Himarë punishes bad planning and rewards good shoes. The town center is small enough to cross in fifteen minutes, but the pieces worth seeing — painted shutters in the old lanes, a roofless castle on the ridge, a triangular fortress across the bay — sit just far enough apart that a route saves you a lot of uphill backtracking.
This plan keeps every leg one-directional. Day 1 stays inside the town core. Day 2 runs south along the coast and returns on the same road, so you never cross your own path.
Quick Route Overview
This itinerary suits travelers moving on foot, at a relaxed pace, who would rather see four good things properly than eight badly. Expect 4–6 km of walking a day, one steep 25-minute climb, and a lot of stone steps. It is not the right plan if you want a resort where you never leave the sunbed.
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You do not need a car. Day 2 uses one short bus leg in each direction; everything else is walkable from a base near the port. Budget travelers will be comfortable, mid-range travelers will be very comfortable, and the only real friction is August heat and beach traffic.
- Duration: 2 days, 2 nights recommended (Day 2 ends with a sunset you will want to linger over)
- Best season: Late May–June and September–mid-October. July–August works but brings 35°C afternoons and packed coves
- Recommended base: Himarë town center, within 10 minutes of the port and Spilia cove. Skip the uphill old town for sleeping — the steps get old after dinner
- Transit method: On foot, plus two furgon (minibus) rides on Day 2. No rental car, no taxi required
Day 1: Old Town Stonework, Murals and the Kala Sunset
Day 1 is a single loop: port, old town, cove, castle, port. Everything sits inside about 1.2 km, but the elevation change is real, so order matters.
Morning
Start at 8:30 on the waterfront near the port. Get a kafe turke at one of the promenade cafés (100–150 lek / ~$1.10–1.60) and a spinach byrek from the bakery behind the bus stop (120 lek / ~$1.30). This is the coolest hour you will get — use it for the climb.
Walk north along the shore road and take the stone stairways up into the old town, the Kala quarter. There is no ticket, no gate, no visitor center. This is a lived-in neighborhood with a lot of empty houses, so treat it like someone's street rather than a museum.
Look for the painted wooden shutters, the carved lintels over doorways, and the repainted wall murals on stairwells and shopfronts — several were done by Albanian and Italian artists over the last decade, and they change as walls get repainted. The Church of All Saints (Kisha e Gjithë Shenjtorëve) sits in the middle of the quarter with a shaded courtyard worth ten quiet minutes.
Afternoon
Have lunch down near the port at a family taverna: grilled sardines, a Greek salad, bread and olives runs about 900–1,300 lek (~$10–14) for two people if you skip the fish by weight. Most of these places are cash-only, so carry lek.
Then walk five minutes downhill to Spilia cove, the small pebble beach tucked under the old town. Water is deep close to shore, which is great for swimming and less great for small kids. A sunbed set runs 1,000–1,500 lek (~$11–16) in high season; a towel on the rocks costs nothing.
On the way down, take the two-minute detour to the small Church of Shën Mëria, a low stone building with faded fresco fragments inside. It is usually locked — the courtyard and the view are the point.
Evening
Around 18:30, start up to Kalaja e Himarës, the castle on the ridge above town (also called Paleokastra). It is a 20–25 minute climb on stone and dirt, free, ungated, and open whenever you want. Sunset lands between about 20:00 and 20:45 in summer.
Bring water and use your phone torch on the descent — there is no lighting on the upper path and the stones are loose. Wear real shoes, not flip-flops.
Dinner back at the port: whole grilled fish by weight, roughly 1,500–2,200 lek (~$16–24) with sides. Finish with raki at a waterfront café and a slow lap of the promenade.
Route Efficiency Tip: Go old town → Spilia → castle, in that order, and do not come back down for lunch. The climb to the Kala is the one leg you do not want to repeat, and the tavernas near the port are a 5-minute walk from the cove anyway. Skip the boat tours advertised at the port — the 90-minute cave trips are overpriced and the swimming stops are short.
Day 2: Porto Palermo Fortress and Qeparo's Hill Village
Day 2 is one straight line south on the SH8 coast road, then back. Check the return bus times with your driver in the morning — summer service thins out fast after 18:00.
Morning
Be at the bus stop by the port roundabout at 8:40. Flag down any southbound furgon heading to Sarandë and get off at the Porto Palermo turnoff, about 25 minutes south (300 lek / ~$3). From the road, it is a 15-minute walk down to the water.
