5 days to explore Malta: best spots and activities

Erica Bonfanti
22 mag 2017
Tempo di lettura: 4 min

Malta is a beautiful wild island in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea. A small oasis of relaxation where you can enjoy beautiful bays, feel the adrenaline on the top of the high cliffs and get lost in the narrow streets of its villages.

Here’s a small guide on how to make the most out of your trip even you only have 5 days, enjoy!

Day 1: La Valletta

La Valletta is the capital city of Malta and the point of departure of all the island’s bus lines...Be equipped with much patience because they aren’t often on time.

You will be fascinated by its up and down sanded streets and in the same time you’ll enjoy some cultural sightseeing. In particular, don’t miss the Parliament House built by Renzo Piano and the beautiful St. Paul Cathedral which reminds to the one in London.

La Valletta at sunset hour

We also recommend you to take a walk down the wall of the city and admire the sun setting behind the beautiful Manoel’s Fort.

Manoel's Fort Sunset

Day 2: Best beaches

Make sure to wear comfortable sneakers as you will have to walk a lot to enjoy the best Malta’s bays. Golden and Riviera bays are two blue gems in the wild Mediterranean scrub, their different shades of the water will leave you speechless.

Riviera Bay

Closeby you’ll find Popey village, the film set of the 1980 musical production “Popeye” that nowadays is a thematic Park for children. It’s not particularly worth visiting unless you want to take some pictures.

Popey Village

Day 3: Dingli, Mdina and Rabat

If you are not afraid of heights, you should definitely climb the stunning cliffs in Dingli. The effect created by the rocks meeting the blue sea is simply amazing!

Dingli Cliffs

Here you can also taste a typical Maltese dish in Bobbyland restaurant: the Maltese style fried rabbit in garlic... Only for brave people! :P

Maltese Rabbit

After the restoring lunch, you can reach Mdina and Rabat, two small villages very close to each other. Mdina is situated on the top of a hill and from there you’ll have a wonderful view over the whole southern part of the island.

View from Mdina

Mdina's gate: some scenes of the famous hit-Tv series "Game of Thrones" were filmed here

Also, you can’t absolutely miss the delicious Fontanella bistro and its huge variety of cakes.

Fontanella's cakes

How about the island’s traditions and authentic lifestyle? You’ll find it in Rabat, where you’ll feel like the time has stopped at 60 years ago. Enjoy the feeling and be amazed by the small shops selling fig rolls at every corner of the streets.

Fig roll shop

Day 4: Gozo

Few kilometers north of Malta there is Gozo island, which is wilder than Malta. Considering the “chilled” time of the public transport it will take you a lot to reach Gozo, so take into account to spend one night there. You can find very cheap and comfortable accommodations, such as Paradise Garden.

At the end of the village Ix-Xagħra, situated in the center of the island, you’ll find the fabulous Ramla bay with its mysterious Calypso Cave. This is supposed to be the same cave Homer mentioned in `The Odyssey' where the beautiful nymph Calypso kept Odysseus as a “prisoner of love” for seven years.

Ramla Bay with Calypso cave on top

Ix-Xagħra kissed by the sun

A must see in Victoria, the biggest village of the island, is the Citadel. Situated on the top of a hill, it’s a beautiful mix of Medieval and modern architecture that dominates the skyline.

Victoria's Citadel

Day 5: Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk is a picturesque fishing village in the South Eastern Region of Malta. You’ll be fascinated by its colorful fisher boats populating the small port.

Boat in Marsaxlokk's port

It’s a very quiet village that becomes popular on Sundays for its fish market. So make sure to be there on a Sunday if you don’t want to miss its traditional vibe. You’ll definitely fall in love with it!

Marsaxlokk's market

Tips & Tricks

After guiding you through the island, here are some tips you may want to know if you’re visiting Malta for the first time.

Transports

Malta is well equipped with buses that will take you everywhere in the island, but make sure to check the timetable in advance. There are different tickets available, the so called “Tallinja Card”, depending on your needs. You can use it both in Malta and in Gozo. Food

Malta offers you a big variety of restaurants where you can taste local food. Make sure to try at least once the Pastizzi, a traditional savoury pastry with different types of filling (ricotta, peas or chicken). Nightlife

If you are a party animal you can’t miss the small town St. Julian’s and especially its Paceville district, where you’ll find plenty of nightclubs, bars, pubs and restaurants. Being the hub of the Maltese nightlife, it’s quite a touristic spot and it’s heavily populated by young people, so pay attention to drunk people during the night.