Guide · Grama Bay

Blue Cave and Grama Bay in Albania, a cove written by sailors

At the far end of the long speedboat days from Vlorë lies a small white bay under quarried cliffs. Sailors carved their thanks into the rock for centuries, and the boats now stay longer here than anywhere else.

Check availabilityfrom $69 · no cancellation fee

Editorial team, bluecavealbania.comUpdated October 25, 2026Read time: 6 min27 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

At a glance

01What it is: A small bay under limestone cliffs, a natural and a cultural monument.¹ ²
02The writing: Over 1500 inscriptions recorded in the rock, the oldest in Greek.³ ⁴
03Getting there: Mainly by sea, or on foot by hiking routes from Llogara or the coast.⁵
04Time on a tour: This site's tour stops 1.5 hours; other listings give it 1 to 3 hours.
05Blue cave nearby: This site's tour visits Shpella Blu 5 minutes after the bay.

Where the long boat days end

The long speedboat days from Vlorë are built around Grama Bay. It is the turning point of these itineraries, and on several of them the stop with the most time. This site's own tour reaches it after Haxhi Ali Cave, Dafina, the canyon and a run of coves, and gives it 1.5 hours, the longest stop of its 8-hour day. Everything before it is a build-up; this is where you finally get off the boat for a while.

Official sources do not quite agree on where the bay belongs. One tourism agency page puts Grama Bay on the Karaburun peninsula, accessible only by boat.⁶ Another places it in the municipality of Himara, on the edge of Mount Çika, accessible mainly by boat and surrounded by high limestone cliffs.² On a map it lies on the coast south of the peninsula's neck, below the mountain wall that runs down towards Himara.

Taken together, those pages describe the same scene: a small, isolated bay, very clear water, a white stone beach and cliffs that rise straight out of the sea.⁶ ² Mount Çika behind it reaches 2,044 meters, the highest peak on the Albanian coast.⁷ From the water the cliffs look sheer and pale; from the beach you notice that parts of them were cut by hand.

Written in stone

Grama Bay through the centuries

3rd century BC

The first marks

Quarry workers from Oricum carve the eastern face.⁸
Antiquity

Stone for cities

Blocks shipped to build Epidamn-Dyrrah and Apollonia.⁹
Greek and Roman era

Thanks to the Dioscuri

Sailors honor Castor and Pollux; Pompeius and Mark Antony appear.¹⁰
Byzantine era

An emperor's name

John V Palaiologos joins the names in the rock.¹⁰
15th to 16th century

The last carvings

The latest dated inscriptions.¹¹
August 2005

Recorded by scholars

An expedition documents the site for the corpus.¹²

A quarry before it was a beach

The park administration says the bay was a quarry from ancient times.¹ Its cliffs rise to 130 meters and span 100 meters, and the stone blocks cut from them were carried away by sea to build Epidamn-Dyrrah and Apollonia.⁹ Both were ancient cities on the Adriatic side of today's Albania, and some of their walls began life here.

According to Wikipedia, the first inscriptions on the eastern rock face were made by the quarry workers themselves, who came from the city of Oricum, 12 km to the north, from the 3rd century BC.⁸ That city lives on in the name of Orikum, the town at the inner end of the Bay of Vlorë, where the tourism agency describes the ruins of an ancient city.¹³

The quarrying explains the shape of the bay as much as the sea does. Flat faces, cut steps and squared edges sit beside the natural rock, and the white stones of the beach are the cliff in smaller pieces. When you land, look along the base of the eastern wall before you look for a spot on the beach: that is where the story is written. The cut faces are easiest to read when the sun is low and side-on.

Beach time

Time at Grama Bay, boat by boat

Boat	Starts	Total hours	At Grama Bay
This site's tour	Vlorë	8	1.5 hours
Grama Bay & caves	Vlorë	8	2 hours
Blue Cave & Grama	Vlorë	7	2.33 hours
Grama & Blue Cave	Vlorë	7	2.5 hours
Secret beaches day	Vlorë	1 day	1 hour
Himara boat	Himara	5.5	1 hour
Golem day	Golem by van	12	3 hours

As each listing's itinerary states it; the order of stops can change with the sea.

Three Grama Bay days

More stops, longer beach or the blue cave

From Vlore: Blue Cave and Grama Bay Adventures

Most stops

This site's tour

Full day from Vlorë

Hours: 8
Grama Bay: 1.5 hours
Price: from $69

See this boat

45 min blue cave

Blue Cave & Grama

Full day from Vlorë

Hours: 7
Grama Bay: 2.33 hours
Price: from $80

See this boat

Vlore: Grama Bay & Karaburun Caves 8-Hour Speedboat Tour

1 hour at Llovizi

Grama Bay & caves

Full day from Vlorë

Hours: 8
Grama Bay: 2 hours
Price: from $71

See this boat

Decision helper

Which Grama Bay day suits you?

Choose by how you like to spend a beach day

I want to see every cove on the way I want a long swim at the blue cave I want the most time on the beach I am staying in Himara

This site's tour

The cave, Dafina, the canyon, the coves and Grama in one day.

