Blue Lagoon, Comino
The honest short answer
Published 24 March 2026. Last reviewed 8 April 2026. Conditions described are typical and never guaranteed.
The Blue Lagoon is the most photographed water in Malta, and for once the photographs do not lie about the colour. The shallow channel between Comino and the little islet of Cominotto runs over a pale sand and rock seabed that lights the water an unreal luminous turquoise, and the swimming and snorkelling through it are genuinely superb. What the photographs quietly leave out is everything around the water, so it pays to know what you are walking into.
The first honest point is that this is not a beach. The shoreline is rock and concrete, so you swim and sunbathe off the rocks and the platforms rather than a stretch of sand, and there is very little natural shade. The second is the crowd. Comino has no roads and a single famous attraction, so from mid morning through the afternoon in summer the lagoon fills with boats, day trippers and sunbed and food vendors, and the dreamy empty water of the pictures belongs to the first boat of the day or the shoulder months.
The wind is the other thing a local checks before setting out. The lagoon sits exposed to the north, so when the Gregale blows from the northeast or the Majjistral from the northwest the water churns, the colour dulls and the boats from Cirkewwa and Mgarr can be cancelled outright. On a calm day it is paradise, on a blowy one it is a wasted trip, so watch the forecast and have a sheltered mainland swim as a backup.
Who should skip it: anyone after a quiet sandy day with easy facilities, who will be happier on the sand at Golden Bay or Mellieha Bay. Who should go: swimmers and snorkellers who will trade sand and shade for the clearest, most luminous water in the islands. Come on the first boat or off season, walk to the quieter Cominotto side, and the Blue Lagoon earns its fame.
Clubs on and near the lagoon
Comino is all but uninhabited, so there is no beach club on the lagoon itself, only seasonal kiosks, sunbed hire and food vans. For a proper club day you look to the main island, where the lidos and pool clubs are compared in full in the Malta directory.
There is no beach club on Comino, and any hotel or restaurant status on the island is best treated as to be confirmed. The nearest club scene is back on Malta, where Cafe del Mar at St Paul's Bay, the Reef Club at St Julian's and the beach club at Singita on the sand at Ghajn Tuffieha lead. Pair the Blue Lagoon swim with a club day on the mainland for the best of both.
Comino has no roads, so the Blue Lagoon is reached only by water, on the regular passenger ferries from Cirkewwa at the northern tip of Malta or from Mgarr on Gozo, or as part of an organised boat trip around the islands. The crossing is short, and the first departures of the day give you the colour before the boats and the crowds build.
Once you are there the facilities are basic and seasonal, a scatter of kiosks, food vans and sunbed hire with little shade and no village, so bring water, sun cover and everything you need. A short walk leads to the quieter Santa Marija Bay and the Cominotto side, and the snorkelling around the rocks rewards a calm day, so pack a mask and pick your weather.
Reserve a day on the Malta coast
Tell us the day and the party, and we will match you to a beach club on the main island and pass your request straight to the team.
Why is the Blue Lagoon in Malta so famous?
For the colour. The shallow channel between Comino and the islet of Cominotto runs over a pale sand and rock seabed that turns the water an unreal luminous turquoise, brighter than almost anywhere in the Mediterranean. It is the swimming and snorkelling and the colour that draw the crowds, not a sandy beach.
Is the Blue Lagoon a sandy beach?
No, and it surprises a lot of visitors. The shoreline is rock and concrete rather than sand, so you swim and sunbathe off the rocks and the platforms rather than a beach. The white sand is on the seabed, which is what lights up the water, so come for the swim and the snorkel rather than a day building sandcastles.
How do you get to the Blue Lagoon and is it crowded?
Comino has no roads, so you arrive by ferry or organised boat from Cirkewwa on Malta or Mgarr on Gozo, or as part of a boat trip. It is extremely crowded from mid morning through the afternoon in summer, with boats, sunbed and food vendors and little shade, so the first boats of the day are the trick for the colour with room to breathe.
When is the best time to visit the Blue Lagoon?
Early morning before the day boats arrive, or the shoulder months of May, June and late September, when the colour is just as good and the crowds are a fraction of the August peak. By late morning in summer the lagoon is packed, so an early start or an off season visit is the difference between magic and a scrum.
Is there anything to do near the Blue Lagoon on Comino?
Yes, a short walk leads to the quieter Santa Marija Bay and the Cominotto side, and the snorkelling around the rocks and the nearby caves is excellent on a calm day. Facilities are limited to seasonal kiosks and food vans, with no real village, so bring water, shade and everything you need for the day.