Himare

Himara is a beach town in Albanian Riviera, part of the Vlore county. 3 and a half hours of driving in some of the most fabulous landscapes will take you from Tirana to Himara.

This coastal town is one of the popular beach destinations in Albania, it is noted for its beautiful beaches, rocky mountain paysage, shoreline promenade, Castle of Himara, Greek taverns.

There is a bus and minibus daily line operating between Himara and Tirana city. The bus arrives and departs at the south city bus terminal in Tirana.

The coast for a trip between Himara and Tirana varies around 10$ for a one way trip.

Himara has a distance of 243 km from the capital of Albania.

To reach Himara by car , you need to travel for almost 4 hours starting from center of Tirana.

The main route to reach Himara from Tirana goes this way, Tirana-Durres-Kavaja-Fier-Vlore-Himara. After arriving in Vlora you have two options in case you are traveling with your private car, one option is going through the panoramic Llogora with sea view all along the route to Himara, the other route goes through the mountainous part of Vlora, ‘Lumi Vlores’ , this road has been finalized recently and takes less time to connect Tirana and Himara.

The locals are welcoming, also they can’t wait to see tourists, with them being the main source of atmosphere and income for this town.

Himara is one of those places in Albania where you can notice the Greek influence as it is resembled in the buildings, also the town being one of the important greek minority sites in our country.

Expect to enjoy plenty of delicious food in the taverns of this coastal town, from the sea foods to fast foods there are a lot of options in Himara during the summer season.

Visit the village, visit the castle and learn more about history and culture of Himara, take a ride in the hills around and enjoy the nature and olive hills, meet locals and buy fresh products from their farms like olive oil which in Himara is of great quality, visit nearby sites of Borshi, Porto Palermo Castle, take a boat ride in Himara.

Saranda is 53 km and it takes a little more than 1 hour of driving to get there from the beach town of Himara. It is a worthy ride to visit both places when staying for more than 2 days in one of them.

You can visit the Porto Palermo castle which lies less than 9 km from Himara. This is a great site which will please most of the tourists, take a view at history and culture, get at the top of the castle and enjoy the panoramic landscape.

One beach destination which gets very lively during summer is Jala beach, it takes around 25 minutes to get there from Himara, making your stay in Albania more interesting.

Staying overnight at the village will be less costly than staying at one of the hotels at the promenade. During July and August the prices tend to be higher than in some beach sites of the country, mainly because there are limited hotels and the request is very high during the season.

Himara is a port town which gets lively during the summer season, with its beach promenade full of tourists.

To enjoy better the route we suggest going with private car, take a stop at Llogora and enjoy ‘yoghurt with honey and almonds’ at one of the restaurants, plenty of photos, it can be a little tiring taking this route but it is worth the experience.

Depends on your reason of visiting this beach town, we suggest to take a licensed and professional tour guide which will show you historical and cultural sites near the town.

During the summer there is possibility of water sports within the area, from kayaking, jet ski, boat riding, biking, along with trail running and hiking. For those that want to spice things up there is always the option to do tandem paragliding at Llogora. Another great idea is to go camping at the Gjipe beach, enjoy nature, canyon, activities in nature like rock climbing and more.

A recommended beach is Livadi beach, which can be reached by car or you can try walking through the forest.

They have a distance of almost 80 km between and to get from one to the other you need to drive for almost 2 hours through the panoramic Llogora route or the new ‘Lumi Vlores’ way.

Himara is a beach town which you can get the best of in 3 days.

Ali Pasha Castle in Porto Palermo Constructed by Ali Pasha of Tepelena for his wife , this castle is located in one of the most beautiful locations in Albania. This small castle has walls reaching 20 m of height and very near are located Borshi village and also Qeparo village, both noted for their beautiful beaches. At the top of the castle of Porto Palermo you will find a beautiful panorama and you can also use a telescope which is on the terrace to have a view at a distance. The castle has been restored and it is a frequent tourist attraction nowadays.

Another castle in the Albanian Riviera in one of the most visited towns, Himara. When you arrive at the castle you will notice there are people still living inside the walls, there is a also a serbian church in the castle. This castle apart from visiting it as a historical place also offers amazing views with mountains behind and the Ionian Sea in the front. The Castle of Himara dates from antiquity, there are some churches, some of them still standing and in good condition, making it an interesting attraction for visitors of interest in history, archaeology and architecture

Borshi is a beach village known for being frequented by families who like to spend their vacations away from the crowds. In case you want to spend some quality days away from the noise and clubs then Borshi might be the perfect destination for your vacations. Visit Borshi Castle! This ruined castle at the hills of Borshi Village was constructed in IV B.C but it was damaged during invasions in later centuries. The form it has now is from middle ages restorations and rebuilt.

The official currency in Albania is the Albanian LEK, but almost everywhere they also accept payments in Euro. In Himara you will see a lot of prices in European currency, however we suggest keeping an eye to the exchange rate and always ask before you make payments. It might be better to exchange some Euros in cities like Tirana, Vlora etc to the known exchange sites which might have a better rate.

You can expect to pay around 3$ for a beer at the restaurants, 3$ for a sanduic, 8$ for a full pizza, and around 1$ for a coffee during the summer season.

We recommend trying the olive oil in this town. The Olive Oil is fresh and raised almost everywhere in the hills of Himara, meet locals and ask for their olive oil, it is of great quality and you can get it directly firsthand from the farm.

Those who like outdoor activities like kayaking can explore some part of the Riviera and beautiful Albanian beaches like Gjipe, Filikuri, Potam and more.

To arrive in the castle by walking from center of Himara , you need around 40 minutes, the castle is in the hills of Himara, at the Old Town of Himara.

There are a few daily bus/minibus operating from the city of Tirana and Saranda towards Himara. Always ask locals for information when using public transport as they have more detailed information and it can be challenging to find proper info using online sites. The staff at the hotels might know very well about bus itineraries and they can provide and help you with the information needed.

Take a walk at the towns promenade and enjoy an ice cream from the local shops nearby.

Rent an off road car and visit all the beautiful beaches nearby which are hard to be accessed like Gjipe beach, Aquarium beach, and also ride in the mountains nearby to have an adventure to remember.

Himara is a great choice even outside the summer season, it has warm mediterranean temperatures and can be part of a historical, natural, cultural tour alongside with the nearby destinations.