Visiting the Blue Grotto on the southern tip of Malta was the one experience I was looking forward to the most on this trip. Promises of crystal clear, bright blue-green waters, incredible cliffs and rock formations and views made me yearn with anticipation for this jaunt. It was everything I hoped it would be!

Getting here was super easy from Valletta. It was about a 25 minute drive straight south and there were good signs. There is a free parking lot, although beware of scammers wearing fake badges telling you that you have to pay to park there. You absolutely do not need to pay, it is 100% a scam. Anyway, after you park, you walk down the relatively steep road down to the little kiosk to get tickets for the small boat that will take you around the Blue Grotto and point out all of the best sites. It cost 8 Euro per person.

You then walk down a little further down to the tiny little inlet where all the small boats load and unload. They squeeze in about 9-12 people per boat. Warning though – you absolutely need to time your arrival down here so that you end up NOT in the back row of the boat. You definitely want to sit in the front for the best views, photos and videos. I ended up somehow sitting in the middle in the back, and I literally wanted to cry because all I could really see were the people in front of me. This is because the boat, like all boats, is higher in the front than the back and so my views were almost 100% hosed. I almost wanted to go and pay for another ticket because sitting in the back is completely not worth it at all.

That said, Brian managed to get a couple decent photos and videos, and so I am posting some of those here. I was pretty dang disappointed in the shots we were able to get, but again, this is because we were in the last row of the boat. That said, even from these cruddy photos, you can see how amazingly gorgeous this place is! You can get a better idea of the scale of the Blue Grotto through videos, so check out my reel on Instagram here!

The boat ride is about 3-5 minutes to the actual grotto itself, where there are towering arches and really cool rock formations. The driver of the boat takes you into all the little inlets or grottos so you can see above and around the caves. The water is so clear, you can see down to the very very deep bottom. It honestly looks like pool water it was so clear. I would highly recommend that you go in the morning so that you get the best sunlight. When the area is shaded, I don’t think you get the water as blue and as beautiful.

We were on the small boat for about 20 or so minutes checking out the gorgeous surroundings with the guide explaining all of the different names of the caves and pointing out highlights. It is seriously one of the most beautiful places in Malta, and that’s saying something because Malta is absolutely stunning all around.

All in all, the Blue Grotto is 100% worth a little 1.5 hour side trip from Valletta (including getting there and back). In fact, I would say this is absolutely not to be missed if you are coming to Valletta for more than a day or two. Make sure though, that you go in the morning, and get a seat in the front!