Himara's town waterfront is not one beach but two, and the line between them is a pier. North of it, Spile runs roughly 500 metres under the Old Town with lounger rows, kayaks on the sand and a promenade of restaurants at your back. South of it, Sfageio Beach does almost none of that, from the same water and the same five-minute walk out of the centre of Himara. The gap between the two comes down to a single thing Sfageio does not have, and whether that matters depends entirely on what you carry down with you.
Sfageio, Spile and Maraçi compared
The three beaches inside the town's 5 km radius sit within a few hundred metres of each other, and the site's beach database records them very differently:
| Sfageio | Spile (north of the pier) | Maraçi (5–10 min south) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface | Pebble | Soft pebble with sandy patches | Small pebble cove |
| Water | Turquoise, shallow, suited to children | Clear; swimming and light snorkelling | Clear over a pebble seabed |
| Sunbed + umbrella | Not rented at all | 1,000–1,500 ALL (10–15€) per set | Loungers and umbrellas for rent |
| Rentals on the sand | None | Kayaks, around 1,000 ALL an hour | None recorded |
| Behind the shore | Cafés, restaurants, ice-cream and souvenir shops | The full promenade, plus showers | A handful of cafés |
| Summer crowd | Among the busiest beaches in town | Busy and social all season | Quieter even in peak summer |
Conversions here use the rate carried in the site's practical-info data, 1€ ≈ 92 ALL as of September 2026.
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Nobody rents you a lounger here
That is the whole distinction. Sfageio has no sunbed concession, which is unusual for a beach this central and this busy. The site's Riviera-wide sunbed price survey records it as free with no rentals, and the free-versus-paid beach audit puts it in the small group of Himara-area beaches with no paid zone anywhere along the shore. There is no premium strip to walk past and no minimum spend to sit down.
The consequence is that your comfort is whatever you brought. Shade in particular: an umbrella or a pop-up tent has to come down with you, because none of the cafés behind the beach rents one. Pebbles are also unforgiving to lie on directly, so a mat or a thick towel is not optional the way it would be on Spile's sandier patches.
If you arrive empty-handed and change your mind, the fix is short. Spile is on the other side of the pier, and Maraçi, which does rent loungers and umbrellas, is a 5-to-10-minute walk south along the coast road.
Shallow water, and who it suits
The beach database describes Sfageio's water as turquoise and shallow, and flags it explicitly as suitable for children. That combination, plus a walk-in approach with no access road or hillside path, is why it reads as a family beach despite having no facilities on the sand.
Two things temper that. The surface is pebble, so small feet want water shoes for the entry rather than for the walk. And shallow, sheltered, town-centre water warms and stays warm, which is the opposite of what you get at Prinos ten minutes south, a roughly 400-metre beach fed by cold springs that children usually notice within seconds of getting in.
Getting to it
Sfageio sits at 40.1004, 19.7468, immediately south of the pier that divides it from Spile. The access listed in the beach record is simply walking from the town centre, and no parking provision is recorded for the beach itself, so treat it as a walk-in rather than somewhere to drive to and leave a car. The cafés, restaurants, ice-cream shops and souvenir stalls that back it are the same cluster serving the promenade, so food and drink never require leaving the beachfront. For a wider choice, the town's restaurants are a few minutes inland.
Frequently asked questions
Can you rent a sunbed at Sfageio Beach?
No. Sfageio is the one central Himara beach with no sunbed or umbrella concession at all, according to the site's beach data and its Riviera sunbed price survey. Bring your own shade and something to lie on. Spile, across the pier, rents sets for 1,000–1,500 ALL (10–15€).
Is Sfageio Beach good for young children?
It is one of the better town options. The beach record describes turquoise, shallow water specifically suited to children, and the walk-in access means no steep path or parking scramble. The surface is pebble rather than sand, so water shoes help at the entry, and you supply the shade yourself.
What is the difference between Sfageio and Spile?
A pier separates them. Spile is longer at roughly 500 metres, has softer pebbles with sandy patches, rents loungers and kayaks, and has showers and the full promenade behind it. Sfageio is shallower, free end to end, and has no rentals on the sand whatsoever.
Do I need water shoes at Sfageio?
For the water entry, yes. The beach is classified as pebble in the site's data, and pebble entries are awkward barefoot even where the water is calm and shallow. You will not need them for the approach, since you arrive on foot from the town centre rather than over rocks.
Is Sfageio Beach free?
Entirely. There is no entry charge, no paid section and no rental concession to opt into, which is what puts it on the site's list of fully free Himara-area beaches. Your only spending is on food and drink at the cafés and restaurants directly behind the shore.
