Plan your Blue Lagoon visit with tide timings, anchoring etiquette and lesser-known coves to explore nearby. Our fleet of boats ensures you'll have the perfect vessel for your adventure. Ready to experience it firsthand? Book your charter and check out our transparent pricing to get started.
What is the Blue Lagoon and why is it worth the trip?
The Blue Lagoon sits in the narrow channel between Comino and the smaller islet of Cominotto, three nautical miles north of Malta. It's a shallow, sandy-bottomed bay where the water reads as that particular bright turquoise you see on every Malta postcard — and unlike most Mediterranean swim spots, that colour is real, not a filter. The combination of fine white sand, depth of about three to four metres, and the way the sun refracts through the water genuinely produces the colour you've seen photographed.
From a Sliema departure on La Zingara or Chardonnay, it's a 60–75 minute sail. The lagoon is the headline stop on a full-day Blue Lagoon catamaran charter, but most day charters also work in Crystal Lagoon (the lesser-known sister bay just around the corner) and a swim through one or two of Comino's sea caves on the same day.
The best months to visit the Blue Lagoon
If you want the lagoon at its best, target late May to mid-June or mid-September to early October. The water is already 22–24°C, the days are long, the wind is usually predictable, and the crowds haven't yet hit their July–August peak. These are also the months that pair best with our shoulder-season pricing.
July and August deliver the warmest water (26–27°C) and longest days, but they're also when the day-tripper boats from Sliema, Buġibba and Ċirkewwa arrive in numbers — by 11:00 the shallow end of the lagoon can hold 1,500+ people. A private catamaran charter still works in peak season, but you have to play the timing game (more on that below).
April and October are honest shoulder months — the water is cooler (18–20°C), but the lagoon often has only two or three other boats in it. November to March is technically possible on calm days, but the lagoon is essentially empty and the water is genuinely cold; we'd usually steer winter charters toward the more sheltered Gozo bays instead.
The best time of day to be in the lagoon
This is the single biggest variable in your day, especially in peak season. The Sliema day-tripper fleet typically arrives at the Blue Lagoon between 10:30 and 11:30 and stays until around 15:00. If your charter targets the windows before 10:30 or after 15:30, you'll experience a noticeably different lagoon — calmer water, more anchor space, and the option to swim straight off the back of the boat without dodging traffic.
Our standard Blue Lagoon day charter departs Sliema at 10:00 and returns at 18:00. With that timing your skipper has the flexibility to start at Crystal Lagoon or the caves first, hit the main Blue Lagoon at the quietest point of the afternoon (15:30–17:00 in summer), and then sail back to Sliema as the day boats are leaving in the opposite direction. It's a small piece of routing that makes a large difference to the photos and the swim experience.
Where to anchor — and where you can't
The Blue Lagoon itself has a sandy bottom that's friendly for anchoring, but the inner shallows are now restricted to protect the seagrass beds and to keep swim zones clear of propellers. Catamarans typically anchor on the Cominotto side of the channel and the crew runs the tender across to the beach, or you swim ashore directly — the bottom is shallow enough to walk in from waist-deep.
The skipper handles all anchoring decisions on the day based on wind direction, swell and how busy the lagoon is. In a north-easterly the better hold is on the Comino side; in a westerly we'll often pull around to Crystal Lagoon, which is fully sheltered from west winds and routinely has half the foot traffic for almost the same colour of water.
Lesser-known coves around Comino and Gozo
If you want the Blue Lagoon experience without the Blue Lagoon crowds, three nearby spots consistently deliver:
- Crystal Lagoon — the cliff-walled bay immediately west of the Blue Lagoon. Slightly deeper, dramatic limestone walls on three sides, and most of the day-tripper boats skip it. Some of the best snorkelling on the route.
- Santa Marija Bay — Comino's quieter north-east cove, sandy bottom, shallow enough for paddle boards, and almost always empty after 16:00.
- Wied il-Għasri — a narrow gorge on Gozo's north coast, only reachable by boat or a steep coastal hike. Calm, sheltered, very photogenic, and usually completely deserted.
None of these are "secret" — they're well known to local skippers — but they're routinely missed by visitors trying to do Comino as a half-day stop on a shared boat. A full-day private charter is what makes them reachable on the same day as the lagoon itself.
What to bring on a Blue Lagoon catamaran charter
Less than you'd think. The boat provides snorkelling masks and fins, paddle boards, inflatables, freshwater for the deck shower, towels for hire, and ice and coolers. What you do want to bring: reef-safe sunscreen (the strongest you have — there's almost no shade on the swim platforms), a hat, sunglasses with a strap, a dry bag for phones, and a light layer for the sail back if you're staying out late. Water shoes are useful if you plan to step ashore at the caves or at Santa Marija.
Food and drink are BYO — there's a full-size fridge, ice, glassware, plates and a gas BBQ on board. Most groups pick up provisions from the Sliema supermarkets in the morning before boarding. If you'd rather not deal with that, we can arrange grazing platters or a BBQ chef from a partner caterer; just tell us at booking.
Ready to plan your day?
Our standard Blue Lagoon catamaran charter runs 10:00–18:00 from Sliema Ferries on either La Zingara (up to 28 guests) or Chardonnay (up to 24). Pricing is from €862 in shoulder season and €1,100 in peak — see the full table on our pricing page, or jump straight into live availability to pick a date.