Blue Grotto Il-Hnejja

Blue Grotto Il-Hnejja

Blue Grotto Il-Hnejja
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  • Phillip L
    Melbourne, Australia364 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Picturesque, although not compulsory.
    Certainly a calm day activity, given the small fishing type boats used (life jackets provided for compulsory wearing). It's an interesting trip to a series of caves and the actual blue grotto, where the water is a lovely azure colour, offering plentiful photo opportunities. 10 Euros per person and whilst it's worth doing, if you have seen blue grottoes elsewhere, then missing it won't be a disaster. There's a steep walk down to and up from, the harbour, so if you need to 'save' your legs, for 1 Euro per person, you can be driven in a stretch golf cart. There are a number of cafes at the site, as well as a large car park.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 8, 2023
  • MrGerbil
    Croydon, United Kingdom8 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Not worth the trouble of getting there
    The caves are a lot less spectacular than they are billed, and the boat trip spends only a minute or so in each cave. The village is served by the very infrequent and unreliable 201 bus route, so you can spend hours getting there and back. I recommend putting it low on your list of things to see.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 8, 2023
  • Kat
    Prince Albert, Canada108 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Buy a buss pass and spend the day
    Save yourself the cost of the tours from Sliema ferry’s and get a bus pass the island is small enough that you will be able to hit all the major sight seeing from bus routes at your own leisure. The Grotto and the boat ride were nice but I enjoyed swimming with the locals off the point more. ( so wear your bathing suit and bring a towel) It’s a great trip to make to get out of the hustle and bustle of the bigger city’s and slow it down. The restaurant at the top of the hill called step-in also had an amazing Maltese Salad. I will note that there are some rather steep hills going up and down.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written October 11, 2023
  • hristolaz
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The blue marble
    Amazing views. Worth the trip. Would go diving on my own. Great also for moderate swimming. Even when there is a crowd, you can still manage well enough with time and access to the boats.
    Visited November 2022
    Traveled with family
    Written October 24, 2023
  • Serena C
    Cheshire, United Kingdom897 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely clear water!
    Ten or so in a boat to tour the grotto and surrounding cliffs. It cost €10 each, so they were earning well. It lasted about 30 minutes but it was amazing to see how clear the water was, the jellyfish in abundance and the amazing cliffs in the area. Glad we went in October as it would have been manic in high season!
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written November 7, 2023
  • Lewis
    Birmingham, United Kingdom16 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Blue Grotto and the lovely village of Wied Il-Zurrieq
    We walked here from the Hagar Qim temples which only took about 20 minutes and was a nice walk regardless with impressive views of the landscape and sea, even if the pavement ended about two-thirds of the way to the Grotto. There is a viewpoint to easily view the Blue Grotto which is where most of the photos you see of the Grotto are taken, which was easily accessible by ramp and has its own bus stop. We are not sure if it is because we arrived by late afternoon or the fact it was November but the boat tours of the Grotto weren't running, regardless I highly suggest you go down to the village of Wied Il-Zurrieq where the boat tours normally run from. Here, you can sit on the rocks and watch the waves crash against the coast, it also faces West so you can watch the sunset. There was also a beautiful little swimming area which sat further inland which made for calmer waters. Swimming here was one of the highlights of my trip to Malta, with warm and relatively unsalty water which was deep enough to dive into. There are also bars, restaurants and rooftop terraces which offer ocean views and a chance to wind down with a drink, or waste some time waiting for the next bus.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written November 10, 2023
  • Robert W
    Toronto, Canada1,059 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun Boat Ride
    This attraction has something of an assembly line feel to it at the start - the loading of the small boats is something to experience in itself - but the caves are lovely to visit and there is indeed a blue tinge to the water. It is a bit overpriced - but, hey, you're on vacation. Try to get there early before the crowds descend.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written November 27, 2023
  • Peter Simmons
    London, United Kingdom132 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    All aboard for The Blue Grotto
    We caught the local bus from Bugibba to Mdina and then a second bus direct to The Blue Grotto. Just €10 for a 25 minute boat ride which can be quite choppy. You are given a life jacket to wear. The boat takes about 10 people and are frequent. Lots of photo opportunities
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written December 14, 2023
  • Gints K
    Riga, Latvia220 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing retreat if combined with other attractions
    We arrived at Blue Grotto by bus in morning. Blue Grotto looks amazing from top and in February it was so relaxing, sounds of birds and fantastic smell of flowers. We walked to bottom of the sea, but there was no boat rides and it looked that in Malta wintertime there are no rides at all as boats had no motors attached. But anyway, we enjoyed our time in Blue Grotto place. After the Blue Grotto we walked to nearby Hagar Qim Temples that has lot of history, but not so much as to see. Do not miss FREE binoculars near the temple as the views of surrounding scenery are beautiful. And after that we walked to Dingli cliffs all the way up 280m – I recommend walking by seaside after Hagar Qim Temple and ascend to top starting Xaqqa Valley – we followed google maps road and only for some 200m there was no trail or road, and you walk zigzag between crop fields. The views were beautiful and not so many tourists walking. After reaching the main road at Dingli cliffs we took the bus to Mdina and those 4 hours and around 15km were a fantastic experience.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written February 19, 2024
  • Jean
    Bugibba, Malta103 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sun,Wine,Fish,Sea
    It is a small village in Malta where you can visit, have lunch and buy a few souvenirs. My guess is that the number of local residents is very few and visitors are generally divided into two groups: those who come to dive and those who come to eat. It is not a village that can be reached from anywhere by public transportation, rent. It is very easy to reach by taxi, restaurant prices are not exaggerated, elderly people and families with children need to be careful, but it is still a village worth seeing.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written March 2, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles3,005 reviews
Excellent
1,530
Very good
904
Average
387
Poor
106
Terrible
79

