Vlore (Albania)

Vlore (aka Vlora) is an Adriatic Sea port and city in southwestern Albania (Laberia region), with municipal population around 130,000. Albania's largest cruise ports are Durres (port to country's capital city Tirana) and Sarande. Vlore is the closest to Italy Albanian port - located approx 130 km (80 mi) from Bari. The small Sazan Island (5,7 km2 / 2,2 mi2) is still Albania's largest and an off-limit military zone, being strategically located at the Bay of Vlore's entrance.

The city is served by Port Vlore, SH8 highway (Fier-Sarande) and A2 motorway (Fier-Vlore). A2 is also part of the Adriatic–Ionian motorway (Blue Corridor) and of the Pan-European Corridor VIII that links Italy (Bari-Brindisi) via ferries crossing the Adriatic Sea to Durres.

The town (previously named Aulon and Valona) was founded as a colony of Ancient Greece, later became part of the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Republic of Venice (697-1797) and the Ottoman Empire (1299-1923).

Port Vlore is Albania's 2nd-largest (after Durres). Its main terminals serve dry-bulk cargo and container ships, the petroleum export and the commercial fishing fleet.

The tourism travel industry is well developed. Some of the most visited by international tourists beaches are Palase, Dhermi, Vuno, Himara, Qeparo, Borsh. Bay of Vlore additionally offers good anchorages for cruise ships. The World Bank ranks Vlore City 7th among 22x Southeastern European cities, which is also before the capitals of Albania (Tirana), Serbia (Belgrade) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (Sarajevo).

To the south of Vlore starts the Albanian Riviera (Bregu). The scenic coastline stretches along the Ionian Sea (Mediterranean Sea) up to Sarande. Current-day city's economy is based on its seaport, commerce, industries (fishing, petroleum, natural gas, bitumen, salt, food processing), agriculture (olives and olive oil, fruit trees, oats, maize, cotton) and livestock farming (cattle, sheep, goats). All these commodities are generally for export.

As a regularly visited cruise port, Vlore for the first time was included in the 2020 schedule of CroisiMer (ocean travel brand of CroisiEurope - one of Europe's largest river cruise companies). Next table shows the 7-day itinerary (Dubrovnik roundtrip) introduced with CroisiEurope-owned ship La Belle de l'Adriatique.

The voyage (themed as "The Treasures of the Adriatic: Croatia, Greece, Albania and Montenegro") was priced from ~USD 1500 per person (double-occupancy cabin rates).