Comino, the small island between Malta and Gozo

Comino gets sold as a postcard and not much else, and I think that undersells it. It’s an island of roughly 3 km² with no roads, two residents and a Knights’ tower on top, which most people visit for three hours in a single cove. Look at the whole of it and the day changes.

An island of two between Malta and Gozo

Comino (Kemmuna in Maltese) sits in the channel between the island of Malta and Gozo. The Spanish Foreign Ministry gives it 3 km² and the Ministry for Gozo 3.5 km², so I’ll settle for “about 3”. The same Gozo ministry says it’s virtually uninhabited, with only two people living there. Official statistics don’t even list it on its own; it’s added to Għajnsielem, the harbour village on Gozo.

The name comes from cumin, once harvested here. Its history is that of a place nobody really wanted to live in. In the Middle Ages its caves sheltered pirates who preyed on shipping in the channel, the Knights kept it as a hunting reserve stocked with wild boar and hares, and under Napoleon it served as a quarantine station. A small farming community tried its luck in the 20th century before leaving for Gozo or Malta.

The island, with Cominotto and the surrounding islets, is a Natura 2000 site. For visitors that boils down to one thing, the Blue Lagoon booking system.

Is Comino worth visiting?

Yes, with a plan. The Blue Lagoon on Comino is why almost everyone comes, and the Malta Tourism Authority had to cap it. The MTA counted as many as 12,000 people there at once in summer 2024; since 1 May 2025 the limit is 4,000, with free timed bookings. Turn up without one and you stay on the boat.

My approach would be to book the 08:00 slot, swim while the water is still empty and hand the lagoon over to the next wave by mid-morning. The Ministry for Gozo reckons the island takes about three hours to walk round, and that walk is exactly what hardly anyone does.

What to see once you leave the lagoon

St Mary’s Tower on Comino dates from 1618, under Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt, and stands about 80 metres above the sea. It was built to watch the channel between Gozo and Malta, and VisitMalta says its walls are about six metres thick. In the film The Count of Monte Cristo it stood in for the Château d’If, which suits it; according to the Ministry for Gozo, wayward knights were once posted to this lonely tower as a punishment.

On the far side is Santa Marija Bay, sandy and shallow. The Gozo ministry describes it as quieter than the Blue Lagoon and good for small children, and it’s where I’d go for a second swim. Nearby are the Santa Marija Caves. They’re not a “Blue Grotto” (Malta’s real Blue Grotto is at Wied iż-Żurrieq on the main island) but a network of sea caves explored with a snorkel or on a dive.

Getting there and what to pack

Comino is boat-only. The Ministry for Gozo gives around 15 minutes from Mġarr and around 35 from Ċirkewwa, and in summer some trips from Gozo add the caves. Everything practical, with the timings that can actually be checked, is in my guide to the Comino ferry. The point I’d underline is that your boat ticket doesn’t include the lagoon booking, and the booking doesn’t include the boat.

Once you land, forget about shopping. No roads, no shops, no services, apart from the odd kiosk in season. I’d take more water than seems sensible, something to eat, a hat and sun cream, because the scrubby plateau offers no shade at all.

If you already paddle, the Ministry for Gozo mentions guided kayak tours across the channel from Gozo, for experienced paddlers only.

Fitting Comino into a Malta holiday

I’d treat Comino as a half day rather than a full one, unless you’ve come to walk. Staying on Gozo, it’s a quarter of an hour away and you can be back for lunch. Staying on Malta, Mellieħa is the obvious base for Ċirkewwa. The rest of the archipelago, including the islets you can’t visit, is covered on my Maltese islands page, and the bigger sister island has its own guide to Gozo.