Gjirokastër, Albania: Inside the UNESCO City of Stone
Explore Gjirokastra, Albania’s UNESCO ‘City of Stone’: the hilltop castle, Cold War spy plane, Ottoman bazaar, tower houses, and Kadare’s birthplace.
The Blog
Stories, guides, and local perspectives from 21 years of living in Tirana.
Grand Park of Tirana: How Locals Spend a Day at the Lake
Tirana’s Grand Park and Artificial Lake, the green heart south of Blloku, where locals run, picnic, and take the evening xhiro around the water.
The Pyramid of Tirana: From Hoxha’s Museum to Tech Hub
Piramida went from a 1988 museum for dictator Enver Hoxha to a graffiti ruin kids slid down, then reopened in 2023 as Tirana’s free-to-climb tech hub.
Albania’s Summer Music & Beach Festivals: 2026 Guide
Kala, Unum, Turtle Fest, Za Fest and more — an insider’s guide to Albania’s summer festivals, where they actually happen, and how to plan the trip.
Farm 88: The Chic Farm-to-Table Escape Just Outside Tirana
A Tirana local’s honest take on Farm 88 – a chic, organic farm-to-table restaurant with a garden and pool, about 20 minutes southeast of the city in the Mullet-Petrele countryside.
Water Parks in Albania: What Actually Exists (and What Doesn’t)
A local’s honest guide to Albanian water parks in 2026: the one that actually exists, what it really costs, and the long list of parks online that are closed, duplicated, or never existed at all.
Kruja Day Trip from Tirana: Skanderbeg’s Castle + the Old Bazaar
A Tirana local’s guide to Kruja: the castle, Skanderbeg Museum, and the Ottoman bazaar, 45 minutes from Tirana. Furgon vs taxi vs tour, costs and tips.