A GUIDE TO HIMARË, ALBANIA
To start off my summer travels I hopped on a plane over to Eastern Europe, more specifically Albania, a county that I have been fixating on visiting for months now. Himarë (Himara) has ended up being not only one of my favorite places in Albania, but one of my favorite places on the Mediterranean Sea.
The Albanian Riviera is already just so absolutely unreal in itself- and Himara is right in the center of the most beautiful spots in the region.
Himarë is a smaller town with a slower pace compared to its neighboring resort cities. Though there is still a good amount of cafes, bars and stores along the Main Street, it is more relaxed, cheaper and much less crowded-even during the peak summer season months-than Ksamil or Vlorë.
The beaches-whether it be the secluded beaches or the public beaches-are clean and beautiful, the two main hostels are lively and very close to each other, and there is plenty of things to do in and around the town.
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HIMARË OVERVIEW
Himara is located around 4 hours south of Tirana, around 2 hours south of Vlorë, and just over an hour north of Sarandë (where the ferry comes in from Corfu as well).
The town is split into two parts-the new town on the water, that is the more visited main area that was developed under Enver Hoxha post WWII, and the old town (Fshat) on top of the hill that over looks the new town and the Ionian Sea.
The South of Albania is so saturated with Greek culture, and there is a huge Greek population because it is so close to the border. It is sooo cool and so fascinating.
This little oasis was definitely not empty, but I have no doubt that in the coming years, Himara-and Albania as a whole-will become much more of a popular travel destination.
Everybody deserves to experience this beautiful spot in their lives, but get there quick before it is too hot.
BEST TIME TO VISIT HIMARË
Himare has a warm climate with overall fine weather year-round, but as our Earth continues to heat up, the Summer (especially July) has been getting so extremely hot. Himarë are is a good place to try to beat the heat by sitting in the water all day, but the sun still gets pretty intense. Of course I spent my time in Himarë during July, during the days it would get up to 40°C (104°F).
The best times to visit Himarë are the Spring and Fall shoulder seasons, specifically September-October for the perfect weather and perfect water temperatures after the Summer.
HOW LONG TO SPEND IN HIMARË
I stayed in Himara for 5 nights, and I could have stayed longer. Not only is Himara a beautiful town to explore and relax in, but it is a great home base to explore the Riviera and other towns in the Southern end of the country. I think that it is wise to factor that into planning how long that you will stay.
Himara is also surrounded by beautiful beaches to spend your days at if you have access to a bike or car, which again, factor that into planning how long that you will stay.
If you are planning on staying up in the old town, I would consider booking more nights down on the water.
DAILY SPENDING/BUDGET IN HIMARË
Currently, Albania is extremely affordable to travel to. Especially being smaller than the resort towns, I knew that I was going into a much different price of living than other Riviera towns on the Mediterranean but I was still shocked.
During my time in Himarë, I spent no more than $40 a day (not including accommodation and flight prices). You can check flight prices and different connections here.
GETTING AROUND HIMARË
Himarë is a small enough town where everything is in walking distance. Of course there are smaller, lesser known beaches further out that you will want to get a ride to-but other than that you will not have to worry about getting around at all really.
If you are traveling through hostels, you will most likely meet someone with a car or a bike. And conveniently enough, there are plenty of places to rent bikes and mopeds around town.
HOW TO GET TO HIMARË
Getting around Albania can be stressful going into at first because there is still such a little amount of information on the buses online, but it is actually very easy, especially getting to and from Himara.
Albanianbus.com seemed to be the most spot on, with some options to book in advance, but I found that a lot of the time there was definitely buses running that weren’t listed on the site. Rivierabus is the main bus company for traveling down to and around the Southern coast, but there is a good amount of different companies as well.
It is best to check with someone at your accommodation or a worker around the terminals and stops if you want to actually find out what the bus situation is. A lot of travelers seem to rent cars to get around the Balkans-and the roads are easy so it is a viable option.
From Tirana:
From Tirana, all buses depart from the Tirana South and North Bus Terminal, around a 15 minute drive away from the city center. At the terminal, there seemed to be a good amount of different buses with signs depicting their routes down to Himara.
The daily buses from Tirana to Himara (as of Aug. 2023) run:
-5am (unconfirmed for everyday) -7:30am -13pm (unconfirmed for everyday) -15:30pm
From Vlorë:
From Vlora, the buses depart from the Vlora Station. There are multiple direct buses that run daily.
