Malta
Malta packs seven thousand years into an archipelago you can cross in an afternoon.
Valletta, the honey-stone capital the Knights of St John built after the Great Siege of 1565, is a whole city on a peninsula, with a gilded cathedral holding Caravaggio’s greatest painting, gardens that look straight down on the Grand Harbour, and a battery of cannons that still fires at noon. Inland, the walled hilltop town of Mdina keeps its silence; under a suburban street in Paola, the Hypogeum is a carved underground temple older than the pyramids. Then come the islands: Comino and its impossibly clear Blue Lagoon, and green, slower Gozo, a short ferry ride away, with Neolithic temples, salt pans and red-sand beaches. This guide books the essentials properly, tells you which tickets sell out weeks ahead and which boats are worth taking, and matches you to the right base, from a grand hotel at Valletta’s gates to a family-run classic above the harbour and a sea-view hotel at Gozo’s ferry port, because on islands this small, where you sleep decides how much of them you see.
St John’s Co-Cathedral
The Knights’ own church: a plain stone facade hiding one of the most lavish Baroque interiors in Europe, a floor of marble tombstones, and Caravaggio’s Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, his largest painting and the only one he signed.
Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum
A three-level underground necropolis carved from living rock more than five thousand years ago, with a chamber that resonates like a bell. Only ten people are inside at a time, so tickets sell out weeks ahead.
Blue Lagoon, Comino
Turquoise water so clear the boats seem to float on air, in a sheltered channel between Comino and the islet of Cominotto. Malta’s most famous swim, now with timed booking in the busy season to control crowds.
The Original Valletta Walking Tour
Three hours on foot through the Knights’ capital with a live guide, from City Gate past St John’s, the Grand Master’s Palace and both Barrakka Gardens to Fort St Elmo. The fastest way to make sense of a city built in a single plan.
The Knights’ own church: a plain stone facade hiding one of the most lavish Baroque interiors in Europe, a floor of marble tombstones, and Caravaggio’s Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, his largest painting and the only one he signed.
Three hours on foot through the Knights’ capital with a live guide, from City Gate past St John’s, the Grand Master’s Palace and both Barrakka Gardens to Fort St Elmo. The fastest way to make sense of a city built in a single plan.
Malta’s best free view: an arcaded garden on Valletta’s bastions looking straight across the Grand Harbour to the Three Cities. Below it, the Saluting Battery fires its guns at noon and 4pm, Monday to Saturday.
A 90-minute guided cruise from Sliema around Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour, past Valletta’s bastions, Fort St Elmo, the Three Cities and the dockyard creeks. The fortifications make most sense from the water.
A three-level underground necropolis carved from living rock more than five thousand years ago, with a chamber that resonates like a bell. Only ten people are inside at a time, so tickets sell out weeks ahead.
Malta’s walled hilltop former capital: honey-stone lanes, noble palaces, a Baroque cathedral and bastion views across the whole island. Free to wander, and at its most magical after the day-trippers leave.
Turquoise water so clear the boats seem to float on air, in a sheltered channel between Comino and the islet of Cominotto. Malta’s most famous swim, now with timed booking in the busy season to control crowds.
Malta’s greener, slower sister island, a short ferry ride away: the hilltop Citadel in Victoria, the Ġgantija temples, salt pans, red-sand Ramla Bay and dramatic Dwejra. Best seen on a guided buggy, quad or jeep tour.
Two open-top routes covering most of Malta in a day or two: the north for Mdina, Mosta and Golden Bay, the south for Marsaxlokk, the Blue Grotto and the temples. A harbour cruise is included.
The fortified harbour towns where the Knights first settled and the Great Siege was won: Fort St Angelo, the Inquisitor’s Palace, quiet lanes and Senglea’s Gardjola lookout. A short ferry hop from Valletta.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Floriana / Valletta City Gate
Malta’s grande dame, just outside Valletta’s City Gate in seven and a half acres of gardens, with a pool set against the bastions, a spa, and the city a five-minute walk away.
Check rates →Valletta
A thirteen-room boutique hotel in a historic Valletta townhouse on St Ursula Street, with a temperature-controlled rooftop pool, a spa in the old cellar and the whole capital within walking distance.
Check rates →St Julian’s / Spinola Bay
A family-run boutique hotel in a townhouse on Spinola Bay, St Julian’s, with sea-view rooms, a rooftop pool, and Zest restaurant downstairs. Fishing boats out front, Valletta a short ride away.
Check rates →Mgarr Harbour, Gozo
A four-star hotel above Mgarr Harbour, Gozo’s ferry port, with views across the channel to Comino, indoor and outdoor pools, a spa and a rooftop restaurant. The easy base for staying over on Gozo.
Check rates →Valletta / Grand Harbour
A family-run Valletta institution on Battery Street, perched above the Grand Harbour, with balconies facing the Three Cities and a sea-view terrace restaurant. Simple rooms, priceless view, budget-friendly rates.
Check rates →Everything a first visit to Malta needs: the tickets to book ahead, how the islands fit together, buses, ferries and boats, how many days to spend, and where the headline sights fit.
The best areas to base yourself in Malta, from the historic capital to the seaside resort strip and the island of Gozo, with a hotel pick for every budget.
