Përmet

Center of the city with its famous The Rock of the Town (Guri i Qytetit)

Permet is a small city in Southeastern Albania.

Understand

The small town of Permet is on the southern east side of Albania, close to the two Greek borders (Kakavia and Merzani). It is 70 km away from the historical town of Gjirokastra, and 230 km away from the capital city of Albania, Tirana.  The town of Permet lies along the river Vjosa from which the valley takes its name. The river Vjosa runs along the whole district for about 58 kilometers and is the second largest river of Albania for its hydric reserves. The riverside provides a very beautiful valley extending from Çarshove to Tepelenë District.

The most important mountains around Permet are: Nëmërçkë 2485 m, Dhëmbel 2080 m and Trebeshina 1922 m. A small town, surrounded by mountains, rivers and countryside, there are many choices of accommodation, activities, many taverns and snack bars, a rich history and many areas that you should not miss seeing!

The greenest and the cleanest town in Albania, also known as the "city of roses." The small town of Permet is famous for its folk music and renown clarinetist Laver Bariu, literature personalities, and the good cooking, especially sweets, the so called 'gliko', or preserves. You will be served good wine and raki in Permet and around.

Visitor information

• Visit Permet Tourist Info Center, Kompleksi Kulturor Përmet, Shëtitorja “Odise Paskali”, 2nd floor, Përmet., ☏ [phone], [phone]. Monday to Friday 09:00 - 18:00, Saturday 09:00 - 12:00. 

Get in

• If you are travelling from Greece, you can get on the bus that leaves from Athens (Address: Deliyianni 19, Metaxourgeio, Telephone No. ([phone] & ([phone]) The bus usually takes between 7 to 8 hours and is quite a comfortable journey! The bus fare costs €25 and the bus drops you off at the main square in Permet.
• If you are travelling from Gjirokastra, there are many buses and mini buses that leave from the main roundabout in northern side of the town. The fare costs 350 lek, and the duration of the journey is usually about an hour (70 km). You will travel through the beautiful Drinos valley and then pass by the magnificent Kelcyre Gorge.
• There are daily buses from Tirana to Permet. They leave from just opposite Euromarket, next to Familija restaurant. Buses to the capital are at 05:00, 07:00 & 09:00. Buses from Tirana leave at 12:30, 14:00 & 17:00. Both ways daily schedules. The journey takes about five hours (220 km) and the fare is around 850 lek.

Get around

• Have a hike at nearby Fir of Hotova National Park and visit picturesque villages such as Vithkuq.
• Benje (Benja), Permet (Private car, taxi or your own transportation), ✉ [e-mail]. Benje is around 13 km away from the center of Përmet. At the very beginning of the street you will see the Katiu’s Bridge, that was built within the medieval period, it remains in good condition until today. There flow out a group of sources, from which are formed small lakes with water of different sizes. Each lake is used for treatment of a specific problem, for example, acne and other skin diseases, rheumatism and diseases of body, or stomach. A more specific aspect is the existence of the basin with healing mud, which the elderly say it is a key to keep the skin fresh and young. In fact it is proved that the medicine has an effect on rejuvenate of the skin. In the waters of Bënja one can find visitors from all over Albania, coming to be cured. However there are many others who visit even just to get the sun rays. Warm water is always a magnet that invites to pass hours in total relaxation. (updated Sep 2016)

