Vlore isn’t the most famous destination in Albania for a seaside experience, but it’s a great stopover on a longer Albania itinerary, which is what we did after leaving Theth in North Albania, on our way to our next longer stay (Himare).
After spending some time in Vlore, we’d say it was a perfect start to our time on the Albanian coast.
Things to do in Vlore
In terms of what Vlore has to offer, compared to other seaside destinations in Albania, we’d say it’s mostly a great access point to various beaches, bays, and most of all, one of Albania’s best boat trips.
Albania trip
MUST-HAVE ✔
💳 Save money when changing currencies or taking out cash by bringing a backup travel card. Oh, and in case an ATM swallows your card. Yes, it happened to us. 🤦♂️
🔌 Bring a Universal Travel Adapter with fast-charging capabilities (45W and Power Delivery).
1. Historical part of Vlore
Most Albanian coastal cities aren’t known for lots of history, unlike those in Croatia and nearby Italy, and it’s much the same with Vlore.
Here, you won’t find grand historical sites or meticulously preserved old towns. Instead, Vlore is more of a modernizing coastal city, with only a few remnants of its past.
In Vlora Old Town, a short stroll is enough to see its highlights like the Independence Monument, Muradie Mosque (Lead Mosque), House of Eqerem Bey, and the ancient wall ruins.
History & culture
Walking tour in Vlore
2. Waterfront promenade
For a stroll along the water, check out Lungomare, Vlore’s waterfront promenade. It’s also where most of the restaurants, tourist shops, and hotels are located.
Walking south along the waterfront promenade gets you to Plazhi i Ri, Vlore’s main long stretch of beach.
3. Beaches and beach bars
While Vlore doesn’t have the best beaches in Albania (those are located in Himare), it does have good enough beaches for chilling and swimming.
The main beach in Vlore isn’t the prettiest, and the ones a bit further away from the city are much better, like the long, sandy Narta Beach, a 15-minute drive north, with lots of beach bars and restaurants closeby.
If you’re coming to Vlore city for a beach vacation or a longer stay, Narta Beach is probably the best choice for spending more time.
The best beaches in Vlore are those south of the city, near Radhimë and Orikum. Many of these are either smaller pebble beaches or rocky beaches.
Keep in mind that the coastline of Vlore is mostly built up, so many beach access points are part of a hotel, bar, or similar establishment.
4. Boat trips to Grama Bay, Blue Cave, Haxhi Ali Cave, and Sazan Island
Boat trips from Vlore visit places like Sazan Island and spots around the Karaburun Peninsula, such as Haxhi Ali Cave, Dafina Bay, and Bear’s Bay, as well as beaches and bays further south along the coast, almost reaching Dhermi, such as Grama Bay and Blue Cave.
The original reason for our visit to Vlore was to do a boat trip to Grama Bay and Blue Cave, and it was so worth it! The Grama Bay and Blue Cave boat tour we did is the best one in Vlore, as it’s the perfect choice for seeing beautiful scenery, plus swimming, and sunbathing at the best spots.
The boat trip to Grama Bay is also the one that visits Albania’s famous Blue Cave. Compared to the Blue Cave in Croatia, here, you can actually walk/swim into the cave, rather than just seeing it from the boat. We loved this place!
A highlight and our favorite spot on this popular Vlore boat trip, however, is Grama Bay, which is absolutely stunning, and we’d love it if all beaches looked like that. It’s located in a secluded bay, and we even did a short hike to a viewpoint above it (this is more of a hidden gem).
On the way, we also visited the stunning Haxhi Ali Cave, which is huge, as well as other interesting small bays and swimming spots.
Honestly, if Vlore is on the way as you explore the best of Albania, we’d definitely join a boat trip to Grama Bay and Blue Cave.
We actually did two fantastic boat trips in this area of Albania, one was this one in Vlore, and another was the Pirate’s Cave boat trip, which visits some really cool spots near Himare.
It’s hard to say which one is better, as both were really cool and visited some fantastic spots. So if you can, do both!
