Dhërmi
Dhërmi is a village in Himarë Municipality in the Albanian Riviera part of Coastal Albania.
Get in
By plane
Tirana International Airport and then take the buses south towards Saranda and Himara. Or first you go to Corfu, take the boat to Saranda (in the morning or in the afternoon), then with the bus to Dhermi, (in the afternoon 2PM).
By boat
From Korfu to Saranda (all year) or Himara (in summer), then take the bus to Dhermi. Or from Italy Bari, Brindisi to Vlorë and Durres, than take the bus in the direction to Saranda or Himara.
By bus
- From Tirana take the bus directly to Dhermi 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 to Saranda.
By thumb
While travelling along the Albania Riveria, many folks are willing to give you a ride to your next beach town. A small donation at the end (200-400 LEK) is a nice gesture and much appreciated by locals.
Get around
You can walk around in Dhermi as the distances are not that long, or you can take a taxi if needed. Don't forget to settle the price before you enter the taxi. As of September 2014, a taxi ride from Drymades Beach to the top of coastal road costs 750 Lek. A quite pricey less than 10 minute car ride!
See
- The monastery of Saint Mary Panajia, at the top of the village
- The monastery of Saint Theodhor in the top
- Pirate Cave rock, The Pirate Cave (only by boat).
- Visit the beaches of Shkambo, Jaliskari, Perivoli, Gjipe etc.
- Visit the old village of Dhermi, walk around the old narrow stone paths.
- old churches
- the water miles on Potami river
- the olive miles at Gjikopulli house
- Vreto and Kumi Kulla (castel-house).
Do
- Renting a speed boat and visiting the Gjipe Bay. Take a walk up the Gjipe Canyon, around 4 km, to the waterfall of Petasma that is 75 m high.
- Do not forget to spend some hours at Perivoli Beach; you'll have about 3km of beach all for yourself.
Buy
Do not forget to buy Olive Oil (4 euro per litre) and Honey (8 euro per litre) while you are in Dhermi, it's the best you can find in Albania and one of the best in the Balkans. The oil is very virgin and usually home-made. Also don't forget to get some figs - Albania is the world's 13th producer of figs. In some parts of Dhermi, there are bananas. They aren't usually fully developed, but feel free to enjoy the only bananas grown in Europe! Lemons and oranges are also very popular, and pretty nice. Just feel free to stretch your hand, take an orange from the tree, peel the skin off and eat it.
Eat
In general eating in a restaurant in Dhermi (there are various kinds of places serving the likes of pizza, fish, traditional Albanian, Italian or Greek cuisine) will cost you around 10 euro per meal. There are some really good fast foods where you will spend less than 4 euro per person including the drink.
Since the tourist seasons ends abruptly in August, visitors should expect very few restaurant options available in the Drymades Beach area beginning September 1st each year. The few restaurants that are available will typically have a limited menu based on what food they still have in the kitchen.
Piratet is a very nice option if you want to enjoy fresh seafood near the beach.
Drink
You have two places to go out at night, Havana Beach Bar one of the first beach bars since 2001 located at Dhermi Beach and recently Palase, and Cafe del Mare Pub, the best choices on the Ionian Coast, well known amongst Albanians. In fact, Havana Beach Bar is so popular that in summer, most of the Albanian young members of the government, singers, models, and Big Brother stars go there.
From Panorama you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Dhermi during the day and the night.
Dhermi is full of nice modern cafes and bars, a coffee costs around 50 euro cents, and a cola around 1 euro, a beer around 1-2 euro, and a drink 2-4 euro. But be careful when family shopping because buying in the centre of Dhermi is far more expensive than buying in the village, where old women sell what they grow on their balconies - usually called "veranda" in Albanian.
Sleep
It will not be difficult to find a place to sleep, unless you visit Dhermi in August, in this month you need to book in advance or the only choice will be the camp sites.
There are hotels at Dhermi, and also several resorts a few kilometres to the South West in Drymades Beach. To reach this, take the right fork in the SH8 road as you are going down towards Dhermi and follow the rough track past some farms. Resorts have some expensive chalets, but if you go off-season in May, June, September, the weather is still great and the prices are low. I would recommend Altea Beach Lodges during the off-season since its cheap and the restaurant is open, although the menu might be limited. During July-August every hotel/resort will be expensive. Or you can pitch the tent down the beach a few hundred yards and use their bar and restaurant. If you get a room in the village it will not cost you less than 20 euro, but if you rent one near the beach it will cost you for 20 euro up to 40 euro, depending on the location and high season. If you search you will find some rooms for 4 persons up to 5 euro per person a night. 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.
Go next
Tirana can be reached by bus on a somewhat grueling 5 1/2-hour bus trip through the Llogara Pass.