Water Taxis and Ferries in Malta: A Complete Guide

There are a good hand full of ferries in Malta that serve various areas within the country and international destinations. This guide provides a comprehensive list of all the ferries operating in the Maltese Islands, including terminal locations, costs and other relevant information. To give you a quick overview:

There are 11 ferries operating in the Maltese Islands. These ferries depart from 7 different ports, namely Cirkewwa, Marfa, Marsaxlokk, Sliema, and Valletta in Malta, as well as Hondoq Bay and Mgarr in Gozo. While most of these ferries serve the Maltese Islands, there is one ferry that operates from Valletta and travels to Pozzallo in Sicily.

Water Taxis and Ferries in Malta

Departure	Arrival	Trip Duration
Cirkewwa, Malta	Mgarr, Gozo	25 minutes
Cirkewwa, Malta	Blue Lagoon, Comino	20 minutes
Hondoq Bay, Gozo	Blue Lagoon, Comino	10 minutes
Marfa, Malta	Blue Lagoon, Comino	25 minutes
Marsaxlokk, Malta	St Peter’s Pool, Malta	15 minutes
Mgarr, Gozo	Blue Lagoon, Comino	15 minutes
Sliema, Malta	Blue Lagoon, Comino	1 hour
Sliema, Malta	Valletta, Malta	10 minutes
Valletta, Malta	3 Cities, Malta	10 minutes
Valletta, Malta	Mgarr, Gozo	45 minutes
Valletta, Malta	Pozzallo, Sicily	1 hour 45 minutes

All the ferries are passenger ferries. However both the ferry departing from Cirkewwa to Gozo and the one in Valletta heading to Pozzallo in Sicily also allow cars onboard.

As you would expect all the ferries have return ferries back and operate year round. The only exception are the ferries that travel to Comino that operate only during the summer months.

Since no one other than 8 people live on the little island of Comino, there is no demand for ferries there in winter. It is purely a summer destination where locals and tourists only go to enjoy the gorgeous blue waters of the Blue Lagoon.

Ferry Port Locations

Cirkewwa, Malta to Mgarr, Gozo port located here on Google Maps
Cirkewwa, Malta to Comino port located here on Google Maps
Hondoq Bay, Gozo to Comino terminal located here on Google Maps
Marfa, Malta to Comino port located here on Google Maps
Marsaxlokk, Malta to St. Peter’s Pool, Malta terminal located here on Google Maps
Mgarr, Gozo port located here on Google Maps
Sliema, Malta to Valletta, Malta terminal located here on Google Maps
Sliema, Malta to Comino terminal located here on Google Maps
Valletta, Malta to Sliema, Malta terminal located here on Google Maps
Valletta, Malta to Mgarr, Gozo terminal located here on Google Maps
Valletta, Malta to the 3 Cities, Malta terminal located here on Google Maps
Valletta, Malta to Pozzallo, Sicily terminal located here on Google Maps

There are more port locations which are not listed, for example the one in Bugibba. However other terminals are for organised tours that will take you to at least a couple of places of interest. They are not direct routes and are more expensive.

Frequency

Most ferries in Malta run at least on an hourly basis like the fast ferry from Valletta to Gozo. However all other ferries are usually every half an hour.

If there is bad weather and the sea is rough, the ferries will stop running and resume once the sea has calmed down. In general this does not last longer than 12 hours and does not usually occur in Summer.

Ferry Costs and Booking

Sometimes you can make your way to the terminal without the need to book tickets. Other times you will need to book a ferry in advance. Here is all the information you need regarding costs and whether to pre-book or simply turn up at the terminal.

Please bear in mind that the information below was gathered in May 2023. Hence costs may change and in the future.

Departure	Cost with Return	Book Ferry
Cirkewwa to Gozo	Car + driver €15.70, €4.65 pp, under 3 years travel free, 3-12 years €1.15	No booking required
Cirkewwa to Comino	€15 adults, €7 kids under 10	No booking required
Hondoq Bay to Comino	€10 pp	Book ferry
Marfa to Comino	€15 adults, €7 kids under 10	No booking required
Marsaxlokk to St. Peter’s Pool	€10 pp	Call +356 79 444 001
Mgarr to Comino	€8 adults, kids €6.50	Book ferry
Sliema to Comino	€27.50 pp	Book ferry
Sliema to Valletta	€1.50 adults, €0.90 kids	No booking required
Valletta to the 3 Cities	€1.50 adults, €0.90 kids	No booking required
Valletta to Gozo	€7.50 pp	Book ferry
Valletta to Pozzallo, Sicily	€60 adults, €37 kids	Book ferry

You should note that the Blue Lagoon in Comino is beautiful and I recommend you visit. However it isn’t suitable for babies and very young children.

Other Ferries to Nearby Islands From Malta

Travelling by ferry is an additional option other than travelling by plane. It is particularly great if you want to go for a driving holiday, plus depending on the ferry, can cost less than flying.

Malta is in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and in close proximity to other countries and islands. However the only ferry that travels to another country outside the Maltese Islands is the one from Valletta to Sicily. Regardless you can still travel to other islands from Sicily very easily.

Here is a map below of all the ferry routes in Sicily.

Sicily ferry routes from mainland Italy and other surrounding countries map

To book any of the ferries you can use the Direct Ferries website. The ferries can take you to explore many areas in Italy, including cities like Naples, Rome and Genoa as well as Sardinia. There is also a ferry from Palermo in Sicily to Tunis in Tunisia.

Here are some other articles about traveling to different places in the Mediterranean. They can come in handy if you want to visit multiple countries or islands for an awesome holiday.