5. Views of Vlore from Kuzum Baba
Back in the city, if you’re still up for some exploration, you can walk or drive up to Kuzum Baba, a restaurant with a fantastic view of the city, the coast of Vlore Bay, and the Karaburun Peninsula in the distance.
While this area is essentially part of the restaurant, you are free to walk around and see the views if you don’t want to sit down for food or drinks.
To get to the top of the hill to Kuzum Baba, you can take the stairs just steps away from the Lead Mosque.
6. Kanina Castle
For some adventure, you can hike to Kanina Castle (3rd century B.C.) on a hill above Vlore. There is a 1-hour nature trail leading all the way up to the castle through an olive grove.
The trail from Vlore to Kanina Castle is not the easiest to navigate, so make sure to check the trail info on Google Maps to see the exact starting point.
There’s not much to see at Kanina Castle as there is only a small amount of ruins left, but it offers a fantastic vantage point of Vlore and Karaburun Peninsula, including views towards the Narta Lagoon north of Vlore. Plus, it’s the perfect spot to watch the sunset in Vlore.
The hike to Kanina Castle is the perfect way to add some activity to your stay in Vlore, especially if you’re staying in Vlore for a longer period.
In addition to hiking there, you can also get to Kanina Castle from Vlore by car, which is, of course, the easier way.
7. Apollonia Archaeological Park
While this part of Albania isn’t home to many historical and archaeological sites, one site that’s worth visiting is the Apollonia Archaeological Park, a former Ancient Greek trade colony from the 6th century BC, located 30 minutes north of the city.
Apollonia is much larger than Butrint, the UNESCO World Heritage site near Sarande and Ksamil, which is far more popular. However, since only about 8% of Apollonia has been excavated (it’s an ongoing effort), we believe Butrint is much more impressive for now.
Still, if you’re visiting Vlore, a visit to Apollonia makes a lot of sense if you’re interested in the ancient history of this part of Albania.
8. Zvernec Island and Narta Lagoon
Not too far from Vlore city, you can visit the small Zvernec island, home of the 13th-century Byzantine Monastery of St. Mary, reachable by a short wooden boardwalk.
Zvernec Island is located in the Narta Lagoon wetland, part of the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape, famous for its flamingos and numerous different endangered species, and is perfect for birdwatching.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also join the kayaking tour to explore the Narta Lagoon upclose. Honestly, if you’ve got the time, this is the best way to see the lagoon.
9. Llogara Pass
After Vlore, the next destination for most people, like us, is Himare, and the way there is either the fast road through a paid tunnel or the scenic route over the Llogara Pass.
We, of course, chose to drive over Llogara Pass, which we also recommend you do. Once you’re on the other side of the pass, you can stop at the Llogara Panorama and take in views of the beaches from Dhermi almost down to Himare.
Llogara Pass is also where you can go paragliding, or simply watch the paragliders take off. We didn’t have enough time on our visit to organize a paragliding experience, but if you can, it’s a great spot. Although maybe not as scenic as the paragliding we did in Oludeniz, Turkey (crazy views!).
When we stopped, there was a massive cloud right where we were, and it didn’t want to move for a long time, so we only properly saw the paragliders once we descended a bit further down towards Dhermi.
If you’re driving across Albania, don’t miss out on Llogara, it’s a perfect small detour and great intro to the Albanian Riviera!
Best tours, activities, and day trips
- 🚤 Grama Bay and Blue Cave Boat Tour (our favorite)
- 🚶♀️ History & Culture Walking Tour (city tour)
- ☀ Nature Tour (Narta Lagoon & Zvernec Island, Dalan Beach)
- ⭐ Zvernec, Apollonia, and Berat city (day tour)
- 🛶 Kayaking at Narta Lagoon (with pickup)
- 🪂 Paragliding from Vlore (with pickup)
- 🌄 Canyon & Waterfall Tour
- 🏞 ATV and Quad Tour (pickup from the promenade)
Where to stay in Vlore
For short visits to Vlore, we recommend staying in the city, so you have easy access to everything.
However, for longer stays and beach vacations in Vlore, definitely go for one of the hotels south of Vlore, closer to Radhimë, as that’s where the best beaches are. From there, you can easily just drive up to Vlore to explore its attractions.
