"Vlora, a strategically situated city" a Vlore Travel Page by JLBG

Vlora is 150 km south to Tirana and 130 km north to Saranda. It is only 75 km from Brindisi, in southern Italy; The Vlora bay is an excellent shelter. The harbor is already important and the second of the country after Durrës. It should develop as it is the only on the Adriatic coast between Trieste in Italy and Patra in Greece that can stand very large tankers that need a deep harbor.

Vlora has plaid a main part in the process of independence of the country. Ismaïl Qemal Beg was the leader of a group of 83 delegates from all over Albania (including Kosovo and Çameria) that landed in Vlora and declared independence of the country on November 28th 1912. A huge monument celebrates the story. The first photo shows the foot of Isa Boletini with our little dog!

The period between 1996 and 2002 was very sad for the whole country but even more for Vlora. Given that Italy (Brindisi) was so close, people from all over the country gathered in Vlora to get out of the country. After that turmoil, for several years, the city was a nest for a great many traffics. This period is over and the situation in Vlora is returned to normal. Anyone can visit without any fear. When coming from Tirana, Vlora is the access to the Llogara pass and the Albanian Riviera.