Porto Palermo

Getting there

car, boat. About 10 km south of Himarë on the SH8, then the spur down to the bay. It is named among the spots the buses skip, so without a car it is a taxi or a boat trip from Himarë.

Parking: Informal parking at the bay before the causeway.

Photography

Best light: golden, sunset.

The fortress is a hard geometric object in a soft bay, so it reads best when the light is low enough to separate its three walls. Check drone requirements with the AAC before travelling.

Drone: not confirmed. Albania's registration requirement is reported differently by every secondary source, so verify with the AAC before you fly.

Porto Palermo is a near-enclosed bay ten kilometres south of Himarë with a triangular fortress on a peninsula in the middle of it. The castle is attributed to Ali Pasha, the water around it is deep and calm, and there is almost nothing built on the shore.

It is the only place on this stretch that is both a swim and a monument with a ticket. Three hundred lek walks you round the fortress. The bay costs nothing and has no loungers to rent, which is unusual enough on this coast in 2026 to be worth saying.

The hours run on two schedules, and the shoulder months are where that bites. Summer is 09:00 to 19:00 daily. Out of season the castle shuts on Mondays and runs 09:00 to 16:00 Tuesday to Saturday and 09:00 to 14:00 on Sunday. What nobody publishes is the date the two swap over, so a May or October visit carries a real chance of a short day or a closed gate.