thetrainfamily1. Aquapark Tirana
This water park is located in the heart of Tirana city, close to The Grand Park of Tirana and Tirana Zoo. We spent a whole day at this water park, much to the delight of our children. The entrance is somewhat hidden behind a small amusement park with bumper cars and trampolines. We walked there, but bus number 2 stops right in front of the amusement park, and there are also parking spaces nearby. We couldn’t pay with a credit card; only cash was accepted. We paid 1900 LEK for the five of us (2 adults and 3 children aged 6, 9, and 11). You can convert this to your local currency, but for most people, this will seem inexpensive. After we had paid, we were unsure about what to do next. Where was the changing area? We found it by walking straight ahead. There were lockers, but no keys, and to our surprise, there were no showers! (In Denmark, it is strictly required to take a shower before entering a swimming pool or water park). We continued unwashed into the water park itself. We also wandered around a bit here, wondering where we were allowed to be. We had received tickets for the family area, but where could it be? We operated on the assumption that if we placed our belongings on a sunbed by the pool we were standing near, someone would likely approach us if we weren’t supposed to be there. Sure enough, a friendly staff member came and informed us that we were at the VIP pool but had tickets for the children’s pool. She showed us the right way. The children’s pool was a nice area with sunbeds which were included in the price. The children enjoyed playing on the octopus monster, which was a peaceful slide, as well as the elephant, which was a somewhat wilder slide. We also had access to a pool where it was possible to swim laps. The pools were not heated, but they didn’t need to be on this August day with 26 degrees Celsius. Throughout the day, there were only 7 other people besides us at the children’s pool! A few others were at the VIP pool, and a few were sitting at one of the restaurants. We didn’t make use of any of the restaurants, but we had read on TripAdvisor that they made delicious pizzas at one of them. On the other hand, we had taken a chance and packed bread and cold cuts. From a previous water park trip in Ukraine, we knew that we could be subject to a search and had to threw the food away. However, here it was not a problem, and we also saw others who had brought their own food.
We would highly recommend this place. As you can see from the description, it’s not a huge water park, but it’s cozy and very affordable compared to Western European standards.
2. Tirana Zoo
Tirana Zoo is very close to the water park, within walking ldistance. It’s also possible to take the bus there; Bus 2 goes directly to the entrance area. There was no queue at all at the ticket booth, and we paid 1200 LEK for 2 adults and 3 children aged 6, 9, and 11. The park, originally established in 1966, reopened in 2022 after a major makeover. We found a beautifully landscaped park with nice pathways, flower beds on the 6.09-hectare green area in the heart of the city. There weren’t too many animals, but we preferred that to an overcrowded zoo. We saw a fox, horses, donkeys, goats, buzzards, swans, llamas, ostriches, brown bears, a tiger, a lion, chickens, deer, a wolf, a lemur, and rabbits. They all seemed a bit tired as it was a hot summer day. Besides the animals, there was a café and a (very) small playground inside the park, as well as restrooms at the ticket booth. There was a shortage of benches, so we sat on some steps near the bears and had lunch! At the ticket booth, there was also a café and a shop with zoo teddy bears, but it wasn’t open the day we were there.
3. The Grand Park
The Grand Park of Tirana, also known as the Park on the Artificial Lake, is a beautiful green area in the southern part of the city, close to Tirana Zoo and the water park. The park covers an area of 289 hectares and is administered by the Municipality of Tirana. The distinctive feature of the park is the artificially created lake. We enjoyed walking along the lake, and the children played on the playground, which is one of the very few in Tirana. Unlike the zoo, there were many benches here, and we appreciated the shade on this hot day. The park was built in 1955-56 and was originally called the “Park of Saint Procopius,” named after Saint Procopius Church, which is located in the park. The church was built in the 18th century but was destroyed in 1967 during the communist era. While we were there, the church area was a construction site with lots of hammering and pounding. There are several kiosks, stalls selling candyfloss, a small train that runs, and a café/restaurant right by the lake. There were very few people when we visited, making it a lovely green area to relax in.
4. BunkArt 1
It was a bit of a gamble to visit Enver Hoxha’s massive bunker area with the children. We expected that it would be an experience the children would endure to make us history buffs happy. To our delight, they were very engaged in the bunker visit and fascinated by everything inside the bunker. We took bus 11 towards “Porcelan” from Rruga Ludovik Shllaku, near the Clock Tower in the city center, not far from Skanderbeg Square. We got off at the last stop and walked a few meters back along the road we came from. Here, we went through a 180-meter-long tunnel to reach the ticket building. We paid 2200 LEK for 2 adults and three children (6, 9, and 11 years old) and walked up the gravel path to the bunker entrance. The bunker complex itself is impressive. We greatly benefited from reading this blog post, which describes in detail the various rooms in the bunker. Enver Hoxha’s room and the large communal room with a small stage, now used for theater performances and similar events, left the biggest impression on us. The children were particularly intrigued by the rooms with interactive installations, such as the room with snow that told the story of the camps in Albania and the room that discussed poison gas. There was a button you could press in that room, and it was supposed to release disco smoke to illustrate the poison gas that the Albanians themselves produced (unfortunately, the button didn’t work when we were there). There was also a horse’s head with a gas mask. However, we quickly exited that room when a TV screen showed images of a horse subjected to a gas attack!
5. Skanderbeg Square
The central square in Tirana is the city’s landmark and also has something to offer for children. If, like us, you have a horse-loving girl, the equestrian statue of the national hero Skanderbeg will certainly be a hit. Every time we visited the square, a group of musicians played traditional Albanian music, which was a hit with our music-loving boy. In one corner of the large square, there was a small amusement area for children: a carousel and a trampoline. Children could jump on the trampoline while being secured with a large elastic band, allowing them to jump extra high. We only know the price for the trampoline, which was 200 LEK.
Tirana may not have many playgrounds and, compared to many other European capitals, it may not have a dedicated children’s program, but that being said, our children had a fantastic week in Tirana, and they certainly didn’t get bored. We hope the information above encourages you to visit Tirana with children.
