA Tourism Events of Albania" smartphone application, with a calendar of the main cultural events throughout the country.

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.