Why Malta Should be Your Next Travel Destination

Once upon a time, in the summer of sads of 2023 when the flights were outrageously expensive, inflation was at it’s all time peak, and revenue was at an all time low, I decided to cheer myself up by searching on Airbnb for castles in the Mediterranean that slept 12 or more people, as one does.  I was sad because I’d given away tickets that I had purchased in 2019 to see Elton John’s final tour in Edinburgh, Scotland. Due to a pandemic, a continuing pandemic, and, eventually, a hip injury, the tour had been rescheduled no less than 3 times, eventually landing in a summer where I was more broke than I had ever been and life was outrageously expensive.  We gave our tickets to a dear friend that lives in London and resigned ourselves to the fact that we will die never seeing Elton John.

How incredibly fucking tragic this post is starting out. I assure you there’s a better ending than beginning.

Some people shop for things they won’t buy on the internet – I shop for travel ideas. And as such, a travel idea was born. I happened upon a palace built in the 18th century that was absolutely stunning in the photos. The catch – it was on the island of Malta. After googling “Malta” to determine what and where this country was exactly, I forwarded said palace along to a few friends, who did absolutely the same thing. And then they immediately sent me money and told me to book it.

What started as a fantastical dream turned into a beautiful reality with 12 of my friends. Malta is an absolute treasure trove of history, culture, and beauty. Given that almost everyone I knew had to google information on Malta when I approached them, I would argue that this travel destination is frequently overlooked in favor of larger European destinations. That being said, I’m here to tell you that this small island nation has so much to offer that it deserves a spot on every traveler’s bucket list. From its ancient temples and community festivals to its stunning cliffside swimming holes and endless options for spritzes on ocean boardwalks, Malta is a destination that promises to captivate. Here’s all the reasons and photos that explain exactly why Malta should be your next travel destination.

Reasons Why Malta Should be Your Next Travel Destination

1. History – If your group is interested in both history and that Mediterranean Sea life, then Malta ia a wonderful, under traveled choice. There is a litany of ancient temples, historical sites, and stunning churches to explore. Valetta, Malta’s capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and CUTE CUTE CUTE in every direction thanks to it’s baroque architecture.

2. Cultural Events and Festivals – Throughout the summer, there are village feasts called festas that take place in each community. You’ll need to get the local’s inside info on how to determine when things are being held, however – there’s not any amount of broad information online and we had the timing wrong quite a few times on the celebrations.

3. Dramatic cliffs and crystal blue oceans – While sandy beaches aren’t really a thing on this island, it’s got exploratory cliffs on lock. Charter a boat to visit the blue lagoon and the bays of adjacent small island of Camino. The Blue Grotto, a series of sea caves famous for the vibrant blue waters, is accessibly only by boat as well.  Head to St. Peter’s Pool to launch yourself from the cliffs into the ocean. There’s world class diving here, though we ran out of time in our week to explore the depths of the ocean. If you head to Gozo, take in a sunset at the Azure Window in Dwejra Bay.

4. Great Weather for Year-Round Travel – While this Mediterranean island felt excessively warm to us mountain folk, it wasn’t completely oppressive in June/July.  We just had to make sure that we put our bodies in water every afternoon, which is never a bad plan. Winters in Malta are mild, rarely going below 50°F.  Summers are warm and sunny and Malta boasts over 300 days of sunshine a year.  If you are more interested in exploring historical sites, I would recommend visiting in the spring or the fall, when cooler temps lend themselves to exploring rocky ruins on foot. If you want beaching, yachting, cliff jumping, deep water soloing or other water activities as your focus, the summer is ideal.

5. Michelin Star Restaurants and Private Chefs – Malta’s cuisine boasts a variety of influences due to it’s long history of trade and conquest. Traditional dishes like pastizzi, flaky pastries filled with cheese or peas are found in bakeries and consumed in the morning with coffee by throngs of elderly men who sit around languidly and chat outside coffee shops. Rabbit stew is the national dish and we were served an exceptional version of it by our private chef Matthew, whose meals on the island were the most memorable over the course of our week there. Fresh seafood is easy to come by, often served with an Italian slant.

