The Blue Lagoon is probably the most popular tourist attraction in all of Malta. With its beautifully blue and crystal clear water, it’s like a slice of paradise. A crowded slice of paradise though. Keep reading and find out how to get the most out of your day trip to the Blue Lagoon in Malta.
The Blue Lagoon at Comino
Malta is an archipelago, with Malta, Comino, and Gozo as its 3 largest islands. The famous Blue Lagoon is situated on the western shore of Comino.
The Blue Lagoon hasn’t stolen its name, as you’ll immediately recognise it from its intense blue and crystal clear water. Unlike we expected, the salty seawater is pretty shallow. You can just stand in a large part of the lagoon, and you can see the white sanded bottom at all times. There’s no white sand beach however, just rocky cliffs filled with beach chairs and umbrellas.
Blue Lagoon – practical information
The water is a bit cold when you lower yourself in it from the ladder, but you get used to it quickly. There are life guards on duty as well, from 9:30 to 18:00 daily.
Up the hill there are public toilets, with a couple of outdoor showers where you can rinse off the salt water at the end of the day. There’s no privacy though, so no carefree changing.
Should you want to safely stow away your valuables, there are paid lockers as well.
What to do on a day trip to the Blue Lagoon
Although there’s not much to do on Comino, a 3.5 km² (1.3 mi²) island, there’s plenty to do out on the water of the Blue Lagoon.
Chill on the shores of the Blue Lagoon
Do some tanning and enjoy the view, that’s what we did, and most people do, at the Blue Lagoon. There’s no beach though, just rocky cliffs. Some people try and find a flat spot on the rocks and spend most of their time in the water, but we opted for a comfortable beach chair.
As there’s no natural shade near the Blue Lagoon, an umbrella was worth its money as well. We paid €20 (~ $23) for 2 beach chairs and an umbrella. Note that there are signs in each area specifying the maximum prices that can be requested.
Arrive early to pick the best spot for your Insta-perfect shots. Or go for the best people watching spot, like the front row chairs at the ladder into the Blue Lagoon we chose. They’re right about here, at the foot of the stairs near the life guard tent. Another area with lots of beach chairs and easy access to the water is near the jetty.
Arriving early also allows you to take some gorgeous photos of the Blue Lagoon before the crowds (brought in by tour boats) arrive. For this privilege, you obviously can’t join a Blue Lagoon cruise, but rather take a Comino ferry for example. Jump to the “How to get to the Blue Lagoon” section below for more information.
Go snorkelling in the Blue Lagoon
The shallow and crystal clear water of the Blue Lagoon makes it ideal for snorkelling. In the part closest to the beach chairs and umbrellas, where the bottom is covered in white sand, you’ll see the occasional fish.
Cross the lagoon towards the tiny beach you see on the opposite side though, and you’ll pass a rocky zone with coral and more fish. It’s the area with the darker blue water you see from the shore.
Place your feet on the bottom when you find a sand patch close the tiny beach and hold still for a free fish pedicure. *shudders* Now I know for sure I will never put my feet in a fish tank at one of the many fish spas you find in Southeast Asia!
While snorkelling, keep an eye out for jellyfish. We spotted 2 fried egg jellyfish. They’re golden and pretty big, but apparently have a very weak sting.
Do some water sports at the Blue Lagoon
If you prefer some action over tanning or snorkelling, there are a bunch of water sports on offer too, at the Blue Lagoon.
Right next to the food kiosks on the hill, there are people handing out brochures for water sports. You can book a Banana Ride or Crazy Sofa Ride with them. At the time of our visit, it cost €10 (~ $12) per person for 10 to 15 minutes of fun. We saw people Parasailing as well.
Find the sand beach at Santa Maria Bay
If you want to escape the crowds, you should check out Santa Maria Bay, according to TripAdvisor. From what I could read there, it’s not busy, the water is clear, it’s great for snorkelling, and there are food kiosks as well. We haven’t been there, but you can check out the reviews on TripAdvisor.
Hike to St. Mary’s Tower
For us it was too hot, but Brecht’s parents hiked to St. Mary's Tower, also known as Comino Tower. From the jetty, it’s about a 20 to 25 minute walk one way, with a pretty great view as a reward.
The tower itself was unfortunately closed, as we were there on a Thursday. It’s supposed to be open from 10:30 to 15:00 on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between April and October. When you see a flag waving from the tower, it’s open.
Just before you reach Comino Tower, you’ll pas an abandoned hospital (read: another interesting photo opportunity).
Go on a Segway Tour of Comino
If you’d like to see more of Comino than we did, but aren’t in for a hike, you can go on a Segway tour of Comino. Outdoor Explorers offers 5 different Segway tours, ranging from 35 minutes to 2 hours. You can just go check out the Comino Tower, or visit some beaches as well, maybe explore a couple of secret caves. There’s even a sunset tour.
Unfortunately we didn’t do any of the Segway tours ourselves, but it comes highly recommended on TripAdvisor. Head over there to read some (praising) reviews.
Visit the Outdoor Explorers website for more information.
What’s the best time to visit the Blue Lagoon in Malta
The Blue Lagoon in Malta is a very popular tourist attraction, meaning it can get pretty crowded. Before 11:15, when the big tour boats start arriving, it’s not that busy though. We arrived at the Blue Lagoon at 9:35, when there were only 2 people in the water. That’s about the time you have to arrive when you want to have a people-less shot of Comino’s Blue Lagoon.
