On hot summer days, or simply when you're tired of the city's hustle and bustle, head to the dam in the southern part of Tirana, around which is the Great Tirana Park, otherwise known as Parku i Madh Kodrat e Liqenit, or "Park of Hills and Lakes".

In the park, you will walk along several kilometres of beautiful landscaped paths that are ideal for both walkers and runners, for whom there are strips of soft natural ground.

There are dozens of benches along the lake and in other parts of the park, as well as many restaurants and cafés by the dam.

In the central part of the park you can visit the Church of St. Procopius and if you happen to catch an evening concert, theatre performance or other event, you can also visit the Amphitheatre, a modern open-air theatre.

Big park

Zoo Tirana

On the very southern edge of the park is Tirana's main zoo. It's one of the smallest of the European capitals in terms of size, and a visit needn't take an hour.

Entrance costs 300 all and official information (in Albanian only) can be found on the website: aprtirana.al

How to get to the park?

From the centre, the Great Park is a pleasant walk through streets sheltered from the sun by avenues of trees. It is impossible to get lost. Just take any of the streets from the centre and head south. The park is so large that you can reach some parts of it within a 20-minute walk.

From Skanderbeg Square you can also reach the park and the zoo by bus L.2, which runs every 10-15 minutes.