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

Znamenitosti

13 zamkova, manastira i istorijskih mesta nadohvat Himare, od utvrđenja iz 5. veka pre n. e. do tunela za podmornice iz Hladnog rata.

Zamkovi

Utvrđenja iz osmanskog doba i starija, nanizana duž obale, kostur svakog carstva koje je vladalo ovim delom Albanije.

Stone walls and Byzantine church ruins at Himara Castle on Barbaka hill
5th century BC – present

Himara Castle & Old Town

Himara Old Town and its castle sit 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
Porto Palermo Castle on its peninsula overlooking the turquoise bay
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
The stone restaurant building and terrace within Lëkurësi Castle on the hill above Saranda
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

Manastiri i crkve

Vizantijske crkve i manastiri na brdima koji su preživeli osmanski period i komunističko gušenje vere.

Saint Theodore Monastery building on the hilltop above Dhermi
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
Panoramic view of Himara and the surrounding mountains where Athali Monastery is located
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
Panagia Drymadon basilica on the hilltop above Dhermi
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

Tvrđave

Uporišta na vrhovima brda, uklesana u planine, uglavnom u ruševinama, ali vredna obilaska već zbog pogleda.

Ruins of Borsh Castle perched on a hilltop above the Albanian Riviera coastline
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

Vojni objekti

Ostaci albanske izolacije iz doba Hladnog rata u 20. veku: baze podmornica, bunkeri i napuštena pomorska infrastruktura.

Porto Palermo submarine tunnel entrance carved into the cliffs at the northern end of the bay
Built 1969–1988 (Cold War)

Porto Palermo Submarine Tunnel

The Porto Palermo Submarine Tunnel is the Cold War submarine base of Porto Palermo Bay: 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

Antičke ruševine

Antička i prehrišćanska nalazišta na kojima je najranija istorija Rivijere i dalje vidljiva.

Ancient hilltop ruins and stone walls of Phoenice (Finiq) overlooking a green plain near Saranda
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

Luke i pristaništa

Aktivne luke iz kojih organizatori izleta brodom iz Himare i lokalna ribarska flota i dalje isplovljavaju svakog jutra.

Aerial view of Himara Mini Dock with tour boats moored along the pier and Spile Beach curving behind
Built around 2015

Himara Mini Dock

The Himara Mini Dock is the small jetty at the south end of Spile Beach and the boarding point for most Himara boat tours: Pirate's Cave, Grama Bay and Porto Palermo trips all leave from here or the rocks beside it. Himara Water Taxi, for one, takes the balance in cash here before departure. In the evening locals walk the breakwater for the sunset view back at Himara Castle on the hill above.

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

Bunkeri su priča za sebe

Betonski položaji nižu se duž cele ove obale, a nijedan nije obeležen niti datiran. Njihovu istoriju i mapu onih koje zaista možete da pronađete objavili smo na posebnoj stranici.

Česta pitanja o znamenitostima Himare

Koja istorijska mesta možete posetiti u okolini Himare?

Glavni adut je zamak Himara na vrhu brda sa starim gradom, utvrđen i naseljen još od oko 5. veka pre n. e. Južno duž obale nalaze se zamak Porto Palermo, tvrđava Ali-paše na sopstvenom poluostrvu (oko 1804), i zamak Borsh, a tu je i tunel za podmornice Porto Palermo iz Hladnog rata. Severno i u unutrašnjosti nalaze se pravoslavni manastiri: Sveti Teodor, Athali i Panagia Drymadon.

Da li se za zamkove i manastire plaća ulaznica?

Većina je besplatna, uključujući stari grad u tvrđavi Himara, tvrđavu Borsh i manastire. Glavni izuzetak je tvrđava Porto Palermo, gde se ulaz plaća oko 300 ALL (~3 €), i to isključivo u albanskim lekima, pa ponesite gotovinu. Na nekoliko lokacija naplaćuje se i mali parking, oko 200–300 ALL.

Koliko je stara tvrđava Himara?

Veoma stara. Brdo je utvrđeno otprilike od 5. veka pre nove ere, a kasnije su dodati vizantijski i osmanski slojevi. U delovima starog grada unutar zidina i danas se živi. Od šetališta uz more do nje ima 15–20 minuta hoda uzbrdo.

Kako stići do lokaliteta izvan grada?

Do većine se stiže kratkom vožnjom priobalnim putem SH8. Tvrđava i podmornički tunel u Porto Palermu nalaze se oko 10 km južno (15–20 min), tvrđava Borsh otprilike 20 km južno, a manastiri Svetog Teodora i Panagia Drymadon oko 15 km severno. Izuzetak je manastir Athali, do kog se od plaže Spile pešači oko dva sata u unutrašnjost.

Šta je podmornički tunel u Porto Palermu?

To je pomorska baza iz doba Hladnog rata, izgrađena između 1969. i 1988. godine, kada je albanska vojska skrivala podmornice u tunelu usečenom u rt kod Porto Palerma. Besplatno ga možete videti sa puta ili sa izleta brodom, a ulazak je ograničen.

Planirate dane za razgledanje?

Spojite znamenitosti sa obližnjim plažama, izletima brodom i restoranima zbog kojih vredi ostati duže na Albanskoj rivijeri.

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