I’ll be honest—when I arrived in Malta, I was completely unprepared for the Blue Lagoon. I had no idea what to expect. Just from the name, I figured something beautiful was waiting for me. Not only was I right, but the afternoon I spent there turned out to be one of the most stunning nature experiences of my life.
Comino Island
To put it simply, Malta as a country is made up of three main islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino. While Malta and Gozo are inhabited, Comino feels like a magical, untouched world—a protected nature reserve. We read somewhere that it has just one permanent resident, and honestly, that tells you everything: this isn’t civilization—it’s something else entirely.
Even access to the island is limited, but more on that later. The Blue Lagoon itself is part of Comino, and unsurprisingly, it’s one of the most visited tourist attractions in Malta.
Comino is full of contrasts. On one hand, it’s a bare, rocky, dusty island visited only by a few determined hikers. On the other, it’s home to the jaw-droppingly beautiful turquoise lagoon, with beach bars, boats, crowds, and tons of people walking around and swimming.
But let’s skip the generalizations and get into how we actually got to the Blue Lagoon and what we did on that incredible afternoon.
How to Get There
Comino is located between Malta and Gozo. And since it’s an island, you can forget about bridges or land travel—you can only get there by boat.
Unlike the rest of Malta, Comino isn’t part of the public transportation system. So you can only visit the Blue Lagoon through private tour operators. Boats depart from both Malta and Gozo, usually near the ferry terminals. You really can’t miss them.
Even If You Didn’t Plan to Go…
We took the fast ferry straight from Valletta to Gozo. When we got off, we were still just thinking about maybe checking out the Blue Lagoon while we were there.
Of course, when you’re in a popular tourist hotspot, all you really need to do is show up. Suddenly, you’re surrounded by agents and tour operators, all offering their “best deals.” We weren’t planning on buying anything—just wanted to ask a few questions. But sure enough, it wasn’t long before we had tickets in our hands.
Right after we got off the ferry—and before we even made it to the bus stop—we were approached by a very friendly woman promoting their Comino (Blue Lagoon) tour. We gave the most honest answer: “We’re not really planning on going to the Blue Lagoon.” And we meant it. But that’s all a good salesperson needs—when they sense a reluctant customer, they start negotiating fast.
Before we could even respond, she had already dropped the price herself. “€20 per person,” she offered. That included the round-trip boat ride (to either island—more on that later) and everything else. And hey, we’re not made of stone—and the Blue Lagoon did sound tempting—so we said yes.
She made one last attempt to get us to pay in cash—“It would really help,” she said (do they pay taxes in Malta, or was she just trying to avoid card fees? 🤔)—but we paid the €40 for the two of us by card, no problem. We set the departure time and then spent the rest of the day exploring Gozo.
The Trip to the Blue Lagoon
We came back in the afternoon at the agreed time. Before boarding the boat, we had to register. This happened at a separate tent among the other tour vendors. As it turns out, this was actually run by a Maltese authority. Since Comino is a protected nature reserve with limited visitor access, you have to register online ahead of time and receive a wristband that allows access during a specific time slot. They check it when you arrive—or they don’t. But that’s kind of typical in Malta’s relaxed, semi-Mediterranean, semi-Arabic way.
Either way, we followed the instructions—entered our address and email on the website via a QR code—and showed our confirmation email to receive our Blue Lagoon wristbands.
The Breathtaking Blue Lagoon
After a short, bumpy ride in a small ten-person boat, we arrived at Comino’s dock—right next to the Blue Lagoon.
The view was breathtaking the moment we arrived. It’s one of those shades of blue that you can’t describe in words—and even photos don’t do it justice. If you didn’t know it was real, you’d probably laugh and say the photo was clearly over-edited.
The water features every imaginable shade of blue—from nearly white to turquoise, to vivid azure, and deep navy. It’s like nature’s own color palette, the kind no artist could ever recreate. Think Capri blue and pale azure if we’re being technical. But really—this is something everyone should see in person at least once. A screen just can’t capture it.
Walking Around Comino
Even though it’s a protected area with limited access, once you’re on Comino, you’re free to go wherever you like.
We started with a short hike on the quieter side of the island, far from the crowds. And we’re so glad we did! The dry Mediterranean landscape, the elevated sea views, and the hidden bays only visible from the cliffs totally made up for the steep, hot climb. It was the perfect complement to the Blue Lagoon experience.
Looping back around over the rocks gave us a totally different, unique view of the Lagoon. And at the end of the walk, we even had time for a quick dip—knee-deep, since we didn’t bring swimsuits.
The Way Back
To return from Comino, you need to go with the same tour company you arrived with. That’s important—there are tons of companies running boats, and if you try to board the wrong one, they won’t take you back. And if you miss your scheduled return time… well, you’re stuck.
We were waiting for the very last boat back and got a bit nervous after a good fifteen minutes passed and at least five other companies had already picked up their passengers. But eventually, our boat arrived—and thankfully, we didn’t get stranded.
We even saved the cost of a return ferry ticket! These little boats drop off and pick up on both Malta and Gozo. We had boarded in Gozo, but they dropped us off in Malta, so we didn’t have to wait or pay for the Gozo–Malta ferry.
From there, thanks to Malta’s almost-great bus system, we were back in Valletta in no time.