Porto Palermo is a triangle-shaped fortress sitting on its own peninsula, built up under Ali Pasha around 1800 on older foundations. Entry is around 300 lek (~$3) and takes 30–40 minutes: thick walls, a small chapel, and a courtyard that photographs beautifully in low morning light.
Swim off the fortress walls before 11:00 — the bay is calm and shallow, and the tour vans have not arrived yet. Kayak rentals usually appear by mid-morning at 1,000–1,500 lek (~$11–16) an hour.
Afternoon
Walk back up to the road and catch the next southbound furgon ten minutes to Qeparo (150–200 lek / ~$2). Lunch in the lower village near the beach: grilled chicken, salad, and a beer for 800–1,200 lek (~$9–13).
Then climb to Qeparo's old village, 15–20 minutes uphill on the switchback road. Half-restored stone mansions, collapsed roofs next to neat guesthouses, and a church courtyard that is usually locked but has shade and a wide view down the coast. It is the most honest example of Riviera village architecture you will see on this trip.
Come back down for a swim at Qeparo beach — long, pebbly, and quieter than Himarë's coves.
Evening
Take the northbound bus back to Himarë around 18:00 (roughly 200–300 lek / ~$2–3). If you miss the last one, a taxi from Qeparo is 1,500–2,000 lek (~$16–22) — annoying, not disastrous.
Sunset from the port jetty is the best free view in town. Dinner is low-key: pizza or grilled meat for 600–900 lek (~$7–10) at any of the places one street back from the water.
If you still have energy, a taxi to Livadh beach (500–700 lek / ~$5–8) gets you to the beach bars. Otherwise, a nightcap on the promenade and an early night.
Route Efficiency Tip: Do Porto Palermo first and Qeparo second, not the reverse. The fortress is cooler and empty before 11:00, and Qeparo has the food and the swimming for the hot part of the day. One southbound leg, one northbound leg, no doubling back to town for lunch.
Getting Around Himarë
There is no train, no airport, and no city bus in Himarë. The town itself is entirely walkable, though the old town involves long stone staircases and the coast road south to Livadh has no sidewalk — walk facing traffic and wear something light-colored after dark.
Intercity furgons run the SH8 between Vlorë, Himarë, and Sarandë roughly hourly from 07:00 to 18:00 in summer, and much less often from October to April. Flag them at the port roundabout and pay the driver in cash. Sample fares: Sarandë 400–500 lek, Vlorë 800–1,000 lek, Tirana 2,000–2,500 lek (4.5–5.5 hours).
Coming from Corfu, take the ferry to Sarandë and pick up a northbound furgon from there. Scooter rental is 2,500–3,500 lek (~$27–38) a day, but only worth it if you are comfortable on cliff-edge roads with no guardrails. Parking in town in August is genuinely difficult, so a rental car is more hassle than it is worth for a two-day stay.
Estimated Daily Budget Breakdown
Figures are per person, per day, based on two people sharing. Lek converted at roughly 92 lek to $1.
| Travel Style | Accommodation | Food & Drink | Transit & Sights | Total / Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget Backpacker | 3,000 lek (~$33) | 2,500 lek (~$27) | 800 lek (~$9) | 6,300 lek (~$68) |
| Comfortable Mid-Range | 8,000 lek (~$87) | 4,500 lek (~$49) | 2,000 lek (~$22) | 14,500 lek (~$157) |
| Boutique Splurge | 18,000 lek (~$195) | 8,000 lek (~$87) | 4,000 lek (~$43) | 30,000 lek (~$325) |
Two honest notes: cash is still king at tavernas and on buses, and the two ATMs in the town center routinely run dry in August. Withdraw in Sarandë or Tirana before you arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to book accommodation in advance?
In July and August, yes — Himarë fills with returning diaspora families and Tirana weekenders, and the good guesthouses near the port go two to four weeks out. In May, June, September, and October you can usually walk in and negotiate.
Can I do this itinerary without a car?
Easily. Day 1 is entirely on foot within 1.2 km. Day 2 requires one southbound furgon and one northbound furgon, both picked up on the coast road. No taxis needed unless you stay out past the last bus.
What if I arrive before check-in or leave late?
There are no official luggage lockers in Himarë. Most guesthouses will hold your bag for free, and the port-side cafés will usually watch one for an hour if you buy breakfast. Do not leave bags visible in a parked rental car.
When is the best time to walk this route?
Late May to mid-June and September to mid-October. You get 26–28°C instead of 35°C, the castle climb is comfortable, the buses are less crowded, and room rates drop by 30–40 percent outside August.
