The Blue Grotto is a group of sea caves and a huge limestone arch on Malta’s south coast, just below the village of Żurrieq. Small wooden boats leave the tiny harbour of Wied iż-Żurrieq for a short trip into the caves, where sunlight bouncing off the white sandy seabed turns the water an electric blue. This is our guide to doing it well, from us at Experiences Malta: what the boat trip costs, when the light is best, where the free viewpoint is and how to get there.
Where
Wied iż-Żurrieq, south Malta
Boat trip
About €10 adults, €5 under-10s
Trip length
About 20 to 25 minutes
Best light
9:00 to 11:00 on a calm, sunny day
What Is the Blue Grotto in Malta?
The Blue Grotto (in Maltese, Il-Ħnejja, “the arch”) is a stretch of cliff at Wied iż-Żurrieq with a 30-metre-high arch and a series of sea caves at water level. Boatmen usually count six caves on the standard trip. The colour comes from the light: on a sunny morning, sunlight enters the cave mouths low, hits the pale seabed and reflects back up through the water, so the caves glow blue and the rocks below the waterline look almost luminous.
Out to sea you will see Filfla, a small uninhabited islet about 5 km off the coast that is now a protected nature reserve. The grotto sits a few minutes from the prehistoric temples of Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra, so most people combine the two.
Blue Grotto Boat Trip: Prices and Times
The boats are run by local boatmen from Wied iż-Żurrieq, not by a single company. You buy a ticket at the booth by the slipway, wait for the next boat and go. There is no online booking for the standard trip.
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Adult ticket | About €10, cash at the booth |
| Children | About €5 for under-10s |
| Trip length | About 20 to 25 minutes, in a small open boat |
| Boats run | Daily from about 9:00, until mid or late afternoon (earlier in winter) |
| When boats stop | In wind and swell, which is common in winter and after storms |
| Booking | Not needed; tours from Valletta and Sliema include it as a stop |
Prices are the most recently reported fares for 2026 and are set locally, so treat them as a guide. Bring cash and a few euros extra, as tipping the boatman is common.
Check the sea before you go. The boats only run when the sea is calm. If the wind is blowing onto the south coast, the trip is often cancelled with little notice, especially between November and March. Our Malta weather guide explains the seasons.
Best Time to Visit the Blue Grotto
- Time of day: 9:00 to 11:00 gives the strongest blue, because the sun is low enough to shine into the caves. By midday the light is flatter, and on cloudy days the effect largely disappears.
- Time of year: April to October is the most reliable. Winter trips run on calm days only.
- Avoiding queues: arrive around 9:15 to 9:30. On summer mornings in July and August queues can pass 40 minutes, and the car park above the harbour fills after about 10:00 at weekends.
- Best months for fewer crowds: May, June and September, ideally on a weekday.
The Blue Grotto Viewpoint
You do not need a boat to see the arch. A free viewing platform on the main road above Wied iż-Żurrieq looks straight down on the cliffs and the arch, with Filfla behind. It is always open, takes ten minutes and often gives a better photo than the boat, especially in the late afternoon light. If the boats are not running, the viewpoint is the way to see the Blue Grotto.
How to Get to the Blue Grotto
- By bus: route 74 runs from Valletta towards Wied iż-Żurrieq; outside summer it may only reach the stop above the valley, about 800 m uphill from the harbour. Route 201 runs between Rabat and the airport via the Blue Grotto. Check the current timetable on the Malta Public Transport site before you travel.
- By car: about 30 to 40 minutes from Valletta. There is a free car park at the top of the valley and a steep road down to the slipway.
- On a tour: many south Malta day tours combine the Blue Grotto with Marsaxlokk and the temples. If the sea is rough, good operators swap the boat for the viewpoint.
- Accessibility: the path to the boats is steep and uneven, and boarding means stepping down into a small boat, so it is difficult for wheelchair users. The viewpoint on the road is easier.
Make a day of it
Blue Grotto and South Malta Tours
Combine the Blue Grotto with the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra temples and Marsaxlokk in one easy day, with transport from Sliema or Valletta.
- Hotel pick-up on many tours
- Boat trip or viewpoint, depending on the sea
- Small-group options
Swimming, Snorkelling and Diving at the Blue Grotto
Swimming is allowed around the harbour and the rocks near the entrance, and the water is very clear on calm days, but you cannot swim inside the caves while the boats are operating. Locals jump from the rocks around the slipway; only jump where you have checked the depth.
The area is also one of Malta’s best dive spots. The wreck of the Um El Faroud, a 115-metre tanker scuttled in 1998, lies off Wied iż-Żurrieq at about 36 metres. Read our guide to diving in Malta for more.
What Travellers Say
What visitors who have done the trip report:
- A guest writer for the travel blog Our Escape Clause found the shimmering blue inside the caves the highlight, but warned that the midday glare spoils the effect and suggested going before 10:00 on a weekday.
- The same writer advised grippy shoes, because the boats and jetty are slippery, and a light layer for the wind on the water.
- Nomado’s guide describes the trip as quick and efficient, with little shelter from spray, and recommends ten minutes at the clifftop viewpoint even if you skip the boat.
From first-hand accounts by Our Escape Clause and Nomado, linked in the sources below.
Things to Do Near the Blue Grotto
Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra Temples
Two prehistoric temples on the cliff top, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our guide to Malta’s temples has tickets and opening times.
Marsaxlokk
Colourful luzzu boats, a big Sunday market and seafood lunches on the waterfront. Nearby St Peter’s Pool is one of Malta’s best swimming spots.
Dingli Cliffs
Malta’s highest sea cliffs, best at sunset. Add them to a south and west day from our Malta itinerary.
Blue Grotto FAQ
How much is the Blue Grotto boat trip?
The most recently reported fare is about €10 for adults and €5 for children under 10, paid in cash at the booth in Wied iż-Żurrieq.
Is the Blue Grotto worth visiting?
Yes, if you go on a calm, sunny morning. The boat trip is short, but the colour inside the caves is memorable. On grey or windy days, visit the free viewpoint instead.
Do the Blue Grotto boats run in winter?
They run on calm days only. Cancellations are common between November and March, so have a back-up plan such as the temples next door.
Can you swim in the Blue Grotto?
You can swim around the harbour and the rocks near the entrance, but not inside the caves while the boats are running.
How long do you need at the Blue Grotto?
Allow about an hour: the boat trip itself, waiting time and ten minutes at the viewpoint. Combine it with the temples for a half day.
Keep Planning
Malta’s Prehistoric TemplesTickets and the Hypogeum
Best Beaches in MaltaSandy bays and rock pools
Diving in MaltaWrecks and caves
How we wrote this guideThis guide was researched and written by us at Experiences Malta, using the official and local sources listed below, and we review it through the year. Prices, timetables and opening hours change, so please check before you travel. More about Experiences Malta.
Sources: TheTripVerdict: Blue Grotto boat trip 2026, Nomado: Blue Grotto boat tour, Our Escape Clause: Blue Grotto guide, Wikivoyage: Diving in Malta, Filfla (Wikipedia), Malta Public Transport.