7 Days in Azerbaijan: Exploring Baku, the Absheron Peninsula & Gobustan Through Food, History and Adventure

Four days around Baku and the Absheron Peninsula are enough to get a fascinating introduction to Azerbaijan — especially if food is one of the main reasons you travel.

The best way to experience the area is to use Baku as a base and combine the city’s historic Old Town and modern architecture with day trips across the Absheron Peninsula. From the seaside streets of Baku to the ancient fire temples of Surakhani, the coastal village of Nardaran, and the otherworldly landscapes of Gobustan, there is a surprising amount to discover within a short distance.

But the biggest part of the experience is the food.

Azerbaijani cuisine is built around rice, meat, fresh herbs, vegetables, bread, dairy and dried fruits, with each dish reflecting the country’s location between the Caucasus, Iran, Central Asia and the Caspian Sea. In Baku, traditional restaurants and local eateries are the perfect places to try dishes such as plov, kebabs, qutab, dolma and dushbara, alongside endless glasses of Azerbaijani tea and regional sweets.

A typical day can easily combine sightseeing with eating: start with breakfast and tea in Baku, explore the Old City and Maiden Tower, stop for qutab or kebab for lunch, then head across the Absheron Peninsula to discover ancient fire-worshipping sites and coastal villages. Another day can be spent exploring Gobustan’s prehistoric rock carvings and mud volcanoes before returning to Baku for a traditional Azerbaijani dinner.

This is a guide to exploring Baku, Nardaran, Surakhani, Gobustan and the wider Absheron Peninsula, with the food given just as much importance as the attractions, because in Azerbaijan, understanding the cuisine is one of the best ways to understand the country itself.

🇦🇿My Azerbaijan Trip at a Glance

📍 Base: Baku
🗓️ Length: 7 days
🏛️ Day trips: Gobustan, Nardaran, Surakhany
⛰️ Nature: Gobustan, Yanardagh
🏖️ Beach: Nardaran
🏺 History: Baku Icherisheher, Ateshgah, Gobustan
🍴 Foods I tried: Shah Plov, Lula Kebab, Sabzi Qovurma, Fisinjan, Pomidor Yumurta, Dolma, Pakhlava, Tandir Bread, Shirin Qovurma & Azerbaijani Tea.

Day 1 — Discovering Tirana on Foot

I wanted my first day in Albania to be fairly simple.

Rather than trying to see everything immediately, I decided to explore Tirana on foot. Walking turned out to be one of my favorite ways to experience the city because it allowed me to move between the major sights while also discovering the smaller streets and neighborhoods along the way.

My first stop was Skanderbeg Square, the central point of Tirana.

The enormous square is named after Skanderbeg, Albania’s national hero, whose statue stands prominently in the middle. From here, many of Tirana’s main sights are within walking distance, so it felt like the perfect place to begin.

The square is surrounded by some of the city’s most recognizable buildings and landmarks, including the Et’hem Bey Mosque, which I visited as part of my walk around the center.

I also came across churches and other religious buildings as I explored. One thing I found interesting about Tirana was seeing different religious traditions existing alongside each other.

For me, the best part was simply walking between the sights rather than rushing from one attraction to the next.

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My First Taste of Albanian Food

Of course, I couldn’t explore Albania without immediately starting to explore its food.

One of the first things I tried was byrek.

If you’ve never had it, byrek is a flaky pastry made with thin layers of dough and traditionally filled with ingredients such as cheese, spinach or meat. It’s simple, inexpensive and incredibly easy to find.

I also tried sufllaqe, another popular quick meal. It was exactly the kind of food I wanted while exploring, something I could eat without interrupting the day.

And then came dessert.

Trileçe was one of my favorite discoveries.

This soft, milk-soaked cake is sweet, creamy and incredibly comforting. After trying it for the first time, I knew I was going to have to try it again before leaving Albania.

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Exploring Pazari i Ri

Later in the day, I made my way to Pazari i Ri, or the New Bazaar.

