Practical Information for the CEENQA Workshop & General Assembly
11 – 12 May 2018, Tirana, Albania
VENUE
CEENQA Workshop and General Assembly will take place at Tirana International, in Tirana, the capital city of Albania.
ARRIVAL AND TRANSPORT
Participants of the CEENQA Workshop & General Assembly 2018 are requested to make their own travel arrangements to and from the airport. Tirana International Airport “Mother Teresa” is situated 17 km from the city center of Tirana.
From the airport to the Hotel/Venue
Hotel Transfer:
Tirana International Hotel offers a two-ways transfer from and to the airport at a special price of 35 Euros. The participants who will use this service, have to inform and book this at the hotel reservation form.
Public Bus
An express bus operates 12 hours a day (6 am to 6 pm) as an hourly service (6.00 am-7.00-8.00…6.00pm.) between the airport terminal and the National Museum in the center of Tirana, 5 minutes walking to Tirana International Hotel. The trip takes about 20-40 minutes (depending on the traffic) and the single fare costs 250 ALL (2 Euros).
Taxi transfer
The taxis at the airport may charge different rates, so ask about the price in advance if using those. Normally a single ride costs around 20 Euros, but it can be more expensive at night and/or during weekends.
We would recommend the hotel transfer instead of a free taxi at the airport.
SOCIAL PROGRAM
A social programme will be organized by ASCAL on 12th May 2018, from 15.00 to 19.00 hr.
Further details will be added soon.
Those participants who are interested to join the SP, are kindly requested to inform this in the Registration Form to the event.
CURRENCY
The Albanian money is LEK (ALL). The exchange rates are better at the currency exchange offices. The average exchange rate of Euro is 1 Euro = 130-131 lek. You can find an exchange bureau of Banka Kombetare Tregtare at Arrivals and Check in hall of the airport, but it does not provide the most economical exchange rate. The taxis can accept euros as well. Once in the city, you will find easily bureaus to exchange money for ALL. Another possibility would be to use the ATM machine to take out cash.
VISIT TIRANA IN SHORT TIME
1 - The National Historical Museum is the most important museum in Albania and contains a well-documented history of the country. The museum is divided into eight pavilions: Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Independence, Iconography, National Liberation Anti-Fascism War, Communist Terror, and Mother Teresa.
Location: Center of Tirana, Skanderbeg Square
2 – Clock Tower is a cultural monument that has shown the time in Tirana since 1822. It stands beside Et’hem Bey mosque, built by the same person. The Clock Tower comprises a major part of the emblem of Tirana Municipality and together with the mosque forms a unique architectural ensemble.
Location: Center of Tirana, Skanderbeg Square
3- Bunkart 2 is the latest museum opened in Tirana in the framework of the National Day of Tirana Liberation. This top-secret nuclear bunker now is a new museum with aim to show visitors how Communist-era police persecuted the regime’s opponents.
Location: Center of Tirana, Abdi Toptani Street.
4 - National Arts Gallery. The beginnings of the National Arts Gallery can be traced back to the endeavours of a group of Albanian artists and the Arts Committee of 1946. The gallery currently houses 4626 artworks and more than 600 registered artists in the archives. The Gallery of Arts is the only national institution that exhibits, conserves, studies, restores, publishes, documents and archives the works of art in the country.
Location: Blv. Deshmoret e Kombit
5 - House of Leaves is the newest museum to open in Albania, and probably the most intriguing. It is considered to be the equivalent of the Stasi headquarters of the former East Germany. The leaves have a double meaning: things hidden in woods, but also the leave of books and files, on people.
Location: Deshmoret e 4 Shkurtit Street
Blloku (Block) is an upmarket area in Tirana, Albania. It widely known as an entertainment destination with its boutiques, shops, restaurants, trendy bars, pubs, and cafes. It became very attractive after the fall of Communism in Albania, because during the communist period it was a restricted residential area for the members of the Albanian politburo, ordinary Albanians would not be allowed in. Since the fall of communism in Albania, a dramatic growth of new developments has taken place. Blloku has been called the "playground of the young Albanian elite". Blloku was finally opened to the public in 1991.
In Blloku you can visit the residence of Albania’s communist leader Enver Hoxha. The former residence of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha is a mixture of rationalist and brutalism architectural styles. It combines two buildings, one created for an Italian citizen in 1942 where Hoxha installed in 1945 and a subsequent one built in 1973 known as Villa 31. The neighborhood, which at the time was reserved exclusively for the communist dignitaries, is now a highly frequented area. This simple three-store villa was the home of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha for decades. The house is now open to the public. The entrance of Blloku is only 10-15 minutes by foot from the city center of Tirana.