Last Updated on: 5th August 2024, 02:43 pm
Vlorë, Albania’s third-largest city, is most known for its beaches. But the city’s outskirts contain some interesting and overlooked historical gems for those looking to break up their time lazing in the sun. Visiting Kaninë Castle and St. Mary’s Monastery are some of the top things to do in Vlorë, while we’ll also be covering additional notable landmarks in the town center.
Kaninë Castle
Located in the village of Kaninë, the castle sits on a 379 m-high hill above central Vlorë and some 3 km from the sea. The site of an ancient settlement since at least the 4th century BC, a castle here was established (or possibly just expanded) by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century.
After being taken from the Byzantines, Kaninë Castle was controlled by groups like the Normans, Angevins and Serbs throughout the Middle Ages. After the Kingdom of Serbia was finally driven out, the castle was retaken by Albanian lords with backing from Venice.
But in 1417, the Ottomans took control of Vlorë and would control it for nearly five centuries. In the 16th century, Gjegju Sinan Pasha, founder of the Vloraj dynasty, ruled from this castle. Interestingly, it would be one of his descendants, Ismael Qemali, who’d finally help Albania break free of Ottoman rule in 1912.
Kaninë Castle was damaged by the Venetians in 1690, and further destroyed during the Italian invasion of 1920. As such, little other than the ancient fortification walls remain today.
The central portion of Kaninë Castle is largely an open grassy field stretching out to over 3.5 hectares. But according to 17th-century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi, the fortress was once home to as many as three hundred houses.
While Kaninë Castle may be empty today, it remains surrounded by the modern village of Kaninë, with numerous houses and mosques having been built right outside its walls.
Not only does the castle offer great views of the village, but also of central Vlorë and the sea down below. And given the castle’s relative obscurity, you can expect to have the vast fortress all to yourself, enjoying the excellent views in total silence.
GETTING THERE: Kaninë Castle can be accessed on foot from central Vlorë, and it takes around an hour or so to reach from the city’s main Ismael Qemali Boulevard. While it is indeed a tiring journey, the road never gets too steep.
If you’re not up for walking, you can just hire a taxi, and perhaps the driver can later take you to St. Mary’s Monastery on the same day.
When I first moved to Vlorë, I stayed in an Airbnb apartment called EVOO Apartments. It was situated about halfway between Kaninë Castle and the city center, making it an easy walk. Learn more about where to stay in Vlorë further below.
St. Mary's Monastery
St. Mary’s Monastery is undoubtedly Vlorë’s most unique landmark. Not so much for the monastery itself, however, but for its special setting. The monastery is situated on a small island just off a peninsula to the northwest of the city. But there’s no need for a boat.
Zvërnec Island is located close enough to the mainland that it’s possible to walk there. A long wooden walkway has been erected over the water, and walking across it is arguably the highlight of the entire visit.
The walk over just takes a couple of minutes, and the boardwalk offers unobstructed views of the Narta Lagoon. While guardrails are completely lacking, the path is wide and the chances of falling off are minimal.
Reaching the island, the monastery complex is surprisingly small. The building to the left was used as the lodging quarters for monks, while the Church of St. Mary the Divinity can be found in the center.
The church is believed to have been built in the second half of the 14th century, though the exact construction date remains a mystery. Impressively, the interior was decorated with a beautiful carved wooden iconostasis, similar to the Onufri Iconographic Museum in Berat.
In accordance with the monastery’s name, the icon of Mary is placed prominently in the center. Also notice the collection of smaller icons to the top, most of which depict scenes from the life of Jesus. Additional framed icons, meanwhile, can be found in the back of the nave.
Note that photography isn’t actually allowed, though you wouldn’t guess it by looking at all the pictures people uploaded to Google. During my visit, a couple minutes after exiting the church, the security guard came running toward me, shouting.
He didn’t speak any English, but he was pointing to my camera and was clearly unhappy. He never said anything to the local visitors who were snapping away with their cellphones, however! Perhaps he mistook my camera for a camcorder.
While I’d been hoping to explore the rest of the island, I found the gate leading through the forest to be locked. There are said to be additional churches on the other side of the island, but the path through the center is the only way to reach them.
Frankly, after the long bike ride over, St. Mary’s Monastery turned out to be rather anticlimactic. As scenic as the walk across the water is, you probably won’t end up spending more than fifteen minutes on the island itself.
Nevertheless, it makes for an interesting activity to do in between days of sunbathing.
GETTING THERE: Many tour operators seem to offer excursions to the monastery, but it’s easy enough to arrange on your own. It’s just a 15-minute drive from central Vlorë, and if you don’t have your own car you can try taking a taxi.
Or, you can rent a bicycle, which is what I did. On Ismael Qemali Boulevard, there’s a bicycle rental shop across from Tirana Bank. The staff may or may not be there, but there’s a sign with a number you can call just in case. The price is 150 lek per hour. And while the guy I met didn’t speak English, it was easy enough to arrange.
While I’d read complaints online about the road over, it seems to have been recently repaired. The road is almost completely flat, and it largely takes you through a densely forested area on the outskirts of town.
More Things to Do in Vlorë
The Beach & Lungomare
Many visitors to Albania skip Vlorë entirely, heading further south to Sarandë instead. Sarandë is indeed a nice town, and its proximity to the ruins of Butrint makes it a must-visit.
