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Europe's Hidden Corner - Tirana Travel Guide

Let’s be honest - Tirana probably isn’t on your European city break shortlist. That’s your first mistake. Albania’s capital is one of the most surprising cities in Europe: compact, affordable, and full of intriguing contradictions.

May 146 min read

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Recent Adventures

Europe's Hidden Corner - Tirana Travel Guide

Second Time in...Barcelona

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Second Time In...Berlin

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As Seen In

112

Countries Visited

Years

Travelling

Blogs Published

Bylines Published

Quasi-Deportation from Belarus

Things that feel thoroughly unnatural - a quick primer:

1. Bright sunlight at 11.30pm
2. Spurs winning a European trophy for the first time since I was 6 months old.

Yet here we are ☀️🏆 COYS COYS COYFS

Currently on a ferry (final picture) heading to the Lofoten Islands, supposedly one of the most beautiful places in the world.

They have some stiff competition from within their own borders - Norway is remarkable in whichever direction you look and at whatever time of year 🇳🇴🇳🇴

The view from Trolltunga (first pic) is one of my all time favourite travel photos - even if I didn’t look down at the time 😂 - and other return trips (Svalbard, Lillehammer, Oslo) have never disappointed.

Which country always amazes you, no matter how often you return?

#travel #travelblogger #travelblog #travelphotography #travelwriter #wanderlust #goexplore #adventureseeker #doyoutravel #travelmore #lovetotravel #roamtheplanet #wonderful_places #travelgram #travelholic #bbctravel #cntravel #theculturetrip #traveling #travelling #travels #someoneelsescountry #norway #visitnorway🇳🇴 #bestofnorwegiannature #bestofnorway #trolltunga #svalbard #visitsvalbard #lillehammer

Tirana isn’t top of most people’s European weekends away. That’s your first mistake. Albania’s capital defies every tired guidebook trope you can think of - it’s not Paris of the East, it doesn’t claim to be where East meets West and it has absolutely no interest in being a hidden gem for influencers 🇦🇱

What Tirana definitively can be classified as is one of Europe’s most intriguing destinations, with a typical tourist day consisting of:

🕳️ A Cold War bunker the size of a small village, now part wax museum, part fever dream, complete with flickering lights and mannequin jump scares you definitely weren’t ready for at 10am

🚠 A mountaintop cable car escape, where the views go full panorama and the air gets suspiciously wholesome – perfect for pondering geopolitics or waiting for the feral cats to share your lunch

🕵️‍♂️ A former surveillance HQ so eerie it’ll have you checking your phone’s microphone settings and reevaluating your relationship with state-issued furniture

🍲 Hidden courtyards dishing up slow-cooked lamb, smoky cheese stews, and raki that could strip paint – all before you accidentally buy a 1970s propaganda poster and other such kitch

…and that’s before you stumble on the pyramid no one agrees on, the retro cocktail bar replete with telephones last seen in your grandmother’s house, and the best artisan shopping this side of the Adriatic.

📖 New blog ‘Europe’s Hidden Corner’ is now live – link in bio.

#travel #travelblogger #travelblog #travelphotography #travelwriter #wanderlust #goexplore #adventureseeker #doyoutravel #travelmore #lovetotravel #roamtheplanet #wonderful_places #travelgram #travelholic #bbctravel #cntravel #theculturetrip #traveling #travelling #travels #someoneelsescountry #albania #tirana #bestofalbania #visitalbania #visittirana #albaniaexplore #travelalbania @visit.tiranaofficial @visitalbania__

🇹🇳The road south from Tunis to Sousse is unexpectedly lush 🇹🇳

Lining the route, telegraph poles stand like accidental conservation projects, each crowned with an oversized stork’s nest. They look like ambitious DIY tree houses built on stilts.

In local culture, storks are the gold standard of faithfulness and reliability. They remain faithful to a single partner for life and reliably return to the same nest each year. Tunisian wives greatly admire them, decreeing, “May all our husbands be storks,” according to our guide Imed.

I can’t claim such a degree of reliability myself, but I am excited to be back in Tunisia for the first time in 30 years…

New article “A Journey Through Tunisia’s Living History” written for @fwtmagazine - link in bio

#travel #travelblogger #travelblog #travelphotography #travelwriter #wanderlust #goexplore #adventureseeker #doyoutravel #travelmore #lovetotravel #roamtheplanet #wonderful_places #travelgram #travelholic #bbctravel #cntravel #theculturetrip #traveling #travelling #travels #someoneelsescountry @ifwtwa1 @traveltunisia_ #visittunisia #tunisia #bestoftunisia #tunis #sibibousaid #eljem #sousse

I’d heard great things about Annecy (in the Savoie region of France) but had no idea it would be one of the most picture-perfect places in Europe.

