Malta is the perfect Mediterranean getaway and is also the 10th smallest country! It has a unique mix of English, Italian and Arabic culture, crystal clear blue water and beautiful cities and buildings. It is such an interesting country to visit and is small enough that you can explore the whole thing in a few days!

The country of Malta has 3 main islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino. Malta is the largest island and is in the south, Gozo is second largest to the north, and Comino is the smallest and lies in between Malta and Gozo. There are other islands, but these are the main ones that you would expect to visit.

To learn more about the best places to stay in Malta, check out our blog post all about it here.

Cost: Free to wander and €15 entry to St. John’s Co-Cathedral

Probably the most famous city in Malta, Valletta is the capital and is a UNESCO world heritage site. This city is where most tourists stay, so it can get pretty busy, but it’s clear to see why. Valletta is a walled city built in the 1500s, meaning everything inside the walls has a harmonious feeling to it.

The best thing to do in Valletta is simply to walk around the beautiful old streets. As you enter the city, just outside the city gate you’ll find the town square with the Triton Fountain. This is a large fountain made of stone and bronze, located right near the bus terminal. Passing through city gate is Republic street which goes all the way to the end of the city. There’s lots of great shops and restaurants to stop at, and so many cute side streets to get lost in.

St. John’s Co-Cathedral is an impressive church, dating back to 1578, and is one of the main draws in the city. While the outside is plain, the inside is very elaborate. It is decorated with frescoes, marble floors, carved walls, statues and high ceilings. There are nine chapels inside: eight dedicated to patron saints, and the ninth dedicated to Our Lady of Philermos. Tickets are available here or at the door for €15 per person.

As always we love to recommend a garden, and luckily Valletta has two great ones with wonderful views. The upper and lower Barrakka gardens are located on the edge of the city only 10 minutes walk apart. They both have include various monuments, lush plants and offer some lovely places to sit and relax. Another landmark to visit is the National War Museum at Fort St Elmo. Built in 1552 as a defence building, it is now a museum that teaches visitors about the history of the Maltese military. It’s worth a visit especially to tour the beautiful old building and see the impressive view.

Cost: Free

Mdina (pronounced ’em-dee-nah’) is an amazing little city, situated up on a hill in the middle of the country. It used to be the capital of Malta and is a walled city with lots of cute winding streets. It’s not a super large city so won’t take more than a couple of hours to fully explore.

There are two gates into the city, Greeks gate and Mdina gate. Greeks gate is small and understated, but Mdina gate is very impressive. It also has a stone bridge leading to it, which is beautiful. If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, you might recognise the bridge and gate, as they feature in episode three of the first season. In fact, the whole city of Mdina was a filming location for King’s Landing. If you’re a fan of the show, this is the place to visit!

Inside the walls, Mesquita square is the main square and is another filming location from GoT. St Paul’s Cathedral is another place to visit. It is the oldest church in Malta, finished in 1705. Tickets can be bought at the cathedral museum which is next door, but double check their website for opening times as mass may be on when you want to visit. Tickets to the cathedral cost €10.00 per adult and this also includes entry to the museum.

Other museums to visit in the city are the Tales of The Silent City museum which showcases paintings from important moments in Malta’s past. Also the Palazzo Falson museum which has old artwork, antiques and weapons housed in a medieval palace. Apart from museums, there are lots of shops, cafes and restaurants to explore in the city. And make sure to check out Bastion Square which has an incredible view over so much of Malta.

The only downside to Mdina is it’s location, which is 20 minutes from the airport by car but takes over an hour by bus. This means if you don’t have a car, it can be a bit tricky to get to, but it’s definitely possible! We wouldn’t really recommend staying in Mdina though, as it can be difficult to get to other places on the island.

Cost: Free or €5 for entry to the St Paul’s Catacombs

Right outside the city walls of Mdina, only a 5 minute walk away is the town of Rabat. It has a much bigger population than Mdina, and is not as picturesque. However it’s still worth a walk around and has some great places to eat and shop including a great Maltese bakery called Parruccan Confectionery.

The best thing to do in Rabat is visit the St Paul’s Catacombs. Honestly, we were debating whether we should go as we weren’t sure it would be that interesting. We decided as we walked past to just go for it, and we’re so glad we did! It was amazing and such great value for money. Tickets are normally €5 per adult but are currently (as of April 2024) only €4 each due to renovations currently happening. You can check the admission price when you visit here and tickets can be bought at the gate.

We spent between 1-2 hours looking through the catacombs but didn’t even manage to get through them all as there’s so many. Some of them are also very large and the whole place is super interesting so is definitely worth a visit if you have time!

Cost: Free

Sliema and St Julian’s and two areas you might visit or even stay in while in Malta. Sliema is the next headland along from Valletta and is only a 15 minute bus ride to Valletta. It’s a great place to stay for cheaper accommodation or to stay somewhere quieter. It does have some nice shops and restaurants however it doesn’t have the same old town charm of Valletta or anywhere near as many attractions.

