Vlorë

Vlorë is Albania's third-largest city and the place where the country declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire on 28 November 1912. It sits on a wide bay where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet, with the Karaburun Peninsula closing off the bay to the west and the first peaks of the Ceraunian Mountains rising to the south.

Independence Square and the Old Centre

The centre of the city is Sheshi i Flamurit, Flag Square ,dominated by the Independence Monument, a tall socialist-realist sculpture of Ismail Qemali, the leader who proclaimed independence, surrounded by the figures of the men and women who fought for it. The Museum of Independence, housed in the building where the declaration was signed, is small but moving: original furniture, documents, and the room where the new Albanian flag was first raised. Nearby, the Muradie Mosque, designed by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan in 1542, is one of the oldest and most architecturally important mosques in Albania.

The Lungomare

Vlorë's modern waterfront, the Lungomare, is one of the most ambitious urban regeneration projects of the past decade in Albania: a kilometres-long pedestrian and cycling promenade running along the city's beach, planted with palms and lined with cafés, restaurants and play areas. In the evening it becomes the main social space of the city. The beaches along its length are sandy, gently shelving, and busy in summer.

Karaburun, Sazan and the Marine Park

Across the bay from Vlorë lies the country's first marine national park: the Karaburun Peninsula and Sazan Island. Karaburun is a long, mountainous, almost uninhabited strip of land with cliffs, hidden coves, sea caves and some of the clearest water in the country. Sazan, the largest island in Albania, was for decades a closed military base; it is now open to limited visits. Both are reached by daily boat tours from Vlorë's harbour in summer, and a half-day boat trip is one of the most popular excursions in the area.

Getting there

Vlorë is approximately 150 kilometres south of Tirana by motorway, an easy two-hour drive. The city is also an international port, with regular ferry services running across the Adriatic to Brindisi in Italy. From Vlorë, the Llogara Pass and the start of the Riviera proper lie about half an hour to the south.