What to do in Malta

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The first time we heard about Malta was pure coincidence (Thanks RyanAir!). We were looking for places to visit that wouldn’t leave us broke, so we looked up “cheapest flights leaving form Paris” and there it was, the first option read Valletta. It seemed too perfect to be true, so we hesitated: how can it be SO cheap, have nice weather and be a Mediterranean island… there had to be a catch, maybe accommodation was expensive? Maybe food was expensive? Did we need a visa? The answer to all of those was no, it really was the perfect travel destination for cheap, so we bought it!

We knew nothing about this country…literally nothing. We shortly found out that it is an important member state of the EU, thus they use euros (one less thing to worry about), they speak English (we would have no problem communicating) and the economic crisis didn’t hit them too hard (this explained the reasonable prices for things).

The Maltese language is a mix between Arabic, French, English and Italian. This is due to all the countries that have been there over the years, but they speak really good British English. Malta left the commonwealth in 1964.

So we packed our bags and left for a week in Malta! Now we want to share with you some of our favorite places to visit, foods and general tips that we hope make your trip better or convince you to go, because honestly we love Malta! So much so we went back 4 months after and spent another week.

It’s a pretty long list (bare with us) but we tried to give a lot of options with details so you can have a good time and make good choices about what to do.

Save it to your travel Pinterest board for later!

Where is it	An island in the Mediterranean south of Italy
Language	English and Maltese
Currency	Euro
Capital	Valletta
Airport	Luqa
Tap water	not recommended

Most of the things in the list are free or budget friendly activities. But keep in mind it all depends on what you like and how much you want to spend

Where to stay

• Valletta is hands down the place where you want to stay. Not only because it is the capital, but because its where you will be more connected to the rest of the country.  Many buses begin and end in Valletta, so most trips will require making a change in the capital, that is why you can save a lot of time by being based out of this area. However, the north and Saint Julian’s do cater to tourists as places of stay because of all their restaurants and activities.

• Saint Julian’s – Paceville is a short bus ride away to Valletta. If you like to go out for some drinks or clubbing, this might be the place for you.
• Sliema is ferry ride away from Valetta, but offer cheaper accommodation while still being close to the capital. It is sandwiched between Saint Julian’s and Valletta. It is also significantly more relaxed than its neighbors.

• Mdina is also a good area to stay at if you like more traditional neighborhoods, but it will probably be expensive since it is a walled city and the space is limited. This was R’s favorite place in Malta.

• Qawra-Buggiba is a part that has many hotels that are more family friendly and close to the wonderful beaches of the north such as Golden Bay or Rivera Beach. It is worth mentioning that it is a bit of a hustle to always have a change in Valetta when you stay here, because all buses do stop at the capital which makes the trip a bit longer. This is also one of the places where scuba diving is practiced– if you are into that kind of stuff.

Tip: You can get a cheap unlimited bus pass for 21 euros a week (15 for children). Or single tickets for 2 euros. Buses are the main form of transportation and you can visit the whole country by bus. However, it is worth mentioning that you might have to wait quite a bit for a bus especially in a remote place (sometimes up to an hour) but you can always take any bus to Valletta and figure it out from there. Also, there are very few night buses, specially during the weekends, so make sure to check what time does the last bus come to avoid getting stranded and having to dish out top dollar for a cab ride.

Must sees

• You enter Valletta through the bridge and city gate, which are the best welcome you could receive upon your arrival to europe’s smallest capital. The Triton fountain in front of them is also something you can’t miss. The best thing to do in the city is getting lost in its streets, just walk around and enjoy the balconies and little plazas all around, such as St. George’s square.

• The city has one of the oldest churches in the world: St. John’s Cathedral. It’s guaranteed to catch your eye, so you won’t miss it.

• You can also visit the Barrakka gardens and the Upper Barrakka gardens, where you will have an amazing panoramic view of the other cities. On sundays, they fire the cannons if that’s something that might interest you.

• The Manuel theater is beloved for its baby blue ceiling and antique decor. We have never thought of ranking our favorite theaters, but this one is likely to snatch first place. They have guided tours for you to visit the interior, but we recommend checking their calendar and going to see a performance so you can have the full experience.

• Fort St. Telmo is another gem of the city tat you have to try and visit.

• Fort St. Angelo is across the harbor from Valletta so you can either see it from a far or visit it.

• Leaving the capital, you should visit Mosta Dome. Honesty no words can describe how much we liked this place. As hard as it may be to fathom, it was bombarded by the Germans in WW2. Miraculously, the massive bomb (which has a replica in the church) did not detonate.

• Mdina is another small city you should definitely visit. Was Matla’s old capital and you can see why once you walk in. A walled city made of yellow rock. It feels like you travelled back in time. Make sure to take a photo inside the police stands and the red telephone booths haha!

tip: Once you are there, make sure to try the chocolate cake at Fontanella. You can take it to go and walk up the wall so you can enjoy the view while eating.

• The 3 cities: Cospicua, Senglea and Birgu are very close to each other and you can visit them in one day. They are ancient and you can learn more about the country’s history while roaming their streets. Also you can walk around the harbor and see some of the most expensive boats in the world.

• Marsaxlokk is the fisherman’s city in Malta. It’s know for its traditional fishing boats that are very colorful and its good sea food. It is a little bit further but totally worth the trip! We had some of the best octopus and shrimp we have ever tried for a very reasonable price.

Beaches/ where to swim

• While you visit Marsaxlokk you should make your way to St. Peter’s pool. It’s one of the coolest places we have ever visited and our favorite place in Malta. It is a rock formation that creates a pool of calm salty waters. You have to hike a bit to get there but walking through the fields is part of the experience.

• Golden Bay is the postcard beach from Malta. You can hang out here and enjoy the sun, but you can also hike up the side mountain. It’s a walk next to the coast line and the views are breath taking. We decided not to go back the same way, so we had to hitch hike or way back to “civilization” but there are buses that would take you back too.

• Ghajn Tuffiha and Pretty Beach are also worth visiting if you feel like switching up your tanning and swimming spot.

• Blue Grotto is a popular place to dive and take boats to see the caves and crystal clear waters. For 8 euros you can take the tour boats and enjoy.

Where to eat

• Our favorite thing to eat in Malta are Bigilla, a chickpea pastry that you can find in every corner and restaurant.

• Rabbit is one of Malta’s specialties. We had Rabbit risotto in Trabuxu, a restaurant full of character and gourmet perfection

• Da pipo in Valetta also has amazing food, but it is so successful it only opens for lunch

If you have extra time or want to visit other places

• Hagar Qim, hypogeum and Tarxien temples if you like cave men, anthropology and history. They are among the oldest sites on earth

• Gozo is the other big island in Malta. It is somewhat rural and you can take a tour bus to go around if you like. To get there you can take a ferry that is no too expensive. There is a church in the middle of no where that is worth the visit if you can. Legend has it that this is the island where Medusa lived in.

• Comino is the third small island. There is no t much there but you can have a day trip to swim in the crystal clear waters. There are tour boats that take you. We did it the budget friendly way and took the ferry

• Last but not least, the aquarium in Buggiba is a great day activity if you ran out of things (you probably won’t) or if you are traveling with kinds.

We hope this guide helps you. We really love Malta and wish to share its beauty with everyone. Hope you enjoy your time as much as we did. We still dream about it and chances are we will go back one day.

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