Visiting the Blue Lagoon: fees, facilities and what to know

The lagoon is a public bay, so swimming in it costs nothing. What you pay for is getting there and any comforts on the day. The unavoidable cost is the boat: a ferry crossing or a boat tour, since there is no other way to reach Comino. Optional costs on shore include deck chairs and umbrellas, and food and drinks from the kiosks.

So the honest answer is that the water is free, but a visit is not. Budget for the crossing first and treat everything else as optional. Our ferry guide and boat trips guide cover the transport costs in detail.

To set foot on Comino island, yes: Malta introduced a free government e-ticket that you book online in advance for your visit date. It controls visitor numbers on the island. Importantly, it applies to going ashore, not to swimming in the lagoon from a boat.

So if you take a boat tour and only swim from the vessel, you generally do not need it. If you take the ferry and walk onto the island, or you want to lie on the beach and explore, you do. Arrange it the night before rather than scrambling at the jetty, and check with your boat operator if you are unsure whether your trip counts as going ashore.

Fewer than a place this famous suggests. On shore there are seasonal kiosks selling drinks, snacks and ice cream, deck chair and umbrella rental, and basic toilets. There are no shops beyond the kiosks, limited natural shade, and prices on the island run higher than on the mainland, as you would expect for somewhere everything arrives by boat.

Boats themselves often have more: many tours include toilets, freshwater showers, shaded seating and an onboard bar, which is one practical reason day trippers lean towards a tour over the plain ferry.

Pack for a place with little infrastructure. Bring water shoes for the rocky entry points, plenty of drinking water, reef-safe sunscreen and a hat, since shade is scarce. Cash is useful for the kiosks and chair rental. A mask and snorkel of your own beats renting. And a light cover-up or umbrella pays off in the midday sun.

If you plan to go ashore, remember the government e-ticket. And take everything out that you bring in: Comino is a protected area and there are no proper waste facilities beyond the kiosk bins.

A few things keep the lagoon safe and pleasant. Swim inside the buoyed zones, because boats move constantly just outside them. Follow the crew's guidance on jellyfish and conditions, which change with wind and current. Respect the protected environment: no littering, and reef-safe sunscreen matters here. And in peak summer, arrive early or late in the day, both to enjoy the water at its calmest and to ease the crush that has made crowd management a real issue. For background on the site's status, see Comino on Wikipedia and the official Visit Malta site.