Things to do in Malta

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are a nice place to sit in the shade and just chill for a while or look out at the panoramic views of the Mediterranean's only natural harbour.

If you’re there at the right time you can watch the midday saluting of the battery. This is a tradition where a cannon is fired to signify midday to all the residents of Valletta. For a closer look, you can pay €3 per person to access the lower terrace, below the gardens, where the historic cannons are kept. Alternatively, you can arrive early enough to get a front row spot and enjoy the cannon fire from the garden terrace, free of charge.

We love a walking tour and usually try to find a ‘free’ (pay in tips) tour with a local guide. However, this time we decided to opt for a self-guided audio tour, to allow ourselves time to stop and pop into museums or discuss the information, which you can’t do on a group tour. As this is still a walking tour option you get to see a good proportion of the city as you walk between stops and hopefully explore areas you might not have otherwise visited!

The audio tour we chose cost £10.93 but as we shared the headphones between us this cost was halved per person. What we liked about the tour was that it gave an overview of the highlights of each museum and the building’s original use. You can then decide which ones peak your interest and choose to go in. 

You can explore the empty remnants of Fort St. Elmo, a fortress built right on the end of the Valletta peninsula. When we visited, the outer wall of the fort was very quiet with hardly any other visitors around, giving it a slightly eerie feeling. Nonetheless the views out to sea and across the harbour from the fort were amazing. 

The Fort St. Elmo ticket also gives you access to the National War Museum, which is housed within parts of the fort. There are war artefacts and uniforms on display, which show Malta's history from its earliest settlements to the present day. The exhibits are multi-media, with text, video and audio giving you information on the lives of soldiers who lived there, such as their tasks and drills. 

Adult tickets cost €10 but they offer a student ticket for €7.50. The fort and museum are both included in the ticket price and are also on the heritage pass and iseemalta pass. 

As with our trip to Valletta, we opted for a self-guided audio tour, allowing us the freedom to explore at our own pace. This meant we could pause when we saw something we wanted to explore further.  For just £4.28, we shared one audio guide between us that told stories of dungeons, Vilhena Palace, the monastery, Xara Palace, and intriguing ghost tales at each stop.

During our visit to Mdina we saw plenty of guided tours if you’d rather pay a little bit extra to have a local show you around and give you all of the interesting facts that way instead. Tour guides can also answer any questions you might have, unlike audio guides!

St Paul’s Cathedral was supposedly built at the location where St Paul met with a Roman Governor after his shipwreck on the island. The museum has an impressive collection of paintings, artefacts, and wooden furniture. You can descend into the underground vaults to discover remnants of Roman structures. Inside the cathedral, make sure you stop and admire the marble tombstones that line the floors, each adding insight to the centuries of history of the city. 

During your visit to Mdina, we recommend you venture beyond the city walls to Rabat to explore the ancient catacombs of St. Paul, located just a 15 min walk away. The tickets are included in the iseemalta pass or you can buy your tickets on the day for just £5. When you’re purchasing your ticket, don’t forget to download the free audio guide available at the counter, as we didn’t see any other download opportunities. 

Be careful you don't miss the first catacomb located on the same side of the road as the museum, which is easily overlooked, but is probably the biggest in size. Then, cross over the road to explore the smaller catacombs, each with its own pavilion nestled within a shady, peaceful cemetery. We spent approximately 2 hours here exploring the numerous Christian, Pagan and Jewish catacombs. 

It's worth noting that the catacombs are below ground and the tight spaces may not be suitable for people with claustrophobia or taller individuals, like Will!

Head to Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra Archaeological Park if you’re interested in seeing some Neolithic temples constructed from Megaliths (big rocks!). The first stop is the indoor museum where lots of the artefacts found at the site are preserved and on display for visitors to see. Then step outside and walk over to Ħaġar Qim, the smaller of the two temples. My favourite thing about this first temple was the special window carved in the rock that perfectly frames the solstice sun! Next we took a short five-minute walk downhill to Mnajdra. It's a bit of a steep hill, so just bear this in mind if  you have mobility issues. 

We recommend that you plan to spend about 1 to 1.5 hours here if you're not a hardcore megalithic temple enthusiast. Tickets are €10 per person but they’re included in the Heritage Pass and iSeeMalta Pass if you've got one.

Our top tip for your visit is to remember to download the free audio guide from the visitors centre before you start exploring. It's like having your own personal tour guide, giving you information and facts on everything from construction techniques and evidence of how the temples were used to the significance of using such big blocks when building temples. 

