Gozo Day Trip from Sliema

Sliema is one of the few places in Malta where a Gozo day trip starts at the end of your street. The boat trips leave from Sliema Ferries, on the seafront, which means no transfer, no bus and no 05:45 pickup call.

That convenience comes with a catch, and it is the same catch on every boat departure in Malta: the boat gets you to Gozo, but it does not necessarily get you around Gozo.

The two different days on offer

Leave by boat from the Ferries. The Gozo, Comino and Blue Lagoon boat and bus tour is the one to look at first. It sails north along Malta’s coast to Mġarr, where a sightseeing bus is waiting — a photo stop at one of Gozo’s bays or at Qala Belvedere, then about 75 minutes of free time in Victoria, enough to walk up into the Citadel and back. The afternoon is Comino, the Blue Lagoon and a water slide off the boat, returning past the sea caves. 2,263 reviews at 4.4 out of 5, from $51. Full details.

The Sliema or St Paul’s ferry cruise is the cheaper version at $40, on an air-conditioned catamaran with Wi-Fi, and you pick Sliema Ferries or the Buġibba jetty when you book. It gives you about two hours on Gozo and, crucially, no land transport — that must be arranged with independent providers at the harbour. It is a comfortable way to reach both islands and a poor way to see Gozo. Full details.

The Sliema powerboat to Gozo and the Blue Lagoon is a faster, smaller-group alternative, though with only four reviews so far there is not much to judge it on.

Or be collected by road. Every full-day land tour on this site — the jeep, the UTV and the guided coach — includes hotel pickup from selected points across Malta, and Sliema is squarely inside that zone. You are driven an hour north to Ċirkewwa, cross in 25 minutes, and find a vehicle waiting on the Gozo side.

It is a slower start and a substantially fuller day. If seeing Gozo is the priority rather than seeing the Blue Lagoon, this is the version to book.

Which to choose

The boat, if you want the Blue Lagoon and you want to walk to your departure. Take the boat-and-bus version rather than the plain ferry cruise, because the bus is the difference between two hours near a harbour and an afternoon on an island.

The land tour, if Gozo is the point. The Citadel, Ġgantija, Dwejra, Ta’ Pinu and Ramla Bay are not reachable from a two-hour stop at Mġarr, whatever the listing implies.

Both, if you have a week. They are genuinely different days — one on the water around Comino, one on the island.

Practical notes for Sliema

The Blue Lagoon needs a free pass. Since 1 May 2025 anyone stepping ashore needs a Malta Access Management System pass, booked free at blcomino.com for one of three daily slots. Neither Sliema boat trip includes it. Book it before you travel; you can still swim from the boat without one.

Arrive 15 to 20 minutes early. One operator asks for this explicitly at the Sliema departure point. The seafront is busy in the morning and the boats do not wait.

Seasickness is worth thinking about. Both Sliema boat trips involve two open-water legs, and one operator lists people prone to motion sickness among those it does not recommend the trip for.

Reaching Ċirkewwa yourself from Sliema means a connection — there is no direct bus. If you are going independently, read the ferry guide first.

Staying somewhere else? Gozo from Valletta covers the capital. Otherwise, compare every Gozo day trip or check availability.