Malta is small enough to cross in an hour and dense enough to fill a fortnight. People get this wrong in both directions. Some try to see everything in three days and spend the trip in a hire car. Others book a week in Sliema and never find the half of the country worth the bus fare.
These pages cover the practical side. When to come, how long you need, what it costs, what the weather is doing, and the small administrative details worth knowing in advance.
- About MaltaSize, population, languages, currency, phone codes and the numbers worth knowing.
- First time in MaltaWhat to know before you land, and the handful of things worth sorting out on day one.
- Best time to visit MaltaMonth by month: sea temperature, crowds, heat and what is open.
- How many days do you need in MaltaHow long you need for Malta, Gozo and Comino without spending the trip in a car.
- Malta itinerariesRoutes that work, from a long weekend to a fortnight, built around real travel times.
- Trip budget and costsWhat a day here costs in practice, from coffee to car hire.
- Know before you goPlugs, water, tipping, pharmacies, driving side and the rest of the small print.
- Getting online in MaltaRoaming, travel eSIMs and local SIM cards, compared on price, and which one you need.
- Travel insurance for MaltaWhat a policy for Malta needs to cover, and the exclusions that catch divers out.
- Luggage storage in MaltaWhere to leave bags between checkout and a late flight, and what it costs.
- Visas and entry requirementsWho needs a visa, who does not, and what to have ready at the border.
- Malta weather and sea temperatureSea temperature, wind and what the forecast means for your day.
- Malta with kidsWhere the islands are easy with children, and where they are not.
- Malta with dogsDog-friendly beaches, transport rules and where a dog is welcome.
- Malta soloMalta alone: getting around, eating out and where solo travellers cluster.
- Accessible MaltaStep-free routes, accessible beaches and what the terrain really demands.
- Malta on a budgetDoing Malta cheaply without missing the point of it.
- Malta for cruise passengersOne day in port: what is reachable from Valletta and what is not worth the taxi.
Most of Malta is free to walk into. A few sites need booking and they fill up.
Three things worth knowing first
Pick the month before anything else
The month decides more than the hotel does. It sets the price, the crowds, and whether the sea is warm enough to swim in.
April, May, September and October are the sweet spots. July and August are hot, full and expensive.
Month by month
The wind decides where you swim
Wind decides where you can swim. The islands have coast facing every direction, so there’s nearly always somewhere sheltered.
A bay that’s like glass one morning can be unusable the next. Swap the bay rather than the plan.
Which bay is sheltered today
Whether you need a car depends on where you stay
Based in Sliema, St Julian’s, Valletta or the Three Cities, you can leave the car alone. The buses reach almost everywhere and cost very little, and the harbour ferries beat the road on several journeys people insist on driving.
A car is most useful in the north and the west, and in Gozo. It also helps at the bays that sit at the end of a track with no bus service. Plenty of people hire for two or three days in the middle of a trip rather than for the whole week.
Buses, ferries and car hireCompare car hire
The most useful habit here is checking which way the wind is blowing before you decide where to swim. A bay that is glass in a westerly is unswimmable in a Grigal (the north-east wind). The beach picker does that calculation for every bay on the islands, every ten minutes.
Getting around the islands
How you travel decides how much of Malta you see. These cover the airport, the buses, the ferries and whether a hire car earns its keep.
- Malta Airport guideArrivals, transport into town, luggage, and how early you really need to be.
- Airport transfersGetting from the airport to your hotel without overpaying at 1am.
- Buses and the Tallinja cardHow the network works, what the Tallinja card saves, and which routes to avoid.
- Ferries in MaltaGozo, Comino and the harbour crossings, with the crossings that save an hour.
- Car hire in MaltaHiring a car here: insurance, deposits, and whether you need one at all.
- Driving in MaltaDriving on the left, Maltese road habits, and the junctions to respect.
- Parking and the CVAWhere you can leave a car, what the kerb colours mean, and how the Valletta CVA charge works.
- Taxis and taxi appsBolt, eCabs and white taxis: what each costs and when to use which.
- Scooters, bikes and walkingScooters, e-bikes and walking, and where the pavements give out.
- Getting to SicilyThe catamaran to Sicily, how often it runs and whether it is worth it.
Where to stay
Where you base yourself matters more here than in most places, because the island is small but the traffic is not.
- Which area should I stay inSliema, St Julian’s, Valletta, Gozo or the south: how to choose.
- Where to stay with familiesPlaces that work with children, with pools, space and a short walk to food.
- Where to stay for couplesQuiet, characterful places for two, away from the strip.
- Where to stay on a budgetHostels, guesthouses and cheap stays that are not grim.
- Gozo farmhousesConverted farmhouses with private pools, and why Gozo does them best.
- Accessible staysStep-free stays and the accessibility questions worth asking first.
- Where to stay for nightlifeStaying where the night is, and how much sleep you are trading.
- Luxury stays in MaltaThe luxury end, and what the money buys.
- Long stays in MaltaMonthly rates, winter lets and staying long enough to need a washing machine.
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