Plazhi i Vjeter (Old Beach), Vlorë: The Northwest Side of the Port Where Cars Still Park on the Sand and the Pine Forest Was Planted to Stop the Dunes

Albania | Vlorë | Vlorë County

Plazhi i Vjeter means Old Beach. The name distinguishes it from Plazhi i Ri — New Beach — which stretches in the opposite direction south of the port toward the Uji i Ftohtë tunnel. The two beaches divide Vlorë’s coastline at the port: new and palm-lined to the south, old and pine-bordered to the northwest.

Plazhi i Vjeter stretches northwest from the harbour and is partly bordered by a pine forest, which was planted here years ago as a defence against coastal erosion. It is a flat and sandy beach perfect for evening walks in the setting sun.

It is very easy to reach with your vehicle and you can park directly on the beach, literally on the beach. The inclination of the beach is very low, almost flat. The water entry is very nice and swimming starts at around 75 metres from the waterline, which makes this beach ideal for children to play safely at the shoreline.

The mix of development is the honest description of Plazhi i Vjeter: some nice hotels here but also some rundown places that haven’t been redeveloped yet. Some parts are quite undeveloped with cars parking on the beach and lots of locals. If you keep walking on the beach further north beyond Plazhi i Vjeter, you come to Plazhi Boves — a forested area with camping and a couple of small beachfront restaurants. The beach there can be a little iffy in terms of trash; clean by the newer hotels and apartment blocks but with some trash in the undeveloped or run-down spots.

Getting There: 15–20 Minutes on Foot from Sheshi Shkodrani, Rruga Sazani, or Direct Car Parking on the Beach

From the main square Sheshi Shkodrani in central Vlorë, head south along Rruga Ismail Qemali toward the waterfront, then turn right along the promenade and continue northwest. After approximately 1 kilometre, turn onto Rruga Sazani and continue 300 metres to the beach. The walk takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

By local bus, the line marked for Plazhi i Vjeter (the “Tulla Plazhi i Vjeter” line with a green marker) departs from Vlorë’s main transport hubs and stops within walking distance. The bus journey takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

By car, follow Rruga Sazani to the beach. Parking is available directly on the sand — the specific unusual characteristic of Plazhi i Vjeter that is absent from all the more developed beach sections in Albania. Arriving and parking within metres of the waterline, sometimes literally on the sand itself, is the specific convenience that the beach’s low development level produces.

The Pine Forest: Planted Against Coastal Erosion, Now the Beach’s Shade Resource

The pine forest that borders part of Plazhi i Vjeter was not planted for aesthetic reasons — it was planted as a practical coastal engineering measure to stabilise the dunes and prevent the sand from migrating inland. The result is a partial natural shade belt along the beach that no amount of development investment can replicate, and which makes the beach more comfortable at midday than the fully exposed Plazhi i Ri section to the south.

The forest edge extends in sections along the beach’s length, denser toward the Plazhi Boves section further north. In the morning, before the sun has fully risen over the eastern mountains and before the beach fills with day visitors, the pine-shaded section of Plazhi i Vjeter is one of the most pleasant morning walks in Vlorë.

The 75-Metre Wading Zone: Vlorë Bay’s Shallow Northern Shore

Swimming starts at around 75 metres from the waterline. This is the specific hydrological characteristic of Vlorë Bay’s northwestern shore — the same flat sandy seabed that makes Plazhi i Ri shallow extends throughout the bay. The 75-metre wading zone before swimming depth is reached is exceptional even by Albanian Adriatic standards (where 30 to 50 metres is typical) and makes Plazhi i Vjeter the most genuinely toddler-safe beach in Vlorë.

The warm, shallow water — the Adriatic’s enclosed, shallow-bay characteristic — heats quickly in summer and stays warm longer into the season than the Ionian pebble beaches of the south. The water temperatures in Vlorë Bay in August regularly reach 26°C to 28°C.

Plazhi i Vjeter vs Plazhi i Ri: The Two-Beach Comparison

The main two beaches in central Vlorë are Plazhi i Ri to the south of the port and Plazhi i Vjeter on the other side of the port to the northwest. Plazhi i Ri has had a ton of recent landscaping — a large promenade, a wide bike path, art sculptures, palm trees. It is definitely new and shiny and can get busy. The wide and sandy beach there is probably the cleanest and you’ll find plenty of sunbed rental places.

Plazhi i Vjeter is less busy, has old buildings interspersed with new hotels, and is a little less shiny but still a nice wide and sandy beach. The choice between them is the choice between the curated resort experience (Plazhi i Ri) and the more local, mixed-development, car-on-the-beach experience (Plazhi i Vjeter).

For visitors based in Vlorë for several days, the morning programme at the quieter Plazhi i Vjeter and the evening walk along the developed Plazhi i Ri promenade covers both characters of the city’s coastline.

The Kaninë Castle and the Vlorë Context

Kaninë Castle (also known as Vlorë Castle) — the medieval fortress on the hill above Vlorë with panoramic views of the bay and both beaches — is the cultural day trip accessible from Plazhi i Vjeter without leaving the city. The castle’s position at 243 metres above sea level gives the view of Vlorë Bay, the two beaches on either side of the port, Sazan Island offshore, and the Karaburun Peninsula to the southwest.

Vlorë is also the city where Albanian independence was declared on 28 November 1912 — the Independence Monument at Sheshi i Flamurit (Flag Square) and the Ismail Qemali Museum mark the specific historical event that makes the city significant beyond its beach infrastructure.

Plazhi i Vjeter in Vlorë is the Old Beach northwest of the port — cars parking on the sand, a pine forest planted against erosion providing the shade, swimming starts 75 metres from the shoreline, mixed development from newer hotels to unrenovated older buildings, quieter than Plazhi i Ri, 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the city centre, and Plazhi Boves with its camping and forest restaurants if you keep walking north.

Park on the beach. Walk under the pines. Swim at the 75-metre mark.