Located in the middle of the country, it is surrounded by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea. The city has a very Mediterranean climate due to its location on the Plain of Tirana and its close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. It is known as one of Europe's wettest and sunniest cities.

It has been proven that ancient human cultures were present in Albania as early as the Paleolithic era with the discovery of the Pellumbas Cave near Tirana. Since the Iron Age, the area that today corresponds to the city's territory has been continuously inhabited. Ancient Illyrians inhabited this area, which would have formed the core of the Illyrian kingdom of the Taulantii, which centered itself in Epidamnus' hinterland during Classical antiquity.