At a glance
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| What it is | Ali Pasha's triangular fortress on a near-island headland in a sheltered bay |
| From Dhërmi | ≈30 km · ~35 min south past Himarë; free roadside parking by the causeway |
| Entry | |
| Built | ~1804 by Ali Pasha of Tepelena (walls over 3 m thick) |
| Nearby | Cold War submarine tunnel across the bay — military zone, view from outside only |
| Best time | Morning (almost no shade), before tour groups |
| Time needed | ~1 hour; a stop en route south |
The castle on the headland
Porto Palermo Castle is the strangest, most cinematic stop on the Albanian Riviera — a squat triangular fortress built by the Ottoman warlord Ali Pasha of Tepelena on a low, near-island headland in a perfectly sheltered bay. From Dhërmi it's an easy half-day trip of about 30–35 minutes south, just past Himarë.
The fortress sits on a rocky spit connected to the shore by a narrow causeway, so it feels like its own little island. It was built around 1804, reportedly with the help of French military engineers and likely on the ruins of an earlier Venetian fort — its triangular plan echoes the Venetian castle at Butrint. The design is simple and satisfying: a triangular plan with a squat tower at each corner and thick stone walls, around 3.2–3.5 metres thick. Inside it's largely bare, a warren of dim vaulted rooms you can wander freely, but the pull is the setting: climb onto the ramparts and the whole bay opens up, ringed by bare mountains dropping to still, deep-blue water.
The Cold War submarine base
Across the bay, carved into the limestone cliffs, is Porto Palermo's other secret: a Cold War-era submarine tunnel, begun in 1969 (with early Chinese help) and finished in 1988 during Enver Hoxha's isolationist years. Around 650 metres long and 12 metres high, it was bored clean through the headland — submarines could enter one side and slip out the other, so they couldn't be trapped — to shelter Albania's Soviet Whiskey-class submarines out of sight. It's still an official military restricted zone — deteriorating, unlit and partly flooded — so don't try to enter. You can see the entrance and abandoned barracks from a free viewpoint on the SH8, or from a Himarë boat trip.
Visiting and making a day of it
Entry is about 300 lek (roughly €3), cash in lek only, collected by a caretaker in season. Go in the morning to beat the heat and the tour groups, and wear proper shoes for the uneven old stone. There's a small pebble beach near the causeway for a quiet swim in some of the calmest water on the coast — bring water and a snack, as facilities are minimal.
Most people pair the castle with the neighbouring town: swim and lunch in Himarë, then carry on the ten minutes to Porto Palermo. It also slots neatly into the best day trips from Dhërmi.
