I spent 5 days in the small town of Himara on the Albanian Riviera. Here is my guide to the best beaches in Himara!
Oh Himara, I dream of this place! Himara is a small beachside holiday town on the south coast of Albania, otherwise known as the Albanian Riviera. Himara is, surprisingly, home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe.
Before I came to Himara I had no intention of travelling to Albania, it was never on my radar. However, on a strong recommendation of a friend we added this little town to our European summer itinerary. Wow! Best decision ever.
Going to a destination with no expectations is probably the best travel advice I can give. This is exactly what visiting Himara was like!
Himara blew me away!
It is unbelievably beautiful and has some of the best beaches I have seen in Europe and the world. The town is small with the main beach and surrounding beaches on either side of the town.
There were plenty of good restaurants and lots of atmosphere from the other holidaymakers mainly from Albania.
Here is my guide to the best beaches in Himara so you can experience the magic of the Albanian Riviera yourself!
Best Beach In Himara No 1: Gjiri i Filikurit Beach
Gjiri i Filikurit beach is the best beach in Himara. It might even be the best beach in Europe and in the world! That’s how much I loved this beach!
This is a secret beach which is completely inaccessible by road. You either have to walk through some bush and climb down a steep cliff or go via boat from the main beach in Himara.
This beach has crystal clear water and dramatic rock, cave and cliff formations. There is freezing cold fresh water running down the cliffs on the side of the beach which mixes with the warm sea. It also allows you to dig holes in the rocks and create a DIY chilly bin for your drinks and food!
We spent 3 whole days at this beach!
One day we arrived via the cliff, the second we got driven by boat and the third we hired and peddle dolphin boat for the day to get there! We brought plenty of food drinks and inflatables to enjoy the beach all day long.
Each day there were only a handful of other people there which made it all the more magical. I could go on about this place but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!
Best Beach In Himara No 2: Livadhi Beach
Livadhi beach is on the north side of Himara. We walked from Himara, it was difficult to find the correct path but we just asked locals where to go. The walk was really beautiful around the blue, rocky coastline.
Livadhi beach was really beautiful! It is much more developed with beach loungers and a restaurant on the beach. We decided to indulge in cocktails, a delicious Mediterranean lunch and fancy loungers for the day!
We stayed until day turned into night and witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen in my life. The sky went from bright orange to cotton candy and the colours blended into the ocean like a perfect balayage.
Be warned that the cocktails in Albania are VERY strong. This resulted in me literally falling asleep on my inflatable lilo in the ocean. I can’t think of a better way to nap!
Best Beach In Himara No 3: Himara Beach
The main beach where Himara is set is also worth mentioning! It is on the main promenade which has a buzzing atmosphere of bars, restaurants and holidaymakers. The water is beautiful and clear!
My favourite time to visit this beach, however, was just as the sun was rising! The beach is tranquil and quiet and the colours of the sky and sea were magical.
Getting to Himara
Himara is about a 5-hour bus ride south from the capital of Albania, Tirana. Just getting to Himara was an experience! We had heard there was one bus a day from a ’roundabout’ but there is no information online and no one seemed to know!
We did eventually find this bus station and began our treacherous journey to Himara through some extreme mountain ranges. I was thinking this better be worth it and trust me it is!
Food in Albania
If you like Greek food, you will love the food in Albania! It is heavily influenced by Greek Cuisine with lots of fresh vegetables, olive oil and seafood. I loved the food scene in Albania. It was easy for me to find vegetarian and vegan options in all of the restaurants.
- Blue Bay on Livadhi Beach had amazing food and dangerous cocktails!
- Ταβέρνα Το Στέκι is a Greek restaurant in the main town that was extremely popular and really good
- Lefteri’s Tavern is another famous restaurant with great Mediterranean food
Where to stay
I stayed at Himara Downtown hostel, which cost about 8 euros per night including breakfast. It was a small but basic hostel with a couple of dorms and a nice outdoor seating area.
It was right in the middle of the town, close to all the restaurants and about a 3-minute walk to the beach. Also note that you can easily get an Albanian SIM card from any of the network providers, just go in with your passport.
There are also some really good places listed on Airbnb. My friends stayed at a beautiful Airbnb with an amazing host who actually showed us where the secret beach was. Thank heavens for this man!
Cash
You can withdraw cash easily in Himara. A number of shops also accept card but for paying for small things in shops and restaurants it’s much better to carry cash. Get a prepaid travel card before you go and save money on exchange rate and ATM fees. If you are in the UK, Europe or Australia I recommend Revolut.
You get £200 of free ATM withdrawals a month (only 2% after that) and the exchange rate they give is the market rate. I have used their online account and prepaid MasterCard for over three years and I love it. I have saved a fortune on fees.
There you have it: The best beaches in Himara
Himara and the surrounding area is full of amazing unspoilt beaches! I am dying to go back and experience the magic again. Put Himara on your bucket list now and get there before everyone else!
Check out more of my travels throughout the amazing Balkan countries here!
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2 Comments
Hi Christina – breathtaking photos and commentary – you certainly have found a natural and great talent – the photos through your blog are stunning – and I am not a one eyed dad!!!
🙂 🙂