Comino · Blue Lagoon · Crystal Lagoon · Gozo
The whole yacht, the quiet hours, and the coves the ferries never reach.
An hour-by-hour private itinerary for Comino's sea caves, Crystal Lagoon, the Blue Lagoon and the hidden coves of Gozo — from €1,900 for the entire yacht, including 18% VAT, a licensed skipper and 30 nautical miles of fuel. No beach ticket, no ferry queue, no fixed return time.
Written quote in 4 working hours · No deposit to enquire
A private yacht charter to Comino's Blue Lagoon runs seven to eight hours from Portomaso, Sliema or Grand Harbour, costs from €1,900 for the whole yacht including VAT, skipper and 30 nautical miles of fuel, and reaches the lagoon in 40 to 55 minutes. Because you arrive by private yacht you anchor off the lagoon and swim from your own bathing platform — no beach ticket, no ferry queue and no fixed departure time. The quiet version of the day starts at 08:30 or 09:00, takes Crystal Lagoon and the Comino caves first, and returns to the Blue Lagoon after 16:00 once the day-trip boats have left.
Reviewed and updated by the Luxury Yacht Charter Malta charter office on .
At a glance
Departure points, run times, price, guest limits, permits and weather policy — the facts guests ask for before they enquire.
| What it is | Exclusive use of a private yacht and skipper for a day around Comino, the Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon and the Gozo coast |
|---|---|
| Departure points | Portomaso (St Julian's), Sliema Creek, Msida, Ta' Xbiex, Grand Harbour Marina (Birgu), Mgarr (Gozo) |
| Run time to the Blue Lagoon | 40–55 minutes from Portomaso or Sliema; 55–70 minutes from Grand Harbour |
| Recommended duration | 8 hours for Comino plus the Gozo coast; 6 hours for Comino only |
| Price from | €1,900 for the whole yacht (Axopar 37ST), VAT, skipper and 30 nautical miles of fuel included |
| Maximum guests | 12 guests under way, as required by Maltese commercial regulation |
| Beach ticket or reservation | None. Private yacht guests anchor offshore and swim from the yacht |
| Best months | May, June, September and early October — warm sea, fewer boats |
| Quietest hours in the Blue Lagoon | Before 10:30 and after 16:00 |
| Swimming and snorkelling gear | Masks, snorkels, noodles and a paddleboard or inflatable on every yacht |
| Lunch options | Catered on board, a Gozo harbour restaurant stop, or your own provisions |
| If the weather turns | The skipper reroutes to sheltered water, or you reschedule free of charge or take a full refund |
The day, hour by hour
This is the route our skippers run most often, and the order matters: caves and Crystal Lagoon early, Gozo in the middle, the Blue Lagoon once the ferries have gone.
Meet your skipper at the pontoon, stow bags, run through the route and the weather, and leave on your own schedule.
There is no check-in desk and no queue. Guests staying in St Julian's, Sliema or Valletta are usually walking distance from the berth; a car transfer from anywhere on Malta takes under 30 minutes.
A 40 to 55 minute run past St Paul's Bay, Mellieha and the Comino channel, with the cliffs of Gozo opening ahead.
Leaving before 09:30 puts you into the Comino channel ahead of the first Blue Lagoon ferries out of Cirkewwa, which is the single biggest difference between a crowded day and a quiet one.
Run the south-west cave line — Santa Marija Caves, Elephant Rock and the Blue Lagoon's outer arches — then anchor in Santa Marija Bay for the first swim.
The caves are best in morning light, when the sun is still low enough to push straight into the openings and turn the water an electric blue. Smaller yachts and tenders can enter the larger arches; larger yachts hold off and run guests in by tender.
Anchor in the deep, cliff-walled pool on Comino's south side — clear to the seabed, dramatic, and far quieter than its famous neighbour.
Crystal Lagoon has no beach, so no ferry passengers. It is the stop guests remember, and it is 400 metres from the Blue Lagoon. Snorkelling along the wall towards the cave mouth is the best in Maltese waters.