dandms11
Weymouth, UK159 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
Although it’s quite a pleasant place to visit with restaurants, bars and cafes it is a bit of a tourist trap. The boats to the Blue Grotto are overpriced at €8 for the 20 minute round trip. The grottos are nice but nothing really special. The trip is rushed so they can pack the next lot in and you will be sidelined in favour of a bigger party! Too fast, no time to stop and stare, take photos. Quite disappointing.
Written February 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Doinița Jipa
78 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
I cried when we got inside the cave by boat, it is THAT beautiful. We first took photos from the viewpoint and then we bought tickets for a boat to see the grotto from inside. It is one of the most beautiful natural places I've ever seen.
Written August 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Badforever
London, Canada1,715 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022 • Couples
We visited on a gloriously sunny and warm day (for March 4th). We took the Bus #74 leaving from Valletta City Gates. The bus goes once per hour and was full with about 95 % being tourists heading to the Blue Grotto. (Interesting, some got off at the Hagar Qim archeological site just up the road - smart move - just walk between the two.) Anyhow, call ahead to the Blue Grotto boats to avoid disappointment because today the sea was too rough for the boats even with the seemingly prefect weather. You can take a photo of one of the caves from the lookout point at the top of the hill. You can sit on the rocks looking at the gorgeous sea. And you can have coffee, drinks or a meal at one of the 4 or 5 restaurants. That's it, that's all there is to do here. And if the boats aren't going, well that's not much for the trip all the way here. Look into bus #201 for other scheduled times and it gets you much closer to the Grotto. A taxi cab sits in the parking lot as a third option to get you back to wherever you came from.
Written March 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ana L
Navan, Ireland2,682 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020
It is a nice cave but not so spectacular. To go inside, you have to get a short boat ride, and have to do it between morning and noon (because of the light inside the cave). Or you just go on top of the cliff and look below, and you will see it is nothing special.
Written December 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ElsieF499
London, UK74 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Solo
Blue grotto and other surrounding sea caves were beautiful on a sunny day. The sunshine brings out the iridescent blue colour. I got off the bus at Panorama stop, there is a viewing point with a good view down to the blue grotto. Then walked down into the little port which is a charming little village where you can get a boat tour to the caves. The boat trip was €10 for an around 15 min trip into the various caves - definitely worth doing to see the caves close up, this was easily the best thing I did in Malta. There are several restaurants and cafes in the village for lunch or a snack. I visited late morning, went on the boat trip and then had a lovely lunch with a great view before walking up the road to Hagar Qim temple.
Written May 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LinoYogya
Tangerang, Indonesia730 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
We are very glad that we tried this boat trip indeed.
The small boat trip take 45 min and it brought us to the caves which has very clear blue water beneath.
I was born and raised in town near sea and I am still amazed of the view offered here.
If you bring car, park it in the village and go downward to the pier where you can pay the trip.
Written April 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tor G
Tallinn77 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
Worth the visit.
We payed 15 EUR for a cab to go from Valletta to Blue Grotto.

Easy to get there and they have small shops selling everything you need if you have forgotten your swimming trousers.

The actual trip to the Grotto is quick lasting 10-15 minutes. You are not allowed to swim during the trip and it costs 8 EUR for adults and 4 EUR for children.

After the trip you can swim a the docks and a lot of the people do so.

The kids enjoyed it too.
Written July 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

wherehaveinotbeenyet
Manchester, UK404 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
Apart from being crammed in a boat with no social distancing measures (only concession to COVID was having to wear a mask which other passengers took off enroute), this was an enjoyable although rapid 20-minute experience. The caves and rock formations are beautiful, although I wouldn't say it was worth the €8 fee. You may have to queue a while for a boat, luckily as I was on my own I managed to get the last place on the next boat leaving.
Written August 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Akshat D
Dublin, Ireland51 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
The blue grotto is a spot not to be missed on a trip to Malta. It's just so amazing to look at. Small boat trips go around in the grotto in the day but it is not necessary to do that. Instead if you go late in the evening (as I did), it is much quieter and you get amazing views of the sunset.
Written October 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kat
Prince Albert, Canada108 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Friends
Save yourself the cost of the tours from Sliema ferry’s and get a bus pass the island is small enough that you will be able to hit all the major sight seeing from bus routes at your own leisure. The Grotto and the boat ride were nice but I enjoyed swimming with the locals off the point more. ( so wear your bathing suit and bring a towel) It’s a great trip to make to get out of the hustle and bustle of the bigger city’s and slow it down. The restaurant at the top of the hill called step-in also had an amazing Maltese Salad.

I will note that there are some rather steep hills going up and down.
Written October 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Blue Grotto Il-Hnejja - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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