The hiking is sublime, the the cuisine is all you expect from France (and then throw in a market or two!) and the historic centre and lakeside is highly strollable and picturesque whichever you turn in 🥖🍷🥾🚤🇫🇷

If that wasn’t enough, the chateau on the opposite bank of the lake was the inspiration for Beauty and The Beast.

Case closed, Annecy is a delight! @visitannecy @visitsavoie

#travel #travelblogger #travelblog #travelphotography #travelwriter #wanderlust #goexplore #adventureseeker #doyoutravel #travelmore #lovetotravel #roamtheplanet #wonderful_places #travelgram #travelholic #theculturetrip #traveling #travelling #travels #someoneelsescountry #france #annency #visitannecy #savoie #visitsavoie

Getting stiff armed into a €40 jug of watered down sangria on La Rambla is a rite of passage on their first trip to Barcelona. To be fair so is strolling round all things Gaudi - and come next year and the Sagrada Familia will *checks notes* actually be finished 🥳

As such a huge city, the joy of Barcelona can’t be fully captured on a single visit so a return trip allows you to get away from the tourist drags and enjoy…

☕️ The best churros in the city where Catalan is the only language on the menu and being spoken inside the cafe

🏊‍♂️ The green heart of the city complete with castle and the world’s most scenic swimming pool (those with memories of Barcelona ‘92 already know!)

🍇 The market where locals stock up on their produce, as atmospheric as La Boqueria but at half the price with a quarter of the tourists

🥾 The excursion everyone tells you to do but you never get round to - the monastery in the clouds accessible only by trash and cable car with some of the best hiking in Spain

In Barcelona, second time is most definitely charm and you’ll love it even more than your initial visit

New blog - Second Time in Barcelona - now live. Link in bio.

#travel #travelblogger #travelblog #travelphotography #travelwriter #wanderlust #goexplore #adventureseeker #doyoutravel #travelmore #lovetotravel #roamtheplanet #wonderful_places #travelgram #travelholic #bbctravel #cntravel #theculturetrip #traveling #travelling #travels #someoneelsescountry #barcelona #catalonia #catalunya #visitcatalunya @visitbarcelona

I knew very little about Tucson a before visiting a few weeks ago for @hellotravelcon - only that the street art, saguaros and Sonora hot dogs were all highlights (can confirm!) 🎨🌵🌭

I didn’t have a car with me and was delighted to find public transport - notably the downtown @sunlink_tucson was free to ride.

I used it all weekend to explore this fantastic city, including @seiskitchen @roadrunnersahl @propershopstucson @silentadventuresaz @antigonebooks @4thavetucson.

A fantastic city to explore by streetcar with authentic independent stores, sensational food everywhere you turn and diverse and quirky nightlife. It very quickly became one of my favourite American cities and I’ll definitely be back.

“No Car = No Problem: Tucson by Streetcar” - Guest blog written for @visittucson now live - link in bio.

#travel #travelblogger #travelblog #travelphotography #travelwriter #wanderlust #goexplore #adventureseeker #doyoutravel #travelmore #lovetotravel #roamtheplanet #wonderful_places #travelgram #travelholic #bbctravel #cntravel #theculturetrip #traveling #travelling #travels #someoneelsescountry #arizona #visittucson #tucson #bestoftucson #bestofthesouthwest #streetcar

One year ago, after multiple false starts the sun finally came out in Sydney and I understood why everyone wants to emigrate here.

Unashamedly ticking off a major travel bucket list goal by kayaking under the Harbour Bridge 🛶 ☀️

#travel #travelblogger #travelblog #travelphotography #travelwriter #wanderlust #goexplore #adventureseeker #doyoutravel #travelmore #lovetotravel #roamtheplanet #wonderful_places #travelgram #travelholic #bbctravel #cntravel #theculturetrip #traveling #travelling #travels #someoneelsescountry #sydney #bestofsydney #australia #kayaking

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Explore Someone Else's Country

Featured Story

Europe's Hidden Corner - Tirana Travel Guide

Recent Adventures

Europe's Hidden Corner - Tirana Travel Guide

Second Time in...Barcelona

Second Time In...Berlin

5 Perfect European City Breaks for Mother’s Day

Top 5 Tapas in Madrid...and Where To Find It

5 Best Travel Reads for World Book Day

As Seen In

Bylines Published

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