5 Things to Do in Himare, Albania

If you’re planning your Albania holidays, then make sure to add the small but beautiful coastal town of Himare (Himarë in Albanian) onto your itinerary. Located along the Albanian Riviera, it’s definitely a great place to be based due to its close proximity to other popular places such as Sarande and Ksamil but it has a bit more of a laid-back vibe to it.

There are quite a few things you can do in Himare and nearby which we’ll detail below, along with other useful information such as how to get to Himare, how long to stay for and the best time to visit.

If you’d like to see what we got up to in Himare, then make sure to watch our dedicated south of Albania video on our YouTube channel. For more Albania videos, check out our Albania Series.

How to Get to Himare, Albania

Himare is located along the Albanian Riviera, 54km to the north of Saranda and 73km to the south of Vlora.

By Car

If you’ve hired a car to travel around Albania, then depending on where you’re coming from here are a few ways to reach Himare:

• From Tirana: Himare is located over 245km to the south of Tirana and you can reach it in about 3.5 – 4 hours. You can follow the SH2 towards Durres and then the SH4 and A2 to Vlorë. Then take SH76 to SH8 from where you can turn right and follow the scenic road along the coast to Himare.
• From Saranda: Located about 53km to the north of Saranda, you can reach Himare in about an hour and 15 mintes from there. You’ll have to follow the SH8 basically all the way to Himare.
• From Gjirokaster: Gjirokaster is a popular stop between Tirana and Saranda. You can either drive north along the SH4 then turn onto the Rruga Ura e Kardhiqit and follow that to Saranda. From there you have to drive north along the scenic SH8 all the way to Himare. Alternatively, you can also drive south on the SH4 and then turn onto the SH78 to Saranda before joining the SH8 north to Himare.

By Bus

You can also reach Himare relatively easily from any major city or town in Albania by bus:

• From Saranda: There are 2 minivans going from Saranda to Himare every day. One leaves around 11:30AM and the other one is around 2PM. Tickets cost approximately 700 LEK (6 EUR), and the journey takes about an hour or so depending on traffic.
• From Gjirokaster: You’ll have to take a minivan to Saranda first then jump on another minivan to Himare from there. There are quite a few minivans departing from Gjirokaster’s bus terminal. You can check the bus timetables here. Make sure to get one that gives you time to transfer onto the one leaving Saranda. Tickets cost 400 LEK (3.50 EUR), and the journey takes around an hour or so.
• From Tirana: There are 2 buses per day from Tirana to Himare. The first one departs at 5:30AM and the other one leaves at 1PM. You can check the timetables here. The bus leaves from the Regional Bus Terminal North and South in Tirana. Taxi’s to the bus station in Tirana can cost around 1000 LEK (9 EUR). Journey time is around 4 hours, and tickets cost 1000 LEK (9 EUR).

Once in Himare, the minivan or bus will drop you off around here. We believe that you can get off earlier or a bit further along too, just make sure to tell the driver where you want to get off. From there, probably the best way to get to your accommodation is to walk. For reference, this is also the spot where you can get the bus back to Tirana or other places from.

Best Time to Visit Himare, Albania

The main season in Himare is July and August. It’s when the temperatures are at their highest and it’s also the busiest due to the summer holidays. If you’d like to avoid the extreme heat and crowds then you can consider visiting either in June or September. The temperatures will still be ideal for getting a tan and enjoying the water, but it’ll be less crowded and perhaps slightly more affordable.

It’s worth noting that in the off-season many restaurants and accommodations are shut. The weather won’t be as good either to lie on the beach and there isn’t an awful lot else to do in Himare. If you can only visit Albania in the off-season then check out our 2-week Albania guide for other, perhaps more cultural, experiences and destinations.

How Long Do You Need in Himare

It really depends. If you want to have a base to tour around the Albanian Riviera, then you can easily spend the majority of your time in Himare and take day trips from there. It’s probably a bit more affordable and generally quieter than other locations such as Ksamil and Saranda.

If you’re hopping around, or are short on time, then about 2 nights is plenty to see everything in Himare whilst still being able to enjoy the beaches.

5 Things to Do in Himare, Albania

1. Explore Himare Castle and Old Town

Sitting on top of the hill about 2.5km from the modern centre of Himare is the ancient castle and old town. You can get there on foot, by hire car or taxi. It’s a bit of an uphill walk, but totally worth the sweat for the views. There are a couple of accommodation options around there too, but we still recommend staying in the modern part of Himare.

Himare Castle dates back 3,500 years, when the Greek tribe of the Chaonians inhabited the area. In the 8th century B.C. it became fortified and was a powerful fortress during the middle ages and byzantine times. It was inhabited until about the 16th century when it slowly started to become abandoned.

