Sazan Island sits at the entrance to the Bay of Vlorë, once guarded closely due to its location. For decades, it was a military zone with bunkers, tunnels, and lookout points built to watch the surrounding sea. The island was closed to the public, marked off-limits under both Italian and later Albanian control, and held a small garrison meant to defend the coast.
Today, visitors reach Sazan by boat and walk simple paths past crumbling barracks and long rows of old concrete shelters. Some walls still show faded paint from that time. With no shops or beach bars, the island stays quiet, letting visitors see how it might have felt when soldiers were stationed here. It’s a straightforward place that mixes light history with views of open sea, different from the usual stops along Karaburun’s natural coastline.
Not many realize that Sazan was once divided — part of it controlled by Italy before World War II, and the rest by Albania. Traces of this split can still be seen in different styles of buildings on the island, showing how it shifted hands before becoming a quiet stop on boat tours today.
