Malta: Mini Guide
Caleb and I LOVED Malta! While it is becoming more popular, it still feels undiscovered and is just as stunning as more famous places like Greece and Italy!
Oh, and don’t get us started on the food and wine! They are so fresh and delicious and feel like Europe’s hidden gem for foodies!
OVERVIEW
When it comes to where to stay in Malta, we recommend staying in Sliema for MOST of your time, but also spending at least one night in Gozo. While you could do Gozo as a day trip (and many do!) we loved having the evening to be able to really explore without having to rush back and catch the ferry. We chose Sliema opposed to Malta as it has more bars and restaurants and is way cheaper!
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In terms of getting around, your BEST bet is to use a combo of walking and renting a scooter (once you get there.) If you are nervous about renting a scooter you can use the bus system which is good, but slower. Or use BOLT which is like uber and is widely available around Malta. IMPORTANT: if you don’t have a motorcycle license you will only be able to rent a really slow scooter (50cc)
Below, you’ll find a few options for where we stayed and some of the places we had as backup after all our research, so we feel confident recommending them! We’ve picked options
that balance comfort with affordability, so you can save your euros for all the delicious food, wine, and unforgettable experiences Malta has to offer!
ITINERARY
DAY 1: Land and spend the day exploring Sliema.
WHERE TO STAY:
we LOVED this basement suite in an old, historic house. Amazing location and fantastic hosts.
DAY 2: Explore Valletta and go on this awesome food tour. We LOVED it. We got to try all the best traditional food at local spots!
DAY 3: Use Bolt to go to wine tasting. Make sure you book in advance! We recommend Marsovin, Ta’betta and Meridiana. You can go right in that order from Valletta, or cut out one of them if 3 is too many, or if the timing doesn’t work for bookings.
DAY 4: Take a day trip to the Blue Grotto. You could book this tour, which also takes you to Mdina and the Dingli cliffs and gives you an extra day to play with tomorrow, OR get there yourself! To get there yourself either take a scooter or BOLT or public transport to Wied iż-Żurrieq. Then, wait in line to take a local boat trip! You can also quickly hike up from the bus stop and see the grotto from an overlooking cliff.
DAY 5: Day trip to Mdina and Rabat.
DAY 6: Hike from the tiny town of Marsaskala to Marsaxlokk fishing village. This will take about 2-3 hours. Either Bolt or scooter to Marsakala from Sliema then hike and BOLT or scooter back. If you can, go on a Sunday because it’s the famous fish market in Marsaxlokk.
DAY 7: Bus, scooter, or BOLT to St. Paul’s Bay catacombs in the morning, then St Pauls bay and explore for the early afternoon. After, head to Cirkewwa and take a ferry to Comino Island to explore the Blue Lagoon. Or, you could go straight to the blue lagoon if you want an entire beach day. Then, take the ferry to Gozo. Ferry schedules here.
WHERE TO STAY:
Most central in Victoria, Gozo: Splendid House Victoria Gozo OR La Fenice by Giancarlo
BUT, we stayed in Nadur at Ta’ Martin Dun B&B and LOVED it. If you don’t have a cooter though, Victoria is a better option.
DAY 8: Explore Gozo. If you want more wine, make a booking at Ta mena estates! AMAZING.
DAY 9: Head back to Sliema. You could stop at Popeyes village and Mellieħa village to explore, but it was more for families. We recommend stopping in Mgarr and eating traditional rabbit from that area.
Of course, if you don’t want to have to check in and out of your hotel, just do a Gozo day trip – we are sharing some good options for organized day trips below!
DAY 10: Head home!
NOTES: if you have more time, another day in Valletta would be lovely and so would another day in Gozo. This is just an itinerary to maximize time to see the most of the island if you only have 10 days!
What to Eat:
CLICK HERE for our ultimate Google Map of all the spots we ate at. If we didn’t LOVE it, we didn’t put it on the map…and you know we spend lots of time doing food research!
What to Do:
We’ve linked some of our favorite tours along with some of the must-see spots. Don’t miss any of the spots we outlined in the itinerary either!
- This food tour allowed us to eat all the best traditional eats without having to make reservations or spend time researching!
- Go on a tour around the main sites of the island to save yourself the planning and transport hassle.
- Go on a Catamaran tour of the Blue Lagoon and other prime swimming locations so you don’t have to arrange transport yourself!
- Get a private boat to Gozo and an epic Jeep tour instead of organizing your own ferry and day trip!
- Feeling bougie? Charter your own PRIVATE boat around the island!
- Go on a walking tour of Valletta to learn the city and history.
- Make things romantic with a sunset cruise of the Blue Lagoon
Our Best Travel Resources:
Here are some of our best overall travel resources to make your trip better/easier! These apply to anywhere you visit in the world:
- Our ultimate Europe travel guide with EVERYTHING you need to know.
- Check out our master list of all the best activities we’ve done across the world.
- Check out our master list of hotels we’ve stayed at across the world!
- We save the most money on flights using this service.
- These are all the traveling essentials that we use and recommend!
- Our favorite platform to find tours – from bucket list items to cheaper admission to popular attractions.
- We score the cheapest deals on rental cars with this site.
- How we get free service in all the countries we travel to without wifi.
- Or, our favorite SIM card company if you don’t want to change phone service carriers.
- We love this pass for getting into swanky airport lounges for free. (CCC readers get 20-30% off yearly membership!)
If you use any of our tips, please tag us on Instagram @culturecravingcouple!
We love seeing you travel!
