Albanian Riviera Villages

In the 15th century, the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg legally required every newly married couple to plant two olive trees. The Borsh plain has been continuously planted ever since — some groves here are estimated at 3,000 years old. This is the setting for Debina, the white grape indigenous to this Himara coastline, with saline minerality that tastes like the Ionian Sea got into the fermentation tank. The bay you'll pass, Porto Palermo, was called Panormos — 'wide haven' — since antiquity. Caesar's fleet assessed it. An Ottoman warlord built a fortress over it in 1804. The Albanian navy ran submarines from it during the Cold War. One harbor, four empires.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Stand Where Caesar Anchored His Fleet in 48 BC History · Price: low

   Porto Palermo Bay — known in antiquity as Panormos (Greek: 'wide haven') — has been a sheltered anchorage since before Rome existed. The harbor you're looking at now is the same harbor Caesar's scouts assessed in 48 BC when he was deciding where to land seven legions on the Albanian coast.

   Where: Porto Palermo Castle, off the SH8 coastal road ~10km south of Himara. Look for the triangular Ottoman fortress on the small peninsula connected to the shore by a strip of land. Signed from the road.

   What: This bay holds three thousand years of military history in a single glance. The ancient harbor name Panormos means 'wide haven' in Greek — named by sailors who trusted their lives to its shelter. In 48 BC, when Julius Caesar needed to land seven legions on this Albanian coast to pursue Pompey in the Roman Civil War, his scouts reconnoitered harbors along precisely this stretch. The beach at nearby Palaeste (modern Palase, 15km north) was Caesar's actual landing site — meaning the fleet that decided the fate of the Republic sailed these waters you're standing above. The current fortress was built in 1804 by Ali Pasha of Tepelena with French military engineers — an Ottoman warlord who controlled a territory spanning southern Albania and northern Greece, building sea fortresses because he trusted no one. In the bay below, look for the tunnel mouth cut into the rock on the northern shore: Hoxha's communist navy used this as a submarine base during the Cold War. Three empires, one harbor.

   How: Pay the entry at the gate — 300 lek (approximately €3), cash only. Walk across the connecting strip and explore the triangular bastions. The hexagonal domed chamber inside has six pillars and feels nothing like an Ottoman building — that's the French engineering. Spend time on the southern terrace overlooking the bay: this is the view sailors have been reading for three millennia. Allow 45 minutes.

   Backup: If the castle gate is locked (occasional off-season closures), the bay viewpoint from the parking area is still worth the stop — the harbor geometry and the submarine tunnel mouth are visible from outside. The castle exterior walk on the connecting strip is always accessible.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Climb the Walls That Survived Rome's Conquest of Epirus History · Free

   Old Himara — Himara e Vjetër — sits 240 meters above the modern beach village. Illyrians built the first walls here in the 8th century BC. The Romans came in the 2nd century BC and, according to ancient sources, badly damaged settlements along this coast. What you're climbing is everything that survived.

   Where: Himara e Vjetër (Old Himara / Himara Castle), reached by a 15–20 minute walk uphill from the center of modern Himara town. Start from the main street and follow the path north and up — locals will point the way. Alternatively: a 40-minute trail from Livadhi Beach winds through olive trees and stone ruins before arriving at the gate. There is no ticket booth.

   What: This hill has been fortified for 3,500 years. The Chaonian Illyrians built the first walls here around the 8th century BC using the same large polygonal stone-block technique found at Phoenice and Butrint — you can identify the Illyrian layers because the stones are huge and fitted without mortar. Greeks and Romans arrived, then Emperor Justinian rebuilt the fortress extensively in the 6th century AD. The Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (11th century) still stands inside. When the Roman General Aemilius Paulus conquered Epirus in the 2nd century BC — the same general who ended the Kingdom of Macedon — ancient sources record that he destroyed or badly damaged settlements along this coastline. The Himariots who rebuilt afterward were absorbing Rome's blow and starting again. The view from the walls: the Ionian Sea, Livadhi Beach, and on a clear day, Corfu. People have stood here reading this exact seascape, under different empires, for 28 centuries.

   How: Enter through the arched gate — no tickets, no guides, no schedule. Walk the perimeter walls and look for the different stone styles: the massive irregular blocks in the lower sections are Illyrian/Chaonian. The smoother dressed stone higher up is Byzantine. The Church of St. Mary inside still holds services for residents. Spend at least an hour. Come in the morning before summer heat builds.

