Blue Lagoon Malta Ferry Tickets: Getting to Comino

• Top choice Private boat, swim stops from US$195 Duration2 - 4 hours^[4]Rating4.98 from 117 reviews^[4]GuideLive tour guide: English^[4]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[4] Check availability
• Gozo, Comino and caves from US$35 Duration7 hours^[5]Rating4.45 from 20,111 reviews^[5]GuideAudio guide included^[5]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[5] See this tour
• Catamaran bays trip from US$63 Duration5 - 6 hours^[6]Rating4.68 from 6,838 reviews^[6]GuideHost or greeter: English^[6]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[6] See this tour

Blue Lagoon Malta ferry tickets: how the crossing works

The Blue Lagoon sits on Comino, the small island in the channel between Malta and Gozo. There is no bridge and no causeway, so everyone arrives by water: on a scheduled crossing, on a tour boat or on a private charter. Ebsons Comino Ferries provides a pick up and drop off service from Mġarr on Gozo and Ċirkewwa on Malta to the Blue Lagoon, and the trip takes approximately 15 minutes each way.^[1] Boats leave every hour through the day, and you are not locked into one sailing for the trip home.^[1]

A ferry ticket covers the crossing rather than a guided day out, so the pace is yours once you step onto the rocks. Swim, walk the path towards the tower, or sit and watch the boats come and go, then take a later sailing back. The colour that pulls people here comes from light reflecting back up through shallow, clear water from the white sand below.^[9] Bring a mask and snorkel: the lagoon is at its best just below the surface, along the rock ledges and over the sandy patches where the water shifts from green to deep blue as the sun moves across the bay.

Ċirkewwa or Mġarr: choosing your departure point

Ċirkewwa is the northern tip of Malta, where the Gozo Channel ferries dock, and Mġarr is the harbour on Gozo's south east coast. The same Comino service calls at both, and the crossing takes approximately 15 minutes each way from either one.^[1] Your choice usually comes down to where you are staying and how early you can get going. From the north of Malta or from Valletta, Ċirkewwa is the natural start. From Victoria or anywhere else on Gozo, Mġarr is minutes away and you skip the long drive north, which leaves more of the day for the water and the rocks.

Whichever side you choose, plan the return as carefully as the outward trip, and decide early which boat you want back. Harbours are busiest in the morning and car parks fill quickly in high season, so leaving a little margin makes for a calmer day. Comino has an official population of 4 and is a bird sanctuary and nature reserve.^[8][10] Shade is scarce, so carry water, food and sun protection, and treat everything you bring as something you will carry back to the harbour at the end of the day.

Boats moored below the cliffs on Comino, with the water shifting from green to deep blue.

What you see on the way: caves, cliffs and a watch tower

The island is tiny, but the coastline is not simple. On the northern and eastern sides the cliffs drop straight into deep water, and the Santa Maria Caves cut into the rock in a line that boats follow one after another. The caves on Comino known as the Santa Maria Caves consist of five caves^[11], and on a calm day a skipper can nose right inside so passengers can look up at the stone roof and the light bouncing off the water at the entrance. Even on a ferry you get a good look at the outside of them.

Above the waterline, Santa Marija Tower is a defensive structure built in the 17th century as part of the Knights of St. John's fortification efforts, completed in 1618 during the reign of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt.^[12] The cliffs are a nesting place too: the Yelkouan shearwater is the seabird that breeds on Kemmuna, with an estimated 150-220 pairs nesting there.^[13] The Blue Lagoon has appeared in several big-screen productions.^[14] Round the headland on the approach and the place looks less like a beach and more like a film set.

Crowds, sunshine and the best months for the lagoon

In peak summer, July and August, the Blue Lagoon receives between 2,500 and 3,500 visitors per day.^[2] Malta received roughly 3.6 million international tourists in 2024.^[15] If you want the water to yourself, take the first crossing of the day, or come in late spring and early autumn when the sea is still swimmable and the rocks are quieter. Late afternoon is another good window: the day boats thin out, the light softens, and the lagoon turns a deeper blue.

