The Dajt National Park, surrounding the eponymous massif, practically starts at the eastern edge of Tirana and is a very popular place for day trips out of the city.

If you're short on time, however, you can hit the slopes of Dajti in just a few dozen minutes, thanks to the modern Dajti Express cable car, which will take you to places with spectacular panoramic views of the whole of Tirana.

Up to 1,000 metres above sea level

The cable car takes you from the Porcelani housing estate in the east of the city to about two-thirds of the Dajt massif.

The top station of the cable car is located at 1,030 metres above sea level, and although it only offers views to the west, you won't regret it. The whole wide plain filled with Tirana opens up before you.

Around the top station of the cable car, you can play mini golf for 1 300 all, stroll through a beautifully landscaped shaded garden with plenty of benches and breathtaking views, and refresh yourself in two rather expensive restaurants.

Outside the Dajti Express area, you can shoot air rifles on the shooting range or go horseback riding.

Hiking

Several marked hiking trails start at the top station of the cable car, although local signage is definitely not as good as in other European countries, so expect to use a map often.

The most popular hike is the Dajti Ridge trail, which first climbs steeply but briefly (about 1.5 km) from the top station of the cable car to an elevation of 1,600 meters, and then continues for about 4.5 km on a panoramic ridge hike to the road at the Qaf Priskë saddle at Lake Shkallës. O

From here, minibuses run approximately every hour down to Tirana. Reverse routing would be preferable, but tickets for the cable car can only be bought at the lower station, not the upper one, and not for either way down.

Ticket price and operating hours

The cable car is open every day from 9:00 to 19:30.

The return fare costs 1 400 all, a one-way ticket costs 800 all. You can also pay by credit card.

The total ride time is less than 20 minutes.

Official website: dajtiekspres.com

How to get to the cable car?

You can get directly to the lower station by taxi from the centre of Tirana for about 1 800 all, or by city bus number 11 (about once every 10-15 minutes).

The bus stop in the centre is opposite the bus station to the airport (see location on the map), on the way to the cable car it is convenient to get off at this stop and walk about 200 metres through the estate. After that, you have to climb about 300 metres up a steep street to the cable car.

The buses back to Tirana stop closer, right at the junction of the main street and the street leading to the cable car.

Although it may appear from the bus plans that line 11 goes directly to the lower station of the cable car, this is not the case. The bus journey from the centre takes about 25 minutes.