Himarë town
First-timersThe main strip along the bay: restaurants, bars, furgon stop and most of the beds.
Himarë city guide
Things To Do In Himarë
The best beaches on the Albanian Riviera, with less concrete than Sarandë and a mountain pass behind it. Greek-speaking, slow, and busy for six weeks a year.
7
Hostels in the city
8.8
Average, from 2,030 reviews
1,027m
The Llogara pass above the town
€5
A furgon to Sarandë or Vlorë
3
Months of proper season
The Riviera without the apartment blocks
Himarë is a small coastal town between the Ceraunian mountains and the Ionian, with a Greek-speaking population, a ruined castle above the old village and a string of beaches either side that are the best on the Albanian coast.
It has been built on since the roads improved, but nothing like Sarandë, and the coves north and south — Livadhi, Jal, Gjipe — still empty out in September.
Behind the town, the Llogara pass climbs to over a thousand metres through pine forest, and the road down to the coast from it is the most dramatic stretch of driving in Albania.
Three or four days, or a week if you have found a beach you like. The season is short: everything is open from mid-June to mid-September and a good deal of it is shut either side.
Where to stay
The town, the old village above it, or one of the beaches either side.
Old Himarë
Quiet and viewsThe original village on the hill above, with the castle ruins, stone houses and a view down the whole coast.
Livadhi and Potami
Beach daysThe beaches immediately north and south of town, walkable in twenty minutes, with guesthouses and beach bars.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 5 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Himarë
Swim. That is the honest answer: Livadhi and Potami are twenty minutes on foot from town, Jal is twenty minutes north by furgon, and Gjipe — a beach at the mouth of a canyon, reached by a thirty-minute walk down or a boat — is the best on the coast.
Old Himarë, on the hill above, has the castle ruins, a handful of stone houses and Greek Orthodox churches, and the walk up takes forty minutes with the whole coast opening up behind you.
Boat trips from the harbour run along the coast to caves and coves for €25 to €40, which is the only way to reach several of them.
The Llogara pass above the town is worth taking even as a there-and-back: pine forest, a thousand metres up, and the Ionian laid out below.
Free things
Free things to do in Himarë
Every beach is free. Sunbeds cost €5 to €15 a pair in August and nobody charges you to lie on the sand next to them or swim.
The walk up to Old Himarë and the castle costs nothing and is the best hour here.
The coastal path south towards Potami, and the walk down into Gjipe from the road, are both free and both better than anything you can pay for.
Sunset from the old village or from the harbour wall is the town's daily event.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Himarë
Fish, grilled and sold by weight, at €10 to €18 for a whole one. This stretch of coast is Greek-influenced and the cooking shows it: olive oil, oregano, lemon and not much else.
Beachfront tavernas charge a premium; the places in the old village and a street back from the front are a third less for the same fish.
A full meal with wine is €8 to €14. Mussels, octopus and small fried fish are the cheap options at €6 to €9.
Local raki here is often from the mountains behind the town and will be poured for you whether or not you asked.
Nightlife
Going out in Himarë
Small and entirely seasonal. Beach bars along Livadhi and the town front run music until one or two in July and August, and there are a couple of clubs.
It is a fraction of Sarandë's scene and most people here have chosen that deliberately.
Beer is €1.50 to €3, and a cocktail on the sand €5 to €7.
Outside mid-June to mid-September almost all of it closes, and the evening is a taverna and the sea.
Getting around
Getting around Himarë
The town is walkable and the nearest beaches are twenty minutes on foot.
Furgons run the coast road: Sarandë in about ninety minutes, Vlorë in two hours over the Llogara pass, and both for around €5. They are less frequent than elsewhere in Albania and largely stop by late afternoon.
For Gjipe, take a furgon to the turn-off and walk thirty minutes down, or take a boat from the harbour.
Scooter and car hire is available in season and is the best way to work the coast, though the road has long unbarriered stretches and Albanian driving does not slow down for it.
