Tirana, in my view, needs three days. One to do a walking tour and the central sights around the main Skanderbeg Square, another day to do the Grand Park, museums and galleries and a third to do Bunk’Art 1 and Dajti Express on the outskirts of the city. Such a shame, with only one full day I plummed for the out of town sights.

The number 11 bus from the central Skanderbeg Square takes you on a hot, crowded 30 minute journey to Bunk’1 Art. Expect to stand!

Bunk’ Art 1 will not be on everyone’s itinerary, but it is one of those incredible ‘ living’ museums that seems to only have been abandoned yesterday. Nothing has changed since it was built in 1978, bar the addition of a few shiny new red fire hydrants and modern exit signage. Otherwise it a 5 storey cold, damp, airless, underground bunker built for Hoxha and his faithful in the event of nuclear attack. Rooms now double up as a pictorial exhibition of Albania’s last 100 years. There is so much to see, read and understand, but my time was limited to the tolerance I had at being in such an oppressive place. I learnt one thing new thing about myself. I won’t ever be putting my name down for a seat in a nuclear bunker. What a grim existence that would be.

Fresh air desperately needed!

Wonderfully, just a 5 minute walk from the bunker exit is the lower station of the Datji Express Cable Car. The cable car takes you on a beautifully silent 15 minute trip up the side of Mount Datji ( at 1613m / 5300 feet) where you get a majestic 180 degree view of the city below, mountain ranges to north and south as far as you can see and the Adriatic in front . Breathtakingly beautiful, refreshing and uplifting me back in to the 21st century.

Finally, back in the city to climb the Pyramid of Tirana built in 1988 as a museum to Hoxha, an idea ‘scrapped’ in 1991 as the communist regime fell. Now reinvented as a art space, but more importantly a structure to clamber up for a sunset city view.

I still have a list of places I wished to visit in Tirana, but I suppose you always need a reason to return.