Blue Cave & Grama

45 minutes at its blue cave stop.

Grama & Blue Cave

2.5 hours at Grama Bay.

The Himara boat

It reaches the Bay of Grama from the south.

Rising to a height of 130 meters and spanning a width of 100 meters, these towering cliffs once yielded stone blocks transported by sea

Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Source 9

The inscriptions: thanks carved by sailors

The tourism agency says the name Grama translates as Bay of Writings or Bay of Engravings, and that over 1500 inscriptions have been recorded.³ Wikipedia traces the name to the Greek word gramma, a letter, and puts the count at roughly 1,500, dated from the 3rd century BC to the 15th and 16th centuries.¹¹ The park administration gives about the 3rd century BC to the Middle Ages.¹

Many are in Greek and pay homage to the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, the guardians of sailors and ships, according to the park administration.¹⁰ It also names Cnaeus Pompeius, the Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos and Mark Antony among the names in the rock.¹⁰ Wikipedia describes them as thanksgiving inscriptions left by Greek, Roman and medieval sailors.¹⁴

Scholars have recorded the site in detail. A study of the Grammata inscriptions rests on an expedition from 16 to 22 August 2005 by Shpuza, Hajdari, Reboton and Cabanes, in preparation for the corpus of Greek inscriptions of southern Illyria and Epirus.¹² For you, the lesson is simpler: these are fragile marks on soft stone, protected as a cultural monument, and they are to be looked at, never touched or added to.¹

Map

Vlorë, Sazan and the western shore of Karaburun

Where the speedboats leave from, the cave at the tip of the peninsula, and the coves down to Grama Bay.

Map of the Bay of Vlorë with Sazan island, the Karaburun peninsula, Orikum and the coast south to Grama Bay — The Bay of Vlorë

Map of the coast from Dafina bay south past the canyons and coves to Grama Bay — Dafina to Grama

1
Vlorë promenade
The start of the promenade, where this site's tour meets its guide at the Olympia Tiki Bar.
In Google Maps ↗
2
Sazan Island
Albania's largest island, a closed military area for many years and now open to visitors as part of the marine park.¹⁵ ¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
3
Haxhi Ali Cave
A karst cave at the waterline near Cape Gjuhëz, protected as a Natural Monument and reached only by boat.¹⁷ ¹⁸ ¹⁹
In Google Maps ↗
4
Orikum
A town with ancient ruins and a tourist marina at the inner end of the bay; some boats to the cave also leave from here.¹³ ²⁰ ¹⁹
In Google Maps ↗
5
Dafina Bay
A bay on the western side of the peninsula; Dafina Cave nearby has a small beach and water in shades of green.²¹ ²²
In Google Maps ↗
6
Grama Bay
Cliffs with about 1,500 inscriptions, protected as a natural and a cultural monument and reached mainly from the sea.¹ ⁵ ¹⁰
In Google Maps ↗
7
Gjiri i Brisanit
Brisan or Bristan Bay, also known as Bear Bay, one of the loneliest beaches of Karaburun.²³
In Google Maps ↗
8
Kanioni i Skafistave
A narrow inlet where this site's tour stops for 20 minutes to swim and snorkel.
In Google Maps ↗
9
Gjiri i Inglezit
Inglez Bay, reachable only by boat, with the Inglezit Cave nearby.²⁴ ²⁵
In Google Maps ↗
10
Gjiri i Llovizit
The bay where one listing pins the stop it calls 'Llovizi Cave - Blue Cave'.
In Google Maps ↗
11
Gjiri i Nezhajve
A cove where this site's tour stops for 1 hour.
In Google Maps ↗
12
Shpella Blu
The 15-minute cave stop after Grama Bay on this site's tour; two other listings put their 'Blue Cave, Albania' at the same map point.
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

For Grama Bay

Bring

Water shoes for the white stones
Hat and sunscreen: little shade
Cash, as this site's operator asks

Respect

Never touch the inscriptions
Keep away from the cliff base
Take all rubbish back to the boat

Price check

Grama Bay days for your group

Pick a boat and how many are going

This site's tour8 hoursfrom $69 Blue Cave & Grama7 hoursfrom $80 Grama Bay & caves8 hoursfrom $71 Grama & Blue Cave7 hoursfrom $77

People 2

Total from$137

per head from $69

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Totals multiply each boat's lowest GetYourGuide figure by the number in your party and convert it with the ECB reference rate of the day; checkout shows the binding sum.

Video

Grama Bay, the cove at the far end of the boat route

The player loads on your tap, not before.

Blue Cave and Grama Bay in Albania: the cave next door

Several of the long days sell Grama Bay together with a blue cave, and the pair really are neighbors on the water. This site's tour leaves Grama Bay for a 5-minute run to a stop it lists as Shpella Blu, Albanian for blue cave, where it stays 15 minutes for photos, swimming and snorkeling. Its map pin for that stop sits just east of the bay.