Cross to Mgarr ix-Xini or Mgarr Harbour on Gozo for a waterside lunch, or stay at anchor and have lunch served on board.
Mgarr ix-Xini is a narrow, sheltered inlet with a single fish restaurant at the head of it. Mgarr Harbour has more choice and a proper berth. On-board catering means you never move off the swim spot.
San Blas, Dahlet Qorrot, Wied il-Ghasri and the cliffs below Ta' Cenc — sheltered anchorages that day-trip boats never reach.
This is where an 8-hour charter pays for itself. These coves take a private yacht 20 minutes from Comino and are usually empty on a weekday, even in August.
Return to the Blue Lagoon once the ferries have run their last shuttles. Anchor in the channel, swim off the platform, and watch the sandbar empty out.
Between 16:00 and 18:00 the lagoon returns to the colour it is famous for, with a fraction of the boats. Timing the lagoon last is the most useful single piece of local knowledge on this page.
Head back down the coast with the light behind you, optionally routing into Grand Harbour to see the bastions from the water.
A Grand Harbour approach at sunset — Fort St Angelo, the Three Cities, the Valletta curtain walls — adds roughly 30 minutes and is the best photograph of the day.
Nothing here is fixed. Your skipper sets the running order on the morning against the real forecast and swaps stops as the wind and the boat traffic dictate — that flexibility is the whole point of a private charter.
Send your date and guest numbers and we will come back with the yachts that are free, the all-in price and a route timed around the quiet hours in the lagoon.
The local knowledge
This is the question we are asked more than any other, and the answer is timing rather than luck.
The crowds in the Blue Lagoon are ferry passengers, and they run to a timetable. Shuttles from Cirkewwa and day boats from Sliema and Bugibba fill the sandbar in waves from roughly 10:30 to 15:30. Before and after that window, the same anchorage is calm, clear and almost empty.
A private yacht is not tied to any of it. You choose the departure hour, so the straightforward strategy is to be in the Comino channel by 09:45, spend the morning in the caves and Crystal Lagoon, take lunch on the Gozo side, and come back into the Blue Lagoon after 16:00 for the best light and a fraction of the boats.
Crystal Lagoon is the other half of the answer. It sits 400 metres from the Blue Lagoon on Comino's south side, it is deep, cliff-walled and spectacular, and because it has no beach it has no ferry traffic at all. Guests who only ever see photographs of the Blue Lagoon are often surprised that Crystal Lagoon is the stop they end up talking about.
Finally, choose your month if you can. June and September give you a 24 to 26°C sea with a fraction of the August traffic, and a weekday beats a weekend everywhere in Maltese waters.
Choosing the yacht
All four run the same route. The difference is pace, shade, bathrooms, crew and how comfortable eight hours feels in July.
The fastest way to fit Comino, Crystal Lagoon and the Gozo coves into one day. Shallow enough to tuck into the caves and the smaller inlets.
Includes VAT and 35 nautical miles of fuel. A hard top over the cockpit, a proper bathroom and a large bathing platform make an eight-hour day comfortable in July heat.
Air-conditioned salon, flybridge, cabins for changing and resting, and a crew serving lunch at anchor. The comfortable choice for a full day with children.
Full crew, chef, water toys and a Seabob. The Blue Lagoon day as a superyacht experience, with Gozo overnight options.
Price
Prices are per yacht for the whole day, not per person, and include 18% VAT, the licensed skipper and 30 nautical miles of fuel — enough for the full Comino and Gozo route.
| Yacht | Guests | Full day, VAT & fuel included | Per guest at full capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axopar 37ST Brabus Line | Up to 8 guests | €1,900 per day | approx. €238 |
| Axopar 45 Cross Top "N3SSI3" | Up to 10 guests | €3,500 per day | approx. €350 |
| Sunseeker Manhattan 66 "AQUANAUT" | Up to 12 guests | €6,500 per day | approx. €542 |
| Sunseeker 86 Yacht "JUPJU" | Up to 12 guests | €10,900 per day | approx. €908 |
The per-guest column is arithmetic, not an offer — we only ever charter the whole yacht privately. Additional nautical miles beyond the included allowance are charged on actual consumption, and catering, water toys and transfers are itemised separately in your written quote so nothing is settled at the pontoon.
