Every photograph of the Blue Lagoon was taken in July. From November the picture is different.
The boats mostly stop, the kiosks are shut, and there is no hotel open on the island. Comino has a handful of permanent residents and that is it.
Getting there out of season
The scheduled boats from Ċirkewwa and from Mġarr in Gozo run far less often in winter, and they cancel when the wind gets up.
Check the day you travel, not the week before. Check the last boat back at the same time.
A northwest wind is the one that stops the crossing. If the forecast shows it, assume the day is off.
The Gozo Channel car ferry does not call at Comino. The Comino boats are separate operators and you pay them directly.
What is open in winter
Almost nothing. No kiosks, no sunbeds, no toilets you can rely on.
Take water, take food, and take everything out again with you. There is no bin collection and no shop to buy a forgotten thing from.
What Comino is good for in winter
Walking. The island is small enough to cross in half an hour.
Paths run out to Santa Marija Tower and along the cliffs, and in winter you will have them to yourself.
Din l-Art Ħelwa opens the tower on set days, so look it up before you count on getting inside.
The old isolation hospital and the chapel of Santa Marija are both a short walk from the Blue Lagoon landing.
Comino is a Natura 2000 site and a bird sanctuary. Winter is when that is obvious, because there is nobody drowning it out.
What to take
- Water and lunch. Nothing is sold on the island.
- Shoes with grip. The paths are loose stone and they are slick after rain.
- A windproof layer. There is no shelter anywhere on the plateau.
- Cash for the boat.
Swimming in winter
The water is clear all year and clearer in winter, because the boat traffic has gone.
It is also cold from December to May, sitting around 15–16°C at the bottom of the year.
There is nobody around if something goes wrong. No lifeguard, no kiosk, and phone signal that comes and goes on the far side of the island.
