Vlorë Must-Sees

Vlorë serves as a gateway to Albania's history, spanning from the ancient Illyrian ruins of Amantia and Oricum to the 1912 Independence Monument. The region is defined by its strategic coastal fortifications, including the triangular Porto Palermo Castle and the hilltop Kaninë Castle. Beyond its historical landmarks, the area features unique natural sites like the Blue Eye, a deep karst spring, and the Vivari Channel which connects Lake Butrint to the Ionian Sea.

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The Blue Eye

The "Blue Eye" is a water spring and natural phenomenon occurring in the village of Muzinë in Finiq municipality, southern Albania.

Big bunker

Concrete fortification from Albania's communist era, part of the extensive "bunkerization" program implemented under the leadership of Enver Hoxha.

Tori Oseku / CC BY-SA 4.0

Porto Palermo Castle

Porto Palermo Castle is a castle near Himarë in southern Albania. It is situated in the bay of Porto Palermo, a few kilometers south of…

Rob Sherratt / CC BY-SA 4.0

St. Nicholas Monastary Church

St. Nicholas Monastery Church is the katholikon of the abandoned Orthodox monastery of Saint George in Mesopotam, Vlorë County, Albania.

Andrey Bugaev / CC-BY-SA

Kalaja e Borshit

Also known as Sopot Castle, these ruins sit on a hill overlooking the village. Originally an Illyrian fortification, it was rebuilt during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods and contains the remains of a 19th-century mosque.

Arian Mavriqi / CC BY-SA 4.0

Ali Pasha Castle

Ali Pasha Castle is a castle in Albania. It is named after Ali Pasha of Tepelenë who resided there until 1820.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

Independence Monument

Located in Flag Square, this Socialist Realist bronze sculpture commemorates Albania's 1912 declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire. It stands near the burial site of Ismail Qemali, the nation's first prime minister.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Kaninë Castle

Kaninë Castle is a castle in the village Kaninë near Vlorë, in southwestern Albania.

The old castle of Himara

Located in the old town of Himarë, this fortress contains evidence of continuous habitation since the Bronze Age. The site includes remains of ancient Pelasgian walls, Byzantine churches, and traditional stone architecture.

Roquai

Vivari Channel

The Vivari Channel links Lake Butrint in Albania with the Straits of Corfu, and forms a border of the peninsula of Butrint.

Oricum

An ancient Greek and Roman port city located within the Pashaliman Naval Base. The archaeological park features a theater-like structure carved into the rock and remains of Byzantine fortifications.