What historic sites can you visit around Himara?

The headline is the hilltop Himara Castle and its old town, fortified and lived in since around the 5th century BC. South along the coast are Porto Palermo Castle — the Ali Pasha fortress on its own peninsula (c. 1804) — and Borsh Castle, plus the Cold-War Porto Palermo submarine tunnel. North and inland sit Orthodox monasteries: Saint Theodore, Athali and Panagia Drymadon.

Do the castles and monasteries charge admission?

Most are free, including Himara Castle's old town, Borsh Castle and the monasteries. The main exception is Porto Palermo Castle, which charges about 300 ALL (~€3), payable in Albanian lek only — so bring cash. A couple of sites add a small parking fee of around 200–300 ALL.

How old is Himara Castle?

Very old. The hilltop site has been fortified since roughly the 5th century BC, with later Byzantine and Ottoman layers, and parts of the old town inside the walls are still lived in today. It's a 15–20 minute walk uphill from the seafront promenade.

How do you reach the sites outside town?

Most are a short drive on the SH8 coast road: Porto Palermo's castle and submarine tunnel are about 10 km south (15–20 min), Borsh Castle roughly 20 km south, and the Saint Theodore and Panagia Drymadon monasteries about 15 km north. Athali Monastery is the exception — it's a roughly two-hour hike inland from Spile Beach.

What is the Porto Palermo submarine tunnel?

A Cold-War naval base built between 1969 and 1988, when Albania's military hid submarines in a tunnel carved into the headland at Porto Palermo. You can see it for free from the road or from a boat tour; going inside is restricted.

Porto Palermo Castle on its peninsula overlooking the Ionian Sea — one of many landmarks near Himara

Luoghi d'interesse

13 castelli, monasteri e siti storici facilmente raggiungibili da Himara, dalle fortificazioni del V secolo a.C. ai tunnel per sottomarini della Guerra Fredda.

Castelli

Fortificazioni di epoca ottomana e precedenti disseminate lungo la costa: l'ossatura di ogni impero che ha dominato questo tratto d'Albania.

Stone walls and Byzantine church ruins at Himara Castle on Barbaka hill

5th century BC – present

Himara Castle & Old Town

Himara Castle sits on Barbaka hill above the modern town. Fortifications here date to the 5th century BC and have been continuously inhabited since. That makes the old town, locally called Kastro, one of the few castle villages on the Albanian Riviera still lived in. Stone houses stand on the hillside between Byzantine church ruins and faded frescoes, and on a clear day you can see across the Ionian Sea to Corfu.

In town, 15–20 min walk uphill from the promenade·1–2 hours

Early 19th century (c. 1804)

Porto Palermo Castle

Porto Palermo Castle is a triangular Ottoman fortress with three round bastions, built on a narrow peninsula in one of the most photogenic bays on the Albanian Riviera. Commissioned in the early 19th century by Ali Pasha of Ioannina, the castle is the headline landmark of every southbound boat tour from Himara, and the easiest half-day trip from town by car.

~10 km south on SH8 (14–20 min drive)·1–1.5 hours at the castle, 2–3 hours including a swim in the bay

1537 (Ottoman, under Suleiman the Magnificent)

Lëkurësi Castle

Lëkurësi Castle is Saranda's viewpoint rather than its monument, a modest 16th-century Ottoman hilltop fort whose draw is the panorama over the southern coast. From the ruined towers you look down over Saranda's bay and town, south to the Ksamil islands and the Butrint lagoon, and west across the strait to Corfu. A restaurant built into the walls makes it the town's go-to sunset stop.

Above Saranda, roughly a 1–1.5 hour drive south of Himara·30–60 minutes, or longer for a sunset dinner

Monasteri e chiese

Chiese bizantine e monasteri in cima alle colline sopravvissuti al periodo ottomano e alla repressione religiosa del regime comunista.

14th century (built on ancient Temple of Zeus ruins)

Saint Theodore Monastery

Saint Theodore Monastery (Albanian: Manastiri i Shën Theodhorit, Greek: Μονή Αγίου Θεοδώρου) sits on a hilltop between Dhermi and Gjipe Beach, one of the most historically layered sites on the Albanian Riviera. Built on the ruins of an ancient temple to Zeus, converted into an Orthodox monastery in the 14th century, repurposed as a Soviet navy holiday resort in the 1950s, then an Albanian military post until the late 1980s, and now under restoration. This single hilltop tells the entire story of Albania in compressed form.

