Tirana is the capital of Albania. Many of us came here after Bansko for the free Tirana Digital Nomad Festival organised by the government.

Albania is predominantly a Muslim country but it doesn’t feel overly religious. There are restaurants serving alcohol a stones throw from the mosque, and I was told by a local that mixed religion marriages are common and not controversial.

Positives 👍

• Medium sized mostly walkable city with more charming architecture than many other eastern European capitals.
• Good level of english and friendly people.
• Generally good wifi
• Great cafe culture, but most aren’t places you can comfortably work from.
• Cheap to eat out and pretty good local cuisine.
• There was a good nomad scene during the festival but that’s not the case most of the time.

Negatives 👎

• Limited international cuisine which isn’t always done to a great standard.
• Quite a lot of traffic in most of the city and hard to find an oasis from this.
• Coworking spaces can get booked up.
• Most cafes don’t serve food
• No Uber and some taxis will try to rip you off.
• People smoke everywhere.

Tirana Digital Nomad Festival 🇦🇱

Sadly I was too busy with work to attend the Tirana Digital Nomad Festival but I heard good things from friends who went. It had nothing like the size and social scene of Nomad Fest in Bansko, but the ticket was free along with some food and drinks (while stocks lasted).

Best area to stay 🌆

Blloku has the most cafes, bars, restaurants and coworking spaces and slightly less traffic than other areas.

Dating 😘

Girls often don’t use their picture on dating apps so prepare to swipe on landscapes, cartoons and cats.

Locals are open to going on dates but they’re also very traditional so don’t expect things to progress quickly. There must be some expats in Tirana but I didn’t meet many.

Meet ups 🍻

There’s a weekly Couch Surfing meet up on thursdays at Radio Bar which one attendee described as “so much sausage I should have brought mustard” but it’s still fun so long as you have the right expectation.

The expat meet up on fridays is an older crowd but also nice people.

Coworking spaces 👩‍💻

Most coworking spaces are fairly busy and so give you a fixed desk for the day. I understand the necessity of this but if your allocated spot is noisy, badly lit or has any other issue there isn’t much you can do about it.

Coolab

Mostly locals and vibe wise reminiscent of a London WeWork. It has a cool urban aesthetic which extends to their being no seats on the men’s toilets.

I didn’t love it as the open-plan office it's quite noisy and there isn’t much natural light, but instead harsh overheard fluorescent strip lights.

On a positive note you can work from the cafe at the front without paying for a pass and whenever I messaged they were friendly and quick to respond.

Innospace

Smaller and quieter than Coolab, I worked here most frequently as it’s where my friends had made camp. It has great views from a balcony where you can also take calls.

I also got great service whenever I got in contact.

Dutchhub

Close-by and similar to Innospace. I was told the name came from the concept of “going dutch” which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me so it may have been an excuse for a load of funky orange decor.

I can’t fault Dutchhub but I only spent one day here so didn’t thoroughly test it out.

Cafes ☕️

Destil Creative Hub Tirana - nice spacious cafe you can work from.

Stoa - feels very studenty so not my normal scene, but being hidden back from the main road it’s a rare quiet spot away from the traffic.

Komiteti Kafe Muzeum - being a little further out this place wasn’t too busy and were happy for us to work there. The decor is really interesting and worth a visit.

Only downside is limited food options. My friend ordered a vegetarian meal but it arrived with meat. They staff were very nice when she sent it back but when the waiter returned with a replacement he said without confidence “I think this one’s vegetarian, you check” so detail does not appear to be their strong suit.

Antigua Specialty Coffee - the best coffee I found (complete with grumpy hipster service). I worked here in the mornings without feeling judged, but I heard from friends that they got a frosty reception doing this later on in the day when they were busier.

Mulliri Gourmet - great service and lots of brunch options.

Laveen Tirana - nice affordable brunch.

Restaurants 🍽

Le Bon - nice bakery and cafeteria.

Blanc Bistro - upmarket food very reasonably priced.

Shije Fshati Taste of the Village - local cuisine with very helpful waiters who will help with the menu if it’s unfamiliar to you

Mania Restaurant - decent food and super cheap even by local standards.

Green & Protein - great salads and poke bowls.

Artigiano - a “fancy” Italian place but often times bad service. Nice pizzas but small portions for everything else.

Salt - upmarket food but with a price tag to match. If you’re local it’s the place to be seen on weekends.

Night life 🍸

Most of the night life is in Blloku. There are so many options you can just wonder round and explore but some stand-outs are:

Tribeca - Great cocktails and busy but still easy to get into.

Charlie’s Bar - A proper club with dancing but can be tricky to get in later on.

Ohara - A surreal mix of Irish pub with a soundproof room for techno nights.

Hiking ⛰

Go hiking from the gondola. You can get a taxi but the buss leaves frequently from in front of the Friendship Monument.

We found it hard to get into a restaurant up the mountain so consider booking or bring a picnic.

Misc ❓

Vodafone shops are everywhere including the airport and you can get a tourist package which is 100GB for 30 days.

Most places are cash only.

ATMs will charge you for withdrawals except for Credins Bank

Tap water is not drinkable.

Conclusion 🏁

Americans can stay for a year without a visa so that may be major selling point for some.

I had a good time in Tirana but I arrived with a group of friends and met more people due to the festival. I won’t be rushing back and can’t imagine wanting to spend multiple months, but I would happily return if the festival repeats near year.