MARCH 2022
Malta is a super fun, diverse location to visit in Europe. If you are craving some sun, you can get lots of sunshine in Malta year-round. I personally found this one of the most exotic destinations I got to visit recently, as I haven’t left Europe in two years as a consequence of the pandemic. Malta is located close to Italy, so you will definitely catch some Italian vibes, but at times it also reminded me of Havana, Basque country and Central-America. Malta is a visual feast and very easy to travel around by car. In this blogpost I comprised a six day, seven night itinerary, which I think is the perfect amount of time to spend on Malta. Even though I would have loved to enjoy the November sunshine longer!
Day 1 & 2: Valletta
We started off our trip in Valletta, which is the capital city of Malta and UNESCO world heritage. I highly recommend staying in Valletta for at least two nights, so you can explore all it has to offer. If you are staying in or very near the old city center of Valletta this is a bit pricier than the nearby villages, but I think it is well worth it as it gives you the opportunity to do some exploring early in the day, without the crowds. We visited in November, which is shoulder season in Malta, there were people in the streets of Valletta, but it wasn’t overly crowded. I wrote a separate blogpost about my time in Valletta, which you can find here. If you are looking for a budget option to stay in Malta, the surrounding villages, such as Sliema offer many budget friendly accomodations. Sliema is only a short ferry ride away from the center of Valletta.
Day 3: Daytrip Gozo
Malta consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo & Comino. Gozo is the greenest island of Malta and I highly recommend bringing a visit. You can bring your car on the ferry for € 15,70, additional passengers cost € 4,65 and the crossing takes about 30 minutes. We just drove up in the ferry port, bought our tickets and were able to board the next ferry. I don’t think it is possible to make a reservation. The cliffs and countryside of Gozo are absolutely stunning and such a welcome change from the densily populated main island. You can find my blogpost about Gozo here.
Day 4: Comino – Blue Lagoon
One of the most famous sights of Malta is the Blue Lagoon, which is located on a different island: Comino. We did not expect to be able to visit Comino, as we were visiting in November and the water can be very rough in that time of the year. However, we were surprised with sunny weather all week and decided to schedule a trip to Comino. We behaved very decadent and booked a private boat with Outdoor Explorers Malta for € 200. It is much cheaper to book a group tour or take a ferry, but as we are traveling with a baby I didn’t want to be stuck on an island and a boat for a full day. We booked the shortest tour possible, which was 2 hours and I would have loved a longer tour so we would have been able to do more exploring (but baby’s gotta sleep). If you go with a group tour, they schedule in some time so you can take a swim, do some sunbathing and hike the island, seems like great value! The Blue Lagoon was super beautiful, and I loved the dramatic cliffs with the azure water. Water temperatures were still okay in November and Hielke took a dip. The Blue Lagoon can get super busy in summer time, so if you want some privacy an early private tour is your best option.
On our way back to our hotel we also visited the Popeye themepark viewpoint, a very popular Instagram spot. It definitely is fun to see, but I didn’t find it a highlight at all. I wouldn’t do this drive just for the viewpoint.
Day 5: Mdina & Blue Grotto
Mdina is one of the most beautiful villages on Malta. A big part of the city center is carfree, making you feel like you are in an open air museum. If you visit during spring/summer you will find many bougainvilleas in bloom, making Mdina even more romantic. They finished blooming when we visited, so I added some Photoshop to my pictures 😉 We stayed in nearby Rabat for five nights, which I really liked as a location as it gives you plenty of opportunity to visit Mdina. Mdina was incredibly laid back in November, it is called the Silent City after all. However restaurants did fill up quickly for lunch. There are some good dinner spots, my favorite one was the Italian restaurant Trattoria AD 1530. I personally love beautiful doors and Mdina and Rabat are full of them.
Another activity that is worthwhile is the Blue Grotto viewpoint. We did a little illegal hike to take the second picture. The official viewpoint has fences, so it is very difficult to take a good pic with the Blue Grotto. If you are looking for some more action, you can also book a boat to visit the Blue Grotto from inside.
Day 6: Marsaxlokk & St Peters Pool
Marsaxlokk is the sight on Malta that surprised me most. It is an incredibly cute little fisher town, full of colorful boats and seaside restaurants. I didn’t expect this town to be so lively and colorful and was very happy we brought a visit.
Near Marsaxlokk you will find St Peters Pool, which is one of the most beautiful swimming spots on Malta. I personally found the water a bit wild, but Hielke loved swimming in it. We even spotted a local which kept making the craziest leaps in the pool, which was very entertaining. There aren’t a lot of parking spots nearby, so make sure to arrive early to secure your spot.
