The Maltese schooner: the Blue Lagoon with thirty years of character

Wooden decks, real rigging, and a hull that has crossed to Comino for three decades: the schooner turns the transit into part of the day out. Photographs taken FROM the other boats at the lagoon usually have this one IN them, because it is the picturesque vessel everyone else points their camera at. The shade situation is also structurally better than on modern open decks, which matters more at the anchorage than anyone admits in July, when unshaded sundecks become an endurance test.

The stop itself is generous: around three hours at the Blue Lagoon, the longest daytime anchorage among the tours we track, long enough to swim, snorkel, walk to Santa Maria Bay and still spend an hour doing nothing at all. The route passes the Santa Maria Caves for viewing (no swim stop there) with the rock formations narrated by a crew that has seen every mood of this coastline. For anyone who cares what a day feels like, not just where it goes, the schooner is a different proposition from the modern fleet.

Board at the New Bugibba Jetty and settle in as the schooner works up the coast past St Paul's Islands. The pace is the point: this is a sailing vessel's rhythm, not a speedboat's, and part of the pleasure is the unhurried passage. At Comino the long anchorage begins, with snorkelling gear rentable on board against a 10 euro cash deposit and stand-up paddleboards available if you reserve ahead.

The bar serves drinks and cocktails, complimentary fresh fruit circulates during the day, and meals can be purchased on board. Three hours at the lagoon is enough to do everything at a relaxed tempo: a long swim, a snorkel over the sand bank, a wander ashore, and time simply lying on the shaded deck watching the colour of the water change. It is the antidote to the rushed, multi-stop day.

Going ashore on Comino at the Blue Lagoon requires the free government access pass, booked in advance on the official BLCOMINO portal at blcomino.com, which returns a QR code for your date. It is a free registration to manage crowds, capped at around 4,000 visitors a day, not a paid ticket. It applies to setting foot on the island, not to swimming from the schooner.

Because the three hour stop makes a beach walk to Santa Maria Bay genuinely worthwhile here, more schooner passengers want the pass than on the shorter tours. The crew can point you to it, but sorting it the night before is smarter, especially in peak season when the popular slots sell out.

The 23 euro fare includes the cruise, the roughly three hour Blue Lagoon stop and the Santa Maria Caves viewing route, with complimentary fresh fruit on board. Pay separately: meals and drinks from the bar, snorkel rental (10 euro cash deposit), paddleboard rental (reserve ahead), and the free government access pass if you go ashore.

Here is the value case that makes this a sleeper pick: at 23 euro it is two euro cheaper than the budget boat everyone books, yet it carries three decades of family history, the longest lagoon stop on the list, and structurally better shade. What it lacks in slides and modern facilities it repays in character and comfort at the anchorage. Rate checked 2026-07-13; the live calendar below has your date.

This is the boat for travellers who care what the day feels like: couples, photographers, grandparents introducing grandchildren to boats that look like boats. The structural shade makes it one of the best picks on our list for fair-skinned visitors and babies, who struggle on the open sundecks of the modern boats. And at 23 euro the romance costs nothing extra, which makes it a rare combination of characterful and cheap.

Skip it if you want waterslides and party playlists, which the catamaran and sunset boats provide, or if you need the fastest possible crossing and modern facilities. It is a sailing boat with a sailing boat's gentle pace, not a slick operation. But for anyone who wants the Blue Lagoon at an unhurried tempo, on a vessel with genuine history and enough shade to enjoy a summer day, the schooner is the standout choice and one we recommend more often than its low profile suggests.

The three hour anchorage gives you more relaxed snorkelling time than the rushed multi-stop boats, and the shaded deck means you can alternate between the water and genuine shelter through the hottest part of the day. The Blue Lagoon's shallow sand bank offers superb visibility, and the channel towards Cominotto rewards a longer swim away from the busiest patch of beach. Because the stop is so long, there is no need to cram everything into a frantic thirty minutes, which suits families, older swimmers and anyone who simply wants to take their time.

Bring a mask and snorkel of your own to avoid the cash deposit, water shoes for the rocky edges, and reef-safe sunscreen, though the schooner's structural shade means you can escape the sun more easily here than on the open sundecks of the modern boats. A hat and a light cover-up still help. Carry cash for the bar and any snorkel or paddleboard rental. Fair-skinned visitors and parents of babies in particular will appreciate that this is one of the few boats where a full summer day at the lagoon does not mean relentless sun exposure. If you want beach time ashore, register the free BLCOMINO pass the night before.

Departure is the New Bugibba Jetty (open in Google Maps) on the St Paul's Bay promenade, easy on foot from the whole resort strip and by direct bus from Sliema or Valletta. The crossing to Comino runs around 45 minutes. Your confirmation restates the berth and boarding time.

Bring exact cash for the snorkel deposit, reserve a paddleboard when you book if you want one, and take the shaded bench on the starboard side going out for the best coastal views. The rigging makes the best photo frame at the anchorage: shoot through it towards Cominotto for a shot no modern boat can give you. Book the free BLCOMINO pass in advance if the beach is part of your plan, since the long stop makes it worth having. And because this is the longest daytime lagoon stop on the list, it is a good choice for anyone who found other tours too rushed and wants time to simply be at the lagoon. For the evening alternative, our sunset cruise offers the same unhurried spirit in golden light.