~15 km north on SH8 (20 min drive)·1.5–2 hours including the walk up from the parking

18th century

Athali Monastery

Athali Monastery (Albanian: Manastiri i Athalit, Greek: Μονή Αθαλιού) sits high on Athali Mountain above Himara, a remote 18th-century Byzantine-style pilgrimage site reached only by a 2-hour uphill hike. The monastery is small but significant: a continued site of Orthodox pilgrimage, associated with reports of miraculous healing, and built into one of the most panoramic positions on the Riviera. Most travellers never make the climb.

~10 km by trail from Spile Beach (2 hr hike)·3–4 hours round trip including the hike and time at the monastery

13th–14th century

Panagia Drymadon Monastery

Panagia Drymadon Monastery (Albanian: Manastiri i Shën Mërisë, Greek: Παναγία Δρυμάδων), also called the Monastery of Saint Mary, sits on a hilltop at 257 m elevation above Dhermi village. Built in the 13th–14th century, it is a Cultural Monument of Albania and one of the best-preserved examples of Byzantine-era religious architecture on the Albanian Riviera. The monastery operated continuously for over 600 years, through Byzantine decline, Ottoman rule, and Italian occupation, until 1967, when the communist regime forced the last nun to leave.

~15 km north on SH8 (20 min drive + 15 min walk)·45 minutes – 1 hour

The Byzantine brick-and-stone facade of St. Nicholas Monastery church at Mesopotam near Saranda

~11th century (Byzantine), on a 6th-century site

Mesopotam Monastery (St. Nicholas)

The Monastery of St. Nicholas at Mesopotam is one of southern Albania's least-visited churches, a twin-towered Byzantine building dated in its present form to around the 11th century, and once the centre of the largest monastic complex in the country. It carries genuine mysteries: carved relief blocks of an eagle, a lion, a dragon and a stranger creature that may pre-date Christianity, and Byzantine frescoes uncovered beneath later whitewash.

Inland near Saranda, roughly a 1–1.5 hour drive south of Himara·30–45 minutes

Fortezze

Roccaforti arroccate sulle montagne, per lo più in rovina ma da visitare anche solo per il panorama.

4th century BC – Ottoman period

Borsh Castle

Borsh Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Sopotit, Greek: Κάστρο του Σόποτου), historically known as Sopot Castle, sits on a rocky hilltop 500 meters above sea level overlooking Borsh Beach, Albania's longest stretch of sand at 7 km. The fortification has been continuously occupied since the 4th century BC, layered by every power that controlled the Ionian coast: Chaonian acropolis, Byzantine stronghold, Venetian outpost, Ottoman fortification under Ali Pasha. It now sits in ruin, free to visit, and the steep uphill hike ends with 360° views over beach, valley, and mountains.

~20 km south on SH8 (25 min drive)·2–3 hours including the hike up and down

Siti militari

Reliquie novecentesche dell'isolamento albanese durante la Guerra Fredda: basi per sottomarini, bunker e infrastrutture navali abbandonate.

Built 1969–1988 (Cold War)

Porto Palermo Submarine Tunnel

The Porto Palermo Submarine Tunnel is a 650-meter tunnel carved straight through the peninsula at the northern end of Porto Palermo Bay. Built during the Cold War to shelter four seized Soviet Whiskey-class submarines, the tunnel is a monument to Enver Hoxha's paranoia and Albania's isolation between 1961 and 1991. You cannot go inside, since it remains a restricted military zone, but you can see the entrance from the coastal road and from boat tours that pass through the bay.

~10 km south on SH8 (15–20 min drive)·20–30 minutes from the roadside viewpoint

Rovine antiche

Siti classici e precristiani dove la storia più antica della Riviera è ancora visibile.

Hellenistic, Chaonian capital; Treaty of Phoenice 205 BC

Phoenice (Finiq)

Phoenice, ancient Φοινίκη and modern Finiq, was once one of the wealthiest cities in Epirus and the capital of the Chaonians. Today it's a quiet hilltop archaeological site above Finiq village, just inland from Saranda, where fortifications, a theatre and the outlines of the ancient city survive, including the spot where the 205 BC Treaty of Phoenice ended the First Macedonian War between Rome and Macedon.

