Palasa, Dhermi

Dhermi and Palasa are two village's in Himarë in Albania.

Ancient Palasa is a northern village when you come from Vlora.It's cited from the first time by Julius Caesar in 48BC, when he landed in the Ionian shore during the civil war against Pompeus. An old and large oak tree, in the front of the church of Saint Demetrios, is the distinct natural monument in Palasa and used for village meetings. It's worth to visit and take a rest at the coffee shop nearby.

Dhermi is the second largest village of Himara.Well-known in Albania and abroad for its wonderful seaside and beach.One of the most religious village in Albania, it has more than 30 churches, including the church of Saint Stephens, the Monastery of Saint Theodore and other 30 churches .The Pirate Cave, the school “Gjike Bixhili”, the house of Albanian writer Petro Marko and the rock of Trapeza are worth to be visited.

How to get in?!

By plane

Tirana International Airport and then take the bus south towards Saranda and Himara.It will take you about 3 hours and half to get in Palasa by car and a little bit more if you choose the bus.

By boat
From Corfu to Saranda or Himara, then take the bus to Palasa. Or from Italy, Bari, Brindisi to Vlora and Durres, then take the bus direction to Saranda or Himara.

By bus

• From Tirana take the bus directly to Palasa every midday, at the bus station for south.
  

• Buses run erratically between Vlorë and Sarande. They are cheap and also stop at the national park just south of Vlorë which has several restaurants. The road is excellent over the top of the mountain pass as you head south, but the good road stops at Palasa. Be aware that the buses are often full and this makes it hard to get picked up at Palasa on your way on down or up the coast.
  

Get around

You can walk around in Palasa or Dhermi as the distances are not that long, or you can rent a taxi if needed. Don't forget to settle the price before you enter the taxi.

See

• Beautiful wild-life in National Park of Llogara
• Sea shore called Gonia where Julius Caesar anchored his ships in 48 BC.
• Caves of Lluvro one of the biggest in the Region.
• Caves of Njasha, Koke Pita, Kopanas, Vrima e Qorres.
• The Cave in the middle of Cika mountain .
• The Caves along of the river of Palasa.
• The Cave of Gramata so cold the stoniest library.
• The Giant Oak Tree in center of ancient Palasa.
• The Monastery of Saint Mary Panajia, at the top of the village.
• The Famous Monastery of Saint Theodhor in the top of the hill.
• Pirate Cave Rock, The Pirate Cave (only by boat).
• Visit the beaches of Shkambo, Jaliskari, Perivoli, Gjipe, Drymades.
• Visit the old village of Palasa and Dhermi, walk around the old narrow stone paths.
  
• Old churches located in Dhermi and Palasa.
  

Buy

Hey and the most importat about "shopping", don't forget to buy Olive Oil (5 euro per liter) and Honey (8 euro per liter)while you are in Palasa, its the best you can find and taste in Albania and one of the best in the Balkans.

Eat

In general to eat in a restaurants in Palsa and Dhermi (there are many and of all kind such as
pizza, fish, traditional, Italian kitchen or Greek kitchen) will cost you around 10 euro per meal. There are some fast foods where the meal will cost to you less than 4 euro per person. Recently a new fashion and modern restaurant is open called Piratet where you can join local food such as fish soup, fish, bread and other original meals as well access wireless Internet which is very hard to find and almost impossible in the region so you can stay in touch
with your families and friends as well share your trip experience with them.

Drink

You have two places to go out at night, Havana Beach Bar and Lollipop, the best choices on the Ionian Coast, famous all around Albania and beyond.

Dhermi is full of nice and modern cafes places and bars, a coffee costs around 1 euro, and a cola around 1.5 euro, a beer around 2.5 euro, and a drink 3-4 euro.

Sleep

It will not be difficult to find a place to sleep, unless you visit Palasa and Dhermi in August, in this month you need to reserve in advance or the only choice will be camp sites.
There are hotels at Palasa and Dhermi. There are very higher articultural Villa's with a beautiful view in Palasa. Also, you can get a room in the village it will not cost you less than 35 euro, but if you rent one near the beach it will cost you for 50 euro up to 60 euro. Also there are some camping sites available costing 4 euro per person.
You can camp on the beach or under the orange tree near the beach as it is not forbidden to camp around the place.

The House

Our house is located in Palasa near the national road that take you up to Saranda. It's a big Villa with 2 floors, and a big garden in which you can find diverse Mediterranean fruits and vegetables.The first floor has three rooms, one bathroom and a living room, as for the second floor has a kitchen a bathroom one room and a big hall composed of classic style by the combination of wood, iron and stone.The two floors have each a big terrace in which you can enjoy the panoramic view pointed toward the sea, as well the greenness.For more pictures of the house you can check out the Facebook Fan Box at the top of the page, it will redirect you to our Facebook page.

Contact

Mobile: +355682089846

Email: palasa2010@hotmail.com