We stayed in Vlore for 5 days, during our road trip in Albania. We used Vlore as our hub for visiting nearby places, such as Berat. During the mornings, me and Eric explored the area in search for exciting activities. However, most inflatable playgrounds and trampolines are closed, until late afternoon. So, we had to be very creative in spending our mornings in Vlore. Here is our list with top things to do to avoid boredom while in Vlore.

• Hit the beach.

This goes at the top of my list, even though we didn’t really love the New Beach – Plazhi i Ri. Here’s why. The beach is a little muddy, with grass near the port where the New Beach begins and cloudy waters. As you go further south, the beach gets better. It has soft dark sand, good for playing. The sea has a soft incline, which make it also kid friendly. It was also warm, so extra points for that. At the end of September, a lot of the beach bars were closed, which hopefully explains all the trash left behind. There is an ample public beach, but it was dirty. The sand at the beach bars was cleaner, so hopefully during high season the beach is better maintained. There are a lot, a lot of cigarettes stubs in the sand. We were here during September 18-23 and the beach was a disappointment. There was a lot of trash on the streets as well, which is a pity, as the palm tree promenade along the New Beach is truly beautiful.

We rented two sunbeds and an umbrella next to the Da Vinci restaurant for 400 lek/day, significantly cheaper than Ksamil. There are changing facilities on the beach. The Da Vinci beach also has a shower unit.

Although the beach did not meet our expectations, the sunsets in Vlore managed to exceed them.

• Short road trip to Zvernec to see St. Mary’s monastery and the Narta lagoon.

St Mary’s monastery is located 15 minutes away from Vlore on a small island (Zvernec) connected to mainland with a long curvy bridge. I would say it is worthwhile to see it, if not for the actual monastery, then maybe for the crab chasing from the bridge. The lagoon is mostly used in the salt industry. Both the lagoon and the monastery are best viewed at sunset. There is a very small parking lot, right next to the bridge. Most of the cars were parked in the dry area of the lagoon.

• Go on the Ferris wheel and try out the inflatable castles on the promenade

The Ferris wheel was a nice surprise Vlore. Located in the large square near the Vlore port, it offers an exciting experience for the little ones, along with good views over the beach. In September it was running only during the evenings, much like the other attractions here, a small merry-go-round and bumper cars. It is seasonal and it was gone by the 20th of September. For 100 lek/adult, we went on too many turns (11 to be exact, as the ones in charge were busy talking to each other).

• Head out to the Carraro restaurant and its indoor playground

We actually stumbled upon this one by accident. The restaurant in itself is very basic, I would say it is a modest pizzeria. They have cheap pizzas and drinks, but the waiters were very friendly. The restaurant has some swings outside, which are free for guests to use. The indoor playground was well kept and one of the staff members was always there supervising the kids (Eric, as he was the only one). Although unassuming, it did offer us a nice change of scenery. For 100lek, Eric had a blast and climbed and slided for nearly 2 hours. Find the restaurant here.

• Take a boat tour in the marine park

There are several boat tours starting in Vlore port. Unfortunately, they have stoped doing group tours in late September. But, the marine park is definitely a must see, with tours going to the lovely Sazan Island and the Karaburun peninsula. The latter offers some really secluded beaches and cool caves. I’ve contacted Olympia Tours for an offer. They only had private tours of 400 euros, starting at 8-9 in the morning. Group trips were not available, but expect 40 euros/adult for a boat trip going to Sazan Island (stop 1h), then to Haxhi Ali cave (20min inside the cave) and one beach of the Karaburun peninsula.

• Go olive oil tasting and visit the Musai olive oil factory

Even if not famous, Albania’s olive oil is exquisite, much like the one from the neighbouring Greece. The Musai olive oil factory is located close to Vlore. The owner is amazing and friendly and guides you through the process of olive oil making, as you sample some of the best olive oils. Musai sells its olive oil bottles worldwide, from South Korea to the United States and Switzerland. Entrance is free and one litre of olive oil comes at a reasonable price of 1200 lek. Buy more and you get a discounted offer. Find them here. Parking is possible within the factory grounds. The Musai factory and the Zvernec island are located close to the Narta lagoon and I would recommend visiting both. Allow for about half an hour/ each location.

• Stroll the historical ruins at Apollonia, a former greek establishment

Slightly smaller compared to Butrint, but of equal significance, Apollonia is a nice history lesson. Apollonia is well preserved and one of the three ancient Greek settlements in Albania, along with Butrint and Durres. The Romans then left their touch, with Octavian Augustus, the Roman emperor and successor of Caesar, even claiming to have studied here. The site is scattered and requires about 1-2 hours for a full visit. There’s little shade and could be a problem during summer months. Entrance fee is 600lek, kids go free.

Vlore restaurants: The Vlore promenade offers plenty of good dining options. If you are into Italian, then Anchor is a good choice with good service, but they only accept cash payments and they don’t have cocktails. For seafood, go to Marinero – they have a very nice menu, service is really fast. We ate here a couple of times during our stay in Vlore, as it was conveniently located near our hotel. But every time, the food was delicious. The prices are also very good and most like all other restaurants on the promenade, they have the most amazing view over the sea. Sunsets in Vlore are truly enchanting. Lovely burgers and killer cocktails at the Irish Time pub. Big Scoop – for ice cream.

Vlore accommodation: We chose the 1 bedroom apartments rented by the Marina Premium Hotel in Vlore and we were not disappointed. Except for some stains on the walls due to water flooding, the apartment had a modern vibe and was good value for the money. The hotel garage is also right next to the apartment building. The apartments are located roughly 200m from the beach, the hotel in itself is beachfront. We payed 157euro/5 nights. Breakfast usually costs 4 euros, but it was not available during our stay.