Malta is one of Europes most unique destinations. This tiny island in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Sicily, is home to a confluence of influences that makes it feel Italian, Spanish and Arabic all at once. It’s a rustic, off the beaten path destination, with crumbling buildings and tight, winding alleyways that are relatively unscathed by tourist traffic. This is the perfect place to spend a 4-5 day weekend.
Where to Stay in Malta
We stayed at a really nice 2-bedroom Airbnb-style accommodation that had a hot tub in the room. This place was fantastic and the host was incredibly attentive. The one small drawback was that it is not located near any of the main cities so you have to be willing to rent a car and drive around a bit to stay here (and beware the Maltese drive on the left side of the road). The airbnb has plenty of parking and driving is fairly easy, as is parking in other areas of the country. The real draw to this place is the hot tub and the incredible views over the Mediterranean Sea. Check out their listing on booking.com HERE.
If you wish to stay in the main part of town so you can avoid renting a car, we’d recommend staying in the port city of Valletta. This is the capitol city of Malta and the area of the country with, by far, the most going on. It is full of fantastic bars and restaurants as well as some stunning sites to see. The two best hotels in Valletta are The Grand Hôtel Excelsior and Hôtel Phoenicia Malta.
If you wish to stay in the northern, more secluded, part of Malta the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Malta Golden Sands is a fantastic option with a stunning beach.
Things to do in Malta
Visit Valletta
Sitting on a peninsula that just out into Malta’s main harbor, Valletta, as we briefly discussed above is the main attraction as far as cities go in the country of Malta. It is jammed packed with bars, restaurants, historical sites and is a fantastic town to visit and simply walk around for a few evenings. Some of our favorite places in Valletta were the restaurants Guze, Noni, Rubino and Trattoria di Mare, and the cocktail bar Fat City Bar. The food and drinks were stunning everywhere though. It really was impossible to get a bad meal.
Visit The Three Cities
Across the harbor from Valletta are what the Maltese refer to as The Three Cities. These three small towns, Senglea, Vittoriosa and Cospicua, that lie just to the south east and across the harbor from the capital, Valletta, are a must stop on any trip to Malta. They provide great views of the adjacent capital city as well as a nice castle complex to explore and many small alleyways to wonder around. This is a great place to escape the bustle of Valletta for a day. If you’re ever in Senglea and looking for an amazing lunch, look no further than Enchante. The make a mussels dish with blue cheese that is absolutely to die for.
Visit Sliema and St. Julian’s
Just to the northwest of Valletta’s peninsula, on the other side of the harbor from The Three Cities sits the bustling towns of Sliema and St. Julien. These are the most touristic cities in Malta, with plenty of hotels, restaurants and bars. Sliema features a bunch of nice seaside restaurants with great views of Valletta across the water. There’s also a nice promenade that you can walk that starts in St Julian’s, crosses through Sliema and then wraps around to Valletta.
Visit the Ancient Walled City of Mdina
The Medieval city of Mdina was originally the seat of power in Malta during the Middle-Ages. Today it is a charming, fortified city, built on a hill that provides a perfect afternoon of exploration for tourists who love its charming, quiet streets and its many historical monuments. Here you can visit the oldest cathedral in Malta (St. Paul’s Cathedral), the 18th century Vilhena Palace as well as Palazzo Falson. After exploring the city, you can go down to see the old moat which has been turned into a garden. If you can, try to get to Mdina either early or late in the day. Mid day it can get choked with tourists arriving by bus.
Visit Rabat
Directly outside the walls of Mdina is the town of Rabat. This is a great place to stop and wonder around immediately after you visit Mdina. Rabat also features some pretty interesting historical sites like St. Paul’s Church and Grotto, where the Apostle Paul sought refuge after the boat sank off the island of Malta, St. Paul’s Catacombs, the cities necropolis for over 500 years, St. Agatha’s Catacombs, where Saint Agatha hid during her exile from Sicily and Domvs Romana, a Roman-era house that has since been converted into a museum.
Visit Gozo
No trip to Malta is complete without a trip to the second largest island in the country, the northern appendage to the main island, Gozo. There are two ferries that you can take to reach Gozo. The first is from Cirkewwa in the northern part of Malta, which is a quick 20 minute ferry across the channel to Gozo. The other is a ferry that leaves from Valletta and takes 45 minutes to an hour to reach Gozo. You can buy tickets in advance HERE. The ferry departs from Valletta Grand Harbor. There are a few ferry stops in the same area so make sure you are heading to the correct one. The short ferry from Cirkewwa can accommodate cars if you wish to bring your rental, but the ferry from Valletta is just a passenger ferry. No cars allowed.
