What to do in Himara, Albania
Himara is a lovely beach town along the Albanian Riviera. It’s a 4 hour drive from Tirana, which is definitely possible to drive to after a long flight (becuase I did it and so you can too!) Another advantage to staying in Himara is that it is close to other famous beaches so you can easily different coastal gems in the region.
The town offers a range of accommodations, from hotels to guesthouses and apartments, and caters to various budgets and preferences. Himara also provides convenient amenities and services with its numerous restaurants, cafes, and shops. If you’re following my Albania Itinerary then you’ll be staying around here for the first 5 days of your 2-week trip.
There are actually two parts of Himara town. The larger part of town is more touristy whereas the town around Livadi Beach area is calmer. There are still a lot of local tourists but there is just one street with all the restaurants and hotels. My sister and I opted for Livadi Beach as the accommodation was a good deal and we liked the idea of being a little secluded. It’s not possible to walk between the two parts of town on the beach as it’s separated by a giant cliff. Instead, you’ll have to drive up the cliff and around for 4km. It’s possible to walk as well if you want a hike, but in the July heatwave we experienced we wouldn’t have dared.
Himara is also written as Himare or Himarë.
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Getting to Himara
Car
There are plenty of things to do around Himara and therefore my sister and I rented a car for our 5-day trip. I rented a car from Discover Cars. This gave us a lot of freedom of movement and also saved us from the scorching heat. The drive will take about 4 hours. The first two hours from the airport are on a double carriage highway, then the road slims down to one lane in either direction into and through the mountains.
You’ll want to keep aware— cars pass each other frequently even on seemingly blind turns. The speed limit varies between 40km/hour to 60km/hour on the mountain roads. I didn’t manage to get past 50 km/hour without feeling stressed. Some cars are going 20km/hour above or below the speed limit.
Cars also stop randomly and don’t use their hazards. Beware of some potholes too.
Parking
Many of the umbrella companies have parking included in their price. The typical parking rate is 800 ALL next to the beach. In the main part of Himara town, you can park about a 10-minute walk from the beach area to avoid paying. In the Livadi Beach part of town, you’ll have to park by the Bakehouse to avoid the fees.
I read many comments on Google Maps with people complaining about the parking costs during our beach adventures. If you’re not willing to walk, then you should be prepared to pay. Just be aware that parking is generally not free and is cash only.
Taxi
You can get a taxi straight from the airport for a set fare of 165 euros.
Bus
There are private and public buses that operate between Tirana and Himara. The public buses cost about 1000 ALL and take 5-6 hours; most buses leave in the morning. Don’t expect AC or proper rest stops on the buses.
Where to Eat
I expect that many of these restaurants will have turnover or service could change quickly. If you look on Google Maps, most of these places won’t even show up in Livadi and the street view mostly shows an empty road. I suggest you walk up and down the strip to see what catches your eye if you’re staying in the Livadh area as we did.
Breakfast
We didn’t really venture out for breakfast during our stay in Himara because we opted to get going on the road or just hit the beach immediately. That said, an omelet will cost just 350 ALL so you can easily have a filling breakfast. Many of the restaurants along the Livadi strip have blackboards that will say “omelet” or “pancake.”
For breakfast, we bought yogurts for two of our mornings and fruit for the others. There is a great veg and fruit shop just before you turn into the Livadi Beach part of Himara on the main road.
Whether you want something sweet or salty, I recommend visiting Bakehouse at the beginning of Livadi’s part of the town. The spinach burek is tasty and flaky. They also have croissants and other goodies.
Lunch/Dinner
We paid about 1500 per person for our dinners each night. Given the quality of the food, we were surprised how cheap it was.
ViaMari
On our first night, we ate at ViaMari. We wanted a simple dinner and so shared a salad and a grilled fish.
Lefteri’s Tavern
On our second night, we drove into the main part of Himara. Here, we had dinner at Lefteri’s Tavern, which is known for its seafood. We got the seafood salad, mussels, linguine with shrimp, and arugula salad. Our total was 4000 LEK (around 40 euros). The star was the linguine! We ate shortly after 7pm, when the restaurant opens in the evening though I read online that there is often a line to get a table without a reservation. I definitely recommend visiting while you’re in Himara. The service was good and the food came quickly!
Jespers
After driving back from Ksamil on our third evening, I was too tired to make an effort for dinner so we went to Jespers. This restaurant is associated with Scala Guesthouse where we stayed. The food was incredible. I got the orzo with cuttlefish. We also ordered a beet and orange salad and tzatziki. There was some confusion with different orders on the night we arrived but ours was mostly fine—we had to remind for our waters and the beet salad, but I don’t hold this against them and I would return. I loved a handwritten menu!