See

• Multicultural Permet Festival showcasing the best of local folklore
• Partisan monuments featuring socialist realism art work
• The beautiful orthodox church of Saint Nikolas (Shen Koll): The church of Saint Nikolas is another old church in the town of Permet. It was built in the year 1757 and its walls were repaired and painted in the year 1967. The church is set in a beautiful, peaceful garden, surrounded by colorful cypresses and flowers. The church is usually closed to tourists but the outside view is also beautiful.
• The church of Saint Friday (Kisha e Shën Premtes): An attractive, old church in the town of Permet. The word “Paraskevi” is the Greek word for Friday and Saint Paraskevi was a Greek saint, who was martyred by decapitation, the saint is often shown in various icons, with a head on her shoulders and another head in a bowl. The name of this church in Albanian is Shen Premte (Saint Friday). The church was built in the year 1776, the shape of the building is long and low with a beautiful colonnaded porch, the roof has been made on a single level, which is very unusual as most of the roofs of the narthex are built on a lower level than the nave. There is an interesting architectural feature in the church, underneath the paved floor, there is a small channel which collects water from the font and leads the water to the rainwater drain outside. The wall paintings were painted in the year 1808 by the Albanian artist and painter Terpo Zografi, some of the paintings are in need of conservation but most are beautiful. The original door to the church was destroyed during the atheism campaign and has been replaced by a modern, carved door that a local craftsman carved.
• The castle of Bolenga (Kalaja e Bolëngës): The upper district of the town of Permet is called Bolenga. The remains of the castle of Bolenga, are not more than a few stones, located at the top of the large rock of Permet.
• The bridge in Benje (Ura e Bënjës, Ura e Kadiut): The beautiful Ottoman bridge of Benja with the natural thermal springs is still in very good condition! If you walk to the middle of the bridge, you can take some brilliant photographs of the river and the surrounding countryside. This bridge is also known as The judge's bridge (Ura e Katiut). The Turkish word "Katiut" means "judge" and there is a story that while Albania was under the Turkish occupation, a judge fell of the bridge and was killed. The earliest archaeological traces recorded in the area, consisting mainly of flint tools and pottery fragments, seems to belong to the Neolithic (7000-3000 BC) and Eneolithic (3000-2100 BC) periods, and are recorded in the cave settlements, near by the village of Bënjë, at the rocky canyons of Lengarica, an affluent of Vjosa River, which is about 2 km to its southeast direction. The Bronze Age (2100-1100 BC) is presented by the fortification of Dedejan, at the foot of Nemerçka Mountain range, while other find spots from the same period are discovered during agriculture works in the fields of Piskova village.
• Detail of teqe Alipostivan it (Detaj i teqes së Ali Postivanit):  A teqe is a small place of worship for those practicing the Bektashi branch of Islam.
• The City Stone of Përmet:  The huge stone that is located beside the river is impossible to be missed. It is probably the largest stone that you have ever seen and today is considered to be a monument of culture. There are many stories about the stone, one story says that the town of Përmet was named after a hero who was called Premt, whose story has been handed down  generation after generation. This hero decided to throw himself off the “City Stone”  rather than die at the hands of the enemy. The stone was also used as a watching point  was a watching point to check over the caravans during 18th-19th century. The area surrounding the huge rock is said to be protected and myths of the town say that it is forbidden to approach the rock when it is dark, for bad things could happen!
• The House of the Three Frashëri Brothers - The home of the brothers Avdyl, Sami and Naim Frasheri, prominent National Renaissance activists, is part of the national heritage, and holds the status of the Category Culture Monument 1 in the village of Frashër of Përmet.

Do

The thing to do in Permet is to climb a big rock , it's very near to the center of the town, it's called the rock of town looking over the town and Vjosa river. Let's say this is the point of observation of the town.There is a famous Spa very near to Permet, in Bënja, you may take a taxi or even walk if you want. Ask around for directions, the location is south of Permet. The hot spring is situated in a scenic surrounding. This marks the end of the 5 km long Langarica Canyon in Kolonje District where you can kayak in what is considered the most scenic canyon of Albania.

Buy

Pasticeri Bleta: If you want fresh, local, traditional sweets and cakes, then you should visit the "Bleta" which is a few meters down from the main square of Permet, on the back road towards the large stone of the city.

Eat

• Different types of spoon sweets
• Byrek me dy peta
• Different types of liqueurs

Drink

• Permet Raki
• Permet wine

Sleep

• Hotel Alvero, Sheshi Abdyl Frasheri, Permet, Albania, ☏ [phone], [phone], [phone], ✉ [e-mail]. (updated Jun 2015)
• Hotel Permeti, Sheshi Abdyl Frasheri, Permet, Albania, ☏ [phone], [phone], [phone], ✉ [e-mail]. (updated Jun 2015)
• Hotel Ana, Sheshi Abdyl Frasheri, Permet, Albania, ☏ [phone], ✉ [e-mail]. This is a good accommodation choice as the hotel is in the town of Permet but in a location that gets you away from the noise of the traffic. It is less than 500 m away from the main square of Permet, and 250 m away from a supermarket and other shops. 12 rooms, 6 of which are single rooms, 4 double rooms and 2 suites. The suites are furnished to modern standards. All of the rooms have a private bathroom, TV, air conditioning, balcony, shower. Coffee bar and breakfast area, 24-hour free parking. (updated Sep 2016)

Connect

Go next

• Tepelenë
• Gjirokastër