Today we can tell you about Livadhi beach at Himara in Albania and about Moskato campsite, located in the district of Vlora in the region of Himara in southern Albania. This small strip of beach is home to five (!) campsites, a small number of restaurants and a few very small hotels. You can just imagine how a holiday resort is built from scratch. It starts like this, on a small scale. In a few years, this place might look completely different.
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Camping on the Albanian coast
The number of campsites on the Albanian coast varies. In some places we find none at all and in others, like here, they are crowded side by side. Maybe because in a small town it's easier to start a campsite than to open a hotel? Camping on the Albanian coast is not always like in Western Europe. There are some fine campsites that are of high quality. Others are very simple and seem to arise when someone puts up the sign "Camping".
Campsites at Himara
As the landowner earns money, he then refurbishes his campsite. "We've only been on two campsites so far, but on both of them construction is in full swing. At one, they tell us how they are putting money aside to rebuild. At the other, the workers are already moulding. There's a lot of construction going on here, so watch out Croatia!
Everyone building and equipping at Himara in Albania
Albanian campsites have all the services you need, but they're not always what you're used to. Toilets and showers can be very basic and sometimes the toilets are hole-in-the-floor models. But I've never seen toilets cleaned as often and as thoroughly as here - probably five times a day!
Camping Moskato is very good!
Emptying the motorhome's tanks is also a bit of an issue. When we ask about the motorhome toilet, we get the answer that it can be emptied in the regular toilet and we have not yet seen emptying for grey water. But they are building and equipping - maybe it will be different next summer!
Himara and Livadhi Beach
So where is this lovely beach? Himara is located on the coast of southern Albania in the region of Vlora, at the foot of the dramatic mountains. Livadhi beach is just north of Himara, and to get here we had to drive down a relatively steep hill.
Beautiful beachfront Livadhi
If you drive 60 kilometres to the south, you will reach the more famous tourist resort of Sarandawhich in turn is close to the Greek island of Corfu. Incidentally, Himara is called Xeimappa in Greek, and there is a lot that reminds you of Greece here. Not least the small taverns where you can eat what we call Greek salad.
Good restaurants in Himara
Himara is on the Ionian Sea, and the water here is crystal clear. So far it feels like a hidden gem, but we think this will become a popular tourist area in the future. As well as the beautiful beaches, you can enjoy cheap food and drink in the restaurants and bars, and a genuine country life.
Livadhi beach is awesome!
As mentioned, we are parked with the motorhome at Livadhi beach, but there are also several other beaches. Both Jale beach and Gjipe beach, which is north of us, should be nice, and there are also beaches inside Himara.
Camping Moskato
Camping Moskato, where we are now, is a nice campsite right by the beach. It costs 12 euros / day to stand here, and for that price includes both electricity and really good WiFi. There is also a small bar and very service-minded, friendly and English-speaking staff. The Swedish flag flies together with other flags at the entrance and we are told that we are the fifth Swedish motorhome in the history of the campsite!
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Facts about Livadhi beach
- Language? Albanian (some also speak Italian, English or other languages)
- Currency? Leakage (ALL)
- Price point? Much cheaper than Sweden
- El? Like Sweden
- Water? A bit unclear, but it may be safer to buy bottled water.
Travelling to Livadhi and Himara
- Car: The road from Stockholm to Livadhi Beach is about 320 kilometres long, and it takes about 35 hours to drive, counting pure driving time.
- Flight: You can fly to Tirana and continue by car hire or bus to Livadhi Beach. An alternative is to fly to Corfu in Greece.
Accommodation at Himara
- Hotel: More and more hotels are springing up. Look at Booking.com, for example.
- Camping: Camping Moskato is located right on the beach. You can find more campsites in Albania at camping.info.
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Frankie & Co says:
It makes me happy to read your experiences in Albania! Lovely start to the day - have a great weekend all 3 - Freedom deserves it if workhorse on the roads and byways you travel on ?
21 August 2015 - 8:44
Anja says:
On 15 March this year, Expressen wrote the following about Albania http://www.expressen.se/allt-om-resor/albanien-i-sommar–har-ar-10-basta-tipsen/
Note! With reading tips!
The last comment I wrote was about the job Helena.
21 August 2015 - 9:07
Lennart says:
Seems perfectly OK!
Maybe we should visit Albania sometime!
21 August 2015 - 9:18
BP says:
In other words, they hurry slowly, which is smart. A hole in the floor as a toilet - well, you've been there... A bit uncomfortable and very "wet" when you're squatting there and the cleaners come with the hose....
Oh all the pictures you've shown so far from the campsites really show that it's nice and clean there - even outside the toilets. No rubbish at all!
21 August 2015 - 9:28
Lena says:
Wow so surprisingly nice! They really seem to be on a roll, tell me more?
21 August 2015 - 9:34
Ama de casa says:
It's great to see a country and places before tourism has completely taken over.
