Blue Grotto Boat Service

The Blue Grotto is one of the best known natural sights in Malta, a great arch and a set of caves cut into the limestone cliffs of the south coast, where sunlight bounces off a white seabed and turns the water a startling shade of blue. The only way to see it properly from sea level is by boat, and the small, brightly painted craft that make the trip belong to members of the Blue Grotto Boat Service, the group of licensed boatmen based at Wied iz-Zurrieq. Our own Blue Grotto guide covers the viewpoint above the arch and the wider area, while this page explains how the boat trips themselves work.

It sits in our boat charter directory, but this is not a private charter in the usual sense. You turn up at the inlet, buy a ticket at the booth and share a small open boat with a few other passengers for a run along the cliffs and into the caves before returning to the slipway.

From fishing cove to visitor trip

Wied iz-Zurrieq was long a working cove for fishermen from the surrounding villages. In the early 1950s, British service families stationed in Malta began coming here to swim, and they would ask the fishermen for a ride out to the grotto. The fishermen were usually busy with their nets, so it was often their sons who took the visitors out, and the rides grew steadily more popular.

As the number of boats rose, the government brought in licences, with conditions on the boat, the engine and the safety kit carried on board, and the boatmen themselves had to pass an examination before they could take passengers. Some years later the licence holders formed the Blue Grotto Boat Service as a single group, with a committee and its own rules, so that the trips from this small harbour could be run in an orderly and safe way. The boats still work on a shift system, which keeps the number on the water at any one time to a manageable level.

The caves you will see

A trip follows the cliffs west of the inlet and threads in and out of a series of caves and arches, each with its own name. The boatmen point out Cat's Cave, Reflection Cave, Window Cave, Circle Cave, Honeymoon Cave, the Blue Window Cave and the rock formation known as the Elephant Foot, as well as the Blue Grotto itself, the large arch that gives the whole stretch of coast its name.

The colours are at their most vivid when the sun is on the water, which on this south facing coast usually means the morning. Inside the caves the light plays on the rock walls, and on a clear day you can look straight down through the water to the seabed. Out to sea you will also see the small uninhabited island of Filfla. If you enjoy the underwater side of this coast, the dive centres in Malta section lists operators who dive these reefs.

Safety on the water

Safety is taken seriously. Licence holders carry insurance, and before each day's work the committee and members decide together whether the sea is fit for passengers. When a southerly wind pushes rough water into Wied iz-Zurrieq the boats stay on the slipway, even though that means a day without income, so it is sensible to keep your plans flexible and have a second day in mind.

Passengers are seated so that each boat stays well balanced, and the boatmen help everyone on and off, giving extra attention to older visitors and anyone with limited mobility. There are always two or three boats working the same stretch, so one can help another if needed, and the crews keep an eye out for swimmers in the area, who are common in summer. Check the Malta weather guide for the calmest months, which tend to be late spring through to early autumn.

Making a day of the south coast

The boat trip is short, so most visitors combine it with other sights nearby. The prehistoric temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra stand on the clifftop a short drive or a pleasant walk to the west, and the viewing platform above the grotto on the coast road gives the classic photograph of the arch from above. Further inland, the underground burial complex of the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum in Paola makes a good pairing for anyone interested in Malta's earliest history, although tickets there must be booked well ahead.

Wied iz-Zurrieq itself has a few simple restaurants and kiosks looking down over the boats, and the rocks around the inlet are popular for a swim when the water is calm. For more ideas see things to do in Malta, and if you would prefer an organised day out with transport included, the tour operators in Malta directory lists companies running south coast excursions.

Getting there and where to stay

Wied iz-Zurrieq lies between the villages of Qrendi and Zurrieq, about half an hour's drive from Valletta and close to Malta International Airport, so it fits easily into a first or last day of a holiday. Public buses serve the area from Valletta and the airport, and there is a car park near the top of the inlet for those with a hire car.

The south of the island has fewer hotels than the north, so most travellers stay in Valletta, Sliema or St Julian's and come down for the morning. Our guide to where to stay in Malta compares the main bases. To ask the boatmen anything before you go, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your question on.