Four routes that work, built around how long you have and how you’re getting about. Each one assumes a central base, one flexible day for wind, and that you would rather see four things well than nine badly.
Two or three things here sell out in summer. Everything else takes walk-ups.
Pick the shape of your trip
Valletta, Mdina and one beach
Day one is Valletta on foot. See the Co-Cathedral, the Upper Barrakka and the Grand Harbour from above, then take the ferry across to the Three Cities for the evening. Day two is Mdina and Rabat in the morning and the catacombs after lunch.
Day three is a bay, picked on the morning for wind rather than booked in advance. All of it works on buses and harbour ferries.
Harbour ferry routes
Add Gozo and the temples
Keep the three day core, then give a full day to Gozo. Take the ferry from Ċirkewwa, see the Citadella in Victoria and Dwejra, and cross back late. Day five goes to the temples in the south and a swim afterwards.
Buses reach all of it. The Gozo day is long, so take the next morning slowly.
The temples, in orderBook a Gozo day trip
The coast and the quiet north
A car changes which beaches are realistic. The north and west coast bays, the cliffs at Dingli, the salt pans and the inland villages all become half day trips instead of expeditions.
Leave the car parked for the Valletta day. The access charge and the parking make driving in pointless when the bus drops you at the gate.
Driving and parking hereCompare car hire
Do Malta first and Gozo second
Spend four nights in Malta for the cities, the temples and the south, then three in Gozo. Sleeping in Gozo is the single biggest upgrade available to a week long trip, because the island changes character once the day boats leave.
Fit Comino in from the Gozo side, where the crossing is short and the early slot is easier to reach.
Markets worth timing a day around
Rules that hold for all four
Do the outdoor things in the morning and the indoor things in the afternoon, especially in summer. Check the wind before you commit to a bay or a boat. Don’t try to pair Gozo with anything else on the same day. And book your Blue Lagoon slot before you build a day around it, because turning up without one doesn’t work.
Getting yourself about
Three of these four routes work on public transport. The one that doesn’t is where a hire car earns its keep. See car hire in Malta for what to expect on insurance, fuel and parking before you book.
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.