The Bay of Porto Palermo (also written Porto Palermos or Gjiri i Panormës in Albanian) is one of the most spectacular natural harbours on the Albanian Riviera. A narrow entrance opens into a wide, sheltered bay surrounded by steep limestone hills covered in olive trees and scrub. The water is extraordinarily clear and the colour shifts from pale turquoise in the shallows to deep blue at the centre.
The bay served as a secret submarine base during the Enver Hoxha era, when the Cold War made these waters strategically important. Soviet submarines were stationed here during the period of close Soviet-Albanian cooperation, and the tunnels and berths are still visible on the northern shore. You can swim or kayak in the bay; the calm, sheltered water makes it ideal for anyone wanting something quieter than the open beach at Jalë.