Malta gets almost 3000 hours of sunshine a year, making it the sunniest country in Europe^[7], and the light is strong even outside midsummer. For swimming, the average sea water temperature in Sliema is warmest in August at about 26.1°C and coldest in February at about 15.4°C.^[3] Daily mean air temperature in Malta ranges from 12.6°C in February to 27.5°C in August, with an annual average of 19.5°C.^[16] The shoulder seasons usually pair warm water with far fewer people on the rocks.

Swimming, snorkelling and what to pack

The lagoon is shallow over sand in the middle and drops away to rock and seagrass at the edges, so it works for nervous swimmers and confident ones at the same time. Water shoes are worth the space in your bag for the rocky stretches and the rough ground around the landing points. A rash vest cuts down on sun cream, a dry bag keeps phones and paperwork safe on the crossing, and a light long-sleeved top makes the ride back comfortable when the wind picks up. Reusable water bottles and a little food save you relying on whatever is sold at the landing point, and a small towel is worth carrying even in high summer.

Snorkelling is the quiet pleasure here. Look for small fish along the rock walls and over the seagrass, keep an eye out for boats manoeuvring near the swimming areas, and stay within the main bay if you are not a strong swimmer. Leave nothing behind. Comino is a bird sanctuary and nature reserve, a Natura 2000 marine protected area^[8], and it stays worth visiting because people treat it gently rather than as a beach with no rules.

Private boat tours, and when they beat the ferry

A scheduled crossing gets you to the lagoon, but it does not show you the sea caves from the water or leave you at a quiet swimming spot with nobody else around. A private boat does both. The private boat tour booked from this site, Blue Lagoon, Comino, Gozo and the sea caves with swim stops, runs 2 - 4 hours with a live English-speaking guide, and it is a private group, from US$195.^[4] It is wheelchair accessible and lets you skip the line through a separate entrance.^[4]

You can reserve now and pay later, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[4] Starting times vary by day, so check availability for the date you have in mind. If you would rather stay on a larger boat, cruises and catamarans cover the same water over longer days, from US$63 and from US$35.^[5][6] A private charter gives you a skipper's local knowledge and a route shaped by the weather rather than a timetable, which matters when the wind turns in the afternoon.

Booking, tickets and planning your day on Comino

Comino ferry tickets are simple: you pay for the crossing, turn up at the harbour a little before the boat you want, and step off at the Blue Lagoon. The trip takes approximately 15 minutes each way from either Mġarr or Ċirkewwa.^[1] Outside high summer there is rarely any need to plan weeks ahead. In peak summer it pays to start early, before the day's crowds reach the water, and to decide your return sailing before you settle on the rocks. Booking a boat tour removes that juggling entirely.

Build the day around the weather rather than a fixed plan. A calm morning is the moment for the caves and for swimming off the boat; a windy afternoon is better spent walking the island paths or sitting on the rocks with a book. Take water, food, a hat and something to sit on. Check the return times when you land, and give yourself a buffer before the last sailing, so the end of the day stays relaxed rather than a sprint along the jetty. However you cross, the lagoon rewards an unhurried day: arrive early, swim while the water is glassy, and let the boat timetable set the rhythm.

Plan your Blue Lagoon day

1. Book your crossing

   Choose a ferry from Ċirkewwa or Mġarr, or reserve the private boat tour with swim stops and a live guide.^[4]

2. Pack for sun and rock

   Water, food, hat, sun cream, water shoes and a dry bag. Shade on Comino is scarce, so bring what you need.

3. Arrive at the harbour early

   Harbours get busy in the morning. Arrive with time to park, sort your ticket and find the right boat.

4. Swim, walk, look up

   The crossing takes approximately 15 minutes each way, which leaves plenty of time for the lagoon and caves.^[1]

5. Check your return boat

   Note the return times when you land, and leave a margin so the end of the day stays relaxed.

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