Sliema, Bugibba or Gozo

How long is the boat ride to the Blue Lagoon in Malta?

From 15 minutes to a few hours, depending on the harbour. Mgarr on Gozo is the shortest hop and Sliema the longest.

• Mgarr, Gozo: the trip from Gozo's itinerary shows a 15-minute cruise to the Blue Lagoon, and Visit Gozo puts the hop at around 15 minutes.
• Marfa or Cirkewwa: the crossing on the round-trip ferry takes 20 to 25 minutes each way, past the Comino caves.
• Bugibba: the sunset cruise plans a sightseeing hour out past St Paul's Island and Ahrax Point.
• Sliema: the day cruises sail the whole north coast. The classic runs 5.5 to 7.5 hours in all, the powerboat covers it fast, and the catamaran goes out at 10:30 and back about 17:30.

A long ride is not wasted time. From Sliema you pass St Julian's, St George's Bay, Qawra, St Paul's Bay and St Paul's Islands before Mellieha Bay opens up and Comino appears ahead.

How long is the ferry from Malta to the Blue Lagoon?

About 20 to 25 minutes each way from Marfa or Cirkewwa, with boats every 30 minutes through the day.

On the round-trip ferry, the first boats leave Marfa and Cirkewwa at about half past eight in the morning; the last ones go at 4:00 PM from Marfa and 5:00 PM from Cirkewwa. From November to March the boats start at about nine in the morning and the last ones leave around 4:00 PM. Coming back, boats leave the lagoon through the day until 6:00 PM in summer and 4:00 PM in winter.

One detail worth timing: the last trip that passes the Comino sea caves leaves Marfa at 3:00 PM and Cirkewwa at 3:10 PM. Go earlier if you want the caves on the way out. The ticket is valid all day, first come first served, with no fixed boat to catch.

Sliema, Bugibba, Marfa or Gozo: which harbour should you leave from?

Your call, and it comes down to where you stay and what you want from the day. The table shows the trip length and the time at the lagoon from each harbour.

Every boat on this site, by harbour. Prices are GetYourGuide from-prices in USD.

Staying in Sliema or St Julian's and want a whole day at sea? Take a Sliema boat. In Bugibba, Qawra or St Paul's Bay, the evening cruise starts on your doorstep. Want the most hours on the sand? Head north to Marfa or Cirkewwa. Based on Gozo, stay there and sail from Mgarr.

The short way across from Marfa Jetty: about 1.5 hours at the Blue Lagoon, the sea caves, and a Crystal Lagoon swim or a stop on Gozo on the longer options.

★ 4.5 · 3 to 5 hours · from $26

Explore the trip from Marfa → Tour details

Is it worth taking the Blue Lagoon boat from Sliema?

Yes, if you want the coast as much as the lagoon. Three boats leave the Sliema seafront, each with its own style of day.

• The classic cruise from Sliema Ferries: the north coast, a 45-minute swim at the Crystal Lagoon or St Nicholas Bay from 1 May to 31 October, free time at the Blue Lagoon and a 10-minute photo stop at the Santa Maria caves. The longer option adds a photo stop at Mgarr Harbour on Gozo. From $39.
• The powerboat: leaves at 11:00, fast and loud with music, the caves up close and about 4 hours at the lagoon. From $61.
• The catamaran: the Spirit of Malta under sail, swim stops in Malta and Comino bays, buffet lunch and open bar. Adults 17 and over. From $98.

Back in Sliema with an evening free? The harbours cruise does 90 minutes round Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour, past the bastions of Valletta and the Three Cities, from $22.

What about Bugibba and St Paul's Bay?

Bugibba is the evening harbour. The sunset cruise leaves Bugibba Jetty late in the afternoon and gives you just over 2 hours at the lagoon.

Check-in starts at 16:45 at the jetty, where a Hornblower representative meets you; the boat leaves at 17:15 sharp and is back about 20:45. On the way out you pass St Paul's Island, Ghadira Bay, Coral Cove and Ahrax Point. You need the evening landing slot, 18:00 to 22:00, if you want to go ashore.

It reaches the lagoon as the day boats head home, with a 10 m slide off the deck and the light turning gold over Comino. The best time to visit explains why evening is worth it.

How do you get to Cirkewwa and Marfa?

By bus or car to the north tip of Malta. Visit Gozo lists route 222 from Sliema, routes 41, 42 and X300 from Valletta, and X1 or TD1 from the airport to Cirkewwa.

Cirkewwa is the Gozo Channel ferry terminal. Marfa Jetty, on the same tip of Malta near Mellieha, is where the trip from Marfa and the Marfa ferries leave; its listing mentions public parking near the jetty. A bus ticket is €2.50 in summer and €2 in winter, valid two hours (Malta Public Transport).

From the airport, Visit Gozo puts the bus ride at 1 to 2 hours depending on the time of day, so allow plenty. The trip from Marfa asks you to arrive 15 minutes early and says the boat will not wait.

Is it better to go to the Blue Lagoon from Gozo?

If you are staying on Gozo, yes: Mgarr is the closest harbour. The trip from Gozo takes 25 guests at most and visits both lagoons and the caves.

The boat leaves from Mgarr harbour in Ghajnsielem, not from Malta. The 10:00 tour is 3 hours and the 13:00 tour 4 hours, with about 1 hour at the Blue Lagoon and 45 minutes at the Crystal Lagoon, past St Mary's Tower, the caves, Santa Marija Bay and St Nicholas Bay. There is a welcome drink, a padded sun deck and a toilet. Lisa went in Oct 2026: "The meeting point was very easy to find, the pick-up was flawless, and a small welcome drink was offered."

Staying on Malta? Gozo Channel crosses from Cirkewwa to Mgarr in about 25 minutes, and the foot passenger fare is €4.65 for the round trip, paid in Mgarr. Gozo Highspeed also runs a foot passenger service from Valletta's Grand Harbour to Mgarr.

Which Blue Lagoon boats also show the caves, the Crystal Lagoon and Gozo?

Most of them. The classic, the trip from Marfa and the trip from Gozo all visit the sea caves and the Crystal Lagoon, and three boats add time on Gozo.

• Sea caves: every lagoon boat on this site shows them except the catamaran, which sails by the weather with no fixed programme. The ferry passes them on trips up to 3:00 PM from Marfa, and the trip from Marfa sells a speedboat ride inside for €10.
• The Crystal Lagoon: a swim stop on the classic (May to October), the 4-hour option from Marfa, the trip from Gozo and the private boat; the powerboat tours the Crystal Lagoon caves.
• Gozo: the 5-hour option from Marfa gives you 2 hours there, the longer classic has a photo stop at Mgarr Harbour and the chance to get off, and the ferry's Gozo option drops you at Mgarr.

Leopold took the trip from Marfa in Nov 2026: "The Blue Lagoon was magnificent, and the tour of Gozo was very enjoyable." On the ferry, Sylwia's tip from Oct 2026 matches the Gozo option: "The best option is from Comino to Gozo and then from there to take the ferry on your own."

Boats every 30 minutes from Marfa or Cirkewwa, as long as you like at the lagoon, and a Gozo option that drops you at Mgarr for the same price.

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

Explore the Comino ferry → Tour details

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