Blue Grotto (Il-Hnejja)

The Blue Grotto is the most famous cave in Malta, with its deep waters displaying magnificent dazzling colours, ranging from turquoise to deep blue. Situated near the village of Zurrieq in southwestern Malta, which is famous for its rocky coastline, the waters around the limestone caves and archways are said to be at their most impressive in the early morning when the sun’s rays glimmer through the opening to the grotto. The cave, which is known as Il-Hnejja, meaning ‘The Arch’, in Maltese, was given its English name by British soldiers who thought that its blue waters resembled the Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto) in Capri. To get to the grotto, visitors travel by boat, passing under a massive arch, deep into the 43-metre (140-foot) high cave which is hollowed out of the cliff rockface.