The daily buses from Vlora to Himara (as of Aug. 2023) run:
-6am -7:40am -8am -8:26am -10am -11:30am -12pm -14pm -15:50pm
From Saranda:
Many people traveling to Himara are coming up from the more well known Saranda. From Saranda, the buses depart from Rruga Flamurit next to the Synagogue remains and Friendship Park.
The daily buses from Saranda to Himara (as of Aug. 2023) run:
-5:30am -7am -9am -13:30pm -18pm
BEST THINGS TO DO IN HIMARË
Himarë’s Old Town (Fshat) and Castle:
Before I even start with the beaches or anything, I am putting Himarë’s castle and old town first on this list. The old settlement has a beautiful old castle that dates back around 3,500 years (!!!), and a village that is home to a small population that live among the ruins.
The town has insane history, one of my favorite parts about my visit was learning about, and experiencing a lot of it first hand and up close. This was probably my favorite place that I visited in Albania. I would recommend going up at sunset, the light is so beautiful and the walk back down as the town lights up below is beautiful as well.
When the insane mid July heat began to cool down for the evening I walked about 2 km up into the hills from the center to the unreal fortress that looks over the coast of the Ionian Sea. The castle is mentioned in writing from all the way back in the 1st century, and it has survived all of these years through the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire, both world wars and much more.
My favorite church in the village, the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus (Εκκλησία των Αγίων Σεργίου και Βάκχου) has stone walls that date back to 786 (!!!!) and unreal post-byzantine art inside.
The energy inside was intense but so fascinating. I really love to try to imagine all that these stone walls have seen.
The Old Town is up the hill from the Northern end of the town. Personally I didn’t think it was that bad of a walk at all. It is a beautiful walk up and takes about 45 minutes. Again, you can rent bikes and mopeds around the town to go up too.
Filikur Beach:
Filikur Beach was my favorite beach that I visited on the Riviera. Up the hill, above the southern end of Himarë is the path down to Filikur, it gets narrow and then you quite literally have to scale down the rocks while holding onto a rope. When you get down, you are greeted by such amazing clear blue water and beautiful caves. I went down for a sunrise swim one morning and sat and stared out into the sea for a while and it was so peaceful.
Taking A Boat Tour From Himarë:
I
n any town on the Riviera, taking a boat tour is one of the best things that you can do while visiting. Like I said earlier, Himarë is in the middle of the most beautiful spots on Albania’s Mediterranean coast, and seeing a lot of them is only possible by boat so it is essential to spend at least one day doing one.
It is not hard to find a boat tour company in Himara, just go to the north end of town and you will see some signs for different trips by the companies you will see online.
THE BEST PLACES TO STAY IN HIMARË
I stayed at Filikur Hostel, and it was my favorite in Albania. The family that owns it is so unbelievably kind, the view from the deck and from my room was so beautiful.
A huge bonus is also it’s close proximity to Filikur Beach, it is no more than a 5 minute walk to the start of the trail down the cliff.
$: Filikur Hostel From $16/night. Book Filikur Here.
Sun bakers Hostel From $15/night. Book Sunbakers Here.
$$: Spile Rooms Lukas From $40/night. Book Spile Rooms Lukas Here.
Seaside Hotel From $35/night. Book Seaside Here.
$$$: Aphrodite Garden Rooms & Apartments from $87/night. Book Aphrodite Garden Here.
Toni Retzo Rooms From $131/night. Book Toni Retzo Rooms Here.
When visiting Albania, or even Corfu and super northwestern Greece, Himarë seriously is just a must hit. I would recommend it over Sarandë, and I can’t wait to go back soon and to explore more of the smaller towns on the Riviera.
THINKING OF TRAVELING TO HIMARË? DO IT.
HERE ARE ALL OF THE RESOURCES I USE TO PLAN MY TRIPS:
FLIGHTS AND ACCOMMODATION: BOOKING.COM IS WHAT I WILL ALWAYS USE TO BOOK FLIGHTS AND STAYS. NEVER DONE ME WRONG.
TOURS, DRIVERS, AND ALL THAT FUN STUFF: VIATOR IS MY GO-TO.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: SAFETYWING HAS ALWAYS BEEN FABULOUS. THE BEST EVER.
RENTAL CARS: WHEN BOOKING ANY TRIP THAT YOU DECIDE TO RENT A CAR FOR, BOOKING.COM IS FABULOUS LIKE ALWAYS.
