📝 NightLife in Tirana: Delusion 📖 🎥 📎

I wrote in detail about Tirana, but now it's time to talk about the weakest point of this city, its nightlife.

Despite its tall skyscrapers and seemingly modern appearance, Tirana hides a very "abnormal" nightlife scene.

Since I stayed in the city for a week, I decided to do some research, both online and in person, to understand what the nightlife was really like. During the first few days (midweek) I quickly realized that it was practically non-existent: many bars and lounges (located in the nightlife district) close between ten and eleven in the evening. At first, I didn't think much of it, assuming that the situation would be different over the weekend. Finally arrived on Friday evening, we started walking through the streets looking for a Lounge or a Disco to spend the evening in.

I was already feeling a bit discouraged , having read mostly negative reviews on Google (especially from tourists) but I still decided to give it a try.

Our first experience was in a famous club/bar/discotheque. At the entrance, they immediately told us, especially since we were foreigners, that we had to buy a bottle and reserve a table in order to enter. We decided to leave, sensing something was off. Later, after reading and hearing other people's experiences, I found out that they charge 30-40 euros per person for a bottle, but that's not even the main issue. The real problem is that once inside, you're not allowed to move from your table, meaning you have to sit still the entire night with no chance to walk around or socialize, something they conveniently forget to mention at the entrance.

Our experience on Friday and Saturday nights just got worse. At another renowned lounge bar, we managed to get inside, only to be kicked out a few minutes later under the excuse of "reservation only". However, I saw with my own eyes that if you are a woman or in a couple, no reservation is required.

And then came the most absurd situation: in front of yet another nightclub, we saw people coming and going, so we decided to try our luck. The bouncer immediately told us that entry was only allowed for couples or women, single men were not allowed in. Seriously? That had never happened to me anywhere before, and I found it completely unacceptable.

In short, there isn't a single decent nightclub or club in Tirana where you can freely enter and enjoy the night, unless you are a woman.This made our nightlife experience incredibly disappointing, leaving us wandering through the cold streets on Saturday night with nothing to do.

I honestly won't go back to Tirana until things change. I believe this is one of the main reasons the city struggles to truly grow as a tourist destination.

Turning away foreign tourists, who actually bring money, is simply crazy and absurd, almost beyond belief. It was a terrible experience that I would never want to repeat.

Small positive note: there was one single Bar where you could freely enter, sit down and even dance, the Radio Bar Tirana. It was genuinely welcoming, full of good vibes, and always crowded (especially with foreigners). If it hadn't been for the Radio Bar, we would have been bored all week, and the holiday would have been a complete disaster.

To sum up, I don't recommend Tirana to anyone who enjoys nightlife, because there is virtually no decent nightlife to be found. There's really only one word to describe it: horrible.

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