Communist Landmarks, Small-Group Walk

A 2-hour tour, rated 4.8 across 204 traveller reviews.

Overview

This two-hour walk, run by Co Adventures, takes first-time visitors through the parts of Tirana that carry the heaviest traces of the communist period. It starts at the operator's office by the Twin Towers, opposite the Pyramids of Tirana, and finishes back at the same spot. A local guide leads a small group the whole way, in English.

The route follows a clear line through the city. Postblloku, the checkpoint memorial on the main boulevard, holds a concrete bunker, a segment of the Berlin Wall and steel supports from a forced labour camp. From there the group walks into Blloku, the district once closed to ordinary citizens and reserved for the ruling elite, passing the former residence of dictator Enver Hoxha. The walk continues past the House of Leaves, the old Sigurimi secret police headquarters, to Skanderbeg Square, where military parades were once held and where Hoxha's statue came down in 1991. BUNKART, a nuclear bunker built to shelter the communist leadership, is passed rather than entered, and Tirana Castle follows.

The tour closes on religion: in 1967 Albania declared itself the world's first atheist state, and the final stops at Namazgah Mosque, the Orthodox Resurrection Cathedral and St Paul's Catholic Cathedral take that story in. Guides add recommendations for restaurants and cafés afterwards. It is designed as an introduction, aimed at first-time visitors to the city.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet at the Twin TowersMeet the guide at the operator's office by Amo Sushi, Tower 2 of the Twin Towers on Bulevardi Dëshmorët e Kombit, opposite the Pyramids of Tirana.
2. Postblloku memorialA 10-minute stop at the Checkpoint Memorial, with its bunker, Berlin Wall segment and camp supports.
3. Blloku and Hoxha's houseA 20-minute walk through the former elite quarter, with a photo stop and commentary, passing the former residence of Enver Hoxha.
4. Skanderbeg Square20 minutes at the square that hosted parades and rallies, and where the Hoxha statue was toppled in 1991. The route passes the House of Leaves on the way.
5. BUNKART pass-by10 minutes passing the former nuclear bunker, now a museum. Entry is not part of the tour.
6. Tirana CastleA 20-minute visit and photo stop at the castle, revitalised in recent years.
7. Religious sites and finishRoughly 20 minutes past Namazgah Mosque, the Orthodox Resurrection Cathedral and St Paul's Catholic Cathedral, closing on the 1967 atheist-state story, before returning to the Twin Towers.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points before booking, drawn from the listing and from what travellers said afterwards.

• Sun protection. The listing asks participants to bring sunglasses, a sun hat and sunscreen.
• Pace and terrain. The tour covers a series of central stops on foot over two hours, with no transport involved. Several reviewers mentioned asking extra questions and one noted this stretched the time beyond schedule, so some flexibility around the finish time is wise.
• Guides who talk. Reviewers repeatedly describe the guides as knowledgeable, friendly and patient with questions, and several mention humour along the way.
• First-day orientation. Multiple travellers used this walk at the start of a trip or on their only day in Tirana, and found it a useful introduction to the city's history. The guide's restaurant and café tips at the end are part of the package.
• Religious sites. The final stretch includes several places of worship, and one reviewer on a later tour found the cathedral closed and the mosque mid-prayer, so stepping inside is not always possible. The guide covered both from outside, and the reviewer did not consider it a problem.
• Group size. The listing promises a small-group experience with an experienced local guide.

Common issues. The tour is entirely on foot with no pickup, so travellers need to make their own way to the Twin Towers meeting point. One reviewer felt the religious stops deserved less time and wanted a tighter focus on communist history. Entry to BUNKART is not included, and places of worship may be closed or in use at the time of the walk, as one traveller found with the cathedral and mosque.

Common Questions