If you are looking for a great day trip when visiting Malta, consider spending a day in Comino and Gozo islands ! You will get to discover the Blue Lagoon, explore the caves, see the Sanap Cliffs and much more.
The Blue Lagoon is one of the main attractions of Malta, so it can get really crowded on the summer months. I would advise coming during the shoulder seasons (May-June or September-October). We went from the 6th to the 9th of October and had an incredible weather and the water was really warm.
The easiest way and what I would recommend is to book via GetYourGuide. We chose this day trip which was 30€ per person and included both Gozo and Comino islands.
Departure is a 10am but you should board before 9:45am.
You have the option to reserve a bus from Gozo pier to its capital, Victoria. For that, pay 5€ once you embarked on the boat.
First thing to think of is some cash if you want to book the bus to Gozo’s capital (5€ per person).
Definitely bring sunscreen and water, as it gets really hot from the first hours of the day until sundown. Don’t forget you swimsuit, beach towel and sunglasses, but also a good pair of shoes for walking around Comino.
You won’t need snorkelling gear as there’s only sand and boats in the Blue Lagoon, not the best environment to see fish or corals !
You can bring a picnic but there are some bakeries in Gozo selling some local specialties such as pastizzi, savoury pastries filled with either ricotta or curried peas.
The journey starts with a one-hour boat trip to see some caves and cliffs. The decor is absolutely gorgeous and the water is incredibly turquoise and crystal clear.
After one hour, you will disembark on Comino, the third island of the Maltese archipelago. The island takes its name from the Cumin growing there in abundance in spring. Being only 3,5 km², the island has no cars, no resorts and is only accessible via boat. All of that makes it the perfect peaceful little getaway. Plus, it’s also a natural reserve so the area is protected.
As you can see on the second picture below, among all the beach umbrellas, only one was occupied by a couple. October is a great time to visit, way less crowded.
Right in front of Comino is Cominotto, a small island of 250m², mostly rocky with a really small beach and a swim through cave. On the first picture below, we were at the highest point on Comino, overlooking Cominotto.
In between of Comino and Cominotto is the famous Blue Lagoon, a lagoon of warm turquoise waters.
We had around 1,5 hours of free time on Comino island, which was plenty to walk to the top to have a nice view of the Blue Lagoon, have some fresh fruits at a local food truck on Comino, swim to Cominotto and sunbathe on the white sand.
Around 12:30am, the boat will take you the next stop which is Gozo, approximately 10 to 15 minutes away from Comino.
Gozo is the secondary island of the Maltese archipelago, with 67km² (three times smaller than Malta).
At the pier, a bus will be waiting for you and taking you to Victoria, Gozo’s capital city, located at the heart of the island.
The ride is about 15-20 minutes, and then you’ll have 1,5 hours of free time. To make the most of it, head directly to the citadel, this is where you’ll have the best 360° views of the island. Plus, the little streets are full of charm and cute shops.
After the visit of the citadel, you can wander in the heart of the city, every corner is worth the detour.
If you have a car/quad or more time, you should definitely head to the salt pans, located north of Gozo.
Around 2:30pm, you hop back on the bus, which will take you to see the Xlendi Cliffs at Xlendi Bay. Those are as well some of the island’s unmissable spots. Xlendi Bay is surrounded by many impressive limestone cliffs, some up to 150 meters high.
Then, you will get back on the boat, for a few last stops on the way back to Malta. You’ll get to see a few other beautiful caves and will arrive at the pier by 5pm the latest.
As we didn’t have many days in Malta, this was the perfect day trip to discover and explore both Comino and Gozo.
I 100% recommend booking via this tour, it was really well organised and timings were respected.
Plus, the public transport wouldn’t have been ideal to visit efficiently Gozo and renting a car for half a day was not very profitable.
However, if we had more time we would have loved to see the Salt Pans and the Sanap Cliffs.
That’s it for my day trip to Comino and Gozo islands !
If you need more Malta travel inspiration, you can check out my 2 days itinerary in Malta. I also made an article about everything to know before going to Malta.
If you need a custom itinerary, you can fill this form and I’ll make your own personalised itinerary.
