Vlorë lies in the picturesque Gulf of Vlorë, protected by the Karaburum Peninsula.
Albania’s fourth-largest city and an important port, its main industry today is tourism – thanks to its coastal beaches and popular holiday resorts. In recent years the city has been the site of large scale developments, with entire city-quarters rising from nowhere; a line of hotels, guest-houses and restaurants now stretches along the shore of the Gulf of Vlorë.
Although Vlorë is associated with important historic events, the city has preserved very few of its former buildings. Its main tourist attraction is the Murad Mosque, which was built between 1542 and 1157.