Blue Grotto

Tour any country around the Mediterranean and the chances are you'll eventually come across a road sign directing you to the ‘Blue Grotto’. You may even be tempted to think that once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all? Not really!

Malta’s Blue Grotto is up there with the best of them, if not the best. It’s a unique natural work of art, a masterpiece of geology. It’s stunning and that’s why it attracts so many visitors year after year!

The way to get there is by boat from the fjord-like tiny harbour of the unpronouncable Wied iz-Zurrieq. As you approach you would be forgiven for expecting to find the fabled sirens, singing and horsing around, in the crystal-blue water inside the huge cave.

But as the boatman paddles you further into the alluring grotto, the sound of silence takes over. Then, all you have to do is dip your hand into the water and watch it take on a memorable and special blue shade. Hey presto, you have experienced the magic of the Blue Grotto!

But the experience starts well before you set sail with the happy banter of the boatmen who compete loudly for your custom. And then there’s the general mystique of the whole place, carved out at the bottom of the rock face that rises into lofty, sheer cliffs above.

As with almost every large cave, the Blue Grotto has its legends not only of singing sirens, but also of the less graceful pirates who once terrorised the Mediterranean Sea. For many decades they used this cave as a natural ambush point, hiding away, employing the natural camouflage it provides, before springing on their innocent prey with a pistol, a cutlass, a ‘Yo ho ho!’ and quite probably a bottle of rum too!

The Blue Grotto was known locally as Il-Hnejja, until a British soldier who had been to the blue grotto on Capri thought the name would fit rather well. It did, and is as apt here as it is on the island that sits at the entrance to the Bay of Naples.

So, as with pretty much everywhere and everything in Malta, you also catch a bit of history as you marvel at the dazzling cobalt blue and other colours that highlight the tell-tale walls of this cave.

It’s a very special place and it’s one that is well worth visiting even if it is a little bit out of the way and off the beaten track on the south coast below Zurrieq. Getting there by car is still relatively easy but you will need to take a map with you to be sure.

It's possible to get to the Blue Grotto on public transport and you can find out more by following the Getting There link below. Once you’ve arrived, you simply have to pick your boat and get into the grotto. This is not an option - it’s a must!