Top 5 things to do in Tirana in December

December is probably one of the most beautiful months in Tirana. Colorful lights and decorations for the holidays make Tirana a mosaic of colors. A walk through the center of Tirana and its boulevard will fill you with joy and make you want to see more of the city decorations. December is the month of surprises and new dreams for the New Year. On the beautiful streets you will see happy faces of children as for those these are the best days.

We would like to suggest here top five things to do in Tirana in December.

Christmas lights & shopping

Wandering around the city in the main Boulevard from Skanderbeg Square to Saint Teresa Square to see the city decoration and the Christmas tree could be the start. Christmas Market at Saint Teresa Square is a must see hotspot. There are some beautiful and small wooden houses provide food and drinks. The flavor of hot wine or hot chocolate, coffee or cappuccino near the fire is so inviting in this cold weather. The kids will have a great time playing with carousel and others toys. A great ice skating installation is implanted in Saint Mother Teresa Square for people and kids who love ice skating.

 The Light Statues  or “Lumina Polis” by Marco Lodola  and Giovanna Fra after travelling in most beautiful Europe cities,  are displayed now in Tirana at the Park next to presidential office. The eye-pleasing and enchanting statues give Tirana a modern and contemporary look.

Christmas lights then continue through the Boulevard up to Scanderbeg Square  where a bigger Christmas tree is decorated. This lively atmosphere make Tirana a perfect destination for Christmas. Some of the nicely decorated streets are  Myslym Shyri, Kavaja Street or Durresi where you can combine it with shopping. All the souvenirs shops are located on these streets. During the day use this walk to see museum, galleries, government buildings, pyramid and other monuments on the main boulevard, but during the night, enjoying the New Year decoration is the best thing to do.

Coffee shops
In Tirana you can enjoy the best coffee, macchiato or cappuccino. In every corner you can find a cozy bar to have a hot drink. You can choose among different design interiors and themes. If you want a coffee and feel Albania retro history, we suggest you to go to Komiteti Bar or Radio Bar. If you are for a tea, there are other bars offering the best tea, so many that it is hard to name. if you are a good reader, coffee & library are in fashion in Tirana nowadays and are wide spread, so you can enjoy your favorite book while slowly sipping a coffee.

Enjoying snow
 Tirana has mostly sunny days throughout the year, and you can enjoy the good weather in open bars outside. But winter is winter, it is cold outside, so enjoying some snow in the mountain is a good option. You can take the cable car to Mountain Dajti, wonderful experience. You can continue than hiking up the mountain. Enjoy the view of Tirana from Dajti Mountain and have traditional lunch at the restaurant on the top; play with snowballs and ride a horse.

A good lunch
You can go to Petrela Castle to have a good  traditional lunchb there and enjoy the view of Tirana. You can either choose to explore castles in Tirana suburbs or drive 30 minutes to Durres, and the same distance from Kruja. In Durres you can walk on the beach, visit Durres Roman amphitheater, second biggest in Balkans, have a tasty seafood lunch. In Kruja you can visit Skanderbeg Castle and Museum. If you choose to stay in Tirana for lunch, there are good restaurants of Italian and Albanian cuisine for reasonable prices.

Nightlife
For drinks, you can choose Sky tower, a rotating bar, but also many bars in Block area. The street food also tastes great, especially byrek. Nightlife, live music concert, theaters, movies all can be found in our events section of Visit Tirana website. You can also walk to Bllok area to enjoy life music, lively bars and restaurants. Check for other itineraries in Tirana here.