Top Things To See And Do In Malta

Malta, with its sun-drenched, sandy beaches, glistening Mediterranean Sea, mysterious megalithic monuments, Knights of Saint John history, stunning baroque architecture, and colorful fishing villages, is a magnificent under-the-radar destination. I wasn’t sure what to expect before arriving, but it’s steeped in fascinating history, the locals are friendly, and it doesn’t feel too touristy. Especially as you move away from the main areas. This post covers the top things to do in Malta, and how to get there.

About Malta

Malta is an archipelago of 3 main islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino, located between Sicily, Tunisia, and Libya.

Ruled by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Norman’s, and Aragonese in ancient eras, its history is fascinating. Starting the 16th century the Order of the Knights of Saint John ruled here for 250 years, then Napoleon and the British. It finally gained independence in 1964.

Today, the Maltese are largely descendants of the Carthaginians and Phoenicians, along with Italians, and others from the Mediterranean.

They speak Maltese, which is mix of a Sicilian dialect and North African Arabic, with some Italian, English, and French. It’s unique as the words sound Arabic, but the accent is Italian. English is the second language and although all signs are in English, the names are Maltese, so it takes a while to learn how to pronounce places like Naxxar and Snajjin. In fact, I still don’t think I have that down!

On top of this, Italian was the official language until 1934, so Malta truly is multilingual.

Top Things To Do In Malta

In addition to its plenty of beaches and sunshine, there are nine UNESCO World Heritage sites on the islands, most over 4,500 years old! And according to UNESCO, its capital Valletta is the most concentrated historical area in the world. It’s packed full of churches, forts, palaces, and monuments.

Malta has no shortage of things to see and do.

Sun & Sea

Malta, surrounded by more than 155 miles of coastline, is ideal for relaxing and soaking up the sun.

Its coastline has many beautiful sandy beaches. A few include Mellieha, Ghajn Tuffieha, Paradise, Golden Bay, and more. Many of which have a variety of water sport options.

Around Valletta and Sliema, there are unique limestone plateaus, rather than sandy beaches. Beautiful in their own way. Some even have pools carved into the limestone dating back to the Victorian era (below right).

Valletta

Valletta is Malta’s capital, established in the 1500’s by the Knights of Saint John. This ancient walled city is not only a historical treasure trove, it’s also charming and interesting to explore.

Saint Elmo’s Fort & National War Museum

Saint Elmo’s Fort commands the Grand Harbor and Marsamxett Harbors. It’s best known for the Great Seige of 1565, a long and bloody conflict where Malta defeated an Ottoman invasion.

The National War Museum is also here with artifacts from the Bronze Age to WWII.

Even if you’re not into its history, the panoramic views are amazing.

How To Get To St. Elmo’s: From Valletta’s City Gate, near Triton Fountain, St. Elmo’s is a 15-minute walk northeast towards Grand Harbor.

National Museum of Archeology

Once the main home to the Knights of Saint John, this elaborate Boroque building now houses Maltese artifacts from 5,000-400 BC.

Sculptures and figurines from the temples and Hypogeum are highlights, as well as more information on the structures and their history.

How To Get To The Musuem of Archeology: The Museum of Archaeology is a 3-minute walk on Republica Street from Valletta’s City Gate.

St John’s Co-Cathedral

This guilded Baroque Church was built as the conventual church of the Knights of Saint John. It also remains an important shrine today. Plus, it’s home to Caravaggio’s masterpiece, “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” and other artwork.

How To Get To St John’s Cathedral: St. John’s Cathedral is around the corner from the National Museum of Archeology.

Barrakka Gardens

These gardens, originally intended for entertainment for the Knights of Saint John, also offer stunning harbor views. If you arrive at noon, you can see the cannons fired.

How To Get To Barrakka Gardens: From Valletta’s City Gate, veer right towards the coast, then it’s a 5-minute walk.

Valetta Waterfront

A port-side promenade built for the Knights of Saint John. Today, it’s full of shops, restaurants, and bars, overlooking the sea.

How To Get To The Valletta Waterfront: The waterfront is a 15-minute walk from the Valetta city gate.

Admire Malta’s Charming Window Boxes and Colorful Doorways

The multitude of charming balcony boxes in Malta are a direct result of the Knights of Saint John, who ordered every street corner decorated with shrines, statues, or balconies.

Making them even more special, they’re brightly painted in golds, blues, reds, and greens.

During religious holidays, they’re decorated with effigies and lights (which I would love to see). The brightly painted doorways and their clever knockers are also beautiful.

Other Things To Do in Valletta, Malta

Other popular activities include:

• Cruising the Grand Harbor
• Sailing along the coast
• Diving the HMS Maori wreck
• Exploring area architecture, like the Parliament Building and Royal Opera House
• Enjoying Maltese food at one of its many restaurants
• It’s also great to just wander and explore the narrow alleyways

Note that Maltese Carnival is a lively national public holiday. It’s held 7 weeks before Easter. It takes place all over the islands, but most activity is in Valletta. Although a busy time, it’s a great way to experience local culture here. I did not visit during this time, but it’s on my list!

Mdina

Originally inhabited and fortified around 700 BC by the Phoenicians, Mdina was Malta’s capital through the Middle Ages. it’s architecture is a mix of Norman and Baroque, with beautiful plazas, aristocratic palaces, and Boroque churches.

It’s also known for its filming location for the Game of Thrones, which also makes it a popular tourist spot.

Cathedral Of Saint Paul

The Cathedral of Saint Paul stands where governor Publius greeted Saint Paul the Apostle after he was reportedly shipwrecked on the island. The beautiful ceiling frescoes in this Baroque Church depict the life of Saint Paul.

