Blue Lagoon from Sliema, St Julian's and Bugibba

• Top choice Private boat, swim stops from US$195 Duration2 - 4 hours^[5]Rating4.98 from 117 reviews^[5]GuideLive tour guide: English^[5]CancellationFree cancellation^[5] Check availability
• Sliema sea caves cruise from US$40 Duration5.5 - 7.5 hours^[3]Rating4.53 from 7,774 reviews^[3]GuideDriver: English^[3]CancellationFree cancellation^[3] See this tour
• Catamaran, beaches and bays from US$63 Duration5 - 6 hours^[7]Rating4.68 from 6,838 reviews^[7]GuideHost or greeter: English^[7]CancellationFree cancellation^[7] See this tour

Why your departure point decides the day

Comino sits in the channel between Malta and Gozo, a low rocky island with a small harbour, a tower and not much else. The Blue Lagoon lies on its sheltered western side, where the water glows turquoise in the sun. That colour comes from light reflecting back up through shallow, clear water from the white sand below.^[11] Everything about the day, from how long you spend on the water to how crowded the swim is when you arrive, follows from where you board.

Comino has an official population of 4, and it is a bird sanctuary and nature reserve, protected as a Natura 2000 marine protected area.^[10][12] There is no town to soak up a crowd and no long promenade of cafés for people to spread along. In peak summer, in July and August, the Blue Lagoon receives between 2,500 and 3,500 visitors per day.^[6] Malta as a whole received roughly 3.6 million international tourists in 2024.^[13]

The island is small, the water is famous, and the boats come from four directions: Malta's northern tip at Ċirkewwa, Mġarr on Gozo, the eastern resorts of Sliema and St Julian's, and the northern bays around Bugibba, Qawra and St Paul's Bay. Valletta is a fifth starting point in name, but a different one in practice, because the capital has no small-boat harbour pointed at Comino.

Ċirkewwa, Malta's northern tip

Ċirkewwa is where the road runs out at the top of Malta and the channel to Gozo opens up. It is the closest Maltese harbour to Comino, and the Ebsons ferry crossing from Ċirkewwa to the Blue Lagoon takes approximately 15 minutes each way, with a service that runs hourly.^[1] For a straightforward swim and return day, this is the shortest water leg you can book from Malta.

This is also cave country. The Santa Maria Caves on Comino consist of five caves, set into the cliffs along the island's coast.^[14] Many of the boat trips that leave the north coast thread through them, and several listings put the Santa Maria Caves and Crystal Lagoon on the same route as the Blue Lagoon.^[15][16] Boats that do a full loop of Comino usually show you the ridge above the water, where Santa Marija Tower is a defensive structure built in the 17th century and completed in 1618 during the reign of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt.^[17]

Travelling to this corner of Malta is the part to plan. The roads up from the south and the east fill up through the morning, and the car parks near the ferry point and the dive sites are popular with people heading out on the water. Arriving early leaves you time to find your boat without rushing.

Boats moored below the limestone cliffs on the way to the Blue Lagoon.

Mġarr on Gozo, the other short crossing

Mġarr is Gozo's harbour, on the far side of the same channel, and it has the same advantage: the Ebsons ferry from Mġarr to the Blue Lagoon takes approximately 15 minutes each way.^[1] If you are staying on Gozo, the lagoon is a morning out rather than a whole-day expedition. Walk down to the harbour, cross the channel, and you can swim and be back on the island well before the afternoon.

Boat trips from this side tend to be shorter and smaller. A wheelchair-accessible cruise from Gozo that goes around Comino, the Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon and the caves runs 3 to 4 hours from US$35, with an English-speaking driver.^[4] A semi-private half-day cruise on the same stretch of water is capped at 15 passengers, takes 4 hours, starts from US$66, and its listing names pickup, with details confirmed when you check availability.^[18]

The cliffs you pass under matter to more than photographers. Comino's coastline is home to the Yelkouan shearwater, a seabird that breeds only in the Mediterranean basin, with an estimated 150-220 pairs nesting on Kemmuna.^[19] Keeping a little distance from the rock faces is the polite way to share the water.

Sliema and St Julian's, the long sail out

For a lot of visitors, the Blue Lagoon from Sliema is the natural choice, because that is where the hotels and the waterfront are. Sliema, Malta to Blue Lagoon runs also suit a full day on the water rather than a quick swim: the boat has a long way to go along the coast, and the trip is built around the journey as much as the lagoon itself.