Costs
What Himarë costs
Cheaper than Sarandë outside August and comparable in it. Dorms and guesthouse beds run €12 to €28 depending sharply on the week, a meal is €8 to €14, and a beer is €1.50 to €3.
A day is €30 to €45 in season.
Boat trips at €25 to €40 and sunbeds at €5 to €15 a pair are the discretionary costs. The beaches, the walks and the castle are free.
Take cash for the smaller beaches, where card machines are rare and sometimes absent altogether.
Safety
Staying safe in Himarë
A safe, quiet town where the risks are the sea, the sun and the road.
The Ionian here is clear and generally calm, with sudden depth close to shore on the pebble beaches and no lifeguards anywhere on this coast.
The walk down to Gjipe is loose stone and steep, and the walk back up in August heat is harder than anyone expects — take water and do not leave it until the middle of the day.
The coast road is spectacular and has long stretches with no barrier. If you hire a scooter, do it with a helmet and not after a long lunch. Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Himarë
The coast either side, and the pass behind.
Jal and Livadhi
The two closest good beaches, with tavernas and enough space outside August.
Llogara pass
A thousand-metre pass through pine forest, with paragliding in summer and the Ionian below.
What's on
What is on while you are there
The season is the whole calendar.
Mid-June to mid-September
Summer season
Townwide
When the beach bars, tavernas and boat trips are all running.
August
Diaspora August
Townwide
Greeks and Albanians from abroad return, and the town is at its fullest.
Summer
Panigiri
Old Himarë
Greek Orthodox saint's day festivals in the old village, with food and dancing.
Summer
Paragliding season
Llogara pass
Tandem flights from the pass down to the coast.
October to May
Off season
Townwide
Most things shut. Beautiful, and you will have the beaches to yourself.
Hostels
Where to stay in Himarë
Guesthouses and a few hostels along the front and up in the old village, most of them seasonal. Live from Hostelworld.
When to go
Mid-June to mid-September is the season, and September is the best of it.
Jan
Closed. Mild, wet and empty
Feb
Still closed
Mar
Quiet. Walking weather, sea too cold
Apr
Some places reopening. Green and beautiful
May
Warming. Good value, sea still brisk
Jun
The season opens mid-month. Excellent
Jul
Hot and busy. Book ahead
Aug
Peak. Full, and the beaches fill by eleven
Sep
The best month. Warmest sea, crowds gone by mid-month
Oct
Closing down, but swimmable and beautiful
Nov
Shut. Mild and empty
Dec
Closed
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. The sea is warmest in September, and the Riviera season here is genuinely short — a lot of businesses open in mid-June and close in mid-September.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros, in season.
August runs well above these figures. Late June and September are the sweet spot for price and weather together.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Himarë travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Himarë or Sarandë?
Himarë for beaches and quiet, Sarandë for Butrint, the Corfu ferry and nightlife. Himarë has less concrete and better swimming; Sarandë has more to do when you are not on the sand. They are ninety minutes apart.
Which beach should I go to?
Gjipe if you will walk thirty minutes down a canyon path — it is the best on the coast. Livadhi and Potami are twenty minutes on foot from town. Jal is twenty minutes north and has more facilities.
When is the season?
Mid-June to mid-September, and it is short. A lot of businesses genuinely close outside it. September is the pick: the sea is at its warmest and the crowds go home after the first week.
Is it expensive?
Cheaper than Sarandë outside August. Beds €12 to €28 depending on the week, meals €8 to €14, and a day around €30 to €45 in season.
How do I get around the coast?
Furgons along the coast road, around €5 to Sarandë or Vlorë, though they are infrequent and largely stop by late afternoon. A scooter is better if you are confident — the road is spectacular and largely unbarriered.
What is the Llogara pass?
A thousand-metre mountain pass through pine forest behind the town, on the road north to Vlorë, with paragliding in summer and one of the best views in the Balkans on the way down.
Is there anything to do besides the beach?
The old village and its castle above the town, boat trips to caves along the coast, Porto Palermo's castle twenty minutes south, and the pass behind. It is a swimming town, though, and a week here is a week in the sea.
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