Comino Island, the gem of Malta

The island of Comino is the smallest of the islands of Malta. It is a virtually uninhabited place with no cars. It is a perfect place to hike, have a relaxing day, enjoy the sun and the natural landscapes and stay in the various bays to enjoy the transparent waters and cobalt blue reflection of the sea.

To know more about Malta you can check our posts about how to plan a trip to Malta as well as our detailed 7 days itinerary in this country: part 1 and part 2.

Transportation on Comino Island

Access to the island of Comino is done by boat departing from the main island of Malta (Cirkewwa) or Gozo (Mgarr). During the trip, you can enjoy the various gorges and entrances of the island’s caves.

Malta to Comino: 10€ return trip. More information here.

Gozo to Comino: 13€ return trip. More information here.

Pieces of Information about Comino Island

During the low season, the only hotel on Comino island closes, and regular ferry services stop working, so before you decide to visit Comino, always check to see if the transport services are up and running.

Given that access to the island is only done by boat, it is important that you choose a day when the weather is good and the sea is not too hectic. If you don’t, you may not have the opportunity to go because the boats may be canceled.

Don’t forget to take some food and water with you before you decide to go to the island. Even though there are several places to eat at Blue Lagoon (the place where the boats stop), the offer is not very varied and prices are more inflated than in other places in Malta, and if you get to the island early, it may not be convenient to come back from the other side of the island to the Blue Lagoon for lunch. Walking distance from one end of the island to the other may take more than an hour.

When we visited Comino island we chose to walk along the coast on the left side of the Blue Lagoon, so we knew that at the end of the day we would be presented with the sunset on the other side of the island.

Blue Lagoon

The first stop was the Blue Lagoon, which although it has breathtaking scenery of a completely blue sea, is always full of tourists, which prevents you to be relaxed and swim in the sea. Despite that, it’s worth it to stay a while for the view and enjoy the hustle and bustle of boats coming and going full of tourists.

San Niklaw Bay

This area is where the island’s only hotel, Comino Hotel and Bungalows, is located. It is only open during the high season and is the only option, besides camping, to spend the night on the island. The hotel is located in a bay, which is a plus for those looking to relax by the beach. You should not expect long white sandy beaches on this island since most of them are rocky. In this area of the island, there is also a dive shop.

Santa Marija Bay

The Santa Marija Bay is an area where the campsite and a kiosk, where you can drink or eat something, are located. This place is ideal to spend some time, sunbathing and diving. It was in this bay that we took our first dip in Comino island.

Crystal Lagoon

Crystal Lagoon is one of the places where the best sunset on the island can be seen. Near this area, there is an abandoned isolation hospital and St. Mary’s Tower, both worth seeing from the outside. By the time we visited Comino, it was not possible to enter any of the structures because they were closed.

The view of this gorge, with the sunset, the island of Gozo in the background, the Crystal and the Blue Lagoons below, is very special and you just want to stay longer to be able to contemplate it fully.

Doing the rest of the way along the coast of the island, you will arrive again at the Blue Lagoon where you can catch the boat to return to Gozo or Malta.

For us, the island of Comino was the gem of Malta. We loved the day we spent on the island. Being an uninhabited island, it is a great place to walk, relax and enjoy the sun and the sea. If you visit Malta do not forget to save a day to visit Comino.