Cathedral Museum

Located on the right side of the Cathedral, this museum showcases religious artifacts, artwork, medieval panels, and more.

Palazzo Vilhena

Designed in the classic Versailles style, this Baroque building has served many purposes. It’s now the Museum of Natural History.

Dungeon Museum

If you’re into Malta’s darker past, visit The Dungeon Museum, which runs underneath Vilhena Palace. It highlights haunting re-creations of Malta’s darker times.

Palazzo Falson

Palazzo Falson is a medieval townhouse-turned-museum of Maltese nobility. Built in the 14th and 15th centuries, it’s one of the oldest buildings in Mdina.

The Knights Of Malta Exhibit

This exhibit explores the history of the 200 year rule of the Knights of Malta through audio and wax figures.

Saint Paul’s Catacombs

Saimt Paul’s Catacombs are located outside the Mdina. This underground burial place is an important part of Christian history. Around 1,000 people were buried here between the 3rd and 6th century.

The catacombs are a 10-minute walk (Or 5-minute drive) from the Mdina Gate.

How To Get To Mdina

Mdina is a 20-minute drive from Valletta by car or taxi. The bus from the Valetta terminus is 45 minutes.

Marsakloxx

The charming fishing village of Marsakloxx has a great fish market on Sundays and a daily tourist market. It’s a perfect place to buy some of Malta’s renowned honey.

It’s also great to see the colorful boats in its harbor, and find a wonderful restaurant to sit and enjoy the excellent seafood.

How To Get To Marsakloxx: Located on the southeastern tip on Malta, it’s a 20-minute drive or taxi from Valletta. A bus is more complicated, but possible, taking 45 minutes to an hour.

Blue Grotto

The Blue Grotto is a complex of sea caves on Malta’s southern coast. The grotto appears brilliant blue, particularly on a sunny day, when the blue sky reflects off the water with the white sand below. Sadly, my photo does not do it justice.

You can sightsee from the roadside (where the photo above was taken) or visit via boat, with several running daily. You may be able to get away with not booking in advance during low seasons, but it’s best to verify in advance.

How To Get To The Blue Grotto: Other than taking a tour, you can get there via the hop-on, hop-off bus, drive, or take the bus.

The bus from the Valletta terminus takes slightly less than an hour, but you need to walk to the coast from Qrendi. For the stop at the grotto, you need to change buses at the airport. Driving or a taxi will take 20-30 minutes. Note that the Blue Grotto is near the megalithic temples of Hagar Qim and Manajdra, so pair them if they’re both are in your plans.

Malta’s Megalithic Temples

There are dozens of ancient Megalithic Temples scattered around Malta and Gozo, built between 3,600 and 2,500 BC. Six of them are UNESCO World Heritage listed, considered masterpieces due to due to their complexity and the limited resources available.

Called megalithic temples due to the scale and massive size of their stones, some weighing up to 100,000 pounds (50 tons)! They include; Ggantija, Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Tarxien, Ta’ Hagrat and and Ta’ Skorba.

See my post on Megalithic Temples of Malta for more information on the temples and Hal Seflieni (below), as well as how to get there.

Hal Seflieni Hypogeum, a prehistoric underground necropolis, also UNESCO listed, is another must-visit site in Malta. In use between 4,000-1,500 BC, they estimate 7,000 people were buried here.

Day Trip To The Blue Lagoon (Comino Island)

This small island between Malta and Gozo, popular with pirates and marauders in the Middle Ages, is full of caves, coves, and azure blue water. It also has a bird sanctuary and nature reserve. Interestingly, there are only 3 residents on Comino, with a policeman and priest that commute from Gozo.

The Blue Lagoon sits on Comino’s west coast, between the main island and Cominotto, a rock sized island. You can swim around the rocks, spend the day snorkeling, or sun on the rocks.

The Blue Lagoon is stunning, and widely photographed because of it, but honestly, completely overrun by tourists. This makes it somewhat miserable during peak season. Seriously!

Avoiding The Crowds: To avoid the crowds, arrive very early, or stay overnight at Comino Hotel to maximize non-peak hours. You can also visit Santa Maria Bay, and nearby caves, instead of the Blue Lagoon. And there is another area, called Crystal Lagoon, further south.

If you want to explore the island on your own, this Blue Lagoon walking guide provides an overview of a 4.35 mile (7 km) trail.

Diving on Comino: Comino is also a popular place for diving with the Santa Maria caves, Crystal Lagoon, several wrecks and more. Dive shops can be found all over Malta and Gozo to book.

How to Get To Comino Island

Drive or take the bus from Valletta to Cirkewwa, in the northern part of Malta, then catch the Ferry to the Blue Lagoon.

If coming from Gozo, this ferry service leaves from Mgarr Harbor, drops you at Comino, and later takes you to Cirkewwa on Malta.

Another option is to hire a boat, stopping at several sites. Search for options, or ask at your hotel, as they likely change often.

Visit Gozo Island

Gozo is the second largest island and offers a more relaxed pace of life. Quiet towns, a patchwork of farms, and hillsides that lead to protected beaches make this an idyllic getaway from the packed public areas of Valletta.

It also has its own sites, like the oldest megalithic temple, Ggantija, natural phenomenon, like the Blue Hole, interesting caves and grottos, and more.

How to Get To Gozo Island: Drive or take the bus from Valletta to Cirkewwa, in the northern part of Malta, then catch the Ferry to Gozo. The ferry ride is about 25 minutes.

To help plan your trip to Malta, see my Malta Travel Guide, for the top highlights, how to get around, safety, logistics, and more.

Safe Travels!

Julie