Flag Square & Independence Monument
Vlora · In the city
Vlora's main square and its 1972 bronze monument marking Albania's declaration of independence here on 28 November 1912.
Tourist attractions
The sights of Tirana and Vlora — museums, castles, old quarters, beaches and viewpoints — findable by name and on the map, next to the verified businesses around them.
Skanderbeg Square
Tirana · In the city
Tirana's vast pedestrian main square, centred on the Skanderbeg equestrian monument and ringed by the city's key buildings.
National History Museum
Tirana · In the city
Albania's largest museum, on Skanderbeg Square under the socialist-realist mosaic 'The Albanians'.
⚠ Closed for renovation until 2028
National Museum of Independence
Vlora · In the city
Museum in the building where Ismail Qemali's first government worked in 1913, near the port.
Et'hem Bey Mosque
Tirana · In the city
Small late-Ottoman mosque on Skanderbeg Square, famed for its frescoes of trees and waterfalls.
Muradie Mosque
Vlora · In the city
Vlora's principal Ottoman mosque, built in 1537–1542 and attributed to Mimar Sinan, just south of Flag Square.
Clock Tower
Tirana · In the city
35 m tower built in 1822 by Haxhi Et'hem Bey beside his mosque; climbable for city views.
Old Town — Justin Godard Street
Vlora · In the city
Restored historic-centre streets around the Muradie quarter, with cafés and Ottoman-era houses.
Bunk'Art 2
Tirana · In the city
Museum of the Interior Ministry and the Sigurimi secret police inside a 1981–86 nuclear bunker by Skanderbeg Square.
Historical Museum
Vlora · In the city
City museum founded in 1962 in the former town hall near Flag Square — finds from Oricum, Amantia and Kanina, plus the history of 1912 and 1920.
House of Leaves
Tirana · In the city
Museum of Secret Surveillance in the Sigurimi's former listening headquarters, opposite the Orthodox Cathedral.
Lungomare Promenade
Vlora · In the city
Vlora's redeveloped palm-lined seafront promenade south of the port — evening strolls, cafés and beach access. The map pin is a central point of the promenade.
Pyramid of Tirana
Tirana · In the city
1988 pyramid built as Enver Hoxha's museum, reopened in 2023 as a youth tech and culture hub that visitors can climb.
Old Beach
Vlora · In the city
Vlora's traditional wide, shallow sandy beach north-west of the port, near the centre.
New Beach (Lungomare Beach)
Vlora · In the city
The Lungomare's city beach strip south of the port — organised loungers, bars and swimming.
Tirana Castle (Fortress of Justinian)
Tirana · In the city
Surviving Byzantine and Ottoman fortress walls on the Murat Toptani pedestrian street, now a dining and craft quarter inside the walls.
Kuzum Baba
Vlora · In the city
Bektashi tekke on a natural terrace above the centre — Vlora's classic panoramic viewpoint over the bay and Sazan Island.
New Bazaar
Tirana · In the city
Renovated 1931 market quarter east of the centre — food market hall, cafés and restaurants.
Kanina Castle
Vlora · Short trip · ~6 km south-east of Vlora
Ruined Illyrian, Byzantine and Ottoman hilltop fortress at about 380 m, with panoramic views over Vlora Bay.
Blloku
Tirana · In the city
Formerly sealed communist-elite quarter, now Tirana's café, bar and nightlife district; includes Enver Hoxha's former villa and the Postbllok memorial.
Rinia Park
Tirana · In the city
Central 1950 park on the main boulevard by the Pyramid, known for the Taiwan complex and its fountains.
Zvërnec Monastery (St Mary's)
Vlora · Short trip · ~13 km north-west of Vlora
13th–14th-century Byzantine monastery on a pine island in the Narta Lagoon, reached by a long wooden footbridge.
Grand Park & Artificial Lake
Tirana · In the city
230-hectare park around the 1955 Artificial Lake at the south end of the boulevard — Tirana's main walking and cycling green space.
Narta Lagoon
Vlora · Short trip · north of Vlora
Shallow protected lagoon north of the bay, known for flamingos and the Vjosa–Narta wetlands, surrounding Zvërnec Island.
Bunk'Art 1
Tirana · In the city
Huge five-storey, 106-room anti-nuclear bunker built for Hoxha and the leadership, now a history and art museum beside the Dajti cable car.
Sazan Island
Vlora · Boat trip · ~9 km west of Vlora port
Albania's largest island — a former military zone with bunkers and beaches at the mouth of the bay, visited on organised boat tours.
Karaburun Peninsula & Marine Park
Vlora · Boat trip · across Vlora Bay
Albania's only marine national park — wild peninsula coast, sea caves and secluded bays, explored by boat from Vlora or Orikum.
Mount Dajti & Dajti Ekspres Cable Car
Tirana · In the city
A 4.5 km cable car ride (about 15 minutes) from eastern Tirana to the Dajti National Park plateau — panoramic views, walks and restaurants. The map pin is the lower station.
Haxhi Ali Cave
Vlora · Boat only · on the Karaburun coast
Albania's largest sea cave, near Cape Gjuhëza on Karaburun, entered by small boat on Karaburun tours.
Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral
Tirana · In the city
Large modern Orthodox cathedral opened in 2012, just west of Skanderbeg Square — a symbol of Albania's religious revival.
Llogara National Park & Pass
Vlora · Short trip · ~25 km south of Vlora (longer by the winding SH8 road)
Pine-forested 1,027 m pass on the SH8 where the road drops to the Ionian Riviera — the Flag Pine, paragliding and panoramic viewpoints.
Namazgah Mosque (Great Mosque of Tirana)
Tirana · In the city
The largest mosque in the Balkans, with capacity for around 10,000 worshippers, opened in October 2024 near the Parliament and the Lana stream.
Radhimë Beach
Vlora · Short trip · ~12 km south of Vlora
A string of pebble coves and family beach resorts on the bay's south shore.
Tanners' Bridge
Tirana · In the city
18th-century Ottoman stone footbridge on the old Shëngjergj road, east of the centre.
Tirana Mosaic
Tirana · In the city
3rd-century Roman villa mosaic — the oldest monument found in Tirana, west of the centre.
Ancient Oricum Archaeological Park
Vlora · Short trip · ~18 km south of Vlora
Ruins of the ancient Greek and Roman port city at the south end of the bay, inside the Pashaliman naval-base area.
⚠ Inside a military area — access can be restricted; check before visiting
Petrela Castle
Tirana · Short trip · ~15 km south-east of Tirana
Hilltop castle of Justinian-era origin above the Erzen valley, with a restaurant and wide views.
Marmiroi Church
Vlora · Short trip · ~20 km south of Vlora
Small Byzantine domed church recorded in 1307 (possibly 12th–13th century), near Pashaliman by the Oricum site.
Pëllumbas Cave (Black Cave)
Tirana · Short trip · ~25 km south-east of Tirana
Palaeolithic karst cave in the Erzen gorge inside Dajti National Park, reached by a marked trail of about an hour from Pëllumbas village.