St Julian’s is the next headland along from Sliema and again is cheaper and quieter than Valletta. It’s got more of a party vibe, with a lot of casinos, bars and nightclubs so if that’s what you’re after then it’s a great place to visit. If you’re after that cute European town vibe though, then this isn’t the place to visit. However it does have a couple of beaches, Balluta Bay and St George’s Bay, that are nice for swimming.

If you like walking, the coastal path between the two is really lovely. You simply follow the water and it only takes 30 minutes to walk around the headland. It has some beautiful views of the two cities as well as the crystal blue water down below. If you start in Sliema, it’s a really nice to walk through St Julian’s and end your walk with a swim at St George’s Bay which is at the other end of the city.

Cost: €3.50 to €10 per site or €60 for the Multisite Pass

If you like a bit of European history and archaeology, then you will love the Megalithic Temples of Malta. There are 13 temples in Malta and Gozo, built between 3600 BC and 2500 BC. Six of them are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These temples are some of the oldest free-standing buildings in the world, and are particularly impressive because of the limited materials that were available at the time. They were actually built in different phases, and display an insight into what peoples religious practices and art styles would’ve been like when they were created. Most of them are now covered by a roof to protect them against the weather.

You can’t visit all of them, but the six UNESCO sites are all open to the public. They’re scattered around both islands, but can all be accessed pretty easily by public bus or car if you’ve got one. These sites are: Ġgantija, Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, Ta’ Hagrat, Skorba and Tarxien. The entrance fees range from €3.50 to €10 per site, and are included with the Heritage Malta Multisite Pass. This pass includes access to a large amount of historical sites and museums but is expensive at €60 per adult. Make sure to check out their website to see if it’s worth it for you.

Cost: €13.95 online or €16.90 at the gate

This aquarium is the largest aquarium in Malta with more than 175 different species. It is located in the Qawra zone of St Pauls Bay which is on the North of the island. It was built in St Pauls as the area needed a tourism boost, and it is now one of the most visited attractions in the country. It’s easily accessible on the public bus system from Valletta, Sliema or St Julians. It is open 10am-8pm every day and is included with the Malta Heritage Pass if you have it. If not, tickets are €16.90 at the gate or €13.95 if purchased on their website.

While visiting the aquarium you should also walk down to the area of Bugibba to look around. Here there are some nice restaurants and shops as well as a little beach called Bugibba Perched Beach. We wouldn’t allocate too much time though as it is a small area but it’s worth a walk through if you’re nearby!

Cost: Free

Gozo is a smaller island of Malta, to the north of the main island, with a population of around 31,000. It is a popular destination for tourists thanks to it’s incredible beaches and bays. There are a couple of ways to get there, which is easiest from the northern part of the main island. You can get to Gozo via public bus or car (but this does take an hour), and then there is a public ferry across to Gozo. Alternatively, you can take a direct public ferry from Valletta, but this ferry ride is longer.

If you’re not sold on making your own way to Gozo, you could also do what we did! We visited Gozo on a day trip from Sliema that involved a ferry to the island and then a bus around. We booked that trip here and it was a great way to see Gozo and the Blue Lagoon when we were short on time. However you can absolutely stay on the island and if you have a car you will be able to explore even more of it.

The capital of Gozo is Victoria and it’s worth a visit as there are some nice streets to wander around. There’s also some great cafes and restaurants as well as the Citadel that lies on the top of a hill. Due to its placement, the Citadel has the most incredible view across the entire island of Gozo. Inside the Citadel is the Cathedral of the Assumption – a Roman cathedral that was completed in 1711. The cathedral, a museum and a vestry are all open from 9am-5pm Monday – Saturday. A combination ticket to all 3 costs €5 each but you can enter the Citadel and see the view for free!

As well as Victoria, there are some other great little towns worth a visit. Marsalforn and Xlendi are two bay side towns with some nice swimming options. And if you want a nice beach break then Ramla Bay Beach is the most popular beach on the island. If you can get on the water, there are some wonderful caves such as the interconnected caves in Dwejra Bay. There are also lots of beautiful cliffs and heaps of view points to admire them from.

Cost: Free

The Blue Lagoon is one of the most popular things to do when visiting Malta. It is on the island of Comino which is a tiny island between Malta and Gozo. The lagoon has beautiful crystal clear blue water surrounded by some amazing hills. It has to be accessed by ferry and the best way to visit is on a day trip but there are public ferries from Malta too.

It’s a great place to do some swimming as the water is a great temperature, is very calm and not too deep. Some things to keep in mind though is that because it is a common day trip spot it is usually very busy. There are also often a lot of jellyfish in the water at certain times of year, so be wary! We got stung while we were swimming there, but the jellyfish are not dangerous. Our tour guides had remedies on hand for anyone who got stung, but it’s definitely something to be mindful of.

For such a small country, there is SO much to see and do in Malta. There’s incredible cities to walk around, great swimming spots and some history if that’s what you want to see too. It’s such a unique place and we hope this blog post has given you some great ideas of what to do for your visit!

To see more details on everything we did while we were there, check out our vlog:

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