The atmosphere here felt different from the monumental center around Skanderbeg Square. There were restaurants, cafés, shops and people enjoying the neighborhood, and it was a great place to slow down and simply wander.

This was one of those places where I didn’t really need a plan. I could walk around, look at the buildings and shops, stop for food or a drink and watch the city go by.

By the end of my first day, I’d already had my first real taste of Tirana, both literally and figuratively.

I had seen some of the city’s most important landmarks, walked through different neighborhoods and, most importantly, started discovering Albanian cuisine.

And I was only getting started.

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Day 2 — A Half-Day Trip to Krujë

For my second day, I decided to get out of Tirana and visit Krujë, a historic town located north of the capital.

Getting there was relatively straightforward. I took a bus from Tirana’s North–South Bus Terminal, which serves routes connecting the capital with destinations around Albania.

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The journey itself was a nice change from being in the city. As we moved away from Tirana, the landscape became more mountainous, and Krujë soon began to feel very different from the capital.

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Krujë Castle

The main reason I wanted to visit Krujë was its famous castle.

Krujë Castle is one of the most important historical sites associated with Albania and with Skanderbeg, who famously led resistance against the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century.

Exploring Krujë Castle and one of Albania’s most important historic sites.

Walking around the castle gave me a completely different perspective on Albanian history compared with what I’d seen in Tirana.

The location was also beautiful, with views across the surrounding landscape.

After exploring the castle, I headed toward another major attraction in Krujë — the old bazaar.

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Walking Through the Krujë Bazaar

The Krujë Bazaar is a traditional market street filled with small shops selling souvenirs, handicrafts, textiles and other local products.

Walking through the traditional bazaar in Krujë.

I enjoyed wandering through it without rushing. After spending time inside the castle, the bazaar felt like a natural continuation of the experience.

Eventually, though, sightseeing made me hungry.

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Trying Tavë Kosi

For lunch, I tried one of Albania’s classic dishes: tavë kosi.

Tavë kosi is traditionally made with lamb and yogurt and baked until the top becomes golden. It’s hearty, comforting and very different from the lighter street food I’d eaten on my first day.

It was exactly the kind of meal I wanted to have while traveling — something traditional rather than simply something familiar.

After lunch and a few more hours exploring, I headed back to Tirana.

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Back in Tirana: More Food, More Walking

Once I returned to the capital, I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening walking around the center.

By this point, I was becoming more comfortable with Tirana. Instead of trying to see specific attractions, I was starting to enjoy the city itself.

For dinner, I ordered several Albanian dishes so I could try a little bit of everything.

There was qofte, xaxiq, fërgesë and pilav.

A table full of Albanian favorites: qofte, xaxiq, fërgesë and pilav.

Qofte are Albanian-style meatballs, while xaxiq is a refreshing yogurt-based side similar to tzatziki.

Fërgesë was another highlight. It’s a traditional Albanian dish that combines ingredients such as peppers, tomatoes and cheese into a rich, comforting dish.

The meal was a great reminder that Albanian cuisine isn’t just about one or two famous dishes. There is a lot of variety, and many meals are designed to be shared.

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Day 3 — Durrës: Ancient Ruins, the Adriatic and Albanian Comfort Food

For my third day, I headed in the opposite direction from Krujë — toward the coast.

My destination was Durrës, one of Albania’s major coastal cities.

Again, I took a bus from Tirana’s North–South Bus Terminal.

The atmosphere changed almost immediately.

Tirana is busy and urban, while Durrës has that unmistakable coastal feeling. Suddenly there was the sea, a long waterfront and a slower pace.

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Walking Along the Durrës Promenade

I started by walking along the Durrës waterfront promenade and the city center.

It was a great way to start the day because I could simply walk, take in the sea views and get a feel for the city.

But Durrës isn’t only about the beach.

It also has a long history stretching back thousands of years, and some of that history is still visible throughout the modern city.

