If you’ve seen pictures of dreamy blue water and spectacular beaches backed by huge cliff walls, chances are you’ve been looking at Himare. And happily free beaches are the norm here, so you don’t need to worry about hectic beach clubs with high entry fees like you’ll find in Ksamil.
The water colour is up there with the most beautiful we’ve seen anywhere in the world, ranging from turquoise to electric blue. But it’s not just the water colour that’s special, many are backed by majestic cliffs and peppered with sea caves, one even leads through to a huge canyon!
Some are easy to reach, but the best require just a touch more effort, but we promise you it’s worth it.
Here are the best beaches in Himare, including how to get there and what to expect when you do.
The most spectacular beaches in Himare
A quick note on the beaches: pebbles, sun loungers and crowds
All the beaches in Himare are pebbly, so water shoes are a good idea for moving around the beach. Only one of the beaches on this list is private and charges an entry fee which we’ll note in the relevant section.
Some of the beaches have loungers for hire and some are still wild, all the ones with loungers allow you to lay out a towel, you don’t need to hire a lounger.
Almost all the beaches in Himare get busy in peak season and we have some tips for avoiding the crowds in the relevant articles.
1. Aquarium Bay
Access: By car, boat, kayak, or on foot
Sun loungers available: No
The water colour at most of Albania’s beaches is exceptional, but even with that in mind, Aquarium Bay stands out.
This picture perfect little cove has crystal clear turquoise water which is very well sheltered making for a really relaxing place to swim.
As long as you pick a sunny day your jaw will definitely drop when you see it for the first time!
The high rock walls and small sea cave add to the allure and make Aquarium Bay a must visit when in Himare.
It can get very busy in peak season so you may want to come early or late in the day to avoid the worst of the crowds.
Here are all the details on getting to the beach, as well as another quieter beach nearby which narrowly missed a spot on this list.
2. Gjipe Beach
Access: By 4WD, boat, kayak, or on foot
Sun loungers available: Yes
I don’t know many beaches in the world that can boast being backed by a huge canyon, and that’s only one of the things that makes Gjipe Beach special.
The cliff walls are lined with small sea caves and the water is an exquisite shade of blue. It’s definitely one of the most stunning beaches in all of Albania.
It’s great for swimming and there’s also a popular cliff jumping spot. There are two small bars at the back of the beach, but they’re not loud or busy, so it’s pretty unobtrusive.
Here are all the details on arriving on foot or by boat as well as what to expect from a walk through the canyon.
3. Filikuri Beach
Access: By boat, water taxi, kayak, or on foot
Sun loungers available: No
Filikuri Beach is the kind of beach you dream about visiting when you’re planning a trip to Albania, with vibrant turquoise water and giant stripey cliffs, it’s picture perfect.
It also feels really remote with the majestic cliffs acting like a fortress and giving the impression that it’s only accessible by boat.
This is a wild beach without a sun lounger in sight and all the more spectacular for it if you ask us!
The easiest way to access Filikuri is by boat and you have so many options when it comes to that; from kayaking over, to taking a water taxi, hiring a dinghy, or hopping on one of the wildly popular boat tours. You can hike down to the beach, but it’s not without its risks.
Here are all the details to help plan your visit.
4. Pigeons Cave Beach
Access: By boat or kayak
Sun loungers available: Yes
Pigeons Cave Beach is breathtaking, with electric blue water, a huge sea cave on the beach providing oodles of shade and a true remoteness as you can only access it by boat. Swimming in the shimmering blue water feels like you’ve been transported to an incredible tropical island.
The cave is a really cool feature of the beach and it’s accessible on any tide - the tides are surprisingly small in Himare so you don’t have to worry about them when exploring any of the beaches and caves.
It does get really busy in peak season so we’d recommend visiting early if you want a bit more seclusion.
Otherwise you can swim to the left of the beach (when facing the sea) and the crowds melt away.
However, we recommend sticking close to the shore so as to keep away from the boats that are constantly moving up and down this stretch of the coast.
