A day on Comino

What is there to do on Comino besides the Blue Lagoon?

Walk to St Mary's Tower, the Santa Marija battery and bay, swim at the Crystal Lagoon and see the sea caves. The whole island is on foot.

Comino sits between Malta and Gozo and measures 3.5 square kilometers, Wikipedia says, with its highest point at 35 m. Visit Gozo calls it the smallest inhabited island in the Maltese archipelago and describes a rugged limestone landscape with wild herbs, no cars and no towns. Its name comes from the cumin once harvested there; in Maltese it is Kemmuna.

There are no roads or shops, only seasonal kiosks in peak season, so bring water, snacks and sun protection, Visit Gozo advises. Cominotto, the islet across the lagoon, is 0.25 square kilometers and uninhabited.

A boat every 30 minutes from Marfa or Cirkewwa, 20 to 25 minutes past the Comino caves. Use the ticket at any time on the day you booked.

★ 4.6 · 20 to 25 minutes each way · from $17

Explore the Comino ferry → Tour details

Can you visit St Mary's Tower on Comino?

Yes, in the warm months. Visit Gozo says the tower is open to visitors from April to the end of October, and its walk leaflet adds: when the flag is flying.

The Knights of St John built St Mary's Tower in 1618, under Grandmaster Wignacourt, to guard the channel and pass signals between Malta and Gozo. It stands about 80 m above sea level, a square block with a turret at each corner, about 12 m tall on a plinth of about 8 m, with walls about 6 m thick, per Wikipedia. Knights found guilty of minor crimes were sometimes sent to man it as a punishment. It was restored between 2002 and 2004.

Film fans know it as the Chateau d'If in the 2002 film The Count of Monte Cristo. It can be seen from both Malta and Gozo and from the ferry between them, per Wikipedia. Walk up in the morning, before the sun is high.

Where are the Santa Marija battery and Santa Marija Bay?

The battery sits on the south coast facing Gozo; the bay is on the north side of the island. Both are on the walk from the tower.

Santa Marija Battery was built in 1716, Wikipedia says, a semicircular platform with gun openings facing the South Comino Channel. Two 24-pound iron cannon are still there, and Din l-Art Helwa restored it in 1996. Visit Gozo's leaflet calls it the only shade on the route, which makes it the natural lunch stop.

Santa Marija Bay is the quiet side of Comino. Visit Gozo describes a peaceful sandy beach and shallow water, good for younger children or anyone after calm. A short walk inland is the old chapel, and the police station stands at the water's edge. The sand dunes behind the bay keep some native trees, Vitex and Tamarix, per Wikipedia, and Roman wrecks have been found on its seabed, per Visit Gozo.

Can you walk around Comino?

Yes. Visit Gozo's Comino Walk is a 7 km loop from the Blue Lagoon, rated easy, and the island can be walked in about three hours.

The leaflet takes you anticlockwise: right along the coast from the lagoon to the Crystal Lagoon, past the Wied Skalanova valley to the tower, the old isolation hospital (Il-Palazz) and the battery, then down the Red Valley through almond and olive trees to Santa Marija Bay, and back past the little bay of Ghar Ghana to the steps by the lagoon. Watch for Maltese wall lizards in the garigue. Visit Gozo names October to May as the best season for the walk.

Its tips are short and worth keeping: wear a hat and sun cream, since shade and water are scarce; stay on the paths and away from cliff edges; keep out of the valleys during or just after heavy rain; take your litter home. In winter there are no supply points, so carry food and drink.

How do you plan a full day on Comino?

Take an early ferry from Marfa or Cirkewwa, swim first, walk in the middle of the day and come back to the lagoon for a last swim before the boat.

The Comino ferry is made for this: boats every 30 minutes, a ticket you use any time on the day you booked, 20 to 25 minutes each way. The first boat leaves Marfa at 8:30 AM and Cirkewwa at 8:40 AM, per the listing; from November to March the first trip is at 9:00 AM. Ask the crew for the last boat back that day.

The landing booking covers the time you spend ashore. MTA says the wristband gives access for the length of your slot, so a day that runs past 13:00 crosses into the afternoon slot: check both when you book. The free slots are 08:00 to 13:00 and 13:30 to 17:30. How to book them is in our booking guide.

Who lives on Comino, and why is it protected?

Two people live there today. The whole island is a Natura 2000 site, a bird sanctuary and a nature reserve.

Comino's population peaked at about 80 in the late 1940s, Wikipedia says, when a farming company worked the land. Today only two residents call it home, per Visit Gozo, and the island belongs to the council of Ghajnsielem on Gozo, from where a priest and a policeman commute. In the Middle Ages its caves hid pirates who raided boats crossing between Malta and Gozo; under the Knights it was a hunting ground for wild boar and hares.

Now it is protected. Wikipedia describes a bird sanctuary and nature reserve inside a Natura 2000 marine protected area, and BirdLife International lists Comino as an Important Bird Area, per Wikipedia, for its 50 to 80 breeding pairs of yelkouan shearwaters. Cominotto is part of a Special Protection Area. The Blue Lagoon booking exists to protect it, MTA says. How long the boats stay at the lagoon itself: our how-long guide.

Frequently asked questions