On the other hand, you are a tourist and contribute to that development.
Looks very cosy there! 🙂
21 August 2015 - 10:29
Ama de casa says:
en: Damn it. Would have been much easier to solve the fridge lamp problem by unscrewing the lamp or simply breaking it. Didn't think of that... 😉.
21 August 2015 - 10:43
admin says:
Frankie & Co, travelling in Albania makes you happy 🙂 .
Anja, thank you so much for the link!!! Will email you later.
Lennart, Albania is a nice and friendly country to travel in! You just have to be prepared for a little more disorder 😉.
BP, it is very nice here and clean in most places. We have seen rubbish piles in a few places, but not as bad as in Sicily or southern Italy.
Lena, it feels like a little pioneer spirit in tourism 🙂 .
Ama de casa, of course you are part of tourism! Actually it's good, tourism needs to grow for their economy! At the same time, it is charming like this before it grew more...
21 August 2015 - 11:05
Mr Steve says:
It's a real settler adventure you're on in Albania. Fun to think back on when you return sometime in the future.
21 August 2015 - 11:38
Ditte says:
Always fun to be among the first tourists on the spot. And certainly Albania will be able to develop as a tourist country, (good for the country's economy) especially for those who do not expect a lot of entertainment and "all inclusive". But you don't know how fast it will happen. Bulgaria and Romania have not succeeded as tourist countries despite the fact that it is cheap, but there the development was probably too fast (I have visited both and do not feel any desire to return).
Was in the Maldives when it was in its infancy and likewise Sri Lanka and then it was really special. Likewise, the first time we came to Phuket in 1980, there were three hotels there. Now I don't go there.
Becomes more and more interested in Albania but sees that it is a bit tricky with flights there if you do not want to go on a charter trip... May check out more.
21 August 2015 - 13:08
admin says:
Steve, there's a bit of a pioneering spirit here and it feels positive 🙂 .
Ditte, it is indeed difficult to know what will happen. You hope they do well, because there is a "settler spirit" and optimism (at least in these tourist areas - we are aware that it can be very poor in the countryside). In any case, it seems that Italians come here quite faithfully. For them it is close and cheap. Many people speak Italian and there is Italian food, so the Italians feel at home I think 😉 Interesting to hear about the places where you were early - times change!
21 August 2015 - 13:49
Annika/Res Friday says:
Oh how wonderful! My little sister is currently in Albania, she and her boyfriend seem to like it very much! They are currently camping in the mountains for 65 SEK / night including breakfast and dinner. Talk about affordable!
21 August 2015 - 18:25
admin says:
Annika, oh that sounds absolutely fantastic and exciting! Yep, it's cheap here... 😉.
21 August 2015 - 18:42
Elisabeth says:
Travelling in Albania sounds very exciting. I was there in 1967 and it was very Marxist and I wasn't allowed to go as I wanted. I am very keen to see the country again.
21 August 2015 - 19:30
admin says:
Elisabeth, 1967!!!? How exciting! I thought the country was closed then!? How did you happen to be here?
21 August 2015 - 19:39
Anja says:
On the TV news tonight (maybe good to know) http://www.svt.se/nyheter/utrikes/targas-mot-migranter-vid-makedonsk-grekiska-gransen
21 August 2015 - 19:43
admin says:
Anja, thank you so much! Yes, we have heard... We think we will go to Macedonia anyway, but we will check the UD's travel recommendations again (have done it today) before we go in....
21 August 2015 - 20:11
Mr Leif Berglund says:
Glad to see that you enjoy Albania, we did too, despite or perhaps precisely because it is so different, it is like travelling in time. You can compare it to travelling by motorhome in Sweden in the fifties when there were no motorhomes and hardly any tourists either. Right now Albania is becoming a tourist paradise, it will take many years but there is no doubt that it will become so. Right where you are now, a campsite with European standards is needed for those who are prepared to invest in it.
I also saw a report on the unrest at the border between Greece and Macedonia, I don't think you need to worry about that, in Italy where I live there are several thousand refugees every day but that doesn't make the country unsafe but certainly there is an ongoing migration of people from trouble spots in the Middle East and Africa into Europe that needs a solution from a united Europe, a solution that not all European countries are prepared to accept yet.
But Macedonia is a country worth visiting because of the optimism and belief in the future of its people, despite all the problems they have and all the problems in their neighbourhood.
21 August 2015 - 21:53
admin says:
Leif Berglund, thank you very much for your comment! Certainly there may be a need for campsites with European standards. At the same time, I think many motorhome drivers are prepared to stay simple, as they are used to parking spaces! Swedish motorhomers often want to stay simple and cheap and avoid a lot of noise and entertainment, etc. I think this could suit many Swedes! When it comes to the unrest in Moldova, we follow the news and I look at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but we will enter at another border so there should be no problem. Thanks again for your comment!
21 August 2015 - 22:16