Inland near Saranda, roughly a 1–1.5 hour drive south of Himara·45–60 minutes

Ancient stone foundations of Antigonea on a hilltop overlooking the green Drino valley near Gjirokastër

Hellenistic, founded ~295 BC by King Pyrrhus

Antigonea Archaeological Park

Antigonea is a Hellenistic city founded around 295 BC by King Pyrrhus (of "Pyrrhic victory" fame) and named for his wife Antigone. It once commanded the Drino valley from a long hilltop ridge; today it's an archaeological park of foundations and walls, with wide views over the valley.

Drino valley near Gjirokastër, roughly a 2–2.5 hour drive east of Himara·1–1.5 hours

The semicircular ancient Roman stone theatre of Hadrianopolis in a green Drino-valley field with mountains behind

2nd century AD (Roman); later Byzantine under Justinian

Hadrianopolis Roman Theatre

Hadrianopolis is the rare ancient site that reads instantly even without a guide: a compact Roman theatre, its stone seating intact enough to sit where audiences sat 1,800 years ago, set in a quiet green field in the Drino valley. Founded in the 2nd century AD and named for Emperor Hadrian, it's one of southern Albania's most accessible archaeological stops: a short drive from Gjirokastër, free to wander, and almost always empty.

Drino valley near Gjirokastër, roughly a 2–2.5 hour drive east of Himara·30–45 minutes

Porti e approdi

Porti ancora attivi da cui ogni mattina partono gli operatori di gite in barca di Himara e la flotta di pescatori locali.

Built around 2015

Himara Mini Dock

A small jetty at the south end of Spile Beach. Boat tours leave from here during the day, and locals walk the breakwater in the evening for the sunset view back at Himara Castle on the hill above.

In town, 2 min walk south from Spile Beach promenade·15 minutes

I bunker meritano un capitolo a parte

Postazioni in cemento punteggiano tutta questa costa, senza cartelli né date. Abbiamo raccolto la storia e una mappa di quelli che si riescono davvero a trovare in una pagina dedicata.

Luoghi d'interesse di Himara: domande frequenti

Quali siti storici si possono visitare intorno a Himara?

Il pezzo forte è il Castello di Himara con la sua città vecchia sulla collina, fortificata e abitata sin dal V secolo a.C. circa. Più a sud lungo la costa si trovano il Castello di Porto Palermo, la fortezza di Ali Pascià sulla sua penisola (1804 circa), e il Castello di Borsh, oltre al tunnel per sottomarini di Porto Palermo, risalente alla Guerra Fredda. A nord e nell'entroterra sorgono i monasteri ortodossi: San Teodoro, Athali e Panagia Drymadon.

Si paga l'ingresso ai castelli e ai monasteri?

Quasi tutti sono gratuiti, compresi il borgo antico del Castello di Himara, il Castello di Borsh e i monasteri. L'eccezione principale è il Castello di Porto Palermo, che costa circa 300 ALL (~3 €), pagabili solo in lek albanesi: portate contanti. In un paio di siti si paga anche un piccolo parcheggio, intorno ai 200–300 ALL.

Quanto è antico il Castello di Himara?

Antichissimo. La collina è fortificata all'incirca dal V secolo a.C., con successive stratificazioni bizantine e ottomane, e parte del borgo antico dentro le mura è ancora abitata. Dal lungomare si sale a piedi in 15–20 minuti.

Come si raggiungono i siti fuori città?

Quasi tutti distano pochi minuti d'auto lungo la strada costiera SH8: il castello e il tunnel per sottomarini di Porto Palermo si trovano circa 10 km a sud (15–20 min), il Castello di Borsh circa 20 km a sud, e i monasteri di San Teodoro e della Panagia Drymadon circa 15 km a nord. Fa eccezione il Monastero di Athali, raggiungibile con un'escursione di circa due ore nell'entroterra partendo dalla spiaggia di Spile.

Cos'è il tunnel per sottomarini di Porto Palermo?

Una base navale della Guerra Fredda costruita tra il 1969 e il 1988, quando l'esercito albanese nascondeva i sottomarini in un tunnel scavato nel promontorio di Porto Palermo. Si può vedere gratis dalla strada o durante un giro in barca; l'accesso all'interno è limitato.

State organizzando le giornate di visite?

Abbinate i monumenti alle spiagge vicine, ai giri in barca e ai ristoranti che rendono la Riviera Albanese un posto dove fermarsi più a lungo.

Spiagge Giri in barca Guida completa ai monumenti