Where should I stay in Vlorë?

City, or south towards the Riviera

The Lungomare is Vlorë's long seafront promenade, rebuilt and busy in the evenings, with most of the city's hotels on or near it. Convenient, lively and unmistakably urban.

South of the city, Radhimë and Orikum sit on clearer water with a quieter feel, and put you at the foot of the Llogara pass — the start of the drive down the Riviera. That is the better call if the coast road is your plan.

What Vlorë is for

It is where the Adriatic meets the Ionian, so the water changes character here — flatter and sandier to the north, clearer and rockier to the south. It is also the launch point for boat trips to the Karaburun peninsula and Sazan island, which are the main reason to base here rather than pass through.

Practically, it works best as a first or last night on a Riviera trip: you arrive from Tirana, sleep, then drive the Llogara pass south in daylight.

When to come

The boat trips run through the warm months and are the thing worth timing for — June to September reliably. As a city, Vlorë stays open year-round, so out-of-season rooms are available when the villages further south are shut.

August is busy with domestic holidaymakers rather than international ones, which gives the seafront a different, livelier character than Ksamil's.

What it costs, and when

Vlorë covers a wider price range than most Albanian coastal towns because it is two things at once — a full-size city with ordinary city hotels, and the start of the Riviera. City-beach rooms along the promenade are among the better-value beach beds in the country; the further south you go towards Orikum and the Riviera proper, the more you pay for the scenery.

The season is the usual one: August peaks hard, June and September cost far less for the same sea. Because Vlorë is a real city rather than a resort village, it keeps a supply of year-round rooms, so out of season it stays cheap and open when the villages south of it do not.

Common questions

Is Vlorë worth staying in?

As a base for Karaburun and Sazan boat trips, or as the night before driving the Llogara pass, yes. As a beach holiday in itself it is less compelling than the coast further south.

Are Vlorë's beaches good?

The city beaches are ordinary. The water improves markedly south towards Radhimë, Orikum and beyond the Llogara pass.

How far is Vlorë from the Albanian Riviera?

It is the northern gateway — the Riviera begins immediately south of it over the Llogara pass, with Dhërmi the first of the well-known beach villages.

Can you visit Sazan island from Vlorë?

Yes, by organised boat trip in the warm months, usually combined with the Karaburun peninsula's caves and coves.

How much does a hotel in Vlorë cost?

It spans a wide range — the city promenade is considerably cheaper than the coast heading south towards the Riviera, for the same month. August is the peak everywhere here. The search shows each property's own current price rather than an average that would hide that spread.

Is Vlorë cheaper than the Albanian Riviera?

Generally yes. Vlorë has city-scale supply and ordinary hotels; Dhërmi, Himarë and Ksamil have small supply and high summer demand. Vlorë is a common base for exactly that reason, with the Riviera visited by day.

Read next

• The Llogara pass
• Dhërmi
• Himarë