Blloku, and why everything happens there
Blloku was the district reserved for the Communist Party elite, closed to the public until 1991. It has become the centre of Tirana's nightlife: ground-floor bars, terraces, rooftops, all packed into a few streets around Ismail Qemali street. You walk from bar to bar, which makes it the easiest part of the city for a night out without a car.
Albanian hours, which catch people out
Bars fill after ten at night and clubs do not take off before one in the morning, running until five. Arriving at eight in a Blloku bar means dinner, not a night out. The district's clubs mainly run Thursday to Saturday: on a Monday evening Tirana is a quiet city, and it is worth knowing that before you plan your stopover.
What it costs, and it is very little
This is the cheapest capital in Europe for a night out. A local beer runs around two to three euros in a bar, a cocktail between six and ten. Club entry goes from free to about five euros, and the city's best-known rooftop, on Dëshmorët e Kombit boulevard, sits between five and ten. You can spend a whole evening in Tirana for the price of one cocktail in many European capitals.
Two kinds of address, and one to book
Blloku has its institutions: a retro vinyl bar to start the night, more serious cocktail addresses for later, and elevated terraces for summer. The only one that needs planning is the mixology bar that international rankings have picked up: for a weekend, book several days ahead. For everything else you turn up and walk in.