A ten-hour cruise from Sliema to Gozo and the Blue Lagoon, covering the sea caves and Crystal Lagoon, starts at US$35.^[20] An eight-hour Sliema round trip that takes in the Blue Lagoon, the sea caves and Crystal Lagoon starts at US$29.^[2] From St Julian's and Qawra in St Paul's Bay, a cruise of 5.5 to 7.5 hours starts at US$40 and calls at St Paul's Island, Mellieha Bay, Crystal Lagoon, the Blue Lagoon and the Santa Maria Caves.^[3]

Both Sliema listings are shared cruises with an English-speaking host or greeter, and both offer reserve now and pay later with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.^[2][20] Days on this route are long. Treat it as a beach day on a boat: water, sun cream, a hat, and something warm for the ride home.

Valletta and the Grand Harbour

Blue Lagoon Valletta trips are really two journeys added together: a transfer north and then a boat. The Grand Harbour handles ferries and cruise ships, and the small boats to Comino leave from the north coast, from Gozo, from Sliema and St Julian's and from the northern bays. A Valletta Blue Lagoon day stands or falls on that first leg.

Valletta is still a good place to sleep and to plan from. According to 1991-2020 climate data for Valletta, the daily mean air temperature ranges from 12.6°C in February to 27.5°C in August, with an annual average of 19.5°C.^[21] That makes the capital an easy base for walking the bastions before or after your day at the lagoon.

If you want the day to run at your own pace rather than on a coach timetable, the private boat tour booked from this site covers the Blue Lagoon, Comino, Gozo and the sea caves in 2 to 4 hours, with swim stops, from US$195.^[5] It is a private group, wheelchair accessible, with a live guide in English and skip the line through a separate entrance.^[5]

Bugibba, Qawra and the northern bays

The resorts around Bugibba, Qawra and St Paul's Bay are the third big starting point, and they sit close to the north coast road. A snorkelling, slide and swim cruise from St Paul's Bay runs 4 to 7 hours from US$35, with a live guide in English and stops at Coral Lagoon, the Santa Maria Caves, Comino, the Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon and Saint Mary's Tower.^[15]

Another option sets out from Qawra in St Paul's Bay and takes 3 to 4 hours, with a small group limited to 10 participants, from US$44.^[22] Its route names Ghar Ic-Comb, Elephant Rock, Crystal Lagoon, the Blue Lagoon and Mġarr ix-Xini. That makes it a good fit if you want a wider loop of the coast rather than a straight lagoon run.

The catamaran trips are the roomiest of the lot. A catamaran trip round the Blue Lagoon, beaches and bays runs 5 to 6 hours, starts at US$63, and is rated 4.68 from 6,838 reviews, with an English-speaking host or greeter.^[7] If you would rather sail late in the day, an evening catamaran cruise of 5 hours is wheelchair accessible and starts at US$63.^[23]

Reaching a harbour without a car, and choosing

Malta's buses run from Valletta and the eastern resorts up to the northern coast, and in summer the coast road takes longer than the map suggests. Whichever harbour you pick, treat the transfer as the part of the day you cannot control and leave early. If you are driving, plan to arrive well before your start time, which you can see when you check availability on the listing.

Then choose by group size and by where you are sleeping. The private boat tour booked from this site is a private group and wheelchair accessible, with a live guide in English and skip the line through a separate entrance, lasting 2 to 4 hours, from US$195 and rated 4.98 from 117 reviews.^[5] You can reserve now and pay later, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[5]

If the budget matters more than the schedule, shared cruises are the answer. A 3 to 4 hour Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon and sea caves boat tour starts at US$26 and is rated 4.80 from 670 reviews.^[16] Longer cruises from the eastern resorts take most of a day, so pick the one that matches the time you actually have.

Plan the departure

1. Pick the coast

   Match your harbour to your hotel: north coast, Gozo, the eastern resorts or the northern bays.

2. Check the start time

   The private boat tour lasts 2 to 4 hours, and you see starting times when you check availability.^[5]

3. Choose a boat, not just a harbour

   Private groups, shared cruises and catamarans all use the same water at very different prices.

4. Build in the transfer

   The drive or bus ride to Ċirkewwa, Mġarr or the northern bays takes longer in summer traffic.

5. Pack for the water

   Sea temperature averages about 26.1°C in August and about 15.4°C in February.^[9] Bring what suits the month.

6. Know the cancellation window

   The private boat tour has free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[5]

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