   Backup: If the path is unclear, any local in modern Himara will point you toward 'kalaja' (castle) — the Albanian word. The castle is always accessible; it is not formally closed.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Taste Debina in the Village Where This Grape Was Born Wine · Price: low

   Borsh sits on the only flat alluvial plain of the entire Albanian Riviera — surrounded by olive groves where trees are legally required to be over 500 years old (Skanderbeg's 15th-century marriage law: plant 2 trees per couple, by decree). Debina — the white grape indigenous to the Himara coast — is what locals drink here.

   Where: Borsh village, ~15km south of Himara on the SH8 coastal road. Drive into the village, park near the central area, and walk into the olive grove that occupies the alluvial flat behind the beach. Look for any family guesthouse, konak, or tavern with tables set under trees.

   What: Albania has 1.7 million olive trees. About 10% are estimated to be over 1,000 years old — some up to 3,000. How? In the 15th century, the national hero Skanderbeg legally mandated that every newly married couple plant two olive trees. The Borsh plain has been continuously planted since then and before — you're walking through groves that were old when Columbus was sailing. The vines matter too: Debina is indigenous to this stretch of Himara coast, producing whites with saline minerality and sharp citrus that taste like the Ionian Sea is in the glass. Under Enver Hoxha's communist regime (1944–1991), Albanian vineyards were collectivized, quality stripped out, the country sealed shut. The families in Borsh kept their backyard vines and their raki stills going anyway. Ask for Debina or Shesh i Zi and you're drinking the wine that survived a regime.

   How: Walk into any guesthouse or tavern — look for 'birra/verë' (beer/wine) signs or simply knock. Ask for 'verë vendore' (local wine) or specifically 'Debina' (white) or 'Shesh i Zi' (red). Family homemade wine and raki are typically offered at or below €2–3 per glass. Pair with byrek (cheese pastry) or grilled fish from Borsh beach. The 7km beach below is the longest Ionian beach in the world — swim first, drink after.

   Backup: If Borsh feels too quiet, any Himara tavern on the waterfront stocks Debina and Shesh i Zi from regional producers. The Me Zemër wine guide lists Çobo Winery and Uka Winery as modern producers handling these indigenous varieties with quality intent — worth asking if a tavern carries either label.

   Log Memory
4. 4 Watch the Ionian Sea Open Below You from 1,027 Meters Adventure · Free

   The Llogaraja (Llogara) Pass, 1,027m in the Ceraunian Mountains, is the watershed between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas — and the hinge on which the entire Albanian Riviera hangs. Drive up through dense Bosnian pine forest; the coast that Roman ships once patrolled materializes below you as you crest the ridge.

   Where: Llogara Pass on the SH8 highway, approximately 20km north of Dhermi, within Llogara National Park. The main viewpoint cluster — parking area, restaurants, and the ridge overlook — is marked as 'Panorama Llogara' on the roadside. Coming from Dhermi, you climb 1,000 meters in roughly 15km of switchbacks.

   What: The Ceraunian Mountains — the name comes from the Greek 'Keraunios' meaning 'thunderstruck' — were the defining geographic barrier of the ancient Ionian coast. North of this ridge: the Adriatic world of Roman supply routes, Caesar's legions, and the Via Egnatia corridor. South of this ridge: the Ionian coast, the sea lanes to Greece, the waters Pyrrhus of Epirus sailed when he went to fight Rome in 280 BC. Standing here at 1,027m, you're on the exact geological seam between two Roman theaters of operation. On a clear day, Corfu is visible — 40km of Ionian water between you. The pine forest at the top (Bosnian pine, Bulgarian fir, silver fir) drops temperature by 15 degrees from the coast below. In winter the peaks above hit 2,045m and see snow while the Riviera below is still swimmable.

   How: Stop at the Panorama Llogara viewpoint. Order roast lamb at one of the ridge restaurants — this is what Albanians eat at high altitude, slow-roasted, served with bread and yogurt. Taverna Hibraj and Hotel Kështjella Llogara both have balcony views and serve traditional mountain food. Budget €6–12 for a lamb plate. Then walk the ridge south of the parking area for the full drop-view: the moment the Riviera appears below you after the pine forest is the reveal this coast has been building toward all day.

   Backup: If weather closes the view (winter fog or summer haze), the drive itself is the experience — the 11% gradient switchbacks through pine forest feel nothing like the Mediterranean coast you left behind. The restaurants are open year-round for locals and truckers.

   Log Memory