Malta’s Blue Grotto with Kids: What to Know Before You Go
If you’re planning the Blue Grotto with kids, there are a few things I wish someone had told me before I got there. It was one of those stops in Malta I almost treated as an afterthought, and it turned into one of the most memorable parts of the whole trip, despite perhaps not being my most responsible parenting moment.
What Is the Blue Grotto
The Blue Grotto is a series of sea caves cut into Malta’s limestone cliffs near the village of Wied iz-Zurrieq, on the south coast. On a clear morning the sunlight hits the water just right and the whole cave glows an almost electric blue, which is exactly as good as it sounds in photos.
The main way to actually get inside the caves is by boat. There’s also a clifftop viewpoint above the grotto if you’d rather admire it from solid ground, which turned out to be more relevant to my visit than I expected.
If you haven’t locked in the rest of your Malta trip yet, this fits neatly into the south coast leg of my full Malta with kids itinerary, alongside Marsaxlokk and the Three Cities.
How to Get to the Blue Grotto
I stayed at the gorgeous Lands End Hotel in Sliema, which is on the other side of Malta to the Blue Grotto. From Sliema, the bus journey takes around an hour and involves one change, first travelling from Xerri and alighting at Bombi 1, then boarding bus 74 at Bombi 3A for Zurrieq, alighting at Panorama. From there it’s about a 5 minute walk to the Blue Grotto area. The bus trip costs around 2.50 euros and kids under 4 ride free.
On a normal day it should take you close to the grotto itself, but on the day I went there’d been an accident further along the road, so the bus couldn’t get all the way down. That meant a long walk in proper Maltese heat to actually reach the water.
The silver lining was the clifftop views on the way down, which were spectacular enough to make the walk worth it. The practical lesson for the Blue Grotto with kids is to bring a travel pram if you’re taking the bus, because you genuinely don’t know what the road situation will be like that day, and you don’t want to be stuck carrying a toddler the whole way if you can help it. I had mine with me that day and was very grateful for it.
If you’d rather not leave it to chance, a taxi or a south Malta day tour removes that variable entirely, and usually bundles in Marsaxlokk or the Hagar Qim temples as well.
Do You Need to Book the Blue Grotto Boat in Advance?
No. The boat trip isn’t something you book ahead. You turn up, join the queue at Wied iż-Żurrieq, and pay in cash once you’re at the front, generally around 10-12 euros per adult and 6 euros for kids 3+. Babies and toddlers under 3 can ride free of charge. Apparently the tour office does take credit cards, however its common for the card machine to be offline, so cash is definitely the way to go here.
The queue for the Blue Grotto boats can get long, especially by mid-morning once the tour buses arrive, so getting there earlier in the day works in your favour both for the line and for the light hitting the water. There’s also little shade in the line, so bring hats and sunscreen and some cold water.
Boats generally only run earlier in the day, so this isn’t a stop to leave until the afternoon. It’s also entirely weather dependent, so if the sea’s rough that day, the boats may not run at all.
Taking Young Kids and Babies on the Blue Grotto Boat
Here’s the part I’d genuinely want other parents to know before they get to the front of that queue: there are no life jackets sized for babies. If you’re travelling with an infant, you need to decide in advance whether you’re comfortable taking them on board, or whether one of you takes the boat while the other waits with the baby on land.
It was a calm, clear day on my visit, and I took my 10 month old on board. Looking back, that’s probably not the safest parenting call I’ve made on this trip, even though it turned out fine and she loved it. If the sea’s got any chop to it, or you’re not feeling it on the day, there’s no shame in tag-teaming instead.
Best Time of Year to Visit the Blue Grotto
Spring and autumn are the sweet spot, for the same reason they work well for Malta generally: the heat is manageable and the queues are shorter than peak summer.
Winter brings rougher seas more often, and the boats run shorter hours in the colder months, so there’s a real chance of turning up only to find they’ve stopped for the day.
If you can plan around April to June or September to November, you’ll have better odds of calm water and a boat that’s actually running.
Where to Eat Nearby
The tiny harbour at Wied iz-Zurrieq has a handful of restaurants right where the boats come in, so there’s no need to go hungry waiting in that queue.
La Cucina Di Bettina By Bologna is the one I’d point other parents to first. It’s an Italian spot right near the grotto with homemade pasta, and it’s genuinely set up for families, not just tolerant of them.
If you want something more low-key with sea views while the kids wind down after the boat, Blue Cave Bar & Restaurant sits right on the water and does a solid lunch.
Family Friendly Tips for Visiting
- Go earlier in the day, both for shorter queues and for the best light in the caves
- Bring a travel pram in case the bus can’t get all the way down to the water
- Bring cash, since that’s the only way to pay for the boat
- Decide ahead of time how you’ll handle the no-baby-life-jacket situation, rather than deciding it on the spot in the queue
- Check the weather and sea conditions before you head out, since the boats won’t run if it’s too rough
- Bring water and sun protection, since there’s very little shade around the viewpoint or the queue for the boats
This is exactly the kind of planning gap that caught me out when visiting the Blue Grotto with kids, so if you’re mapping out the whole trip rather than just this one stop, my Malta with kids guide covers where to base yourself and how to get around the rest of the island.
Blue Grotto with Kids FAQs
Can you book the Blue Grotto boat trip in advance?
No. It’s pay on the day, in cash, after joining the queue at the boat launch.
Is the Blue Grotto boat trip safe for babies and toddlers?
There are no life jackets made for babies, so it comes down to your own comfort with the conditions that day. Calm seas make it far more manageable than rough ones.
How do you get to the Blue Grotto from Sliema?
By bus, taxi, or as part of a southern Malta tour. If you’re relying on the bus, bring a pram in case road conditions mean it can’t take you all the way to the water.
What time of day is best to visit the Blue Grotto?
Morning, both for shorter queues and for the light inside the caves, which is at its best before midday.
What other attractions are near the Blue Grotto?
The Hagar Qim and Mnajdra temples are within walking distance or a short drive, two UNESCO megalithic sites older than the pyramids, which makes for an easy pairing if the kids are up for more than one stop that day. Marsaxlokk’s fishing village is also close by if you want to turn it into a fuller south-coast day.
Like this post on visiting Malta’s Blue Grotto?
Pin to save it for later!
