Booking choice: The powerboat from Sliema, from $61 per person. Check dates Tour details
The Blue Lagoon is small: a bay of cyan water over white sand between Comino and Cominotto, with a little sandy beach and rocky shore all around. That is why the time you get there matters more than anything else on the trip. An hour is a swim and a photo. Two hours is a swim, a snorkel and a walk up the slope for the view. Four hours is a beach day.
Below: the time at the lagoon on each boat, whether 2 hours is enough, how to get the most hours, what to do there, what to wear and bring, toilets and food, swimming, and whether you need to go ashore at all.
The quick answer
Two hours is enough for most people: a swim, a snorkel and a short walk on Comino. The sunset cruise gives just over 2 hours, the trip from Marfa about 1.5 hours and the powerboat from Sliema about 4 hours, from $61 per person. The round-trip ferry lets you stay as long as you like that day.
How long do boats stay at the Blue Lagoon?
Between about an hour and about four hours on the organized trips, and as long as you like on the round-trip ferry. Each listing states its time at the lagoon.
Every boat on this site, with the time it spends at the Blue Lagoon itself:
| Boat | Leaves from | Trip length | At the lagoon | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic cruise | Sliema Ferries, Sliema | 5.5 to 7.5 hours | Free time with a swim | $39 per person |
| Sunset cruise | Bugibba Jetty, St Paul's Bay | 3.5 hours | Just over 2 hours | $33 per person |
| Catamaran with lunch | Spirit of Malta, Sliema seafront | 7 hours | A swim stop, weather permitting | $98 per person |
| Trip from Marfa | Marfa Jetty, Mellieha | 3 to 5 hours | About 1.5 hours | $26 per person |
| Round-trip ferry | Marfa or Cirkewwa | 20 to 25 minutes each way | As long as you like that day | $17 per person |
| Trip from Gozo | Mgarr harbour, Ghajnsielem, Gozo | 3 to 4 hours | About 1 hour | $33 per person |
| Powerboat | Sliema Ferries, Sliema | 6 hours | About 4 hours | $61 per person |
| Private boat | Malta, point confirmed after booking | 3 to 4 hours | You choose with the skipper | $237 per group |
Prices are GetYourGuide from-prices in USD, and every boat here cancels free up to 24 hours before. The classic cruise gives free time with a swim at the lagoon, plus a 45-minute swim stop at the Crystal Lagoon from May to October; the catamaran stops at the lagoon to swim, weather permitting. On the private boat you agree the plan with the skipper.
Is 2 hours enough at the Blue Lagoon?
Yes, for most visitors. Two hours covers a long swim, a snorkel along the rocks and a short walk up for the view over the lagoon and Cominotto.
A simple plan for two hours, the time the sunset cruise gives you:
- The first hour in the water. Swim out over the sand, snorkel along the rocky edges, and use the slide if your boat has one.
- Then a walk. Comino's footpaths climb from the bay, and the slope gives you the classic picture of the lagoon from above.
- Last light. Back on deck with a drink from the bar while the boat heads home.
Nicole, on the sunset cruise: "Very good experience amazing to see the sunset. We had plenty of time to explore the blue lagoon" (Sep 2026)
An hour is enough for a swim on the trip from Gozo, which adds about 45 minutes at the Crystal Lagoon. If two hours sounds short, the powerboat and the ferry below give you far more.
Just over 2 hours at the Blue Lagoon in the evening, with a 10 m slide and a bar on board.
Check dates for the Blue Lagoon sunset cruiseHow can you spend the most time at the Blue Lagoon?
Take the round-trip ferry from Marfa or Cirkewwa and choose your own boat back, or the powerboat from Sliema, which gives about four hours at the lagoon.
The two long options work differently:
- The round-trip ferry: boats leave Marfa and Cirkewwa every 30 minutes and cross in 20 to 25 minutes. You use the ticket any time on the booked day, first come, first served. In summer the last boat back from the lagoon leaves at 6:00 PM; from November to March, at 4:00 PM.
- The powerboat from Sliema: it leaves Sliema Ferries at 11:00 for a fast ride with music, a look into the caves and about four hours of free time at the lagoon, in a 6-hour day. Fuel is included. Gionata: "There's the adrenaline of the high speed, the music, and you get to wonderful places." (Aug 2026)
One detail for long days: your wristband is valid for the slot you booked, either the morning slot from 08:00 to 13:00, the afternoon slot from 13:30 to 17:30 or the evening slot from 18:00 to 22:00. If your time ashore runs across two slots, ask your boat which one to book before you go.
A fast, music-filled ride from Sliema, a look into the Comino caves and about four hours of free time at the Blue Lagoon.
Explore the powerboat from Sliema Tour detailsWhat is there to do at the Blue Lagoon?
Swim and snorkel over the white sand, walk up toward St Mary's Tower, ride into the sea caves, take a boat to the Crystal Lagoon, or simply lie on deck.
Comino has no cars and no town, so the choices are the sea and the footpaths:
- Swim and snorkel. Wikipedia describes the lagoon as a bay with a white sandy base and rich marine life, popular with divers, snorkelers and swimmers. Masks rent for €5 on the sunset boat and on the boat from Gozo; the trip from Marfa lends snorkels against a €20 cash deposit.
- Walk toward St Mary's Tower. The Knights of St John built it in 1618, and it stands about 80 m above sea level, clearly visible from Malta, Gozo and the ferry between them, per Wikipedia. Din l-Art Helwa looks after it today.
- See the sea caves. Most boats pass the Santa Maria caves; on the trip from Marfa a speedboat ride into the caves costs €10.
