Things to Do in Himarë: Castle, Beaches and Boat Trips

What there is to do in Himarë, and how the town divides up

Himarë is a beach town rather than a resort, with its centre spread along a promenade above a crescent of public beach. The town beaches, the old town on the hill and the coast road running north and south are the three anchors for any visit. Almost everything in the centre is reachable on foot, and everyone comes here for the beaches and to explore the Riviera beyond them.

Himarë sits roughly 1.5 hours from Ksamil and 3.5 hours from Tirana by road. Two kilometres of coastline runs past the centre, with the main promenade walk taking about an hour out and back. That compact scale means a car is optional for the town itself and useful mainly for the beaches and castle further out. If you are weighing up a longer national trip instead, these things to do in Albania cover the options beyond the Riviera.

Walk up to Old Himarë and the castle for the view

Old Himarë sits on the hill above the modern town, and the walk up is one of the best-value excursions in the area. Himara Castle and the ruins around it give you the wide coastal view that the waterfront cannot, and the climb is short enough to fit into a morning before the heat builds. The old town is a separate settlement from the beachfront rather than a quarter of it, so treat the walk as its own outing rather than something you tack onto a swim. The Himare map is useful for judging the climb and the lanes once you are up there.

Go late in the day if you want the sunset rather than the midday light, since the castle walls face open water. Parking near the top is limited, with more space behind the nearby church if you drive. The climb is on foot from the town, so wear shoes that cope with rough stone rather than sandals.

Spend an afternoon on the town beaches: Spile, Himarë and Potami

The town beaches are divided by the concrete jetty: Spile Beach on one side, the longer and busier Himarë Beach on the other, both free to use and a few steps from the centre. A walkway links them, which makes switching between the two easy when one gets crowded. Sfageio Beach sits past a small square reached by a wheelchair access ramp, and Marachi Beach lies a further five to ten minutes along the main road with only a small public strip.

Prinos and Potami sit around the southern cliff, a straightforward 10 to 15 minute walk along the main road from Himarë centre or a five-minute drive. Prinos has the organised lidos with straw parasols and sun beds, while Potami keeps more free beach and ends in a rocky cove with clear water. Prinos also has a volleyball net in high summer, and a ball from the nearby supermarket is enough to join a game.

On Livadhi beach north of town, one traveller paid 500 lek for two sun loungers and an umbrella in early summer and expected peak-season rates to be at least double that. That is a reported set-up cost rather than an official tariff, so ask at the lido before you sit down. Public sections of the beach remain free if you bring your own towel.

Hire a boat or join a group to the sea caves and hidden bays

Hiring a small motorised dinghy is the most rewarding way to see the coast between Himarë and the bays to the south, and no licence or previous experience is needed. The boats are slow, around 10mph at most, so the trip is about swimming stops rather than speed. A group tour is the cheaper option if you are travelling alone or as a couple, since a private charter only makes sense when the cost is shared across a group. Himarë Boat Tours covers the boat-hire and group-tour side in more detail.

On the water, the usual stops are Couples Beach, a hidden sea cave with a bright Blue pool behind it, the large Pirates Cave that a dinghy can enter, and Pigeons Cave Beach. Hiring gives you the freedom to time the caves before the tour boats arrive, but you handle the anchoring and the swell yourself.

Look for the submarine bunker on the coast road

South of Himarë, a lay-by on the coast road looks down on a submarine tunnel used by the Russians in the 1950s. It sits between the town and Porto Palermo, so it makes a short stop on the drive rather than a destination of its own. The tunnel is a surviving piece of the country's communist-era military infrastructure, and the view from the road above is the practical way to see it without scrambling down the slope.

If you are combining the bunker with the beach day, do the bunker first and swim afterwards, since the lay-by has no facilities and the road has no shade. The coast road itself is a single mountain lane with constant bends, so allow more time than the distance suggests.

Drive south to Porto Palermo castle

Porto Palermo castle is around a 20-minute drive south of Himarë, built in the early 19th century by Ali Pasha. One visitor in 2023 paid 300 lek to enter and found it open from 09:00 to 18:00 in summer, with around half an hour enough to see the vaults and walls. Those are reported figures from that trip rather than a published tariff, so check the ticket window before you commit.

Access is the real decision here. There is limited free parking at the roadside restaurant near the castle, and a separate rough dirt track down to the small beach and the castle with plenty of space at the bottom. The track is rough enough that one driver chose not to risk it, so park above and walk down if your car is low or you are unsure. The drive from Himarë to Sarandë takes about 1 hour 20 minutes each way, which makes the castle an easy add-on to a longer day south.

Head north to Livadhi beach and the Llogara pass road

North of town, Livadhi beach is the beach most people picture when they think of Himarë, with a good road down to the seafront and parking along it. The south end is quieter because the road stops short, and the central and northern stretches hold most of the restaurants and hotels. A seafront promenade was under construction there during one visit, which left the ground above the beach messy, so expect building work in season.

Further north, the road climbs towards the Llogara pass and on to Palasë, with the coast opening out below you. This is the stretch to drive for views rather than to reach a specific sight, and the bends and tailgaters make it slower than the map suggests. If you are continuing up the Riviera, Palasë: A Practical Guide to the Riviera Village covers the next stop properly.

How much time Himarë needs and how to get around without a car

Two full days covers the old town, the town beaches and one boat trip, with a third day for Porto Palermo and the bunker if you have a car. Without one, you can still fill a couple of days on foot: the promenade, Spile and Himarë beaches, the walk to Prinos and Potami, and the climb to the castle all start from the centre. The 2km promenade walk is the natural evening routine and takes about an hour out and back.

Parking is the main frustration in the centre. Free spaces are hard to find in the northern section, and one traveller used a private car park found by searching for Private Parking Himare on Google Maps, paying 300 lek for three hours or 700 lek for the day in 2023. Those were the rates charged then, so confirm the current price on arrival rather than assuming them.

July and August bring the crowds and the heat, while May, June and September leave room on the beaches and easier parking. Whatever the month, mornings are better for the castle climb and afternoons for the water. If you are heading on to other Riviera villages, Lukovë: A Practical Guide to the Albanian Riviera Village is the next stop south.

Which half-day should you book first?

Book the boat first if the weather is settled, since a calm morning makes the sea caves and Pirates Cave worth the trip, and move it if the wind picks up. Put the castle climb on a different morning and keep Porto Palermo for an afternoon with the car, so you are not driving the coast road tired. If you only have one clear day, do the old town early and the town beaches after lunch.