When an archaeologist in the Albanian port of Durres noticed a fig tree had collapsed into a hollow near the town walls, little did he realise, at first, what he had discovered.
Digging down, though, he found some stones. They looked old – and proved to be just that. For this was part of a vast Roman amphitheatre, capable of holding 20,000 spectators dating from 100AD.
The year was 1966. Durres suddenly, after a major excavation, had a ‘new’, 66ft-high ancient arena.
Tirana, Albania’s capital, and its nearby seaport of Durres, 25 miles to the west, are full of unexpected discoveries.
But all have one thing in common: they’re great value, so much so that Tirana has just been ranked third cheapest city in Europe, according to the Post Office City Costs Barometer for 2026.
Entrance to the spectacular amphitheatre? £2.30. Tickets to a performance at Tirana’s opera house? £3.50. Entry to top museums? £6. Three-course meal with wine at a high-end restaurant serving traditional regional cuisine? About £25.
Meanwhile, you can expect to pay around £65 for a double room in a smart Tirana hotel and return flights are as little as £30.
It’s certainly extremely good value.
The downtown city of Tirana – one of Europe’s cheapest city breaks
The Great Mosque of Tirana, or Namazgah Mosque, is the largest in the Balkans
Travel writer Tom Chesshyre in Skanderbeg Square, Tirana
Analysts at credit card company Zable even recently rated it as such ahead of Plovdiv in Bulgaria and Tallinn in Estonia, which came second and third in a ‘Bang For Your Buck’ study.
So some experts say it’s really Europe’s cheapest city break destination (no matter what the Post Office says).
Exploring both Tirana and Durres, Albania’s second city, on a long weekend is a great first taste of this lesser-visited country. The latter makes a perfect day trip – £2.70 return on buses. It’s a pleasure strolling along the promenade near the main marina and amphitheatre, with a breeze coming off the Adriatic Sea.
A park runs along the waterfront here, dotted with statues of gladiators, ancient fishermen and – somewhat bizarrely – figurines depicting John Lennon, Tina Turner, Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger, right.
These are great fun. Jagger is captured prancing about. Lennon is thoughtfully strumming a guitar. Dylan looks a little dazed and confused as to how he’s ended up in an Albanian port. And Turner is gleefully strutting her stuff.
The statues were installed to symbolise post-communist cultural openness. It is, after all, a mere 35 years since the repressive regime installed by Enver Hoxha fell.
We drop by the Venetian Tower and stop for a pizza (£4.50) and Korca beer (£2.70) at a bar on the pier – toasting the great value and being away from tourist hordes elsewhere in the Med.
Back in Tirana, we visit the House of Leaves, a former interrogation centre run by the Sigurimi, Hoxha’s dreaded secret police. Here we learn about thousands of deaths and missing people, how just about everywhere was bugged, and how family members spied on relatives.
The city’s Skanderbeg Square is a colourful centrepiece
The Bunk’Art 2 museum in Tirana leads you down through history, bringing to life the communist history in the country alongside modern art displays
The interiors of Bunk’Art1 provide a glimpse inside the tumultuous past of Albania, including Hoxha’s private office
Hoxha clearly had a paranoid streak. During his reign he dug 175,000 bunkers ready for a war or nuclear fallout. One of these is close to Skanderbeg Square, named after a national hero who defeated the Ottomans in the 15th century.
It’s called Bunk’Art2 with thick doors leading to chambers where yet more communist tales of terrors are told, while modern art attempts to lift the mood. It’s more of the same at Bunk’Art1, an even bigger hideaway that was to be Hoxha’s headquarters after a nuclear strike.
Inside, you can visit his wood-panelled bedroom and office, complete with a desktop picture of Stalin.
This weird and eerie complex is beside a cable car that whisks you 3,000ft up Mount Dajti. From here you get the best view of Albania’s capital, with jagged peaks towering all around it.
Yet the joy of Tirana is in its infectiously laid-back social scene – and the feeling of a release from the tension of communist days remains palpable.
The food’s not bad either. In the Blloku neighbourhood, once home to the communist elite, we dine on tender beef casserole and sip fine Albanian wine at the splendid Era Piceri. Afterwards, we drop in at Baza Bar to listen to live music: a chanteuse singing Amy Winehouse hits (very well).
Beers are £3.60. Shots of raki, the local firewater, are provided free by a friendly barman.
Locals tell us about life in Tirana (they love it). We agree: it’s fun, it’s happy. You never know quite what to expect.
And it’s all a far cry from the dark days of Enver Hoxha’s repressive and brutal regime.