Today the whole castle is in ruins. As you walk higher and higher, you’ll see that there are some inhabited houses but just as many ruined ones too. Apparently, due to the increase in tourists visiting this part of Himare, a few renovations have been going on and also a few coffee shops have opened up in recent years.

You don’t need to pay to visit the area, so we recommend just wandering around and spotting some of the landmarks such as the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus and the Church of St. Mary Kasopitra, the Greek-Orthodox Church Of All Saints. Of course, don’t forget to enjoy the undisturbed views of the Albanian Riviera either.

2. Relax on the Beaches of Himare

The Albanian Riviera stretches from Vlorë (Vlore) in the north to Sarandë (Saranda) and Ksamil in the south. The area offers a mix of stunning beaches, historical and UNESCO sites, small villages and crazy nightlife. Of course, many visit this part of Albania for some well deserved ‘vitamin sea’.

Himare basically has two bays. One is right along the boulevard in the modern centre which is lined with hotels and restaurant on one side. This is also known as Himare Beach. Only a short hike away is a perfect beach called Livadi which is much nicer if you want to sunbath and swim in the water.

There are many other beaches further away from the centre that you can visit whilst in Himare, such as:

• Potami Beach;
• Gjipe Beach;
• Jala Beach;
• Palasa Beach; and
• Dhermi Beach.

3. Enjoy the Local Cuisine and Fresh Seafood

If you enjoy Greek, Turkish and Italian food, or just the Mediterranean diet in general, then you’ll love Albanian cuisine too. If you’ve been to other regions in the country, you’ll most likely notice slight differences in the food. This is because Albania has three distinct culinary regions: north, central, and south.

Because a lot of Albania’s farms are located in the south, certain dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt, and milk have become popular ingredients around there. Due to the warmer temperatures, they grow a lot of citrus fruits and of course olives too. Apparently olives in Himare have a higher fat content. Therefore, they are more commonly used to produce olive oil.

Just like every seaside town in the world, you can certainly enjoy some delicious seafood dishes in Himare too. You can find some really amazing restaurants along the seafront. What’s great about these is that they’re also much more affordable than what you would pay in Western Europe for a seafront dinner.

Whether you’re a sea-food lover or not, you must try the popular Himare Salad. It contains a mix of orange, olive, olive oil, onion, pepper, and salt. Very simple but delicious, and most importantly, very refreshing to eat in the heat.

4. Go On a Sunset Walk Along the Promenade

Nothing is better than enjoying a beautiful sunset walk along the beach, right? Whenever we are in a beachy destination we notice that people love to get together and watch the sunset. The atmosphere around that time of the day is always great, and that’s probably the main reason why we enjoy spending time on the beach.

Now, Albanians have a tradition called ‘xhiro’ which is essentially a sunset walk after dinner. We loved seeing people out and about, chatting with each other, everywhere we went in Albania. So, why not join in in Himare too and get some exercise whilst enjoying the cooler temperatures and the colourful sky.

5. Go on a Day Trip

There are a lot of day-trip options you can do if you’re based in Himare. Below you can find a selection of places you can consider depending on how much time you spend in town.

• Porto Palermo. About 7km to the south is Porto Palermo. This 19th-century fortress, also known as the Castle of Ali Pasha, is an easy day trip option from Himare. It’s actually located on an island that’s only connected to the mainland via a narrow man-made strip of land. This is mainly used as a beach now, so after you visit you can definitely go for a swim.
• Dhermi: Located about 16km to the north of Himare is the village of Dhermi. This town is filled with picturesque houses, historic churches and has some lovely beaches too. You can visit it as part of a boat tour, with a rental car or a local bus.
• Ksamil: Located about an hour and a half south of Himare is Ksamil, another popular town along the Albanian Riviera. Unless you’re planning on staying in Ksamil, you can definitely visit it as part of a day trip from Himare. Other than enjoying its beaches you can visit a few of the islands that are located just off the coast.
• Butrint National Park: Located just outside of Ksamil, a visit to Butrint National Park can be combined with a day-trip to Ksamil. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and was once one of the most beautiful cities in the Roman Empire. Today the park contains a lot of artefacts and buildings dating from the Iron Age until the Middle Ages.
• Boat Tour: The best way to enjoy the Albanian Riviera and visit some beautiful beaches and bays is to go on a boat tour.

Final Thoughts on Things to Do in Himare

If you’re a regular visitor to the blog, then you know that we always prefer being in the mountains to lying on the beach. However, since we’d heard so many amazing things about the Albanian Riviera, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit it. And we’re very glad that we incorporated Himare into our 2-week Albania itinerary. We can confidently confirm that the Albanian Riviera is just as stunning as any of the beaches in Greece or other Mediterranean countries. So, even if you’re outdoorsy people like us, make sure to enjoy some sand and sea on your trip to Albania.

Have you ever been to Himare before? If so, how much of the area did you manage to explore? What was your favourite activity? Let us know in the comments below.