6. Transportation is Easy AF – It helps that Malta is rather compact, but also, their public transportation is great and they have taxis by demand on app. I was moderately, yet needlessly, concerned before heading to this island that we didn’t rent a passenger van for our large group excursions. It turns out that this concern was completely unfounded. Malta’s on demand taxi service app allows you to order incredibly inexpensive taxies of any size, including large passenger vans, with ease. It was reliable and convenient. Want to head to Gozo and Comino?  Just hop on a ferry.

7. Safe and Welcoming Destination – The Maltese hospitality was fantastic. English is widely spoken, which made it extra easy to communicate and get around. The locals are charming, chatty and funny – they definately live on island time here but I do not blame them. I would feel incredibly comfortable traveling solo here.

Why Malta should be your next travel destination: STAY

• If you are traveling with a group, our stay at Anthony’s 18th century palace was exceptional and memorable. The grounds make you feel as if you are living outside – there are endless terraces to explore, gardens all throughout the house, an amazing pool that offers a perfect respite from the summer heat, and endless outdoor spaces to relax in.
• If you are looking for a few days at a slower, quieter pace, stay on the island of Gozo. It’s peaceful and a bit more sleepy than the island of Malta – think charming villages and the ability to walk everywhere. Hit the local markets and make sure you see the Ġgantija Temples and the Azure Window ruins.
• Valletta, Malta’s capital, is hustling and bustling. If you’re looking for a more vibrant (read: loud) area, this is the place to be. It’s incredibly walkable and offers a great central location for exploring the rest of the island. There’s plenty of restaurants and shops, though our favorite meals were the ones we had at home and up near Mdina, the walled city. You can catch public transportation here easily, as well as ferries.
• Staying in Mdina, Malta’s ancient walled city, or the adjacent neighborhood of Rabat would probably be my first choice if I was traveling with a smaller group. We spent lots of time exploring what’s called “the silent city.” It’s narrow, winding streets I found endlessly charming and picturesque. There’s plenty of museums to explore here, catacombs to walk through, and Michelin starred restaurants to eat at.

Why Malta should be your next travel destination: EAT

• Book private chef Matthew Attard.  Our most memorable meals were Matthews, shared at a communal table on the garden patio of our palace. I booked Matthew for 4 meals total – dinner the night we arrived, a birthday breakfast brunch, dinner the night we came home from our all day yacht excursion, and dinner the night before we departed. Matthew continuously wowed us with his meals, which ranged from swordfish steaks to lobster raviolis, to burrata over freshly grown and marinated tomatoes to rabbit bolognese.
• Book a table in the grotto at The Grotto Tavern.  Our tasting experience was absolutely wonderful and a very reasonably priced experience.
• The Fontanella Tea Garden in the walled city of Mdina was one of our standout experiences. Make sure you ask to be seated on the patio upstairs and enjoy spritzes, sandwiches, and delectable cakes and desserts while overlooking the valley below.
• L’enoteca is a quaint tucked away wine bar that you should visit after wandering the catacombs of Rabat. I had some of my favorite wine of the trip there thanks to our server’s suggestions.
• Our favorite meal in Valetta was at Italian Restaurant Zero Sei, where they purported “we speak very poor english, but we cook a very good carbonara.” They do, in fact, cook a very good carbonara.
• Pop into Ellul Wines and Spirits to take advantage of 2 for one aperol spritzes while you are wandering the streets of Valetta. Tucked into a narrow back alley side street, it’s a cool respite from the hot streets and those 2 for one spritzes always hit.
• Did you drink too many spritzes? Calm that tipsiness down with burgers from Burgers.ink.  There are multiple locations all over the island.
• The best wine tasting experience to be had on the island is at the Meridiana Wine Estate. Although wine is incredibly cheap all over the island, this local vineyard’s stands out amongst the rest of what we consumed. Our tasting experience was also exceptional – it came with a tour and an unbelievable amount of cheese and charcuterie.

