Marsaxlokk Market and Blue Grotto guided tour
Description
The idyllic fishing village of Marsaxlokk with its colourful luzzus and unique character make the unrivalled setting for the local market. This is the perfect place to spend a Sunday morning, where you can rub your shoulders with the locals as you browse through the various stalls. We continue our tour with a visit to the Blue Grotto (weather permitting – boat price not included) and the nearby caves. Admire the whole expanse of the blue Mediterranean and the islet of Filfla. Later our guide will help you explore one of Malta’s unspoilt villages. From the main square, the hub of the village with its parish church and band club, you will be led through a maze of winding narrow streets that all have a story to be told.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The idyllic fishing village of Marsaxlokk with its colourful luzzus and unique character make the unrivalled setting for the local market. This is the perfect place to spend a Sunday morning, where you can rub your shoulders with the locals as you browse through the various stalls.
From here you can take a boat trip to the Blue Grotto, renowned for its crystal clear waters, weather permitting – boat price not included.
Our guide will help you explore one of Malta’s unspoilt villages. From the main square, the hub of the village with its parish church and band club, you will be led through a maze of winding narrow streets that all have a story to be told.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
If you are staying in one of the listed hotels/ports we will confirm the scheduled pick up time for your pick up point. If you are NOT staying in one of the listed hotels please confirm your exact accommodation name and exact address and we will confirm the nearest pick up location and time on the island of Malta.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(27)
Good value for money ,the guide was very good explaining the Maltese culture.Good transportation .
Easy and short-term booking, with German-language booking confirmation. The pickup was by minibus at a hotel, located near us. We were driven to another stop after two more stops. There we were distributed to another minibus with the booked German or other-language tour guides. Our journey to the individual destinations was very entertaining, through small stops and explanations from the tour guide. We were driven as close as possible to the destinations and picked up again, possible by the minibus. In part, this was not possible with the big buses (that's how we observed it). Our guide knew very well where and what was possible. We felt very comfortable and in good hands. Our fellow travellers must also be praised, all (except one mother with daughter) have kept to times and agreements.
Good tour to see the fish and farmers market on a Sunday. Elizabeth was fun and informative of the areas and what we were seeing
It was advertised primarily as the Marsaxlokk tour, with the option to visit the Blue Grotto. Instead most of the time was spent at the grotto (which I loved and found to be spectacular), but a visit to a small town and church that was of no interest used up another chunk of time and was unnecessary. By the time we arrived at Marsaxlokk, we were given exactly 30 minutes including a lengthy walk to and from the bus, totally insufficient! My friend and I decided to stay at the market, have a wonderful lunch and then pay 50 euros for a taxi ride back to our hotel in St Julian. That was more than our Viator trip cost, but we wanted to spend much more time at the market. We heard that the tour guide, when someone complained, responded with, "If you don't like it, you're free to leave." Terrible planning! I highly recommend the Blue Grotto, but not this trip as it was advertised.
Lovely visit and lovely guided tour. We bought local food, local goods and nice souvenirs Sunday Market visit and blue grotto boat ride The caves were epic.
If we could give a zero star, we would! There were 2 companies involved, V. Tabone Travel and Maltarama. We were unable to locate a pickup point of this tour and therefore they left without us. The reasons of which are as follows: 1) pickup point indicated as cruise port. There were 2 cruise ships in Port, both had a separate exit from the port. 2) we checked where all the other tours were leaving from and we never saw any sign displayed for this company or tour. 3) we asked other tour guides about the departure point and they did not know. 4) we went to the Information kiosk and they called the company on our behalf. They spoke to Michael. He indicated that he had sent us 2 emails and WhatsApp. However these had been sent after we left the ship and we were unaware of them and unable to access them. In the phone call, Michael indicated that the pickup point was near the police station. We could find no-one who was aware of a police station nearby. I located a police officer close by and he did not know of a police station in the area. 5) we returned to the Information kiosk and they made another call to Michael. He told us that the tour had left. 6) In view of that and not to waste our day, we hired a taxi which took us to the same destinations plus 2 more for the same price. 7) we made a request for a reimbursement through Viator which was denied. 8) we have travelled extensively and booked many viator trips with no problems before this one. 9) we would strongly advise anyone to be cautious about this tour company.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We sincerely regret that you were unable to locate the meeting point for your tour. We understand how frustrating this situation must have been and are sorry that despite our efforts, you had difficulty finding the location. The meeting point details were confirmed in the email 13 days prior to the tour, including the address, a Google Maps location link, and a photo of the meeting point adjacent to the Seaport Immigration Police. A reminder was sent 24 hours before the tour as well. We also attempted to assist you when you called 2 minutes before the scheduled meeting time, providing directions over the phone and through WhatsApp, which was successfully delivered and accessible via the free Wi-Fi at the Valletta cruise port. We also understand that navigating new areas can sometimes be confusing, especially when landmarks like the police station may not be clearly identified. We deeply regret that our communication efforts were not sufficient in guiding you to the correct location. Our driver waited 10 minutes beyond the agreed meeting time in the hope that you would arrive, but we regret that you were unable to join the tour. To ensure a better experience for future travelers, we are reviewing how we communicate meeting points, and we are considering more immediate ways to assist passengers who might be having trouble. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We value your feedback and will work to improve our services moving forward.
Well organized, very friendly guide, clear explanation in English and Italian. Enough time to see the market. The boat ride to the Blue Grotto was very nice. I would eliminate the trip to Qrendi, we stopped for 10 minutes, I didn't understand the purpose, because we only got off the bus in a small square to take a photo.
Tour excellent, especially Marsaxlokk and blue grotto... unfortunately it passes quickly . Bus tour also very good! Would like a mobile audio translation in written language as we can't hear, but it doesn't matter...
Blue grotto was spectacular! Definitely spend the 10€ (cash only) for the 20 minute boat ride. I don’t suggest going on a Sunday because it is market day in Marsaxlokk and the crowds are plentiful.The fish monger stalls are interesting but the general flea market section is not. Tracie was an excellent guide! Malta is extremely hot in August!
They take you to places that are hard to reach by yourself. The guide is kind. Junior high school level English is required. Reasonably priced. Be careful that you change buses along the way depending on the language you speak. Transfer to another bus with the English guide. Free time of about 45 minutes at the Sunday market in Marsacroche. The Sunday market in the port town is very good. The souvenirs are a little cheaper than in the city. After that, go to the Blue Grotto. You are free to take the boat for 10€ (note! cash only). But I recommend you to take it. It was fun and beautiful. Finally, we got off in a small quiet town called Qrendi (you will get off the bus here, so if possible, give the bus driver a tip of about 2€! Westerners gave 5€) and walk around the town for about 20 minutes with the guide who explained (in English) about the history of the town, the stone (limestone) of the buildings, and the statues of saints. After walking around, we took another bus to the hotel. You will need to change buses three times (A hotel pick-up only → B guided tour → C hotel drop-off), so please be careful not to forget anything.