The most common types of places to stay in Vlore are apartments, and our favorite is the Dante Apartment, right next to the waterfront promenade, with everything you need for a comfortable stay.
A top choice in Radhimë is the Mazarine Hotel, and on a budget, Villa 69 Jonufer, located midway to Radhimë.
For a hotel stay in the city, the conveniently named Seaside Hotel is a great option just a street away from the beach.
If you’re coming by car, we recommend Vila Elarad (with a pool), on a hill just above the main beach of Vlore, with rooms with fantastic views.
Best time to visit Vlore
Vlore is best visited from June to September, when the weather is at its best, with warm to hot days and plenty of sunshine, perfect for boat trips, beaches, and enjoying nature.
However, visiting Vlore before the season, like in April and May, or after in October, means you’re there without the crowds, and with much lower hotel prices. But not every restaurant will be open, so that’s a tradeoff.
How to get to Vlore
A bus from Tirana to Vlore takes about 3 hours and costs 7 EUR, and from Shkoder, you first need 2 hours to get to Tirana’s South and North Terminal before catching another bus.
From Himare, Vlore is 1.5h away, and from Sarande, it’s about 2.5 hours.
Planning to get a rental? We recommend renting a car at Tirana Airport.
Packing List
Without these things, we could not travel (comfortably or effectively)…
🔌 Universal Travel Adapter with fast-charging capabilities (45W and Power Delivery) – essentially covers us for the whole world.
⚡ We never travel without our 10.000 mAh powerbank, which is perfect for charging our phones multiple times.
💦 Filling up an insulated water bottle for days out exploring is a must.
☀🧴 We always buy a reef-safe sunscreen that applies well.
🤳 Forget selfies, having a phone tripod is the new game (easy to pack, carry around & set up).
🌦 After getting a travel-friendly raincoat (poncho), we never have to worry about staying dry.
🦟 Preventing bites with a DEET-free (picaridin) mosquito repellent is a great idea if you don’t want to cover yourself in poison.
🛄 We pack our stuff smarter with affordable packing cubes.
😎 We are active travelers, so sunglasses don’t survive long. So we bought these cheap polarized sunglasses that are travel-friendly and feel good to wear.
🔊 Countless times, we had trouble with noisy neighbors, loud streets, incredibly loud AC, rattling refrigerators, and more that kept us awake at night. Then, we finally bought some cheap earplugs – done!
📱💔 Slippery phone = broken phone. Get a phone case.
🎒 We love a good belt/crossbody bag, so we don’t always have to carry a backpack (fits our phone, wallet, tissues, candy, etc.).
📸 To capture some cooler photos and videos, a drone is a must (if used wisely). And for active stuff, our action camera – it’s so small and easy to use.
Final thoughts and how long to stay in Vlore
For a longer beach vacation, Vlore is a good option, but in our honest opinion, only if you stay south of the city, near the smaller beaches.
You only need a full day to explore Vlore’s main attractions, and two days if you’re adding activities to your visit.
Even though we didn’t spend a long time in Vlore, we enjoyed it. That’s why if you have time on your Albania trip, it’s worth stopping by, if not anything else, for a day.
Have fun in Vlore and don’t skip the boat trip!
Continue your Albania trip planning
- ⭐ Tirana Attractions & Activities (travel guide to the capital)
- ⭐ What Not To Miss in Berat (best places and experiences)
- ⭐ Shkoder Travel Guide
- 🥾 Theth, Albanian Alps (best mountain town)
- 🏰 How to visit Kruje Historical Town
- 🌞 Best Attractions and Beaches in Himare
- 🌊 Osumi Canyon River Tubing (one of the best things we did in Albania!)
- 🌄 Bovilla Lake (stunning lake viewpoint)
- 💃 Albanian Night (fantastic show with traditional dancing and singing)
- 🛌 Riverside Komani (fantastic riverside hotel for visiting the Shala River)
Must-read - 🇦🇱 Best of Albania in Two Weeks (day-by-day itinerary)
- 🌄 North Albania in One Week (rivers, lakes, hikes, swimming spots)
