Plan Harmony

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Porto Palermo, Porto Palermo, Vlore County

Porto Palermo Castle is a castle with an intriguing history near Himara in the wonderful southern coast of Albania of the Ionian Sea. The Porto Palermo fort is situated in the closed bay of the Porto Palermo, surrounded with nicely arranged beaches, few kilometres south of Himarë, that makes an island connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land. The Porto Palermo fortress served as the former Soviet submarine base during the communist regime in Albania, and nowadays its semi-abandoned tunnel and barrack attract the attention of visitors, as well as the stronghold walls and gates built by the powerful Ali Pasha of Ioannina.
By the middle of the 17th century, the Ottoman Empire system of administration of vilayets of sanjaks /provinces/ changed into the near-autonomous governance of local rulers who were known as pashas. At the end of the 18th century, the sultan appointed a certain Ali from Tepelen /1744-1824/ as the Ottoman governor of the most of the Epirus /of the present-day southern Albania/ and the large part of the Greek mainland /much of Albania and Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, and the Morea/, with his court at Ionina – Yannina. The ancestors of Ali were Christian Skipetars and converted to Islam under the Turkish invasion. As a young fellow, Ali was patrolling highroads and lanes, with his gun on his shoulder and his yataghan in his belt, attacking, holding for ransom, or plundering all whom he encountered. After some years of this profitable business, he found himself a wealthy man and came to power with a distinguished and honourable rank among the beys of the country. He married Emineh, the daughter of Capelan Tigre, Pasha of Delvino, who resided at Argyro-Castron. Capelan’s object in giving his daughter to Tepeleni was to enlist him among the beys of the province to gain independence, the ruling passion of viziers, but Ali wished to succeed to both the government and the wealth of his father-in-law.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Qeparo, Qeparo, Vlore County

On this tour, we will tour the village of Qeparo, which has a breathtaking location, right after the Palermo Bay. It’s a village which has attracted an immense number of tourists, due to its beautiful traditional architecture, cobbled alleys and old churches. Also, in the village, sits the castle of Ali Pasha Tepelena, which was designed by the French Army architect and nowadays displays special architectonic and touristic values.

Duration: 4 hours

• Air-conditioned vehicle
• Private transportation

• Infants must sit on laps
• Service animals allowed
• Most travelers can participate
• Not wheelchair accessible
• This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
• This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
• This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

See Availability

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.