Grand Park

The Grand Park lies at the southern end of the boulevard, about twenty minutes on foot from Skanderbeg Square, and is where Tirana goes to stop moving. It cover…The Grand Park lies at the southern end of the boulevard, about twenty minutes on foot from Skanderbeg Square, and is where Tirana goes to stop moving. It covers something in the order of two hundred and thirty hectares of pine and cypress around an artificial lake, with a path circling the water that takes roughly an hour at a walking pace.

The eastern side holds the zoo, the botanical garden and a small church; the northern shore has cafes and terraces looking over the water. Rowing boats operate in summer. Early on a Sunday the whole city seems to be there, walking, running and drinking coffee, and it is one of the few places in Tirana where the traffic noise genuinely drops away.

The surrounding streets are quieter and more residential than the centre, which makes them a reasonable place to stay if you want distance from the Blloku noise and do not mind a fifteen-minute walk in. Several of the city's better cafes sit along the approach roads. The park is open and free, and the lake path is lit well enough to be used into the evening.