Between Malta and Gozo lies Comino, a paradise for snorkellers, divers, windsurfers and walkers. Only 3.5 km2, Comino is car-free and apart from one hotel, is entirely uninhabited. The Island’s main attraction is the Blue Lagoon, a sheltered inlet of shimmering aquamarine water over white sand and a popular day trip by cruise tour or sailboat. Comino is worth a visit and is ideal for walkers and photographers in winter.  Without urban areas or cars, the scent of the wild thyme and other herbs can be picked up on. Comino was inhabited in the Roman period, but did not have much significance until the Knights arrived.  It then had a dual role: hunting grounds and a staging post in the defence of the Islands against the Ottoman Turks. The Island had proved a useful base for pirates operating in the central Mediterranean and though stark and barren today, it was home to wild boar and hares when the Knights arrived in 1530. The Grand Masters went to great lengths to ensure that their game on Comino was protected: anyone found breaking the embargo on hunting could expect to serve three years as a galley slave. After WWII, Comino remained a backwater until its fortunes revived with tourism in the mid-1960s.

Where to Stay

Comino has one resort hotel, which is ideal for those wishing to stay a while.