If there’s one thing you simply have to do when in Malta, it’s to take a day trip to the Blue Lagoon!
It’s easily one of the most picturesque spots anywhere in both Malta or Gozo, and as long as you pick the right cruise, it’s a lot of fun.
That being said, not all of the boat cruises operating there are the same, and we’ve heard bad reviews about a number of the larger ones.
So below, I’ll give you a rundown of the company we went with and why we recommend you choose them as well!
But first, here’s a bit more information about Comino’s Blue Lagoon and why you will want to do a boat trip there in the first place …
Note: We were NOT sponsored or paid to do this cruise or promote it. We booked it off our own research and loved it so much that we figured it’s worth recommending. So all views below are our own.
The Blue Lagoon is a fairly large lagoon located on the island of Comino, halfway between Malta and Gozo.
There are a number of gorgeous bays around the island of Comino, however The Blue Lagoon is the most famous and most popular to visit.
Why?
Well, one reason is that it’s relatively large, yet shallow enough that you can go swimming, snorkelling and jumping in from the boats.
Also, it’s gained notoriety for being featured in a few major films over the years, such as in Troy and The Count Of Monte Cristo.
The only way to get there is by boat, with trips departing daily from both Gozo and Malta.
It is possible to stay on the island itself, though Comino isn’t very large and there’s just one hotel.
As such, the most popular way to visit is via a full day or half day boat trip, which also includes stops to a number of other points around Comino island.
You also have the choice to add in a visit to the most popular spots in Gozo as a part of your day trip; more on that below ….
Here’s what to expect from a typical Blue Lagoon Comino boat tour.
First off, you set sail from St Paul’s Bay, located on the northwestern part of Malta.
This is actually a lovely place to stay (we lived here for a month), and the harbour is gorgeous.
You leave at around 11am and the boat takes you right up round the northern end of Malta, where you catch views of this part of the island.
You stop off at a few caves along the way, and get the chance to learn a little more about the history of the island and the role St Paul played in bringing Christianity to Malta.
Eventually, you reach Comino where you sail around, checking out a number of the cool smugglers caves, as well as the small bays there.
If you are just doing a visit to the Blue Lagoon, then the boat drops you off here for a couple of hours, giving you the chance to swim, relax and discover more of the island.
In the summer months, it gets pretty crowded, so it’s a good idea to walk around to other nearby bays, such as Santa Maria, which is just as lovely to swim in!
In this time, the boat heads over to Gozo where those who chose to pay more have the two hours to quickly venture off across the island to a few of the most popular sites.
When the boat returns to Blue Lagoon, you have another hour or so to swim and enjoy the bay and even go jumping and sliding off the boat!
When you leave, the boat then takes you to see a few more caves and the equally picturesque Crystal Lagoon.
Afterwards, the boat takes you back around Comino and on to St Paul’s Bay where the tour usually ends at around 4:30 or 5pm.
Of course, all cruises may differ in their itinerary, but this is a pretty good idea of what most offer.
It’s worth mentioning that, though the above is what you can expect from a typical boat cruise, this isn’t exactly how ours went!
In fact, the day we booked to do our cruise was when the Coronavirus was really starting to pick up.
This was the last boat cruise that operated before it was closed down, as tourists were being quarantined!
Meaning the boat wasn’t allowed to actually moor up on either Gozo or Comino.
So instead, the boat ventured up the coast of Gozo, giving us the chance to see much more of the beautiful caves, beaches and to swim near Rambla Bay.
We still had the chance to do everything else mentioned above, except actually walk on Comino.
We stopped off in Santa Marija bay and it really is lovely and so worth a visit!
There are two issues that I think you should be aware of when booking your cruise:
1. It gets VERY busy there! - As we visited in off-peak season, there were hardly any other boats around the bay, aside from a few small yachts that families had moored up. However, in the busy summer months it’s not unusual for several hundred people to visit the lagoon every day, meaning that the water and the island can get pretty busy. That being said, as long as you pick a great boat (which I’ll talk about shortly) then you will have space to relax and enjoy yourself from the boat itself.
2. There may be jellyfish - This all depends on the time of the year and your luck really. Most days you will be fine and there won’t be any, but for us, they were at all of our stops! Luckily, there were fewest jellyfish at the Blue Lagoon, so swimming here was okay.
