The 15 Best Cooking Classes in Albania

1.Traditional Cooking Class with Wine & Raki Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 284 reviews · 4 hours · from $41Our pick

Join Sindi and her brother for a four-hour Albanian cooking class in Tirana. You will prepare tave kosi, lakror, and dessert with local ingredients, then sit down to eat with homemade wine, raki, and small bites. The class is hands-on, social, and taught in English.

“This cooking class was a 10/10! Sindi was an amazing host guiding us step by step through the entire process. It was the perfect balance between learning and cooking! We made lakror filled with spinach and cottage cheese, tave kosi, and sheqerpare. All of the ingredients were fresh and flavorful making the end product turn out incredibly delicious! The class had a great intimate setting and lively energy. It was the perfect way to immerse in Albanian culture. If you are visiting Tirana add this class to your list!”

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2.Traditional Albanian Cooking Class in Tirana & Raki Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 266 reviews · 4 hours · from $44

Spend four hours cooking Albanian dishes with Dervis and his team in Tirana. You will make burek, village chicken with pershesh, and sheqerpare, while learning local customs, tasting raki, and sharing unlimited homemade wine, meze, jams, and gliko.

“Maris was an excellent, funny guy who had some very good cooking Skills, I learned a lot and had a very fun evening, thank you!☺️”

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3.Traditional Albanian Cooking Class in Tirana with Raki Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 125 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $53

Spend about four hours cooking classic Albanian dishes with chef Dervis in central Tirana. You’ll prepare burek, village chicken with pershesh, and sheqerpare, while enjoying seasonal meze, raki tasting, homemade wine, and stories about Albanian food and culture.

“Everything was amazing! The host was a perfect mixture of entertaining and knowledgeable. Each meal was authentic and delicious.”

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4.Berat Cooking Class- Traditional Albanian Cooking Class /By Vato

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 120 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $41

Meet VATO near Berat’s center, then visit Nina and Freddy’s home inside Berat Castle. With Nina guiding you, prepare two traditional Albanian dishes, such as Fërgesë, Tave Kosi, or byrek, before sitting down to eat with wine and water.

“Geweldige (kook-) ervaring bij Nina en Freddy. Hele lieve mensen, enorm gastvrij. Albanees gericht gemaakt : Fergez. Gezamenlijk gegeten, eindeloos (na-) getafeld en over en weer verteld over onze culturen en achtergronden . Kortom fantastisch en zeer de moeite waard! Thank you Nina & Freddy ! faleminderit 🥰”

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5.Savor Albanian Cuisine Cooking Class with Mama Nina Berat Castle

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 55 reviews · 3 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $48

Meet Mama Nina inside Berat Castle for a three-hour, hands-on Albanian cooking class. With help from Mikael, your English-Albanian translator, you’ll prepare family dishes such as baklava, savory pies, stews, eggplant, and meatballs, then sit down to eat together.

“This was the most memorable of my time in Albania. First off, we were cooking in a castle called Berat (I think). There’s a small village of people who live there so it was very welcoming. The kitchen was outdoors which was also very nice. The weather was very windy during this time but did not effect our cooking experience. There was a translator present as our main chef did not speak much English but she was very nice & thorough. Coming from a chef, this experience has elevated my palate!! We made some baked egg plants covered with a tomato’s sauce mixture (vegan friendly) - we made pork meatballs…”

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6.Cooking Class in Berat Slow Food Community

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 34 reviews · 3 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $66

Meet your hosts at Castle Park Berat Slow Food in a working restaurant kitchen, where you prepare four traditional Berati recipes over about three hours. Antela, Saidi, Elma, or another local cook may lead the class. Water, lunch, and a vegetarian option are included.

“Wasn’t was we expected. however had an amazing time. The chef and kitchen had made the experience incredible. The food was fantastic! The kitchen itself is a working Resutrant kitchen which made the experience even cooler. Elma is an incredible operator who is incredibly response to any questions you may have. Would recommend.”

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7.Tirana Cooking Class – Traditional Albanian Recipes

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 33 reviews · 4 hours · from $44

Join Sindi Memaj for a four-hour, small-group cooking class near Tirana. Prepare Tave Kosi and lakror from scratch, use garden ingredients, sip homemade wine or raki, then share a full Albanian meal with appetizers and dessert.

“Absolutely loved it!! Was an amazing experience and would definitely recommend!”

