Blue Grotto & Market in Marsaxlokk Guided Tour

Two of southern Malta’s best-known sights in one relaxed half day: the Blue Grotto seen from the cliffs above, and the fishing harbour of Marsaxlokk.

The Blue Grotto & Market in Marsaxlokk Guided Tour leaves at 09:10 and is back before the afternoon, which makes it an easy first day out or a good companion to a longer excursion. A guide travels with the group, and commentary is available in English, French, German, Hungarian and Italian.

The Blue Grotto from the clifftop

The tour stops at the viewpoint above Wied iž-Żurrieq, where the sea caves open beneath the cliffs and the uninhabited islet of Filfla sits on the horizon. It is the classic photograph of this stretch of coast, and it is where the group has time to take it.

From the same point you can join the small boat trip into the caves. That ticket is not included in the tour price: it is bought on the spot and it only runs when the sea allows. If conditions close the boats, the tour continues as planned with the viewpoint stop and Marsaxlokk.

Marsaxlokk and its market

Marsaxlokk is still a working fishing village. Painted luzzu boats fill the harbour, and the quayside stalls sell fish, produce, honey, and the usual mix of local products and souvenirs. You get free time here to walk the front, look around the market and stop for a coffee.

The village is busiest on warm days and on Sundays, when the market is at its largest. Cash is useful at the stalls, and so is water in summer.

What the tour includes

Who it suits

It is a gentle half day rather than a hike, so it works for most ages and fitness levels. If you would rather spend a full day in the south, the Prehistoric Temples Guided Tour covers Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra and Għar Dalam nearby, and Southern Delights puts the temples, the villages and the coast into one longer route.

See the rest of the programme on our guided tours of Malta page.