Përmet: The Adventure Activity Capital of Albania
Përmet is a beautiful small town in southern Albania located in the valley of the Vjosa River. It’s known for its hospitality as well as being one of the cleanest and greenest spots in Albania. For tourists, Përmet is an amazing place to come to get your adrenaline rush. The area of Përmet is perfect for all kinds of activities, including horseback riding, rafting, and mountain biking. It is also home to the increasingly popular Benjë Hot Springs, where you can go and relax for the day. After your daytime activities, head back to town and watch the town come alive at night, as its residents pour into the street to socialize with friends. Përmet is a great place to visit to get off the beaten path in Albania – though in a few years that may not be the case anymore! Better play it safe and visit before the crowds come!
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Përmet’s Best Adventure Activities
Horseback Riding
Horseback riding is an exciting way to explore beautiful areas, and it’s one of my favorite things to do in a new place! We went horseback riding with Funky Tours, and we can’t recommend them enough. We rode our horses George and Phillip up mountains, through shallow areas of the river, past herds of sheep with their shepherds, and across valleys – it was utterly amazing. I have truly never been up such steep hills on horseback. On this tour, you’ll also stop halfway for a break in a beautiful valley for some water, fruit, and sangria, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to gallop at the end! The guides also took pictures and videos of us throughout the tour, which are great keepsakes to remember this amazing experience!
Whitewater Rafting on the Vjosa River
The Vjosa River is one of the last wild rivers in Europe. It is a popular destination for rafting enthusiasts, and offers challenging rapids for experienced rafters and more leisurely floats for beginners. If you’re interesting in rafting, check out this tour!
Mountain Biking
Përmet is one of the best places in Albania to mountain bike, so definitely take advantage of that if you like exploring new places by bike! Whether you’re a seasoned cyclist seeking an epic challenge or a beginner looking for a scenic introduction to the sport, Permet’s diverse terrain promises an unforgettable mountain biking experience. If that sounds good to you, check out this tour, which will take you along the Vjosa River for the day on an electric mountain bike. You’ll visit small villages around the area and take in some beautiful scenery!
ATVing
If you’re the type who enjoys exploring terrain in an exciting way, how about this half day ATV tour through Vjosa National Park! Explore the most beautiful mountains, rivers, canyons, villages, and churches in the area and take in incredible scenery the whole time.
Must-Do Day Trip from Përmet: Benjë Hot Springs
Benjë Hot Springs and Lengarica Canyon
The Benjë Hot Springs and Lengarica Canyon are unbelievable and not to be missed when you’re in Përmet. The hot springs are actually quite lukewarm which is perfect for a hot summer day. There are some pools right at the beginning near the Kadiut Bridge (pictured below), but we highly recommend making your way into the canyon where you’ll find smaller and less crowded pools. We spent about an hour walking through the canyon; it was really cool to hike our way through it, and the views were awesome.
How to Get to Benjë Hot Springs from Përmet
To get to the Benjë hot springs, we recommend taking the bus, which takes about 20 minutes and costs 50 Lek (about 0.50 USD). The bus schedule can be hard to find, so we recommend either asking your host or walking around town and looking for signs near the bus station (which is just along the road; search for “Bus station Permet” on Google Maps).
Best Things to Do in Përmet
Climb the City Stone
The “City Stone” is this giant rock formation with old ruins on top that yields beautiful views of the city. You definitely won’t miss this while exploring Përmet, and it’s definitely worth a quick trip up there (and it’s free!).
Hike to Saint Mary’s Church
Hike to the small village of Leus to see Saint Mary’s Church of Leusa – a beautiful church in a peaceful spot surrounded by greenery. Unfortunately you can’t go inside most days, but the outside of it is still worth walking around. The trail is very straightforward, and the views are great.
Try a Mixed Plate at “Te Culi” Slow Food
Eating at this restaurant is easily a top thing to do in Përmet. We ate here both nights that we stayed in Përmet because it really is that good. Each night, the owners invited us into their kitchen to show us everything they prepared that day, and we would get a mixed plate with a little bit of everything. Between the two meals we had spinach burek, a mix of vegetables, moussaka, stuffed rice in peppers, beef liver, and a few other things plus an amazing dessert. All that cost about $5 per plate. You just can’t beat that.
Explore Përmet’s Old Town
Përmet’s historic district is a cute part of town with a church, cobblestone alleyways, and beautiful old architecture. It’s small, but definitely still worth exploring if you have the time. You can find it on Google Maps by searching for “Old City Përmet.”
Best Time to Visit Përmet
The best time to visit Përmet is late spring to early fall. Përmet can definitely get hot in the summer, but you’ll need good weather for all of the adventure activities!
Where to Stay in Përmet
We stayed at Funky Guest House & Adventures, and we truly cannot recommend them enough. Everyone who worked there was wonderful, and they make it super easy to book your adventure activities such as rafting and horseback riding!
Përmet Accommodations
How to Get to Përmet
If you’re planning a trip to Albania, odds are you’ll be flying into either Tirana or Corfu, Greece (find your cheap flights here!). It will be a shorter trip to Përmet if you fly into Corfu, but if you’re exploring other parts of Albania (which we highly recommend doing), Tirana may make more sense. Either way, getting to Përmet won’t be too difficult! If you don’t want to deal with using public transportation or renting a car, check out this multi-day private transfer service!
How to Get to Përmet from Tirana
If you’re trying to make your way to Përmet from Tirana, you have a couple of options. The first is to rent a car. This is the best option for getting around Albania in order to explore lots of different areas and get off the beaten path.
However, if you decide not to rent a car, Albania is quite easy to get around with public buses (and they’re very cheap!). In Tirana, you’ll want to head to the North/South bus station and hop on the bus to Përmet (there are direct buses many times per day – check out the schedule and buy tickets here). The drive takes about 4.5 hours and is beautiful!
Tip: If you’re trying to get to a different part of Albania from Tirana by bus, it’s important to note that Tirana has four bus stations: the Airport Shuttle Station, the East Station, the North/South Station, and the International Station. You will likely use the North/South Station for most of your travels; the East Station only services Elbasan, Pogradec, and Korçe.
How to Get to Përmet from Corfu
If you’re flying into Corfu and heading into Albania from there, the first thing you’ll need to do is catch the ferry over to Sarandë. These ferry rides usually take about 30 minutes. Once you arrive in Sarandë, head to Friendship Park – there should be tons of buses around that area on Rruga Flamurit. There are very few (you can check their schedules on Gjirafa Travel, though they’re not always the most accurate); just ask around and someone should be able to point you in the right direction (we always found Albanians to be super helpful when we weren’t sure what bus to get on!). Once your on the bus, you should be in Përmet in about an hour!
Book your Ferry Ticket with Ionian Seaways
Keep Exploring Albania…
- The Absolute Best 2 Week Albania Itinerary
- Berat: The City of a Thousand Windows
- The Best Things to Do in Gjirokaster
- Ksamil: Home of Crystal Clear Waters and Stunning Views
- Wonderful Things to Do in Himarë: Our Favorite Albanian Beach Town
- Theth Blue Eye and Grunas Waterfall Hike: Your Ultimate Guide
- Complete Guide to the Valbonë to Theth Hike: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
- Himarë or Ksamil: Which Albanian Beach Destination is Best For You?
- Discover Kiço Meniko (Kiço Beach): The Ultimate Destination for Dining, Drinks, and a Dip
Our Favorite Travel Resources
Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.
Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.
Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.
Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.
International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.
eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.
Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!