Two other listings put their stop called Blue Cave, Albania at exactly the same point, give it 45 minutes and reach Grama Bay 15 minutes later. No official source we found names a Blue Cave in Albania; the park's own caves page does not list one.²⁶ So treat the name as the boatmen's, and the place as a sea cave a few minutes from the inscribed cliffs.

Inside, as in the other caves of this coast, the color of the water depends on the light at the entrance. On a bright day it glows; on a gray one it is simply clear, and the walls look closer than they are. Whether you may swim in depends on the crew and the conditions that day; the listings above include a swim, and this site's operator includes a snorkeling mask in the price.

How long the boats stay at Grama Bay

The time on the beach is what separates the Grama Bay days. This site's tour gives it 1.5 hours. Two other 8-hour days give it 2 hours. The 7-hour rival with the 45-minute blue cave stop gives it 2.33 hours, and another 7-hour boat gives it 2.5 hours. At the other end, one listing that spends 2.5 hours in the cove before gives Grama 1 hour.

Boats from Himara come at it from the south. A 5.5-hour listing from the Himara mini dock calls at beaches on the Riviera and then stops in the Bay of Grama for 1 hour. There is also a 12-hour day with a van from Golem to Vlorë that gives Grama 3 hours. Both are far from the Vlorë seafront, and both make sense only if you are already staying at the starting point.

More time is not always better. On a busy summer day the beach fills with boats, and a long stop can mean a long wait in the sun. If you want to read the cliffs and swim, 1.5 hours is enough; if you want to lie on the stones and do nothing, choose a boat that gives you 2 hours or more. Ask the crew before you leave the boat how long you really have, and set an alarm: the run home does not wait.

On the beach: what to bring and how to behave

The bay is wild. The tourism agency describes a virgin white stone beach, and nothing in the official pages mentions shops or shade.⁶ This site's tour includes drinks and snacks but not food, and its operator asks you to bring cash, a sun hat, sunscreen, a towel and beachwear. Water shoes help on the stones and in the shallows.

The cliffs face the open sea, so the light is strong and there is little shelter at midday. Find shade under the rock wall if there is any, but keep a distance from the base of the cliffs, which are quarried, cracked and protected. The park's management plan lists stopping the degradation of geological formations in places such as Grama Bay among its aims for five years.²⁷

Leave the inscriptions alone: no hands on the stone, no chalk, no new names. Take back everything you brought. The bay is protected twice over, as a natural and a cultural monument, and it stays beautiful only as long as the visitors who come every summer leave it as they found it.¹ A bag for your rubbish weighs nothing and fits in any pocket.

Book your seat

Spend a day on the Karaburun coast

The cave at the tip, the green and blue caves and Grama Bay, from the Vlorë promenade.

Check datesfrom $69 · no cancellation fee 5.0 · 1,047 verified reviews

You ask,we answer.

Where is Grama Bay?

South of the peninsula's neck. Tourism pages place it on Karaburun or in Himara municipality under Mount Çika.⁶ ²

Can you reach Grama Bay without a boat?

On foot, by hiking routes. It is reached mainly from the sea, or on hikes from Llogara National Park or from the coast.⁵

How many inscriptions are at Grama Bay?

About 1,500. The tourism agency says over 1500 have been recorded.³

Who carved the inscriptions?

Quarry workers, then sailors. Quarrymen from Oricum began them; later Greek, Roman and medieval sailors left thanks there.⁸ ¹⁴

Is the Blue Cave at Grama Bay?

A few minutes away. This site's tour reaches its Shpella Blu stop 5 minutes after Grama Bay.

How long do tours stay at Grama Bay?

1 to 3 hours. From 1 hour on one listing to 3 hours on a 12-hour day from Golem.

Is there food at Grama Bay?

Bring your own. The official pages mention no facilities; this site's tour includes drinks and snacks.⁶

Sources

Where the information comes from

1
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Beaches and bays
↩
2
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Grama Bay
↩
3
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Grama Bay
↩
4
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Grama Bay
↩
5
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Beaches and bays
↩
6
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Grama Bay
↩
7
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Çika Mountain
↩
8
WikipediaRock inscriptions of the Bay of Grama
↩
9
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)History and culture
↩
10
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)History and culture
↩
11
WikipediaRock inscriptions of the Bay of Grama
↩
12
Persee (Revue des Etudes Grecques)Les inscriptions de Grammata (Albanie)
↩
13
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Orikum - Official Tourism Website
↩
14
WikipediaGrama Bay
↩
15
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Sazan Island
↩
16
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Sazan Island
↩
17
National Agency of Protected Areas (AKZM), archived copy of its Vlore monuments catalogueShpella e Haxhi Alisë
↩
18
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Caves
↩
19
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Caves
↩
20
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Orikum beach - Official Tourism Website
↩
21
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Caves
↩
22
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Caves
↩
23
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Beaches and bays
↩
24
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Inglez Bay
↩
25
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)English Bay - Official Tourism Website
↩
26
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Caves
↩
27
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Management of the Park
↩