Another option is visiting the Blue Lagoon in the late afternoon, after the tour boats have left. According to Lonely Planet, that’s after 16:00.
What to eat at the Blue Lagoon in Malta
Comino is a tiny island, so apart from the hotel, there are no other restaurants. There are a couple of food kiosks though, selling burgers, salads, pizza, and the like.
While Brecht had a burger with fries (€6.50 ~ $7.60), I tried the pizza primavera, with cherry tomatoes and rucola (€7.50 ~ $8.80). Both were not what I would enthusiastically call “delicious”, but not bad either. Just as you can expect from a couple of all-round food trucks at a major tourist attraction. Oh, and all drinks, from beer to Coca Cola, cost €2 (~ $2.30).
Apart from the all-round food trucks, there are stalls selling sliced fruit and cocktails as well, some even served in a hollowed out pineapple.
How to get to the Blue Lagoon in Malta
Comino, the home island of the Blue Lagoon, is situated between Malta and Gozo. There are 2 ways to get from either Gozo or Malta to Comino: take a Comino ferry, or go on a Blue Lagoon Cruise. The first option is just transport, the second one is more of a half day or full day boat trip.
Take a Comino Ferry
There are 2 Comino Ferry companies that offer transportation to the Blue Lagoon, that we know of. Their ferries are small, just to transport people, not goods or cars.
Comino Ferries Co-op Ltd.
The company we booked with is called Comino Ferries Co-op Ltd. With them, a return ticket from Malta to the Blue Lagoon (or Santa Maria Bay) costs €10 (~ $12). For the same price, you can also go from Malta to the Blue Lagoon, and from the Blue Lagoon to Gozo instead of going back to Malta. They do not offer services from Gozo to the Blue Lagoon or Malta.
You can find a small Comino Ferries Co-op Ltd. ticket booth on the Marfa Jetty near the Riviera Hotel, where you can pay for your tickets by card or in cash. There’s a similar one near the Cirkewwa Terminal of the Gozo Channel ferry, right here.
If you have a (rental) car, you can best board at the Marfa Jetty, as there’s a free parking. If you’re using public transport, there’s a bus stop at Cirkewwa.
Click here for more information about public transport in Malta.
The Comino Ferries Co-op Ltd. website says you get a 10% discount when buying your tickets online through there, but that page doesn’t seem to be working at the moment.
The Comino Ferry will leave from the Marfa Jetty, and then pick up passengers from Cirkewwa. On the way over to the Blue Lagoon, the boat passes along some cliffs and caves of Comino. The righthand side of the boat passes closest, so that’s the side you want to be sitting for the best photo ops. The trip takes about 35 minutes.
Leaving the Blue Lagoon again, it was more of a speedboat that picked us up. With the wind in our hair, we were back at the Marfa Jetty in just 12 minutes.
When you arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the scheduled departure at the ticket booth, you should be fine. Find timetables and more information on the Comino Ferries Co-op Ltd. website.
Ebsons Comino Ferries
Another company offering a ferry service to the Blue Lagoon is Ebsons Comino Ferries. Unlike the one we booked with, Ebsons has ferries going from both Gozo and Malta to Comino. Return tickets cost €10 (~ $12). For that same price, you can do Gozo – Blue Lagoon – Malta or Malta – Blue Lagoon Gozo as well.
Ebsons Comino Ferries also offers a discount for booking online through their website.
Book a private charter
Both of the above Comino ferry companies offer private charters as well, should you prefer a private boat tour to the Blue Lagoon. Check out their websites for more information: Comino Ferries Co-op Ltd. or Ebsons Comino Ferries.
Go on a Blue Lagoon Cruise
If you want to visit Comino’s Blue Lagoon with minimal planning, you can opt for a Blue Lagoon Cruise. Instead of just transportation to the Blue Lagoon, these half or full day boat trips often include food and drinks, possibly other stops and hotel pick up, heck, maybe they even have a sundeck or slide!
We didn’t really explore this option ourselves, but Anya from Snow to Seas has. Check out her post on how to decide between different tour companies and her experience with Hornblower Cruises.
Can you stay the night on Comino?
If you wish to spend a night on Comino instead of doing just a day trip to the Blue Lagoon, you can book a room at Comino Hotel. It situated on the shores of Saint Nicholas Bay and has a private beach. The water is supposed to be clear there to, and ideal for some snorkelling.
Click here to check for rates and availability at Comino Hotel.
Is the Blue Lagoon in Malta worth a visit?
We’ll try to do some expectation management here. The name says it, the Blue Lagoon is a blue lagoon. The water has a stunning color, with a great backdrop, but the rocky shores are filled with beach chairs and umbrellas. There are a couple of other bays and a tower on the island, but nothing too spectacular.
However, we believe calling it a tourist trap is an overreaction. Yes, we recommend to go early to beat the crowds, and no, you shouldn’t go there for the food, but the setting is still gorgeous. The Segway tours of Comino sound interesting too! It’s not the end of the world if you can’t make it there, but if you have a day left and you know what to expect of this popular lagoon, it’s worth the money if you ask us.
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