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Exploring the Roman Ruins

One of my favorite parts of Durrës was exploring its Roman ruins.

Standing among ancient ruins while surrounded by a modern Albanian city was a great contrast.

It’s one of the things I liked about traveling around Albania in general: history isn’t always separated from everyday life. You can be walking through a modern neighborhood and suddenly find yourself standing next to something that has been there for centuries.

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A Few Hours at the Beach

After exploring the historical side of Durrës, I went to the beach.

After several days of walking and sightseeing, it was nice to slow down.

I spent some time enjoying the beach before heading back into the city.

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Lunch in Durrës

For lunch, I ate at a local Albanian restaurant and tried fasule and pilav.

Caption: A simple and comforting Albanian lunch in Durrës.

Fasule is a traditional bean dish and is the kind of hearty, comforting food that feels very different from the quick street food I’d had earlier in the trip.

And because I apparently hadn’t had enough byrek yet, I also stopped for byrek in central Durrës.

At this point, byrek had officially become the unofficial food of my trip.

After exploring more of the city, I caught the bus back to Tirana.

It had been a completely different day from Krujë: ancient history, the Adriatic Sea, the beach and a very different side of Albania.

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Day 4 — Mount Dajti, Bunk’Art and Modern Tirana

For my final day, I stayed in Tirana and explored some of the city’s attractions and neighborhoods that I hadn’t yet had time to see.

I started with Mount Dajti.

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Mount Dajti

Getting up toward Mount Dajti gave me a completely different perspective on Tirana.

After spending several days walking through the city, being able to look down at Tirana from the mountains was a great change of scenery.

It also made me realize just how close the city is to nature. You can spend the morning surrounded by busy streets and buildings and later find yourself looking out over mountains and the entire city below.

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Bunk’Art 1 & Bunk’Art 2 — Understanding Albania’s Recent History

After Mount Dajti, I visited Bunk’Art 1 and Bunk’Art 2.

These museums are located inside former communist-era bunkers and explore Albania’s 20th-century history, including the communist period and political repression.

Caption: Exploring Bunk’Art and learning more about Albania’s communist past.

This was one of the more serious parts of my trip.

Up until this point, I’d mostly been experiencing Albania through food, architecture, landscapes and sightseeing. Bunk’Art gave me a much deeper understanding of the country’s recent history and what life was like during the communist era.

It was a reminder that traveling isn’t just about seeing beautiful places. Sometimes it’s also about understanding the history that shaped them.

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Exploring Blloku & South of Skanderbeg Square

Heading south from Skanderbeg Square, I came across the Pyramid of Tirana, one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. Originally built as a museum dedicated to former communist leader Enver Hoxha, it has since been transformed into a modern cultural space.

As I continued through the southern part of the city, I noticed the Italian influence on Tirana’s architecture. Many of the grand buildings around the center were designed or influenced by Italian architects, particularly during the period when Italy had a strong political and cultural presence in Albania in the 1930s. The buildings have a distinctive combination of Italian Rationalist and neoclassical styles, with clean geometric lines, large façades, arches and monumental proportions.

Walking through these streets, I found it interesting to see how this architecture sits alongside Albania’s communist-era buildings and newer modern developments. The different styles almost tell the story of Tirana itself — from its pre-war European influences, through communism, to the rapidly changing city of today.

I eventually reached Blloku, once a restricted neighborhood reserved for Albania’s communist political elite. Enver Hoxha’s former residence was located here. Today, Blloku is completely transformed, with cafés, restaurants, bars and lively streets. It was fascinating to walk through an area that once represented political power and isolation and is now one of the most modern and energetic parts of Tirana.

One Last Albanian Feast

Naturally, I couldn’t spend my last day without eating more Albanian food.

I tried tavë dheu, along with bukë misri, or traditional corn bread for lunch at Mount Dajti.

Caption: One of my final traditional meals in Albania.

And yes, I had another byrek.

At this point, there was no pretending that I was going to leave Albania without eating as much byrek as possible.