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8.Tirana Photo Shoot in Traditional Albanian Costumes

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $36Best value

At Timeless Studio in central Tirana, you choose from traditional Albanian costumes linked to regions and historical styles, then pose for a professional studio session. English-speaking staff help with the outfit and photos. Prints and personalized magnets are available, though edited backgrounds may cost extra.

“Absolutely loved the photo session! The costumes were stunning, the atmosphere was great, and the photos turned out amazing.”

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9.Experience Blue Eye , Lekuresi Castle and Taste Traditional Albanian Wine

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 19 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $95

This four-hour Saranda tour combines Lekuresi Castle, the Blue Eye spring, and a tasting at Kantina E Veres Isak. You get transport, entry fees, and hotel or port pickup, but group size, guide quality, Wi-Fi, and the winery service can vary.

“We started our tour at Lekuresi Castle. The castle is historic and it gives a beautiful view of Sarande and from across the water Corfu. Next we went to the Blue Eye. It is about a 1 km walk to the Blue Eye. It's gorgeous. Lastly, we finished with a wine tour. Our favorite was the white wine. The food accompaniment was so-so. Overall, our guide was fantastic and had a great sense of humor. I would definitely recommend this tour.”

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10.Traditional Albanian Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 17 reviews · 2 hours · from $61

Start with Durrës’s farmer’s market, then try fresh byrek with dhallë, Turkish coffee, and a traditional light lunch. Your English- or Italian-speaking guide connects the food to Albanian customs, Italian-era architecture, and the Roman amphitheater in a small group of up to 10.

“Had a great time and learnt a lot about the history of Albania as well as sampled some of the local traditional food. Really knowledgeable and friendly guide who we enjoyed spending time with. Lunch at the end was a highlight!”

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11.Traditional Albanian Vegetarian Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 17 reviews · 2h 30m · from $76

Meet your guide at Çerçiz Topulli Square and walk to Gjirokastër’s Old Bazaar for a 150-minute vegetarian cooking class with Marjeta and her husband. Prepare qofte bobollaqe, qifqi, and hasude, then eat together with wine, raki, or soft drinks. English translation and recipes are included.

“So much fun!!! Marijta is amazing and the dishes are delicious. It was a very feel good experience, just like cooking with local friends. Klarisa our translator, was also great and super nice, patiently explaining all the ingredients, steps and jokes. Can’t recommend enough :)”

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12.Cooking Class & Traditional Albanian Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $90

Spend about five hours in Tirana cooking and eating Albanian dishes with Master Chef Sokol Prenga and his team. Make pispili, stretch filo for pite, learn the story behind local breads and spirits, and share a full dinner in a group of 8 to 20 people.

“Amazing journey through Albanian cuisine over the centuries. With a group of 13 friends and we left the building in a group of 20 friends. Unforgettable experience with the best host and chef Sokol and of course the rest of his team. What a hospitality! Rustique and pure foods, amazing flavours, history, love and great storys. A must visit when you are in Tirana! Thanks guys!”

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13.Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $54

Meet at Edua in Gjirokaster’s medieval bazaar for a private, English-language cooking class. You’ll prepare qifqi, traditional OSA pasta with lamb, and hasude dessert, learn about mountain spices and tea, then eat what you make.

“Really fun ~1hr cooking class where we learnt a lot about the culture of Gjirokaster and Albania and then ate our delicious meal in the restaurant after. Thank you for the great experience!”

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14.Vegetarian Cooking Class @Teta Marjeta

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 11 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $56

Walk from Cerciz Topulli Square to Pazar i Vjeter, where Teta Marjeta teaches three Gjirokaster dishes in her home. With an English translator, you’ll make qofte bobollaqe, qifqi, and hasude, then share the meal with wine, raki, or a soft drink.

“The highlight of the experience was Marieta – she was definitely a character: joyful, cheeky, and so much fun! We were welcomed by a friendly translator who stayed with us throughout, which added to the experience. They answered all of our questions, and additional dishes accompanied what we made.”

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15.Farm-to-Table Cooking Class with Local Family by 1001 AlbAdv

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $72

Meet at Rruga Mihal Komnena in Berat, pass the city’s old bridge, and ride to Drobonik, the region’s cherry village. Over about three and a half hours, a local family serves a farm-to-table meal with wine, fruit preserves, raki, honey, and tea. Groups are limited to 10 people.

“As a solo traveler it was a great to meet others over local foods and wine!”

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