Ask for "Porto Palermo Beach" and you will be pointed at a bay rather than a beach. The inlet 8 km south of Himara holds several separate places to get in the water: a mixed sand-and-pebble shore at the south end, two pebble coves further round, and the rocks directly under a triangular Ottoman fortress. They are not interchangeable. Porto Palermo Beach proper is the one the boat tours use as their swim stop and the one signed from the coastal road, with water the beach database describes, in the bay's own tourism literature, as bluer than anything else nearby. Which of the three you actually want depends on what you are carrying and whether the castle is part of the plan.
Three swims in the same bay
| Porto Palermo Beach | Palermo Beach | Amallos Beach | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40.0567, 19.8030 | 40.0625, 19.7936 | 40.0694, 19.7683 |
| Distance from Himara | 9.6 km south | 8.6 km south | 6.6 km south |
| Surface | Mixed sand and pebble | Pebble and shingle | White pebble |
| Position in the bay | South end, signed from the SH8 | Cove just north of the castle headland | Tucked between rocky outcrops |
| Access | Easily reachable by car | Park near the access road, walk down | Rougher access, short walk down |
| Facilities | Minimal; castle entrance nearby | Limited, largely undeveloped | None; bring shade |
| Crowd | Very few people | Quiet, busier in peak summer | Secluded |
All three want water shoes. The bay's shelter is what they share: it is a deep inlet rather than open coast, which is also the physical reason the colour reads differently here.
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Driving down
The beach is recorded as easily accessible by car, which on this coast means the paved road reaches it and you do not finish on foot. From Himara you follow the SH8 south; the Porto Palermo turnoff is signed 8–10 km out of town, and a short paved road descends onto the peninsula with parking near the castle gate.
Two alternatives are on record. A scooter handles this trip without difficulty, with Himara rentals running 15–20€ a day. A taxi one way is roughly 1,500–2,000 ALL (15–20€), which is worth negotiating as a return fare rather than paying twice, since there is nothing at the bay to arrange onward transport from.
What the water is like
The beach record is unusually direct about this: the water at Porto Palermo is bluer than at other beaches in the area, and the underfoot surface is mixed sand and pebble with rougher patches, which is why water shoes are recommended rather than optional. The site's boat-tour notes add that the water deepens quickly close to shore, so this is not a wade-out-for-fifty-metres beach.
What it does not have is service. No sunbed row, no bar on the sand, no showers. The site's Riviera sunbed survey records Porto Palermo as free to 500 ALL (5€) with minimal facilities, which in practice means you bring water, food and shade or you spend the day without them. The compensation is the crowd level: very few people, even in the months when Himara's town beaches are shoulder to shoulder.
Pairing the swim with the castle
The headland above the beach carries Ali Pasha Tepelena's triangular fortress, built around 1804 with three round bastions, and it is the reason most people combine a swim here with a walk rather than just driving to a quiet beach.
| Figure | |
|---|---|
| Entry | 300 ALL (~3€) |
| Payment | Cash, Albanian Lek only, no cards, no euros |
| Summer hours | Typically 09:00–19:00; verify on arrival in shoulder season |
| Castle alone | 1–1.5 hours |
| Castle plus a swim | 2–3 hours |
| Best light | 08:00–11:00, when the sun is on the seaward face and the bay is calmest |
The cash-only detail matters more than it sounds: the nearest ATMs are back in Himara, so the 300 lek has to be in your pocket before you leave town. The water itself costs nothing. You can swim off the rocks immediately below the castle walls without paying the gate fee at all. Full detail on the fortress is in the Porto Palermo Castle entry and the castle visitor guide; for the whole bay as a structured outing, see the Porto Palermo day trip.
The tunnel is a viewpoint, not a visit
At the northern end of the same bay, a 650-metre tunnel runs straight through the peninsula, cut between 1969 and 1988 to shelter four Whiskey-class submarines Albania seized after breaking with Moscow. It remains a restricted military zone and you cannot go in. Viewing is free: the roadside pullout sits on the right about 10 km south of Himara, before the castle turnoff, and 20–30 minutes covers it. The Porto Palermo Submarine Tunnel page has the full history if the Cold War layer is what brought you here.
Arriving from the water instead
Porto Palermo Beach is the swim stop on the southbound half-day boat tour out of Himara, listed at 20€, the cheapest itinerary in the site's boat-tour data. It runs the bay's whole set of stops in one loop: Filikuri and Llamani beaches, the bay itself, the castle from the seaward side, the submarine tunnel and the Porto Palermo cave, with a 20–30 minute swim allocation at this beach before the return. The beach is roughly 12 km south of Himara by sea. Doing it by boat gives you the angles on the castle the road cannot, and it is the only way to see the tunnel mouth up close. You can browse the Porto Palermo tours for current departures.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a fee for Porto Palermo Beach?
No. The beach and the bay are free, and the site's Riviera sunbed survey records rentals here at free to 500 ALL (5€) where they exist at all. The only charge in the bay is the 300 ALL (~3€) castle ticket, which covers entry to the fortress and nothing else.
How far is Porto Palermo Beach from Himara?
Eight kilometres south, with the turnoff signed 8–10 km out of town on the SH8. A short paved road descends to the peninsula and parking sits near the castle gate. By scooter, rentals from Himara run 15–20€ a day; a taxi one way is roughly 1,500–2,000 ALL (15–20€).
Do you need water shoes at Porto Palermo Beach?
Yes. The surface is mixed sand and pebble with rougher patches, and the record recommends water shoes explicitly. The same applies at Palermo Beach and Amallos Beach in the same bay, both of which are pebble or shingle. The water also deepens quickly close to shore.
Can you swim below Porto Palermo Castle?
Yes, and without paying anything. There is no fee for the water: you can swim off the rocks directly beneath the castle walls and at the small beach near the base of the peninsula. Bring water shoes, since the entry points there are rocky rather than sand or pebble.
Which is the quietest beach in Porto Palermo bay?
Amallos, about 6.6 km south of Himara at 40.0694, 19.7683. It is a secluded white-pebble cove between rocky outcrops with rougher access and a short walk down, and it is recorded with no facilities at all. Porto Palermo Beach itself is already described as having very few people.