- Visit the Crystal Lagoon by boat: the trip from Gozo spends about 45 minutes there, and the 4-hour option of the trip from Marfa gives it a full hour.
- Walk the island. Visit Gozo says you can hike all of Comino in about three hours, past wild herbs, lizards and migratory birds.
Keep to the paths. The lagoon is part of a Natura 2000 site, and Visit Gozo calls Comino's environment fragile.
What should you wear and bring to the Blue Lagoon?
Swimwear under your clothes, water shoes or sturdy sandals for the rocks, a towel, sun cream, a hat, water, some cash in euros and the landing QR code on your phone.
The listings' own packing lists agree on most of it: the ferry asks for comfortable shoes, sunglasses, a sun hat, swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and cash, and the sunset cruise for swimwear, a towel, a camera and cash. Our list, with the reasons:
- Swimwear on under your clothes, so you can jump in as soon as the boat stops.
- Water shoes. Susan, on the trip from Marfa: "Definitely take solid walking shoes because you have to climb up steep uneven rocks after the boat has moored at the lagoon." (Nov 2026)
- Sun cream, a hat and water. Visit Gozo asks visitors to bring water, snacks and sun protection, because Comino has no shops apart from seasonal kiosks. On the powerboat, Ida adds a tip of her own: "Do not apply sunscreen before going on the trip." (Sep 2026)
- Cash in euros for the extras: mask rental and lockers on the sunset boat (€5 and €2), and the cave speedboat or the Gozo bus on the trip from Marfa (€10 and €5).
- The QR code from the free landing booking, on your phone or printed, to swap for a wristband ashore.
Are there toilets and food at the Blue Lagoon?
On the boats, mostly yes; ashore, it depends on the season. Visit Gozo says Comino has no shops or facilities apart from seasonal kiosks, and the Malta Tourism Authority added sanitation units at the lagoon in 2025.
What official and press sources show as of 14 November 2026:
- Kiosks. In June 2026 The Shift News counted about a dozen kiosks along the lagoon, selling food, drinks, beach accessories and luggage storage.
- Sanitation. The Malta Tourism Authority's Blue Lagoon strategic plan lists additional sanitation units and better waste management from summer 2025.
- The redesign. The same plan set summer 2026 for a full redesign of the facilities. In October 2025 the authority and Team Blue Lagoon, with Mizzi Studio, submitted the planning application: kiosks moved off the shoreline for a 200 m walkway, seating, information points, food outlets and sanitation in low-lying buildings, and a swimming zone about 20% larger. Malta Daily reported that it goes through the full planning process.
- On board. The boat is your base. The trip from Marfa has toilets, a freshwater shower and seating in sun and shade; the sunset boat a bar, deckchairs and lockers; the trip from Gozo a toilet and a bar; the catamaran toilets, a buffet lunch and an open bar.
Toilets, a freshwater shower, sunbeds and about 1.5 hours at the lagoon, on the short crossing from Marfa.
Check dates for the trip from MarfaCan you swim at the Blue Lagoon?
Yes. Swimming is the point: the water is clear over white sand, and since 2025 the Malta Tourism Authority has marked out safer, extended swimming zones.
Swim inside the zones and listen to the crew about where to swim from the boat. A few practical notes:
- From the boat or the shore. The boats moor in or near the bay and you can swim straight off the deck; the sunset boat has a 10 m slide, and the trip from Marfa has a slide on some departures.
- Take a mask. Wikipedia notes the bay's rich marine life, and a mask turns a swim into a look at it.
- With small children. Visit Gozo points to Santa Marija Bay on the quieter side of Comino, with a sandy beach and shallow water it calls great for younger children.
- Water temperature. Above 20°C on average from June to November; our best time guide has the month-by-month table.
Do you have to get off the boat at the Blue Lagoon?
No. You can stay on board, swim from the boat and use the slide; only people who step ashore need the free landing booking.
The sunset cruise's listing says it plainly: during the stop you may stay on board or go ashore and explore. The trip from Marfa says you can swim, relax on board or take in the view, and land on Comino with a pre-booked permit. Staying on the boat suits:
- anyone who mainly wants to swim and slide,
- families who like having the toilets and the bar a few steps away,
- anyone who did not book a landing slot in time.
Going ashore suits walkers, beach lovers and anyone who wants the view from the slope. Either way, the water is the same.
The round-trip ferry from Marfa or Cirkewwa: stay all day and take any boat back.
Check dates for the Comino ferryFrequently asked questions
How long should you spend at the Blue Lagoon?
About 2 hours is enough for a swim, a snorkel and a short walk. Stay four hours or more for a full beach day, on the powerboat or the ferry.
Is 2 hours enough at the Blue Lagoon?
Yes, for most people. The sunset cruise gives just over 2 hours, which covers a long swim, the slide and a walk up for the view.
Can you swim at the Blue Lagoon?
Yes. The water is clear over white sand, and the Malta Tourism Authority marks out swimming zones. The sea averages above 20°C from June to November.
What should I wear to the Blue Lagoon?
Swimwear under light clothes, water shoes or sturdy sandals for the rocks, a hat and sun cream. Bring a towel, water, some cash in euros and your landing QR code.
Ready to book
Choose your boat
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Powerboat from Sliema to the Blue Lagoon & Caves
A fast ride from Sliema and the longest stay at the lagoon
Round-Trip Ferry to the Blue Lagoon
Boats every 30 minutes: stay as long as you want
Blue Lagoon Sunset Cruise with Swim & Slide
- 3.5-hour cruise from Bugibba
- Just over 2 hours at the Blue Lagoon
- Slides and deckchairs on board