An absolute must do during your time in Malta is to visit the islands of Comino and Gozo. You start your trip by boarding a boat at either Sliema or St. Paul’s Bay, whichever is closer to your accommodation. For us, boarding at St. Paul’s, the boat ride to Gozo took about 35 minutes. You can pass the time admiring the sea views and enjoying snacks or drinks from the bar, and don’t worry - there's a toilet on board if you need it!

When you arrive at Gozo you can get a minibus return transfer to the Citadella for €5 per person (cash only). It’s cheaper than a taxi, and we recommend snapping a photo of your minibus’s number plate for the return journey as you need to travel back with the same driver. Exploring the Citadella by foot is free and there are lots of informative plaques detailing the history of the buildings. For €5, you can purchase a museum pass, but the museums are small, so it’s only worth it if you’re particularly interested in the museum subjects. Don’t miss walking along the north fortifications for incredible views before heading back to the boat for your transfer to Comino. 

On Comino island, you can enjoy a boat tour of the rock formations and the crystal-clear waters of the lagoon before spending the rest of your time on the golden sand beaches. You can treat yourself to a signature pineapple drink (€8 non-alcoholic, €10 with alcohol), we ended up sharing one as they’re quite large! While free deck chairs are available on the beach, rather than being relaxing, the atmosphere leans more towards a lively party vibe, with various music sources competing in the background. 

Our ticket for the combined tour was included in our iseemalta pass but you can buy tickets for the tour on getyourguide for £20-25. Just make sure you know the timings for your provider and get to your departure points on time, you don’t want to be left behind on one of the islands!

We found that Malta’s hop-on hop-off buses are a great way to explore the island and to get transport directly to the attractions you want to visit. An added bonus is that the buses offer an audio commentary for you to listen to as you enjoy the views of the Maltese countryside and townscapes. During our travels, we learned about Malta’s iconic salt pans and their importance, spotted coastal watchtowers used for signaling during attacks and gained insight into the importance of the Knights of St. John. Our favourite fact from the bus tour was that they have an old military town called Pembroke, which is actually twinned with the Welsh Pembroke!

Things to bear in mind is that there are two main hop-on hop-off bus operators in Malta: City Sightseeing (included in the iseemalta pass) and Hello Malta, so make sure you’re waiting at the right bus stop for your operator! We also think it’s worth noting that during our visit we found that the buses don’t exactly run to schedule,so don’t rely on them being punctual!

We definitely recommend that you take a harbour cruise from Sliema to Valletta during your time in Malta. It’s such a great way to enjoy being on the water with stunning coastal views, whilst learning about Malta's rich maritime heritage. One of our favourite facts was about the French Creek that we visited, which is named after Napoleon as this was where he first anchored.

We recommend that you arrive about 20mins before the departure time to secure the best seats on the boat, by the water and sitting on the right side of the boat for the best views.

We opted for City Sightseeing as the provider for our cruise as it was included in the iseemalta pass. You can also buy tickets on the day for €10. We liked that they have set prices that are clearly displayed, other local providers are available, but they don't display the prices, which made us question whether they would vary the pricing and the vendors are quite pushy to sell.

The Blue Grotto is a must-visit tourist destination on the southern Maltese coast. We paid €10 per person, but it’s important to note that it’s cash only. If you’ve run out of cash by the time you get there though, don’t worry – there's an ATM conveniently located in the café next to the launch point.

As we were awaiting our turn, we noticed that the boats were leaving pretty much continuously, even during our visit in March. However, we think it’s wise to build in extra time for queues, particularly during the bustling summer months. Once aboard, we were provided with life vests for safety during our 25-minute journey through waves. During the trip your boat stops at several caves including the Cat's Cave, not just the Blue Grotto.

If you want to hang around after your boat trip, you can take some time to explore the area's shops and cafes, which serve food and drinks while soaking in the ocean views.

Għar  Dalam is an interesting cave showing evidence of its prehistoric occupants located near Marsaxlokk. As with many of the heritage sites on Malta, Għar Dalam has a free audio guide, which offers insights into the local flora and fauna, as well as the structures dotting the valley outside, including a lookout tower and a World War II pillbox. Just don't forget to download the audio guide from the QR code at the ticket desk before you begin your exploration, as there were no links available throughout the site.

Before entering the cave, you can explore the museum, where you can learn about the local stratigraphy and the animal inhabitants of the past. Then, during your visit you can journey 60 metres into the cave, where the audio guide tells you about previous excavations, rock formations, and layers that reveal the geological history of the area. My favourite fact was about the unique cave woodlouse that is found only in this cave and a nearby one.

We recommend setting aside 1 to 1.5 hours for your visit to Għar Dalam Cave. Tickets are priced at €6.50 per person or are included in the Heritage and iSeeMalta passes.