Inclusions
Direct answers
Short answer first, detail underneath — anchoring, permits, Valletta departures, duration, weather and group size.
Go by private yacht, leave before 09:30, and see the Blue Lagoon last rather than first.
The crowds in the Blue Lagoon are ferry passengers from Cirkewwa and Sliema, and they arrive in waves between 10:30 and 15:30. A private yacht is not tied to those timings. The route that works is Comino caves and Crystal Lagoon in the morning, Gozo in the middle of the day, and the Blue Lagoon from 16:00, when the last shuttles have gone and the water clears.
Yes. Yachts anchor in the designated areas of the Blue Lagoon channel and in Crystal Lagoon, outside the buoyed swimming zones.
Your skipper knows the current anchoring and swim-zone layout, which is reviewed by the authorities each season, and will place the yacht where guests can swim straight off the bathing platform. Comino is a Natura 2000 site, so anchoring is on sand rather than seagrass and no waste goes over the side.
No. Reservations and deckchair tickets apply to the beach concessions on shore, not to guests swimming from a private yacht.
You are never obliged to land. If you do want to go ashore for the kiosks or the Santa Marija tower walk, your skipper runs you in by tender or dinghy.
Yes. We embark from Grand Harbour Marina in Birgu and from Valletta Waterfront, as well as Portomaso, Sliema Creek, Msida, Ta' Xbiex and Mgarr in Gozo.
A Grand Harbour departure adds roughly 15 to 20 minutes each way to Comino but gives you the bastions from the water at both ends of the day. Guests staying in Valletta or the Three Cities usually prefer it; guests staying in St Julian's or Sliema save time from Portomaso.
Eight hours for Comino, Crystal Lagoon and part of the Gozo coast. Six hours covers Comino properly. Four hours covers Comino only, at pace.
The islands are compact, but swim stops are what guests remember and they take an hour each. A realistic eight-hour day is 90 minutes of running, four swim stops and a lunch hour. Anything shorter than six hours means choosing between Gozo and a relaxed pace.
Yes. Masks, snorkels, towels, a cool box with ice and water, and a paddleboard or inflatable are included on every yacht.
Seabobs, wakeboards, water skis, a tender for towing and full diving arrangements are available as extras on the larger crewed yachts. Tell us the ages in your group and we load accordingly.
On-board catering keeps you on the water; a Gozo harbour restaurant makes a better break on a long day; your own provisions are always welcome.
We recommend a catered platter lunch at anchor in Crystal Lagoon or a sheltered Gozo cove for groups who want to swim all day, and Mgarr ix-Xini or Mgarr Harbour for groups who want a proper sit-down meal with a berth to step off onto.
The skipper reroutes to sheltered water. If conditions make the charter unsafe, you reschedule free of charge or take a full refund of the charter fee.
Malta's prevailing north-westerly makes Comino uncomfortable a handful of days each season. On those days the sheltered alternative is the south and east — Grand Harbour, Marsaxlokk, St Peter's Pool and the Blue Grotto — which is a genuinely good day, not a consolation. The decision rests with the captain, and it is made on the morning, not weeks ahead.
Yes. Children's lifejackets are carried in all sizes, and the sheltered anchorages at Santa Marija Bay and the Blue Lagoon are shallow, calm and sandy.
For families with young children we usually recommend a yacht with an interior and a bathroom — the Manhattan 66 or the Axopar 45 — plus a slightly shorter day with lunch on board rather than ashore.
