Malta has more history per square kilometre than almost anywhere. It isn’t kept behind glass. Temples older than the pyramids sit in a field outside a village. A Caravaggio hangs in the cathedral it was painted for. Most of it is reachable on a bus and open on the day you turn up.
What to see in Malta comes down to a few decisions rather than a long list. The main sights are spread across both islands rather than gathered in one city.
These pages are sorted by what you feel like doing rather than by category. The usual question is what to do when it is thirty-five degrees and the children are bored.
- Museums and historic sitesMuseums and historic sites worth the ticket, and what to skip.
- Buildings you can only see from outsideThe palaces, forts and auberges that look like attractions but are offices, residences and building sites.
- Theatres, historic houses and arts venuesWorking theatres, two opera houses in one Gozo street, arts centres and historic houses you can go inside.
- Watchtowers you can go insideTen coastal towers open to visitors, with the hours the volunteers who run them keep.
- What the museums and temples costAdmission to every major Heritage Malta site, which tickets cover two places, and when they all close.
- Things to do with kidsWhere children are happy here, sorted by age and stamina.
- Free things to do in MaltaThe best of Malta that costs nothing, and how to reach it on a bus.
- Rainy day and indoor ideasWhat to do when it rains, which in Malta is rarer than you think.
- Nightlife in MaltaWhere the night goes, from Paceville to the quieter alternatives.
- Temples and prehistoryTemples older than the pyramids, and how to visit them.
- Film locations in MaltaWhere Gladiator, Troy and Game of Thrones were shot, and what survives.
- The outdoors in MaltaCliffs, salt pans, coastal walks and the parts of Malta with no buildings.
A few of the most popular sites cannot be entered without a booking.
Three ways in
Temples, forts and a Caravaggio
The megalithic temples are older than Stonehenge. The Co-Cathedral holds the largest painting Caravaggio ever made. The war rooms under Valletta ran the defence of the island.
Only one of them needs booking ahead. It is the Hypogeum.
Museums and historic sites
Cliffs, coast and salt pans
There is almost no wilderness here and a great deal of coast. Everything worth walking for is where the limestone meets the sea, and most of it is on a bus route.
October to April is the walking season. June to September, go early or late.
The outdoors in Malta
Beaches, boats and diving
Every bay on the islands is public and free. The diving is among the best in the Mediterranean, and a lot of it you can walk into from the shore.
Which coast works changes daily with the wind, so check before you commit to a bay or a boat.
Which bay is sheltered todayBook a boat trip
The Hypogeum caps visitor numbers by the hour and sells out weeks in advance. Comino needs a free pre-booked slot for the Blue Lagoon, and in July and August the boats fill too. Everything else you can decide on the morning.
What changes with the season
You get the best walking of the year, and the island is green.
- The countryside is green from February to April and burnt brown by June, so put the walking days early in the trip.
- The sea does not really warm up until May. Treat a beach day as a coast day and you will not be disappointed.
- Holy Week moves every year and changes opening hours across a lot of towns. Check the dates before you fix a day to Valletta.
Everything is open and everything is busy. The heat sets the timetable.
- The midday heat limits you more than the distance does. Start early, stop between one and four, then go out again in the evening.
- The Blue Lagoon needs a slot booked in advance. It is free, but it is not optional.
- Beaches fill from mid-morning, and the northern buses fill with them. A full bus will drive straight past your stop.
The sea is still warm and the crowds have gone. Many people prefer October for that reason.
- The water lags the air by about a month, so swimming is still on the table through October.
- The Valletta harbour ferries switch to their winter timetable on 1 November, and the last crossing comes earlier than people expect.
- Rain returns in November. Keep one flexible day rather than booking every morning.
Swap the beach days for walking days and the itineraries still work.
- The sea is too cold for most people, so every beach day in these routes becomes a coast walk instead.
- Comino boats run to a reduced service or stop altogether, so treat the Blue Lagoon as a summer plan.
- The sites and the museums are almost empty in winter, so this is a good time to walk round them.