Comino boat trip: is it worth it?

The short answer

Book it if swimming in clear water is the plan for the day. The boat sails along Malta’s north coast to Comino and spends its time at the Blue Lagoon, the Crystal Lagoon and the Santa Maria Caves, with a waterslide into the sea. Two things decide whether the day goes well. You need a free landing pass to get off the boat at the Blue Lagoon, and the sea has the last word on the route. Reviewers describe a good day on a roomy boat, and some mention that the lagoon was crowded. The rest of this guide covers the pass, the stops, the crowds, the swimming and the people who should choose something else instead.

What the day is

This is a day cruise of about six hours on a modern catamaran from Buġibba Jetty. The boat follows Malta’s north coast, with its cliffs, coves and rock formations, to Comino, the small island between Malta and Gozo. Wikipedia gives Comino’s area as 3.5 square kilometres and says it has only two permanent residents. Every sailing includes the Blue Lagoon and the Santa Maria Caves, and some add a further swimming stop. There is no programme ashore. You swim, sit in the sun or the shade, eat from the snack bar and, at the Blue Lagoon, can walk ashore if you hold the pass. An audio guide runs in five languages.

Read next: Comino, the island behind the lagoon

The landing pass in one paragraph

To get off the boat at the Blue Lagoon you need a free landing pass, booked online before the day. The Malta Tourism Authority describes a free online visitor booking system for the lagoon, a Natura 2000 site, covering people who arrive by private or commercial vessels. Booking produces a QR code and a wristband for a time slot, and the authority says access without a valid booking is not permitted and may be fined. The operator emails the correct slot the day before the sailing, so check the junk folder as well as the inbox. The pass costs nothing, and it is the one job that falls to you before the day. If you skip it, you stay on the boat.

Read next: The Blue Lagoon landing pass

The three named places

The Blue Lagoon lies between Comino and the islet of Cominotto, over a white sandy base, and it is the stop most people picture. The Crystal Lagoon is a swimming stop from June to October, weather permitting, and a scenic photo stop in the cooler months. A Malta travel site describes it as steep cliffs dropping into very clear water, visible from land but really reachable only by boat. The Santa Maria Caves are a photo stop on Comino’s coast. Visit Gozo calls them a network of sea caves along the coast, where snorkellers and divers can explore marine life. The captain decides the order, so none of the three is tied to a fixed slot in the day.

What the sea can change

The captain may change the route, the stops or even the departure place for weather, sea or operational reasons. Crystal Lagoon swimming happens only in season and only if the water allows it. Should the weather stop the boat sailing at all, the operator offers a new date or your money back. Treat the three named stops as the plan, not as a promise of a fixed order or of a swim at every one. A reviewer who sailed this trip advises packing a jumper, because the ride back was chilly, so a warm layer matters more than the sunbeds suggest. Sailing days differ, and the sea on your date may be calmer or choppier than the one in anyone’s photographs.

Will it be crowded?

Often, in summer. Wikipedia says large numbers of tourists and tour boats visit the Blue Lagoon daily, and a Malta travel site calls July and August by far the busiest months and suggests May or June instead. The Malta Tourism Authority’s booking system caps how many people can be at the lagoon at one time, and one recent reviewer still called the lagoon overcrowded. On a day trip the crowd is part of the picture, so go expecting company and not a private cove. The same travel site lists the Crystal Lagoon, Santa Marija Bay and San Niklaw Bay as quieter places to swim than the Blue Lagoon itself.

Read next: A calmer day at the Blue Lagoon

Swimming and the waterslide

The boat has a waterslide into the sea, swimming ladders and fresh-water showers. Sunbeds are free but first come, first served. Snorkelling equipment can be bought on board or brought from home, and towels are yours to bring. A limited number of life jackets are available against a refundable cash deposit, so families with small children may want their own. Wikipedia describes the Blue Lagoon as a picturesque bay with a white sandy base and rich marine life, popular with divers, snorkellers and swimmers. Nobody has to slide or swim: staying aboard in the shade is a normal way to spend the stops, and the audio guide fills the time between them.

What is on board

Expect sunbeds, seating in the sun and the shade, toilets and a snack bar that sells drinks, cocktails, beer, burgers, wraps and snacks. Outside food and drink are not permitted. A live host speaks English, and an audio guide plays in English, French, German, Italian and Polish. Smoking is not allowed on board, and vaping is limited to designated areas. Storage is limited, so carry only what the day needs. Facilities can differ slightly between boats, so treat this list as a picture of what a catamaran of this kind carries, not a promise about one named vessel on one named day.

Read next: What to bring on a Comino boat day

Comino beyond the boat

Wikipedia calls Comino a bird sanctuary and nature reserve and a Natura 2000 marine protected area, and Visit Gozo says it has virtually no cars or towns and is best explored on foot. St Mary’s Tower, built in 1618 by the Knights of Malta, is its best-known building. The boat day touches only the shore, so it is a way to see the island’s water, not its interior. If the island itself is what draws you, the guide to Comino explains what is there, how large it is and how people usually reach it, and why a landing booking exists at all.

Read next: Comino, the island behind the lagoon

Who this isn’t for

Skip this trip if any of these describes you. The boat is not suitable for wheelchair users or for people with mobility impairments, and that is a rule of the trip, not a matter of taste. The day is also a poor fit for anyone who wants a quiet beach, a long hike or a fixed timetable. Those wishes point to a different kind of day, such as a private trip, a walk on Comino from a scheduled boat or a visit to a quieter bay. It also suits people who dislike being on a busy boat for several hours, since the vessel is shared with other passengers throughout.

• You want a quiet private cove: the Blue Lagoon is busy in summer
• You want a long hike on Comino: the day is mostly on the water
• You need a fixed order and timetable of stops: the captain can change both
• You use a wheelchair or have a mobility impairment: the boat is not suitable

How to book

Pick a day in the booking calendar, which lists open places and the time. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the sailing. The evening sailing is a shorter trip of about four hours, so check what it includes before choosing it. After booking, watch for the operator’s email the day before and book the free Blue Lagoon pass for the slot it gives. You book through GetYourGuide, and this guide has no tie to the boat operator or to any Maltese authority. If your plan changes, the calendar lets you move to another date, subject to the cancellation terms, and the weather can also lead the operator to offer a new date or a refund.

Read next: Comino only, or Gozo and Comino?