Guide · Best time

Best time to visit the Blue Cave in Albania by speedboat

The caves are there all year, but the boats, the light and your comfort on a fast open deck change with the months. Here is how the season runs, what the long-term weather says and how to choose your week.

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Editorial team, bluecavealbania.comUpdated October 25, 2026Read time: 6 min11 sources

The tour behind this guide Vlorë speedboat day to Haxhi Ali Cave and Grama Bay 5.0 (1,047 reviews) 8 hoursFrom the Vlorë promenadeSnorkeling mask included from$69per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

Quick answer

01The season: Albania's official tourist season runs from 1 May to 15 November.¹
02Driest months: July and August: 1 day each with 2.5 mm of rain or more.²
03Hottest: August, with average highs of 32 °C at the Corfu station.²
04Gentler weeks: June and September: highs of 29 °C and 27.1 °C.²
05Plan for: A spare day: this site's operator may cancel for bad sea or weather.

The season the boats work in

A Council of Ministers decision of 2024 defines Albania's tourist season as the period from 1 May to 15 November, and sets up a committee to monitor it.¹ That is the frame the beach stations, the swimming zones and most coastal services work in, and it is the safest window to plan a boat day on the Karaburun coast.

The listing for this site's tour does not state a season of its own, so check the booking calendar for the dates you want. What the listing does state is that the trip may be cancelled for bad sea conditions or bad weather, or if fewer than 6 guests are on board. Those last words matter most at the edges of the season, when fewer people are booking.

Inside the season, the choice is less about whether you can go and more about what kind of day you want: the long, hot, crowded days of high summer, or the softer light and emptier coves at either end. The weather figures below come from the nearest station with a long record, on Corfu, across the strait to the south.

Through the season

How the boat year runs

1 May

Season opens

The official tourist season begins.¹
June

Longest days

15 hours of daylight at mid-month.²
July and August

Hot and dry

Highs of 31.5 °C and 32 °C.²
September

Softer heat

27.1 °C highs, 4 wet days.²
October

Shorter days

11.2 hours of daylight, 6 wet days.²
15 November

Season closes

The end of the official tourist season.¹

What the weather records say

There is no long official temperature record for Vlorë in the international archive we use, so the averages on this page are those of the Corfu station, 1991 to 2020, the nearest with a full set of months.² Corfu lies on the same sea, to the south, and the coast of Karaburun can differ from it, so treat the numbers as a guide to the season rather than a forecast for the bay.

The summer is hot and dry. Average highs reach 31.5 °C in July and 32 °C in August, with 1 day a month with 2.5 mm of rain or more.² June is a little milder, at 29 °C, with 2 such days.² May starts warm at 24.3 °C, again with 2 wet days.²

Autumn turns quickly. September still averages 27.1 °C but brings 4 wet days and 93 mm of rain.² October falls to 23.5 °C with 6 wet days and 119 mm, and November to 18.7 °C with 9 wet days and 182 mm.² We found no official sea-temperature series for the Bay of Vlorë, so we do not quote one.

Month by month

Daylight and wet days through the year

Hours without sunDays with precipitationSeason

Per month at the Corfu station: sunless hours at mid-month, and how often a day collects 2.5 mm of rain or more. NOAA, Corfu, 1991 to 2020.²

The averages

Heat, rain and daylight by month

Month	Daylight (h)	Darkness (h)	High / low	Wet days	Albania's tourist season
Jan	9.6	14.4	14 / 6 °C	8
Feb	10.6	13.4	14 / 6 °C	7
Mar	11.9	12.1	16 / 7 °C	6
Apr	13.2	10.8	19 / 10 °C	5
May	14.4	9.6	24 / 14 °C	2	tourist season
Jun	15	9	29 / 18 °C	2	tourist season
Jul	14.8	9.2	32 / 20 °C	1	tourist season
Aug	13.8	10.2	32 / 21 °C	1	tourist season
Sep	12.5	11.5	27 / 18 °C	4	tourist season
Oct	11.2	12.8	24 / 15 °C	6	tourist season
Nov	10	14	19 / 11 °C	9	season to the 15th
Dec	9.3	14.7	15 / 7 °C	9

Mid-month day length is calculated for Vlorë; mean daily highs and lows and the count of days reaching 2.5 mm were recorded on Corfu. NOAA, 1991 to 2020.² Season according to Albania's Council of Ministers Decision 649 (2024).¹

Three windows

Early, high or late season

Longest days

May and June

Season opening

Highs: 24.3 to 29 °C
Wet days: 2 a month
Daylight: Up to 15 hours

Check dates

Driest

July and August

High summer

Highs: 31.5 to 32 °C
Wet days: 1 a month
Plan for: Heat and crowds

Check dates

Softer heat

September

Late season

Highs: 27.1 °C
Wet days: 4
Daylight: 12.5 hours

Check dates

Decision helper

Which month suits you?

