If you're planning a vacation in Tirana, you might want to prepare a Tirana things to do list. This is just to make sure you're not missing something. Here are a few ideas to make your stay a bit more interesting.

Visit the Dajti National Park

If you want to take a deep breath of fresh air, you should visit the Dajti National Park, situated in Mount Dajti, just 15km east of Tirana. You can either take the Austrian-built express cable car from the outskirts of the city, or you can travel with your own car. However, if choosing the latter, you’ll have to pay a small fee at the entrance of the park. This is the place where you can practice different winter sports like skiing and snowshoeing.

Explore the Pelumbas Cave

The Pelumbas Cave, or as the locals call it “Shpella e Zezze” (Black Cave), is located just 18km away from Tirana, near the small village of Pelumbas. It is a carstic cave, which was inhabited by humans in prehistoric times. It is open for visitors, so you can get in and explore it untroubled. However, if you don’t want to go inside on your own, you can always hire a guide from the city – there are a number of travel agencies, which offer regular daytrips to Pelumbas at a small price.

Take an Off-Road Tour

If you’re looking for something really challenging and extreme, you can take an Off-Road Tour. There are several companies out there, which organize such tours with a starting point in Tirana. The tours usually take a couple of days to complete and require a certain amount of previous training. So give it a try only if you already have the experience – the routes are really difficult and not suitable for beginners.

Try Raki

Raki is a traditional Albanian alcoholic drink made from fermented and distilled fruit, like grapes and plums, and is extremely hard to prepare. It is very strong and usually gets served in shot glasses called “teke”. Raki will surely spice up your stay in Tirana, but be careful not to over-drink it.

Go Sightseeing

Sightseeing is a very good choice for the traditionalists. There are a lot of interesting sights in the city:  Et’hem Bey Mosque, The National History Museum, The Clock Tower (or Kulla e Sahatit), Martyr’s Cemetery, The Piramida International Center of Culture and the Sky Tower to name a few. You can also travel to the Petrela Castle – a medieval fortress located just 8km south of Tirana.