Malta is small enough to cross in an hour and dense enough to fill two weeks. Three inhabited islands, Malta, Gozo and tiny Comino, hold Neolithic temples older than the pyramids, a Baroque capital built by crusading knights, walled hill towns, fishing villages and some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean. The trick is not seeing everything but booking the few things that sell out, and pacing the rest.
What to book before you fly
One ticket matters more than any other: the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, the underground Neolithic necropolis in Paola. Only ten people are allowed in at a time, so regular tickets often sell out weeks or months ahead. Book it as soon as your dates are firm, then plan the rest of that day around your slot. If you plan to swim at the Blue Lagoon on Comino in the busy season, check the free online booking system, introduced in 2025, which assigns timed slots and caps numbers; many boat operators handle it for you. Popular Gozo tours and harbour cruises sell well in summer but rarely need more than a few days’ notice.
How the islands fit together
Valletta, the capital, sits on a peninsula between two harbours on Malta’s east coast. Across Marsamxett Harbour are Sliema and St Julian’s, the busy modern resort strip; across the Grand Harbour are the Three Cities, where the Knights first settled. Mdina sits on a ridge in the island’s centre. In the far north, Cirkewwa is the port for Gozo, with Comino and its Blue Lagoon in the channel between. Gozo is greener and slower, a world of its own once you step off the ferry.
Getting around
Malta has an extensive public bus network centred on the Valletta terminal outside City Gate; it is cheap but can be slow and crowded in summer. Ferries are the secret weapon: the Sliema ferry crosses Marsamxett to Valletta in minutes, and the Three Cities ferry leaves from below the Upper Barrakka Gardens, reached by the Barrakka Lift. For Gozo, take the car and passenger ferry from Cirkewwa to Mgarr, or the fast ferry from Valletta. If you are short on time and have no car, the hop-on hop-off bus covers both halves of the island and includes a harbour cruise. Driving is on the left, roads are busy, and parking in Valletta is hard; you do not need a car in the capital.
The headline sights, in order
Start in Valletta with a guided walking tour to get your bearings, then step inside St John’s Co-Cathedral for its gilded interior and Caravaggio’s Beheading of Saint John the Baptist; remember it is closed on Sundays. Be at the Upper Barrakka Gardens for the noon or 4pm gun salute, fired Monday to Saturday from the Saluting Battery below. Take a harbour cruise from Sliema to see the fortifications from the water, then cross to the Three Cities for Fort St Angelo and the Gardjola view. Give Mdina a late afternoon and evening, when the Silent City lives up to its name. Fit the Hypogeum around your booked slot. Finally, give a full day to the islands: the Blue Lagoon on Comino and Gozo, either separately or combined on one boat day.
How many days
Three full days covers Valletta, the Three Cities, Mdina and one island day, at a brisk pace. Five days is ideal for a first trip: two in and around Valletta, one for Mdina and the north, one for Comino, and one for Gozo, ideally with a night there. A week lets you add beaches, the southern temples and Marsaxlokk’s Sunday fish market, and slow down to Maltese time.
When to go
Spring and autumn are the sweet spots: warm sea from June into October, comfortable walking weather in April, May, October and November. High summer is hot and crowded, with the islands at their busiest in July and August. Winter is mild, quiet and good for sightseeing, though some boat trips run less often and swimming is for the brave.
A few local habits
Dress modestly in churches, with shoulders and knees covered. Many museums and churches close on Sundays or have shorter hours. Eat pastizzi, the flaky ricotta or pea pastries sold everywhere, and try rabbit stew, a national dish. Wear shoes with grip: Valletta’s streets are steep, stepped and polished smooth. And look up at the enclosed wooden balconies, painted in every colour, that give the capital its character.