Most people picture a Malta boat day as a single destination — "the Blue Lagoon" — and a fixed timetable that lands them there at the busiest possible hour. A private full-day charter is a different shape of day. You get roughly eight hours on the water, a route that bends to the weather and your group's mood, and time for three or four swims instead of one scramble. This is the itinerary we'd run on a typical settled-weather day, with the reasoning behind each leg so you can see how the pieces fit.
It maps onto a real, bookable day: the Bandama day charter, a Beneteau Swift Trawler 47 for up to 8 guests with a professional skipper and crew, leaving from Ta' Xbiex Creek Marina — the sheltered harbour right beside Sliema, a ten-minute waterfront walk from the Sliema ferries. Treat the times below as a guide, not a schedule: the whole point of a private day is that you can change it.
The day at a glance
A full charter day runs roughly 09:30 to 17:30 — about eight hours afloat, with a 30-nautical-mile cruising range that comfortably reaches Comino, the Blue Lagoon and the southern coast of Gozo. Here's the shape of it before we walk through each leg.
Depart Ta' Xbiex Creek, beside Sliema
Meet your skipper at the marina and slip out into Marsamxett Harbour, past Valletta's bastions and Manoel Island — a scenic warm-up rather than a dash for the ferry queue.
Comino's quieter water
Reach the Comino channel ahead of the midday rush. A first swim in the Crystal Lagoon or off a quiet corner while the day-boats are still loading further north.
Comino sea caves
Nose into the caves and inlets around Comino — clear, deep water and rock formations the bigger shared boats can't always reach.
The Blue Lagoon, at anchor
Anchor in the turquoise and swim straight off the back of the boat — no jostling for a patch of rock ashore. Lunch on board while you're there.
South to the Gozo coast
A short hop to Gozo's wilder southern shore — cliffs, hidden bays and bright, empty water that most day-trips never see.
One more swim, then home
A final swim as the lagoon empties out, then an easy cruise back to Ta' Xbiex Creek for around 17:30.
Morning: out of the harbour, ahead of the crowd
The day starts at Ta' Xbiex Creek at 09:30 (some dates run 10:00 — your exact time is confirmed when the captain accepts your booking). Casting off here, on the Valletta side of the island, is the single most under-rated advantage of the whole day. The big shared-tour boats and the public ferries cluster at the northern terminals and arrive at Comino in a wave around late morning. Leaving from the harbour beside Sliema, your skipper can time the run to reach Comino's water before that wave breaks.
The opening cruise out through Marsamxett Harbour — past the Valletta bastions and Manoel Island — is a genuine part of the trip rather than dead transit, and it's flat, sheltered water to settle into the day.
Late morning: Comino before the rush
The aim is to be swimming around Comino while the shared boats are still filling up. The Crystal Lagoon — deeper and, to many eyes, more dramatic than the Blue Lagoon next door — is the ideal first stop, followed by the sea caves and inlets that ring the island. On a motor yacht with a skipper who knows the coast, you can tuck into spots the larger boats simply can't.
This is also where a stable, shaded boat earns its keep. A trawler-style motor yacht sits flatter than a sailing yacht under way and gives you proper shade for the middle of the day — the difference between a relaxed morning and a sunburnt, queasy one, especially with children or non-sailors aboard.
Midday: the Blue Lagoon, on your own terms
By the time the crowds peak, you're already at anchor in the Blue Lagoon's famous turquoise, swimming straight from the deck. Because the boat is yours, there's no fixed slot and no shore landing to organise — you stay as long as it's good, and the moment it gets busy you simply up-anchor for a quieter cove. If you want the full picture on timing the lagoon, our guide to the best time to visit the Blue Lagoon goes deeper on the months, hours and 2026 access rules.
Lunch happens on board here — mineral water, soft drinks and snacks are included, and many groups bring their own picnic or arrange catering with the operator. It's an easy, anchored hour rather than a queue at a kiosk.
Afternoon: the Gozo coast almost nobody reaches
From Comino it's a short crossing to the southern coast of Gozo — the wilder, cliff-backed side, with hidden bays and clear water that the standard day-trip loop skips entirely. This is the stretch that turns a good day into a memorable one: room to swim, dramatic scenery, and the sense of having the sea to yourselves. Your skipper picks the exact spots on the day, reading the wind and swell.
A final swim mid-afternoon, then an unhurried cruise back, arriving at Ta' Xbiex Creek for around 17:30 (some dates 18:00). No transfers to chase, no second boat to catch — you step off where you started, ten minutes' walk from the Sliema front.
What the day costs — and how to read it
A private charter is priced for the whole boat, not per seat, so the value depends entirely on how many of you share it. Here's the simple maths against the live Bandama charter price.
A full day, split across your group
€1,850 is the total for the whole boat — skipper, crew, fuel for the day's cruising, mineral water, soft drinks and snacks included. A €300 booking fee secures the date; the €1,550 balance is settled with the operator on the day.
For a full group, a private day lands close to the price of a premium shared seat once you do the per-head sum — but with the whole boat, the route and the timing yours. For the full breakdown of what drives the price, see our guide on how much a private boat charter in Malta costs, and if you're weighing the two formats, private vs shared Blue Lagoon trips lays out where each one wins.