For dessert, I had trileçe again, as well as sheqerpare.

Sheqerpare is a traditional sweet pastry soaked in syrup, making it rich and very sweet.

It was a fitting way to end a trip that had revolved so much around discovering Albanian food.

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Getting to Know Tirana Beyond the Sights

One of the things I enjoyed most on my final day was simply walking through the neighborhoods.

There is something different about exploring a city once you’ve already seen its major landmarks.

At the beginning of the trip, I was looking for Skanderbeg Square, mosques, churches and famous attractions.

By the end, I was just walking.

I noticed small streets, local cafés, apartment buildings, people going about their day and the little details that I would probably have missed if I’d spent the whole trip rushing between tourist attractions.

For me, that was when Tirana started to feel less like somewhere I was visiting and more like somewhere I was temporarily living.

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What I Ate in Albania

One of the biggest highlights of this trip was discovering Albanian cuisine.

Here are some of the dishes I tried:

Byrek

A flaky pastry with different possible fillings, including cheese, spinach and meat. I ate this several times during my trip — in Tirana and Durrës — and it quickly became one of my favorites.

Sufllaqe

A popular quick meal that was perfect for eating while exploring the city.

Tavë Dheu

A warm conforting meat stew with local cottage cheese and vegetables perfect with a piece of crusty bread.

Tavë Kosi

A traditional baked dish made with lamb and yogurt. I tried it during my trip to Krujë.

Fërgesë

A rich traditional dish made with ingredients such as peppers, tomatoes and cheese.

Qofte

Albanian-style meatballs, perfect as part of a larger meal.

Fasule

A comforting bean dish that I tried during my day in Durrës.

Bukë Misri

Traditional Albanian corn bread, which I tried with tavë dheu.

Trileçe

A soft, sweet milk-soaked cake that quickly became one of my favorite desserts.

How I Would Spend 4 Days in Albania Again

If I were planning the same trip again, I’d keep a similar structure:

Day 1 — Tirana

Explore Skanderbeg Square, the Et’hem Bey Mosque and central Tirana. Walk through Pazari i Ri and spend the evening exploring restaurants and cafés.

Eat: Byrek, sufllaqe and trileçe.

Day 2 — Krujë

Take a bus from Tirana to Krujë. Explore Krujë Castle and the traditional bazaar before having a traditional Albanian lunch.

Eat: Tavë kosi.

Return to Tirana and explore the center in the evening.

Day 3 — Durrës

Take a bus to Durrës. Walk the waterfront, explore the Roman ruins and spend some time at the beach.

Eat: Pizza, fish or classic home cooked recipes like fasule and, of course, byrek.

Day 4 — Tirana

Head up Mount Dajti, visit Bunk’Art 1 and 2, then spend the afternoon exploring Blloku and southern Tirana.

Eat: Tavë dheu, bukë misri, byrek, trileçe and sheqerpare.

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🇦🇱 Final Thoughts: Would I Go Back to Albania?

Four days in Albania was enough to give me a taste of the country, but definitely not enough to see everything.

I explored the busy streets of Tirana, walked through the historic streets of Krujë, stood among Roman ruins in Durrës, looked over the capital from Mount Dajti and learned about Albania’s communist past inside Bunk’Art.

But some of my favorite memories weren’t necessarily the biggest attractions.

They were the meals.

The warm byrek I grabbed while exploring. The tavë kosi in Krujë. The simple fasule and pilav in Durrës. The qofte, xaxiq and fërgesë back in Tirana. And, of course, all the trileçe I managed to fit into four days.

What I liked about Albania was the variety. In a relatively short trip, I experienced a capital city, mountains, a historic castle town, the Adriatic coast, ancient ruins and some fascinating modern history.

And I never had to look too far for something good to eat.

I came to Albania expecting four days of sightseeing.

I left with a much better understanding of the country, a long list of foods I want to eat again, and the feeling that four days had only scratched the surface.