Restaurant Anxhosa
On our last night for dinner, we went to Restaurant Anxhosa. It was delicious! There are so many restaurants on the beach strip, so it was hard to choose. We and all the other patrons were offered a free glass of beer as a “welcome drink,” which was hard to pass up! We were feeling like some simple Greek food so ordered a Greek salad, stuffed peppers, and moussaka. The peppers came with tzatziki. We also ordered the grilled seabass. All the food was excellent! We left stuffed. For two people we paid just 2800 ALL.
Where to stay in Himara
We stayed at Scala Guesthouse and had a great experience mostly because the price was unbeatable. We paid 162 euros for 4 nights for a room with AC and attached bathroom. The space was very clean and had a fridge (which was great for keeping our water and yogurts). It also came with parking, which was necessary to avoid the crowds of cars parked along the street. There were couples and small families in the other rooms. The wall rooms were thin but we had calm neighbors.
There are two modern hotels (that really look out of place in Himara) that were popular as well. Miamar Hotel looked really nice.
Beaches to Visit
The phrase “same same but different” applies to the beaches along the Albanian Riviera. You can visit them all or just visit a few and I’m sure your experience will still be stunning. With just 3 days and my sister not feeling well, we only visited half of the beaches we planned to. Additionally, the roads to the beaches were much worse than what I read about online. Although the main roads are paved, the roads to the beach parking lots were always rocky (some worse than others). Our tiny rental car was not a happy camper.
Livadi Beach
Livadi Beach is the main beach in the smaller part of Himara. There are public beaches, with umbrellas and lounge chairs for around 1000 ALL, as well as two beach clubs on either end of town.
We opted for Babilonia Beach Club because the daybeds looked so pretty. We paid 3500 for the day. The beach here is crystal clear and you can swim out to the lonely rock, climb up, and jump off.
Gjip Beach
Gjipe Beach is a secluded beach in the Albanian Riviera, between Dhermi and Himara. It is surrounded by towering cliffs and has some of the clearest, calmest water around. Look out for the interesting bunker as you hike down.
The beach is only accessible by foot, boat, or 4×4 vehicle, making it a popular destination for those seeking a secluded beach experience. Parking at the trailhead is 300 LEK and it takes about 20 minutes to walk down from the parking lot to the beach.
There is space for your own umbrella, but most of the beach is occupied by two umbrella/lounge chair companies. An umbrella with 2 lounge chairs is 1000 LEK for the day. There are three little cafes to buy drinks and snacks, otherwise bring your own!
Jala Beach
We tried and failed to get to the beach here. The best way to reach the beach is to park your car after you cross the rickety bridge towards the beach. The road is so, so horrible, and I don’t recommend you try it. It was so stressful getting up the hills in my tiny rental car and there was literally nowhere to park. My sister and I ended up skipping this beach entirely. On a nice day, the 2km walk to the beach could be nice but it was so hot on the day we planned to go that we just ended up turning around.
Ksamil Beaches
Black Pearl Beach Club
We did a day trip to Ksamil, one of the most popular towns along the coast. It’s much bigger than Himara and attracts a lot of tourists. My sister and I spent all day at the Black Pearl Beach Club. It took 2 hours to drive there from Himara.
Shpella e Pëllumbave
Around Ksamil, there are also several beaches. We visited Shpella e Pëllumbave, which is sandwiched between two other beaches. We just spent an hour here after visiting the Black Pearl Beach Club. The road is rocky up to the two parking lots. It seems like you’ll be driving in the wrong direction but just keep going and follow the signs. The first parking lot cost 300 ALL. We parked here since I was worried about driving anymore. The second lot is a little closer to the start of the trail down to the beach but just by a couple of minutes. This lot fills up so I suggest just parking at the first lot.
The walk down to Shpella e Pëllumbave takes about 10 minutes, first through a rocky path and then down a metal staircase. The beach area is small and crowded with umbrellas. There is also a restaurant/bar to get drinks and snacks.
To avoid the crowd, keep to the left and round the first little cliff area. There are fewer people here though if you plan to spend the day you may need to bring your own umbrella. We spent just under two hours here and so didn’t get an umbrella.
Himara Castle
Himara Castle is a quick visit while in Himara. This 13th-century fortress sits on a hilltop overlooking the town of Himara, offering stunning views of the surrounding mountains and the Ionian Sea.
The castle was built by the Byzantines in the 13th century, and it was later used by the Venetians and the Ottomans. There are still people living within the fortress walls.
Make sure you stop at the Butterfly Cafe for some iced tea (300 LEK).
The castle is open from sunrise to sunset (often a little longer) and costs 300 LEK per person. We spent about an hour walking around. You can’t get lost! There is parking right out front.