Tirana Bars

The line between a cafe and a bar barely exists in Tirana. The same room that sells macchiatos at nine in the morning is serving beer and raki by nine at night, and the terrace furniture never moves. That makes the bar scene unusually easy: pick a street in Blloku and work along it.

Drinks are cheap by European standards. Domestic beer, Albanian raki and Italian wine make up most orders. Terraces stay in use late into autumn, and in summer the tables spill across the pavements until the small hours, which is when the quarter is at its best.