It’s time, dear travelers for a Book Lover’s Guide to Albania! With Greece ticked and thoroughly completed, we jumped on a plane headed for Tirana, the capital of Albania. For those unfamiliar with Albania, it’s a tiny Balkan country bordered by Greece to the south, Montenegro to the north and the Adriatic sea to the west. It’s a country steeped with culture and history, and a country still trying to figure out its identity and how to come to terms with its past. With a population of under 3 million people and infrastructure still emerging from 40 years of Communist dictatorship, you’d be forgiven if you didn’t think there’d be many bookish places of interest in Albania. However, with a bit of digging and some perseverance, you can uncover many delights for book lovers.
Libraria Adrion City Centre
Sheshi Skënderbej,
Tirana, Albania
+355 4 224 0018
https://www.adrionltd.com/en/
Boasting the biggest range of English books in Tirana, and possibly all of Albania, Libraria Adrion is everything you’d expect from a modern chain bookstore in a rapidly growing city. They stock the whole gamut, from YA, adult, new releases, non-fiction, crime, history, politics and more. You’ll also find inside an enormous wall of classics, as well as a large selection of manga and even art books! Of all the bookshops in this Book Lover’s Guide to Albania this one is definitely not to be missed.
X-Factor: As you’ve probably guessed, the range! There are just so many books here, and so many of them in English as well.
![](https://babblingbooks.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Adrion_-_front-700x467.jpg)
![](https://babblingbooks.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Adrion_-_inside-700x467.jpg)
Libraria Adrion Shopping Centre
Tirana, Albania
Somewhat difficult to find as it’s hidden on the ground floor of a small shopping centre. Smaller than the main Adrion bookstore listed above, this store nonetheless stocks a good range of English options in a variety of genres including classics, YA, adult and new releases.
X-Factor: Much like the main Adrion store, this store dedicates a whole shelf to Ismael Kadare, a famous Albanian author.
![](https://babblingbooks.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Adrion_SC_-_front-700x467.jpg)
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Librari Albania, Tirana
Rruga Sami Frashëri,
Tirana, Albania
www.albaniabook.com
Librari Albania is a moderately sized bookstore, clearly popular with the locals looking for back-to-school items. There’s a very eclectic selection of English novels and non-fiction: Think 50 Shades of Grey next to Tolstoy’s War and Peace!
X-Factor: Staff member Aldo is very friendly and helpful. She speaks excellent English and even had travel suggestions for our stay. If you visit, make sure to say hello!
![](https://babblingbooks.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Librari_Albania_-_front-700x467.jpg)
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Friends Book House
Rruga Sami Frashëri,
Tirana, Albania
https://www.facebook.com/Friends-Book-House-304922983269/
Our first European entry that is neither a library nor a bookstore! Friends Book House is a very cute book-themed café. Buy a book (in Albanian) or just a drink and cake in this quaint café/book store hybrid. Good free wifi, and reasonably priced drinks. No English, unfortunately, but the perfect spot to alternate between people watching and reading.
X-Factor: Quiet reading room which costs 100lek (around .80c Euro at the time of writing) to sit inside and read, surrounded by walls of books.
![](https://babblingbooks.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Friends_Book_House_-_front-700x467.jpg)
![](https://babblingbooks.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Friends_Book_House_-_inside-700x467.jpg)
We had a great time exploring the country, but particularly writing and researching this guide to Albania. The only low point was when I lost my phone. From Tirana we headed to Montenegro!
If you’d like to discover more locations for lovers of literature in Eastern Europe read these other guides:
- Budva, Montenegro
- Bucharest, Brasov,& Iași, Romania
- Novi Sad & Subotica, Serbia
If you’re interested in more locations, check out the other guides we’ve written!
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I lived three years in Albania (2004-2007) and at that time, Adrion at Sheshi Skenderbeg was the only place to buy books in English. (Ismail Kadare was my neighbor and I saw him frequently passing by on the street or his favorite coffeeshop.) Albania is a lovely country, very much underrated still, and I am also glad that bookstore-wise the country has developed quite well in the last years.
Albania was absolutely gorgeous, and was brimming with energy and enthusiasm when we visited. We loved our time there!