The people I know who have been say country pretty safe and nice. Media here makes me think otherwise.
I felt very safe there, and all my ressearch showed that. I felt 100% fine walking the streets of Tirana at night, even in back alleys.
There are loads, and I mean loads, of fucking expensive cars all over the place. I was told they are 'bought' (cough stolen cough cough) from Germany by Albanians who went to work there for a year or two and sent money or stuff back.
In the centre of Tirana at night it is much like any big city, touristy stuff in the day and nightclubs and resteraunts at night.
The only thing I would suggest as advice really is that Tirana has lots of what I would call 'little city big ideas' arrogance in some people. From a tourist stand that thinks you are just a sex tourist because you are a foreigner in Tirana, to the resteraunts that genuinely ask 'do you have a reservation?" when the place is empty just to sound like they are a big deal when they are not. It's hard to describe and apart from walking away from some interations thinking "what a stuck up cunt", really nothing to worry about. The majority of Albanians are friendly and welcoming, with the odd one or two in client facing roles who have taken the "Putin school of etiquette" course on customer interaction.
Whilst I would be happy to go back for a work trip, due to the above and also lack of punting options, wouldnt bother visiting just for myself.
(the coughing emphasis above was from the person telling me, not my emphasis. They are pretty casual there about how many Albanians go to join gangs in Germany and UK.)