The main attractions in Gozo are the main city, Victoria (which locals of Gozo also call Rabat), the Cittadella which is a large fortified part of the city that you can explore, there’s some fantastic beaches and view points, particularly in the Djewra region, The Ta’Pinu Shrine, which is a stunning church, The Ggantija Temples, which are among the most impressive and well preserved temples on the island, the Salt Pans, where merchants dry out sea water for its sea salt and Ramla Bay Beach which is a major tourist hotspot as its the largest sand beach in Gozo. We explored Gozo via a day long tuk-tuk tour which was a great way to see the island all in one day as you were able to go to a lot more remote areas where driving a car simply would not fit.
Blue Lagoon and Comino Island
Comino is a tiny island located between Malta and Gozo islands. Home to stunning, crystal clear, turquoise waters, this is the perfect spot to take a boat tour and do some snorkeling.
Blue Grotto
Located right down the street from the town of Zurieq, this archway in the sea is world famous for the intense blue color of the water beneath. There’s a site seeing location just above the grotto where many tours stop to take pictures. There are also boat trips that will take you to the grotto by way of the sea.
Visit Marsaxlokk
If you’re looking for something to do on a Sunday, there is a small fish market in the town of Marsaxlokk that provides an incredibly unique, authentic Maltese experience with very little tourists around. Brightly colored fishing boats fill the harbor as stands are set up to sell fish and other food as well as some homemade souvenirs.
While around Marsaxlokk make sure to stop by St. Peter’s Pool which is a great natural swimming pool nearby. The area is only 10 min from Marsaxlokk by car and there are two easy to find free parking lots.
Visit the City of Mosta
This is great as part of a larger day excursion to multiple sites in Malta. The city itself is just OK, but the church at the center of the town is worth a stop. The church itself is fairly beautiful, being inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Its dome is one of the largest in Europe. Finally it is famous for its history as a bomb shelter for the local inhabitants during WWII. The underground bunker where residents lived during shelling by the Germans still exists and can be visited as part of your visit to the church. Considered a miracle a German bomb once hit the church during one of their bombing raids, crashing through the dome and hitting the ground beneath while hundreds of people were in the building. Luckily the bomb did not detonate and the parishioners were all spared. The dud bomb is still on display in the church and you can still see where the bomb pierced through the dome ceiling.
The Megalithic Temples of Malta
If you are in to ancient history, particularly megalithic stone structures that seemingly lack explanation, make sure to go see some of the many megalithic temples that can be found in both Malta and Gozo. Built thousands of years ago, these massive stone structures are a must see for anyone interested in ancient history and stone age construction.
Visit Popeye Village
The 1980 movie, Popeye, featuring Robin Williams was shot in Malta, where they created a huge village just for the movie. After the film wrapped shooting the still standing village was converted into an amusement park. You can drive up and take pictures of the village from the cliffs above or you can visit the amusement park built within this fantastical movie set.
Other Fun Things to do in Malta
Rent a Boat (you can rent a boat up to 90HP without a boating license)
Malta’s Best Restaurants
Guzé
Incredibly reasonable prices, in a fantastic, rustic setting. Fine dining meets home cooking.
Noni
Michelin starred restaurant ran by renowned chef Jonathan Brincat, who serves some of the finest dishes in town, consisting of elevated takes on traditional Maltese and Mediterranean cuisine, featuring seasonal ingredients.
Rubino
A small bistro in Valletta known for serving fantastic, authentic Maltese cuisine since 1906. A real hidden gem in the Malta dining scene.
Hammett’s Mačina
One of the finest restaurants in Malta. Located along the marina in Senglea, this is one of Malta’s premier fine dining experiences.
Hammett’s Mestizo
This is the little brother to Hammett’s Mačina, where you can get high quality food at a more reasonable price point from its Michelin starred sibling.
ION Harbour
ION Harbour offers guests a stunning view of the Grand Harbour from the 4th floor of the Iniala Harbour House, a 5-star hotel. The food is phenomenal and the service is unmatched.
The Fork & Cork
Michelin guide-listed gem of restaurant located along the steps at the edge of Rabat and Mdina. High quality dishes and excellent service.
Enchanté
A fabulous, no-frills spot right on the water in Senglea. Some incredibly unique and delicious seafood like mussels with blue cheese.
Malta’s Best Bars
Small cocktail bar with a fantastic atmosphere and great music.
Prohibition style speakeasy with live music
Classic Irish pub in Malta
Cocktail bar, restaurant, rooftop bar with DJs and a dance floor
Swanky lounge style bar on the 22nd floor of the Portomaso Tower. Dance floor and DJs nightly. Strict dress code after 9:30pm
One of the most picturesque bars in Malta, San Paolo Naufrago is located down a quiet side street in Valletta, where tables and chairs spill out onto the cobblestone walkway steps with lights strung overhead.
Perfect spot to stop for a drink in Gozo. The Gleneagles Bar overlooks Mgarr harbour and provides an excellent terrace to have a relaxing drink while taking in the scenery.
Tiny, maritime themed dive bar that places high on the list of best atmospheres in Malta.
Interesting cocktail bar where you pick your drink based solely on photos of famous works of art. The art is then burnt into the foam of your drink.