Twelve guests is the maximum under way on a commercially registered charter yacht in Malta. Larger groups either take two yachts on the same route or hold a static event alongside.
Static harbour events at Grand Harbour Marina or Portomaso can host 30 to 50 guests and more on a superyacht deck, with catering and bar service, because the yacht is not under way. Corporate groups often combine both: a static evening reception, and two yachts running the Comino route the following day.
Avoid these
It is the busiest hour of the day. The same anchorage at 08:45 or 16:30 is a different place entirely, and a private charter is the only way to choose.
Four hours is Comino and back with one swim stop. Gozo's coves need eight, or you spend the day watching the clock instead of the water.
A €40 ticket buys a seat on a boat with 80 other people and a fixed return time. A private charter is priced for the whole yacht — divide it by your group before deciding it is expensive.
A strong north-westerly makes Comino choppy and the caves inaccessible. Ask any operator what their plan is for that day before you pay a deposit; if they do not have one, that tells you something.
Many Malta quotes are fuel-excluded and settled at the end of the day on consumption. Ours include 30 nautical miles, which covers the standard Comino and Gozo route, with additional miles charged on actual use.
Questions
Price, run times, lagoon differences, licences, weather, overnights and lead times.
From €1,900 for the whole yacht for a full day on the Axopar 37ST, including 18% VAT, the skipper and 30 nautical miles of fuel. The Axopar 45 Cross Top is €3,500, the crewed Sunseeker Manhattan 66 is €6,500 and the 26m Sunseeker 86 is €10,900. Prices are per yacht, not per person, and cover up to eight, ten and twelve guests respectively.
40 to 55 minutes from Portomaso or Sliema Creek, and 55 to 70 minutes from Grand Harbour Marina in Birgu, at normal cruising speed. Mgarr in Gozo is about 15 minutes from the Blue Lagoon.
The Blue Lagoon is the shallow turquoise channel between Comino and Cominotto, with a beach and ferry access, and it is busy from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Crystal Lagoon is a deep, cliff-enclosed pool 400 metres away on Comino's south side with no beach and no ferry access, reachable only by boat. Both are on our standard route.
Yes. The yacht anchors outside the buoyed swimming zone and you swim straight off the bathing platform. Most guests spend more time in the water than on the yacht.
June and September. The sea is 24 to 26°C, the light is long, and the ferry traffic is a fraction of the July and August peak. May and early October are excellent value with a sea around 21 to 23°C.
No. Every charter on this page includes a licensed skipper. A recognised boating licence and a refundable deposit are only required for bareboat charter, which we arrange separately.
Yes. We arrange car transfers to the departure marina from anywhere in Malta, typically 10 to 30 minutes. Many guests staying in St Julian's, Sliema or Valletta simply walk to the berth.
Lunch is not included in the base rate. You can have platters or a full catered menu served on board, stop at a waterside restaurant on Gozo, or bring your own provisions — the cool box, ice and water are always included.
Up to 12 guests under way, which is the Maltese commercial limit for a charter yacht at sea. Larger groups take two yachts on the same route, or hold a static event alongside in Grand Harbour or Portomaso where higher numbers are permitted.
The skipper decides on the morning. In a strong north-westerly the route moves to the sheltered south and east coast — Grand Harbour, Marsaxlokk, St Peter's Pool and the Blue Grotto. If the day cannot run safely at all, you reschedule at no cost or receive a full refund of the charter fee.
Yes, on the crewed yachts. A common two-day format is Comino and the Gozo coast on day one, a night berthed in Mgarr or at anchor in a sheltered cove, and Gozo's west coast and Dwejra on day two.
For July and August, four to eight weeks for the crewed yachts and two to three for the day cruisers. In May, June, September and October a week is often enough. We hold a yacht for 48 hours while you decide, and 50% confirms the booking.
Reserve your day
Send your date and guest numbers. You will receive available yachts, all-in pricing and a timed route within four working hours — no obligation, no deposit at this stage.
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