Why Malta should be your next travel destination: EXPLORE

• St. Peter’s Pool – Dramatic coastal scenery?  CHECK CHECK CHECK. St Peter’s Pool was one of our more unique spots that we hit – there are rugged cliffs filled with cliff jumpers (and cliff jumping dogs).  You lay out on a rocky cove, take in the scenes of endless people jumping, and when you get too hot, just float in the incredibly salty ocean water effortlessly.

• Mdina, the Walled City – charming af. Looking for some medieval ambiance and remarkably well-preserved architecture? Head here. We ended up wandering these narrow labyrinth like streets many times over the course of our week because we loved them so much. It’s the perfect place to explore on foot, especially at sunset.

• Comino and Gozo by boat – We chartered a boat through Outdoor Explorer’s Malta. The picked us up at the Cirkewwa Ferry Terminal and showed us around the island lagoons for an entire day. We hit the Crystal Lagoon, Blue Lagoon, Santa Marjia Bay, Comino Cove, and Saint Mary’s Battery, which was our favorite. Least favorite? The Blue Lagoon – it was crowded with the kind of crowd we aren’t into, but I will say that if you hit it at the end of the day there is likely to be less people there AND a more pleasant experience.

• All the ruins – The Ħaġar Qim Temples are some of the oldest and most well-preserved prehistoric temples in the world. Set against a stunning coastal backdrop, these ancient megalithic structures offer a fascinating glimpse into Malta’s ancient civilization and mythology.  St. Paul’s Catacombs are incredibly expansive and ofer an intriguing glimpse into early Christian life in Malta. The network of underground burial sites is incredibly well preserved.

• Explore Birgu – we started our day in Birgu by wandering the Birgu Sunday Market, a flea market full of interesting finds (almost each of us walked away with something from here). Afterwards, we wandered the historic city, exploring Fort St Angelo, the Inquisitor’s Palace and traipsed along the waterfront, which offers unparalleled views of the capital city of Valetta across the way.

• Valetta – A trip to Malta would be remiss without a day or two in Valetta. It’s STUNNING.  The architecture is beautiful and the city is vibrant. We actually rather enjoyed a cheap tour in the bay by venetian water taxi, which gave great views of the walled city.  To do so yourself, head to the Upper Barrakka Gardens, descend down by the 3 cities ferry and then for about 10 euro pp you can tour the bay by boat. Don’t skip wandering by foot though – the streets are lively and beautiful.  If you’re looking for nightlife, this is also the place to be.

• We happened upon the Mosta Dome, the Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, by accident but were incredibly glad we did. It’s incredibly impressive, stunningly beautiful, and an architectural feat – it’s one of the largest unsupported domes in the world. Fun fact – in World War II a bomb miraculously flew through the dome into the interior during service and upon landing did not detonate!

• Ghar Lapsi is another stellar swimming spot located in a small picturesque fishing village. This tiny cove is a popular swimming spot for locals and less populated than St. Peter’s Pool. Don’t skip having lunch at the adjacent small patio restaraunt – the meal was solid and the scenery made it exceptional.

After all of these reasons why Malta should be your next travel destination, are you no longer confused on why we decided to go? It was an incredibly unique travel experience from start to finish, made even better with so many of my favorite people along for the ride. Whether you’re interested in history, want the ocean, a foodie, or an adventurer, Malta offers something for everyone. Its compact size and easy accessibility make it a perfect choice for your next vacation. So, why wait? Start planning your trip to Malta today and discover all the wonders this beautiful island has to offer.

Ready to explore Malta? Share your travel plans or ask any questions in the comments below! If you’ve already been to Malta, I’d love to hear about your favorite experiences.

• Related Posts: I love to travel – if you’re looking for more travel related posts, like my Belize Travel Guide, my Ecuador Travel Guide, or more, you can see them here.
• If you would like to view all the photos or purchase prints or canvases from our trip, you may do so here.