Pick the line closest to your trip

I want the least chance of rain I do not like strong heat I want long daylight for an 8-hour day I travel after the summer holidays I can only come in November

July or August

1 wet day a month on average.²

May or June

Highs of 24.3 °C and 29 °C.²

June

15 hours of daylight at mid-month.²

September

27.1 °C highs, with a spare day for rain.²

Check before you plan

The season ends on 15 November.¹

monitoring the progress of the tourist season, which covers the period from 1 May to 15 November

Council of Ministers of Albania (Decision No. 649 of 16.10.2024, hosted by the Inspectorate IKMT)Source 1

Early summer: May and June

May opens the season, with average highs of 24.3 °C and long days: the sun is up for 14.4 hours at mid-month.² June adds heat, with highs of 29 °C and 15 hours of daylight, the longest of the year.² On an 8-hour boat day that light matters: you leave and return in sunshine, and the late stops at Grama Bay and the caves next to it are not rushed.

Rain is rare in both months, with 2 days each of 2.5 mm or more on average.² The bays on the far side of the peninsula feel wild and quiet before the school holidays fill the seafront. If you are free to choose and do not need the warmest possible water, early summer is a strong candidate.

Bring layers. A speedboat at full speed is cooler than the air on land, and spray on an early crossing can chill you before the sun climbs. The listing asks you to bring a towel, beachwear, sunscreen and a sun hat; add a light top for the crossing and you are ready for anything the month brings.

Checklist

Packing for the season

High summer

High-protection sunscreen and a hat
More water than you think
Shade on the boat between swims

Spring and autumn

A light top for the crossing
A spare day for a cancelled boat
An earlier start for shorter days

Video

Vlorë in summer: the beaches, the old town and Apollonia

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High summer: July and August

July and August are the driest months, with 1 wet day each on average, and the hottest, with highs of 31.5 °C and 32 °C.² The water is at its most inviting, the coves are at their busiest, and the caves see boat after boat.

Heat is the main thing to plan for. On the open sea the wind hides it; in a sheltered cove at midday it does not. Shade is scarce on the beaches at Grama Bay and in the coves, so carry water, a hat and high-protection sunscreen, and use the boat's shade when you are not swimming. This site's tour includes drinks and snacks but not food.

Book early for the dates you want, and choose free cancellation. No month guarantees a calm sea, and the listing says the trip may be called off for bad sea or weather. A booking you can cancel up to 24 hours before costs nothing to keep flexible.

Late season: September to mid-November

September deserves a close look in the records. Highs still average 27.1 °C and the sun is up for 12.5 hours at mid-month.² Rain becomes more likely, with 4 wet days and 93 mm on average, so keep a spare day in your plan.²

October is a gamble worth knowing about. Average highs fall to 23.5 °C and daylight to 11.2 hours, while wet days rise to 6.² On a good day the coast is at its quietest; on a bad one the boats stay in port. An 8-hour trip also starts to press against the shorter day, so ask about the departure time.

By November the tourist season is in its final weeks, ending on the 15th.¹ The station averages 18.7 °C highs and 9 wet days.² Check whether boats are still running before you plan a trip around them, and pack for wind and cool water rather than for summer.

When the boat does not go

Even in the best month, a boat day depends on the sea on the morning itself. This site's operator may cancel for bad sea conditions, bad weather or too few guests, and the long speedboat days cross open water at the tip of the peninsula before they reach the sheltered coves. If the crew decides the run is unsafe, that is a decision in your favor, however disappointing it feels on the quay.

Plan for it from the start. Book with free cancellation, which on this site's tour runs up to 24 hours before, and put the boat near the start of your holiday, not at its end. If the day is called off, you can move it to the next good one without changing flights or hotels.

A lost day in Vlorë need not be wasted. The tourism agency's walk through the center takes in the Independence Monument and the Lungomare, and the Zvërnec Monastery stands on a small island in the Narta Lagoon, joined to the shore by a wooden bridge.³ ⁴ ⁵ The sea will still be there tomorrow.

Safety rules worth knowing on any date

The same government decision that sets the season also sets beach rules. Beach stations fly a flag every day: green means swimming is allowed, yellow means swimming with protective measures, and red means swimming is forbidden.⁶ In a sea emergency, the number to call is 112.⁷

Swimming areas in front of beach stations are marked with buoys, up to 200 m from the shore on sandy beaches and 100 m on rocky or gravel ones.⁸ ⁹ Swimming is forbidden inside the zones set aside for boats, and motor boats must move through approved corridors.¹⁰ ¹¹ Those rules are written for the stationed beaches; in the wild coves, the crew's word is the rule.

Whatever the month, follow the captain. If the crew calls a swim off, there is a reason you may not see from the deck. This site's operator says its trip does not suit pregnant women, people with mobility impairments or people prone to seasickness, and those limits do not change with the season.

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