Based on our experience, having checked out reviews online, and then spoke to people in Malta, possibly your best choice is Sea Adventure.
This is the company we went with and I can vouch that they run a great day tour there, with a fantastic ship, friendly staff and even a few extras that few other boats seem to have.
Well …
They have underwater viewing windows
That’s right! At the base of the ship are two staircases that lead you to the hull, where you find windows. It’s perfect for seeing marine life underwater without venturing into the water.
But best of all, it allows you to see a Maltese patrol boat lying on the seabed!
It was put there deliberately to serve as a dive site, but by booking with this company you get the unique chance to see it!
The ship is small enough to go INTO the caves!
Many of the largest tour operators have boats designed for up to 500 people, and because they are so big, they aren’t as flexible in where they can visit. Instead, Sea Adventure is perfectly sized to go into many of the caves, giving you better views and a more enjoyable experience.
You won’t find hundreds of people onboard
Sea Adventures is much smaller than many of the tour operators, holding somewhere around 100 people I imagine. Either way, there’s plenty of space up on deck and on the lower levels if you want to be in the shade.
Their drinks are cheap!
We actually took a bottle of rum onboard with us, as we were told this would be okay. But in the end, the drinks weren’t even very expensive, and they poured big measures of spirit. So, if you’re looking to get a little tipsy on your visit to the Blue Lagoon in Malta, then it won’t cost you too much!
It has slides
Finally, one of the big reasons we chose Sea Adventures is that they have large fold out slides! An awesome way to enter into the Blue Lagoon and make a little more of your day.
Okay, this will all depend on where you buy your tickets.
Your best bet is to buy your tickets online here; this is the cruise that we did, which DOESN’T include a stop on Gozo.
It’s only €20 which, for what you get, is so cheap!
That being said, it is possible to pay more and less for your tour.
All of the boards along St Paul's Bay advertise the cruise as costing €25, and that’s because you book through an tour operator who takes their commision.
As I said, if you book online, you get exactly the same cruise but save €5.
On the day we visited, they were selling tickets for our cruise for just €15 to a few last minute punters on the quay.
I’m not sure if they do this every day, or it was just because they had tonnes of space left (because of Coronavirus) and wanted to sell more.
Either way, in the summer months I can imagine they book up well in advance, so your best bet is to book online (check up-to-date prices here).
The best way to experience all of Gozo is to get the ferry over there and spend a day or two exploring.
If you don’t have time to visit Gozo on it’s own, then for just €5 more you can include a 2 hour stop in Gozo as a part of your tour.
The boat takes you to 4 or 5 of the best things to see in Gozo, such as the Citadella, before whisking you back and then on to the Blue Lagoon.
If you want to find out more about which stops in Gozo you visit, check this link here.
All across Malta and Gozo, the best sites to book your tours on are GetYourGuide and Viator.
They have the best range of Malta tours, the best prices, and are well trusted globally.
To help you out, here are the links to the relevant tours talked about above.
Note: The prices may change throughout the year, our visit was in March 2020 (you can find up-to-date prices on the links below) ...
Though you officially set sail at 11am, it’s best to get on board closer to 10am, as this means you have the pick of the sunbeds up on the top deck. There are a limited number, but they are by far the best seats onboard.
As discussed above, it’s best to book online, as the boats sell out in advance in the busiest months.
As far as we could see, they had nothing against you taking your own food and drink on board, which is what we did. Especially as you will have a couple of hours on Comino, so they have no issues with you taking it there to drink and eat. According to one tour operator we spoke to, the only issue you may have is if you’re trying to take on crates of beers and clearly are looking to get pretty drunk!
Even in March, the weather in Malta is incredible, and on our Comino boat cruise, the temperature was in the low twenties, with clear skies and no breeze. It also meant that the lagoon itself wasn’t at all packed.
While on Comino, don’t just hand around in the Blue Lagoon. Instead, head on round to the other bays which are just as nice but nowhere near as busy.
If you have any other questions about booking a Blue Lagoon boat tour in Malta, then just let me know below. We really did have a great time, despite the disruption to the route!
For help planning the rest of your time in Malta, check out our other guides:
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