Sailing Through Malta's Blue Grotto
- Brooke
- Feb 3
- 5 min read
If you find yourself on the island of Malta, floating peacefully in the Mediterranean Sea, you clearly know a few things about the world. Especially if you're an American, you probably didn't end up on Malta by accident, seeing as how it's one of those countries people will inevitably look at you a little confusedly once you tell them where you're headed.
However, if you somehow managed to make your way to this charming little island, you should definitely find yourself at the island's famous Blue Grotto. Located on the island's southeast coast, the Blue Grotto and its surrounding caves are a stunning example of Malta's dramatic scenery. Fortunately, if you've taken the road trip over to the coast, you're not far from a small village that takes visitors out on boat trips around and through the various caves and grottos. Let me show you a little about our trip, and some tips for making sure the trip goes smoothly.
Is it Safe to Sail?
First things first - you need to determine if there will be any boats sailing before you pack up the car and head over. Granted, the island of Malta is not exactly massive, and the views of the grotto from above are lovely, regardless of whether you head out on a boat. But if you have your heart set on sailing, then note that the little ships only sail under certain conditions - and those conditions require very calm seas.
So how did we know it was safe to sail? Fortunately, we had talked to our hotel's concierge about taking this trip, and they advised us on our first day that sailing is predicated on certain sailing conditions. The folks at The Westin Dragonara informed us that they would call the boats in the morning to determine if they would be sailing, saving us a wasted trip. Funnily enough, the morning we were planning on doing this sailing, the seas were a little rough on our side of the island, and I was convinced we wouldn't be going. However, the seas on the Blue Grotto side were calm as could be, and so we were off on our adventure.
But Tip # 1: Be sure it's safe to sail before setting out.
Finding Parking
Once you've found out you're good to go, it's time to head over to the community of Wied Iż-Żurrieq. We were coming from St. Julian's, so we passed by the airport and through Żurrieq first. If you come from this same direction, you will encounter a lookout that has incredible views of the Blue Grotto below. Take the time to stop and look, as you won't get a similar perspective from the boat below. The parking lot isn't massive, but we had no trouble finding a spot in early December.
As you walk down the path towards the overlook, you start catching glimpses of your future self as the small boats hug the coastline.
Then, you are greeted by the stunning beauty of the grotto itself. Your ship will sail into and around this grotto, and if the tide is right, even into a small cave as well.
Once you check out the lookout, shortly after is your turn off to head down to Wied Iż-Żurrieq. Towards the bottom you'll reach a small community that will lure you into thinking there might be better parking spots just around the corner. I'm here to tell you that while this technically might be true, realistically, you're best bet is the giant parking lot right before all the shops in town. I say this as someone who tried to sneak their way down the hill a bit, only to spend my time trying to go back up hill by enacting the k-turn sequence from Austin Powers seen below:
It was not pretty. It was very stressful. I do not recommend.
Now, I'll warn you that while the parking here is technically free (as of December 2023), there is an attendant who will ask you for a tip for helping you park (he'll show up after you've returned from your trip). Tipping is up to you, but is not mandatory. We were not warned of this in advance so we wound up giving him a euro or two, and he was polite. However, I've read that he can be quite aggressive and rude if you don't tip him. Your call on whether to tip or not, but it is not required.
Tip # 2: Avoid trying to get the ultimate parking spot, and snag the easiest and closest one to the center of town.
Sailing Towards the Blue Grotto
Once you've successfully found parking, or, if you've taken public transportation, it is now time to head down the somewhat steep hill to the ticket window that's located right near the boat launch. The day we arrived had absolutely no one on line, so I am not sure what happens if the area is more crowded. We simply bought our tickets and then walked over to the pier to await the next boat. The boats are tiny, holding maybe 10 people or so, but they come and go frequently, so I imagine if there is a line, it would move swiftly.
As you begin your descent, you pass by a few historical features, including the lookout seen above, which gives you an idea of how often the island was accosted by enemies over the centuries.
Once you buy your ticket from the kiosk, you head down to the water and await your turn to board a boat.
Once aboard, they waited until our little ship filled up, and then off we went! The whole journey takes maybe 20 minutes or so, but our driver was super helpful in pointing out interesting features, and even making sure that I could get good pictures with my nice camera. I appreciated that he went out of his way for this, even if I won't say I did his help any justice, as it was challenging managing my phone with trying to get videos along with my camera trying not to get people's heads in the frames - serious fail - all while trying not to have any of the equipment fall into the water. Let's just say some of the results are mixed.
I'll share some below as I tried trying to capture the stunning beauty of this unique location. Let's take a look.
While cruising, our captain took us inside one of the very small cave openings, which would absolutely not be possible if the surf was any higher. I have shared some of this footage in a video found at the bottom of this page.
During our sail, the captain pointed out that the water was so blue because of the white sand on the bottom of the seafloor below us.
Below, looking back towards the Blue Grotto.
We continued to scoot along the shoreline, passing interesting rock formations, like this nearly perfect square cut out below.
After this viewing, it was time to turn around and head back to our starting point.
Along the way, we passed the interesting rock formations as well as the defensive tower we had seen on our walk down to the boat launch.
Turning back into the bay, our trip was ending.
Overall, this quick little trip gave us a greater appreciation for the beauty of this small Mediterranean island. If you follow the tips noted above, you'll also have an awesome experience getting to see the island from the bottom up, and hopefully admire the view as much as we did.
Video: Malta's Blue Grotto
Blue Grotto Details
The drive from St. Julian's to the Blue Grotto takes about 20 minutes and can be accessed easily by car or by bus. Be sure to check sailing conditions before setting out, and take the first parking spot you can find. Boat rides cost 10 Euros as of December 2023.
Day of travel: December 4, 2023
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