• Skanderbeg Square - We will meet at Skanderbeg Square, the heart of Tirana. Here, you’ll witness the diverse influences of various invaders on the city’s culture and architecture.

• National Historical Museum - Our first stop is the National Museum. If you’re a history enthusiast, you’ll discover the rich past of a land inhabited since before the Stone Age. As we walk through the pavilions, we’ll journey from ancient times to the present.

• Fortress of Justinian - COFFEE BREAK!
  After delving into history, we’ll return to the present with an Albanian-style coffee break. The Fortress of Justinian, or the Castle of Tirana, is a 700-year-old Byzantine-era castle. Once a battleground, it is now a popular spot for locals and travelers, filled with restaurants, cafes, art shops, and more. A must-visit in Tirana.

• BunkArt 2 - Now things get interesting!
  This former anti-nuclear bunker of the Ministry of the Interior is a relic from a distant and obscure period (‘44-‘91). Built in the 80s, it was designed to protect high-ranking officials during a nuclear or chemical attack, with double concrete walls. Today, it’s an ongoing project and museum, where rooms once meant for survival are now historical and artistic exhibition spaces, showcasing Albania’s communist history.

• Enver Hoxha Pyramid - (The Boulevard of Tirana - Part 1/3)
  As we walk along the Boulevard, we’ll discuss our experiences at Bunk’Art, compare it with other countries (Eastern and Western), and talk about Albania’s current state. The Pyramid of Tirana, or Enver Hoxha Pyramid, is an unusual structure built as a museum dedicated to Enver Hoxha, the country’s leader from ‘44-‘85. Designed by his daughter, it has served many purposes since the fall of Communism in ‘91, including a cultural center, NATO base, and National Television headquarters. It is currently being transformed into an IT center for youth, focusing on computer programming, robotics, and startups.

• Postbllok - Checkpoint Monument - (The Boulevard of Tirana - Part 2/3)
  Continuing along the Boulevard, we’ll reach ‘Post-Block,’ a Memorial to Communist Isolation featuring relics from the past. Created by artist and former regime dissident Fatos Lubonja and artist Ardian Isufi, it includes three main elements:

1. The original bunker, guarding the entrance to the segregated residential block where Enver Hoxha and senior communist officials lived from 1945-1991.

2. Concrete supports from the Spac labor camp, the regime’s most notorious labor camp, where thousands of political prisoners suffered from 1968-90.

3. A brightly painted piece of the Berlin Wall, symbolizing the separation imposed by regimes.

• Blloku - (The Boulevard of Tirana - Part 3/3)

Blloku is a lively, colorful, and trendy area, known for its vibrant nightlife, bars, pubs, cafes, fancy restaurants, boutiques, and more. Once a closed precinct for the regime’s elite during the dictatorship era, it is now one of the most famous and expensive areas in Tirana. We’ll walk around the former neighborhood of high officials and see Enver Hoxha’s villa from the outside (it’s not open to the public).

• Jenny’s Food Court - Experience traditional Albanian cuisine!
  After our historical journey, we’ll return to modern Tirana. I want all travelers to experience traditional Albanian flavors, so we’ll stop at a traditional restaurant in the Blloku area to enjoy some local food. After our meal, we’ll take a final stroll to your hotel or the tour’s starting point and bid each other farewell, perhaps to meet again another day.

• Entrance Fees
• Lunch
• All fees and taxes included
• Tea and coffee

An excursion recommended for all non-natives, or at least consider exploring its components for a remarkable journey.

An excellent blend of history and contemporaneity, you will get an exclusive look into Albania’s past preserved in archives. As we stroll through the urban scape with its vibrant, street-art decorated infrastructures and varied communities, we will halt at various points, notable for their significant role in history.

The pivotal focus of this expedition will revolve around existence during the Communist rule in the country.

We will probe into the concealed truths of the nation’s Communist ruling as we visit these heritage places and comprehend their political, societal, and economic resonance. This tour opens a novel doorway to spelunk into the lesser-known aspects of Albania’s past.

This will also present an excellent chance to deepen your understanding about Tirana and Albania, the comprehensive culture, local operations, typical traditions, the lifestyle, current politics, tips particularly for tourists, ways to evade ‘tourist snares’ & frauds and so forth.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.