If you want to arrive by kayak rather than by hiring a boat or coming on one of the boat tours, the quickest and easiest route is from Gjipe.
You can hire kayaks from other beaches and even the main promenade in Himare, but it would be a much more strenuous paddle.
5. Couples Beach
Access: By boat or kayak
Sun loungers available: No
Ah Couples Beach, this one is a true Castaway style remote spit of sand, backed by steep forested cliffs. It really has the wow factor and getting it to ourselves is one of those experiences I will always remember.
The beach is as teeny tiny as they come so you do want to get it to yourself to really experience the magic.
We’d hired our own boat (a little motorised dinghy) for the day and therefore we could drive by a couple of times and wait until we saw no one else was there.
If it’s peak season this is more likely to happen early or late in the day and as luck would have it the beach keeps the sun very late into the afternoon despite the high cliff walls (our photos are late in the day).
If you want to come by kayak the quickest and easiest routes would either be from Jale Beach to the south or Gjipe Beach to the north.
You can drive to Jale Beach in a normal car and it’s closer than Gjipe, so that’s the overall easiest option.
6. Mateus Beach
Access: By 4WD, by boat, or on foot
Sun loungers available: Yes
We stumbled upon Mateus Beach by chance when walking to check out the submarine bunker (a fun experience and only a few minutes walk from the beach). This little cove is split in two and each tiny beach is incredibly picturesque.
The water is two tone; turquoise and indigo, and I defy anyone to see it from the cliff tops and not immediately feel called to go down and swim.
It’s a truly stunning little cove and one of the few beaches that was not at all busy even in the middle of the day when we visited.
This is the only beach on our list which is private and therefore there is an entry fee. We were quoted €20 for two sun loungers but when we said we didn’t need the loungers and only wanted to swim we paid just €5 (total not per person).
For me that was totally worth it and I absolutely loved my quiet swim here.
If you wanted to stay most of the day and use the loungers then €20 is a fair price for the area, matching most other beaches in Himare (when hiring a lounger) and you do get much more privacy and seclusion.
7. Livadhi Beach
Access: By car, boat, or on foot
Sun loungers available: Yes
Livadhi Beach has sensational water colour and is a good option if you simply want to drive to the beach, no walking or boating involved.
We preferred it to any of the other ‘no effort required beaches’ in Himare, but it’s no match for the others on this list, so it really does depend what you’re looking for. It’s a big beach and while popular, there’s room to spread out.
You can rent loungers and various boats including kayaks and jet skis and there are restaurants here too.
It’s a short 10 minute drive from the centre of Himare, or you can walk from town if you fancy the exercise. You can also walk to Aquarium Bay from here, though it’s an easier walk from Jale.
Other beaches we visited but didn’t make the list
We also visited Jale Beach and Plazhi i Himares, the main beach in Himare town. Both are nice and if you’re looking for a super easy day out then the one in town will be the most suitable.
Plazhi i Himares
Jale (which you can drive to) would have been up there with Livadhi Beach if there wasn’t a huge amount of construction going on behind the beach. When that’s over it will be much nicer.
The beaches are both large and have all the usual offerings in terms of loungers and restaurants, they’re also busy but have room to spread out.
Jale
Jale
Where to stay in Himare
We stayed at Wait and Sea Hotel which was a 5 minute drive from town, close to Livadhi Beach. We picked it for the sublime views and they didn’t disappoint.
It is sparkling blue sea and hundreds of olive trees as far as the eye can see. You also got to hear plenty of birdlife instead of the city hustle and bustle which was really relaxing.
The room we initially booked was very small, but we were kindly upgraded to a much bigger room which was great as we hadn’t realised how small the original room we booked was.
The bathroom was fab with a great shower that doesn’t flood the room - a very common problem in Albania! The host is so lovely and will go out of his way to help you and brekkie and parking is included. It’s also a few minutes walk from the best restaurant we visited in all of Albania (the Fig and Olive).
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All the unmissable things to do in Himare, from exploring the beaches and sea caves, to hunting out the eerie submarine bunker, catching a sunset from the castle and dining at one of Albania’s best restaurants.