As I am redoing my blog and updating my travel guide posts, it has almost been two years since I visited Albania. 18 months later, and I am still thinking about Himarë’s old town and castle, and the memory of spending sunset overlooking the Mediterranean meeting the sea every single day.
The site was my favorite place that I found in Albania. The energy, and the feeling of the history around you is overwhelming and absolutely otherworldly. If you are visiting Himarë, this is an absolute must see without any doubt.
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When the insane mid July heat began to cool down for the evening I walked about 2 km up into the hills from the center to the unreal fortress that looks over the coast of the Ionian Sea that dates back over 3,500 years(!!).
The castle (Kalaja e Himarës) has survived all of these years, through the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire, both world wars and much more. I really love to try to imagine all that these ruins have seen, it is so unexplainably fascinating to me. I walked along feeling all the walls and I could feel all of the people that walked the same stone roads all of those hundreds of years before me.
I would definitely recommend going up at sunset, the light is so beautiful, it is so peaceful, and the energy is unreal. The walk back down as the town lights up below is so unbelievably beautiful as well.
Also, during the day, entering the site to tour the churches and ruins will cost you 2 LEK, but at sunset-entering is free. Of course 2 LEK is a very little amount and it is important to put funds towards the local people and preserving it-so why not hit it more than once.
My favorite church in the village, the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus has stone walls that date back to 786 (!!!!) and unreal post-byzantine art inside. Seeing the paintings right up close and being able to touch them is something that is incomprehensible to me.
The energy inside was intense but so fascinating, I was the only one there and it was so silent with the gold and pink sky outside, I could feel it so crazily that for one point I did have to step outside while going through some camera settings instead of staying inside.
How To Get To Himarë’s Old Town And Castle
The Old Town is straight up the hill from the northern end of the town, around a 8 minute drive and 45 minute walk from the center of the main town on the water. Personally I didn’t think it was that bad of a walk at all, and it is a beautiful walk up. Again, you can rent bikes and mopeds around the town to go up too.
It is a little easy to miss on the left hand side of the road, across from the entrance is a little family run café. From the entrance it is around a 10 minute walk to the main lookouts and the churches but the walk up through the castle walls under the olive trees is so unreal as well.
I did not stay in the Old Town during my time in Himarë, but I 1000% would for a night or two to relax and take it all in. It is a perfect place to stay to get away from the touristy, more popular areas during your time on the Albanian Riviera, and all of the stays are small family run businesses.
Of course you have to factor in the walking or hitching a ride if you do not have a car to get to and from the Old Town, but there are cafés around to get you through the days if you were to stay put. Next time I visit I will definitely rent a car and stay up in Fshat-I am seriously already looking forward to it.
Overall, this was one of my favorite experiences in a long time. I will dream of Himarë’s Old Town until I am back next.
Madigan Murphy 