But if your goal is to take it easy on the beach, Vlorë is the better option. Its seafront promenade, or Lungomare, was just completed in 2017. It’s wider and longer than Sarandë’s, while nearly the entire thing is lined with sandy beaches. Sarandë’s promenade, in contrast, only contains a few small pebble beaches.
Aside from taking a dip in the water, one of the best things to do in Vlorë is simply taking a walk along the promenade. They’ve just finished lengthening it in the summer of 2021, and from beginning to end it takes around 45 minutes to walk the whole thing.
As I don’t like traveling in cold weather, I made Vlorë my base for an entire winter, living on the Lungomare in an apartment with a sea view. While it was too cold to swim until my last few weeks in town, taking regular walks around here is easily my fondest memory of Vlorë.
Just be a bit careful. While I walked along the beach countless times over the course of several months with no issues, it was on my very last night that I went out for one more walk – a bit later than usual.
Walking along the water’s edge, I noticed a group of six street dogs playing with each other in the middle of the beach, quite roughly. I thought they’d be too preoccupied to care about a passerby, but I was wrong. Once they noticed me, the whole gang ran over for an unprompted attack.
While I managed to keep them back for the most part, one of them did end up biting me on the leg! Let’s hope the city can take care of this issue as soon as possible.
Central Vlorë
What’s technically considered to be the ‘city center’ of Vlorë is the northern part of the city, around the Independence Monument. While it’s not nearly as charming as the Lungomare or Ismael Qemali Boulevard, there are a few interesting attractions for those with extra time in town.
The Independence Monument itself is significant because it commemorates Albania’s independence from the Ottoman Empire after centuries of rule. Albania finally declared its independence in 1912 right here in Vlorë.
Ismael Qemali, author of the Declaration of Independence and Vlorë native, also served as Albania’s first Prime Minister.
Despite its long history of Ottoman rule, Vlorë contains little of note from the Ottoman era. One exception is the Muradie Mosque, a beautiful mosque constructed in 1542. You can find it just south of the monument.
Just behind the independence monument, meanwhile, is a tiny archaeological site – what’s left of the city walls of Roman-era Vlorë.
History enthusiasts should be sure to visit the Historic Museum by the intersection northeast of the monument. It contains a small but interesting collection of ancient artifacts discovered throughout the region, including from Kaninë Castle.
And just nearby the museum is the pedestrian area of ‘Vlorë Old Town.’ While nearly all of the buildings seem to be modern reconstructions, at least they put in some effort.
Southeast of the monument, meanwhile, is the Bektashi shrine of Kuzum Baba. The hilltop shrine is a little difficult to find, but the Maps.me app can show you the way.
Those who make the uphill walk will be rewarded with some of the clearest views of the city center and the Bay of Vlorë beyond.
The Bay of Vlorë
Speaking of the Bay of Vlorë, another popular activity is a boat trip to the Karaburun Peninsula and Sazan Island, an abandoned island that was long used as a military base.
Interested in exploring Sazan Island, I checked the reviews of various companies online. Unfortunately, many people have complained about never getting to visit the island at all, despite it being advertised. And other reviewers complained about extra fees upon arrival on Karaburun.
Vlorë’s tourism industry is still in its infancy, and hopefully more professional companies and interesting new excursions will become more commonplace in the near future.
Additional Info
As mentioned above, I spent several months in Vlorë as I waited for summer to come. During my first month, I stayed in a place called EVOO Apartments that I booked through Airbnb.
It’s among the cheapest accommodation options in town, and I had a good experience overall. It’s not in the city center but situated further up the hill on the way to Kaninë. It was walkable to the city center in about 15-20 minutes, while it also wasn’t too far from the beach. Therefore, I’d recommend it for budget travelers.
I later moved to an apartment right on the beach that I arranged with a local landlord. As such, I don’t have a good idea of typical hotel costs in the Lungomare area but can confirm that it is indeed the best place to stay.
Looking online, Alliaj Guesthouse seems to be one of the best budget-friendly options for those who want to stay by the beach. If budget isn’t a major concern for you, there are countless hotels to choose from along the seafront. You might not want somewhere directly across from the beach, however, as the restaurants at ground level tend to blast loud music at night.
While the Lungomare area is a pretty long walk from Ismael Qemali Boulevard, regular public buses can take you there for 30 lek, and they head all the way north to the ‘bus station.’
Vlorë is Albania’s third-largest city, and direct buses connect it with various other cities around the country. But while regular buses depart from Tirana, you might have a problem finding a direct bus from other cities in the late afternoon or evening.
For whatever reason, most Albanian bus routes not involving the capital seem to only leave in the mornings. It’s best to check at your hotel or tourist information office wherever you’ll be coming from, as there are no reliable online sources (I have not found Gjirafa.com to be accurate).
Rather embarrassingly for a city of its size, Vlorë lacks any kind of bus station – not even a parking lot like other Albanian cities. Instead, the buses simply line up on the road just south of the Independence Monument. And coming from another city, this is where you’ll likely be dropped off.
South of the old mosque, you can catch a public bus to the city center or the Lungomare area for 30 lek. The buses have ‘Uji i Ftohte’ written on the front and appear pretty regularly.