Vlora – Sightseeing

While you are in Vlora you could visit the Museum of Independence the building where Albanian independence was proclaimed on 28 November 1912. This building is shown as well on the 500 Albanian leke banknote since 1996.

Kanina Castle: In the 3rd century B.C. the castle was built on the site of an ancient settlement, which is supposed to be one of the oldest in its region. Throughout the 4th century B.C. people started setteling around it and it was transformed into a fortress town. Finally, in the 5th century A.D. the castle was reconstructed by Justinian I. and covers overall an area of 3,625 hectares.

Ethnographic Museum open 08.00–12.00 and 16.00–18.00

Historical Museum open 8.00–12.00 and 16.00–18.00

The Mosque of Muradie This sultan-style mosque is an rather important religious monument for the locals. The dome that was built in 1542 by the architect Mimar Sinani and is build of carved stone. This monument is well known because of the harmonious distribution of its windows.

The Castle of Porto-Palermo is a quite nice castle situated in the bay of Porto Palermo, just a couple of kilometers south of Himarë. It was built in early 19th century by Ali Pasha of Tepelena and is well-preserved. The width of the stones is 1.6meters. The castle was designed by a French engineer and was build in a pentagon-shape.

The ruins of Himara Castle in Himare.

Churches of Saint Stephen and Saint Mitri in the village of Dhermi (XII –XIV centuries).

Monastery of Saint Mary, in the Zvernec Village.

Last but not least, the costal road and the different beaches are not a sight in the classical sense but definitively worth a visit/drive-through. To get to know about the nicest beaches, you should ask in your hotel/camping and people will happily help you out.