Malta is so old that it’s an incredibly varied place to explore. There are ancient cities, natural pools, citrus forests and a stunning coastline, all on one little island. The two other islands in the archipelago, Comino and Gozo, are just as varied as Malta’s main island.
Malta is small enough that it’s easy to road-trip to any of these places from one base. Moreover, many of these locations are near enough to combine into a longer, jam-packed day trip. From diverse nature to ancient history, this list encompasses all my favourite day trips in Malta.
Malta’s bus service is really good . . . was the rumour I’d heard before arriving on the island. I’ve lived the majority of my life in London, and if I have to wait longer than 7 minutes for a bus I’m annoyed. In Malta, most buses come about once every half an hour.
It’s possible to travel by bus in Malta if you’re prepared to plan your day around the infrequent bus timings. We did this for our first few day trips, and it was cheap and easy. However, one day after waiting for 40 minutes in the rain to do a one and a half hour journey on a packed and damp bus, I broached the subject of renting a car.
Having a car was definitely great for seeing as many of these day trip spots as we could, especially the harder-to-find or more remote locations. Taxis are also an option and, depending on location, might even be more cost effective than renting a car.
I know that renting bikes is possible, though I haven’t done it. Those who have said it was more convenient and flexible than using the bus service.
I also have friends that have used the various sightseeing bus companies around the island. They stop at most of the spots on this list, and even visit the island of Gozo as well.
The tiny island of Comino is just a short boat ride away from Malta’s main island. It’s most well-known for being the location of the infamous Blue Lagoon, and is a popular day trip for both tourists and Maltese locals.
However, there is more to see here than just the Blue Lagoon. The whole island is a wildlife sanctuary, and it is easy to circle the island on foot in half a day. I’ve written a whole post on how to spend a day enjoying Comino’s slow-paced and tranquil atmosphere.
Read more about what to do on Comino and how to get there: A Day Trip to Comino Island, Malta
Just past Comino is Gozo Island. Though not as small as Comino (that would be quite hard!), Gozo still had a sense of seclusion and peacefulness that distinguished it from Malta’s main island. The island felt less touristy than Comino as well, with most of the beaches almost empty.
Gozo’s green, rolling hills and capital city of Rabat (AKA Victoria) are two of my favourite memories from the island.
Read more about what to do on Gozo and how to get there: A Day Trip to Gozo Island, Malta
If, like me, you stay somewhere in Malta that’s not Valletta, the capital city deserves at least one full day to explore. Though Valletta is a tiny city, its steep streets are packed with history. So much so, in fact, that the ancient, walled city is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Valletta is one of the trips on this list that I’d recommend accessing by bus, because the roads get very congested around the city. Or do what we did and arrive in Valletta, which is located on a peninsula, by boat! Watching Valletta’s sand-coloured skyline sharpen in detail as we approached across the water was the perfect introduction to the city.
The little cities of Birgu (AKA Vittoriosa), Isla (AKA Senglea) and Bormla (AKA Cospicua) are collectively known as Malta’s Three Cities. I know what you’re thinking: thank goodness there’s one name for all of them! Even when I was exploring them for the day I couldn’t grasp the name of which city I was in.
Right across the Grand Harbour from Valletta, the Three Cities are small enough to explore on foot in a day. They are WAY less busy than Valletta, though they might actually have even more history lurking in their docks and ancient fortresses.
Known as the Silent City due to its lack of cars, Mdina was one of my favourite places in Malta. As it’s much quieter than Valletta, it’s the perfect place for shots of Malta’s winding streets and fancy doors.
We visited the tiny, walled city in the evening, and it was as silent as promised. Everyone was quiet as they walked around Mdina, almost reverent in their silence. I think the old, stone walls of the towering houses must help in swallowing any sounds. There were moments when all I could hear was birdsong and I’d think I was truly alone in the city. Then I’d turn the corner and run into another group of hushed tourists, but their noise would fade almost instantly and I would feel alone again.
The town of Mosta is recognisable from miles away by its Rotunda. The Mosta Dome, or Rotunda, is the world’s third largest unsupported dome (the largest being Rome’s Pantheon). It seemed strange to me that the little, unassuming town harbours something so magnificent and iconic.
While in Malta, I learnt that during WWII a bomb dropped through Mosta’s dome while the locals were attending mass. However, the bomb never exploded, the rotunda was left intact and every single person was unharmed. If that’s not divine providence, I don’t know what is!
Once the “suburb” of Mdina, now Rabat sort of surrounds it. While Mdina is the tiny, walled city at the top of the hill, Rabat rolls up and down around it. I could probably find my way through Rabat by heart, the amount of time we spent driving, lost, around its winding streets.
St Paul’s Church (not to be mistaken for Mdina’s St Paul’s Cathedral) is a beautiful Catholic church worth visiting in Rabat. The outside is a sandy-beige colour, like most of Malta. However, the inside is pretty, and the church sits above an ancient, underground grotto as well.
Despite rain clouds drawing in as we pulled up to Buskett Gardens, we got out to explore the area. It was a tricky spot to find, and there was no way I was leaving without a wander.
Buskett Gardens is famously one of Malta’s only wooded areas, even earning the name “the lungs of Malta”. The Knights of Malta built it as a hunting reserve, centuries ago. It’s clearly remained popular with the officials because Verdala Palace, a residence of the Maltese president, overlooks the gardens.
On such an overcast day we didn’t stay for long, but I was so excited to see orange trees! It was the first time I’d seen citrus trees, and the gardens are full of them. The smell of oranges lingered in the air, mixed with the unmistakable scent of rain on the soil.
The open-air set where the 1980 Popeye film was shot is immortalised in Malta as a colourful village. The village has since been converted into more of an amusement park. It’s possible to wander around the original set, which is now complete with bars, restaurants, boat rides, museums, games, and even a lido.
I only wanted to catch a glimpse of the village, without paying to visit all the other attractions. Luckily there’s a great vantage point from the cliff above, looking down on the colourful houses spread along the bay.
Dingli Cliffs has one of my favourite views in Malta! The cliffs protrude into the sea in a soft-edged way, like someone splattered the island down from above. Though the nearby village of Dingli sits on one of the highest points in Malta, the cliffs aren’t as sheer as I thought they would be. Instead they disappear in grassy tiers down to the sea.
The sea itself, with the clouds reflected in it, seemed to stretch away forever. From Dingli on the southeast coast, the sea touches nothing until Tunisia over 300 miles away! All I could see was mottled blue and white sea spanning to the horizon.
There are plenty of ancient ruins on Malta. Hagar Qim, on the Fawwara Trail, is the remnants of megalithic temples from 3200 B.C. It is one of the oldest religious sites in the world, but it is not the oldest ruin in Malta. Near Valletta, the Hypogeum is a prehistoric burial site dating back 6000 years ago!
There also many Roman ruins, which seem weirdly modern in comparison. Xemxija, where I stayed, has its own heritage trail along an old Roman road. Rabat also boasts the ruins of an ancient Roman villa.
I was content with visiting a couple of these spots, but this website has a good list of more of Malta’s ancient ruins. These fragments are like fossils that mark Malta’s history, and they are testimony to how old the islands are.
The Blue Grotto is a series of caves on Malta’s southeast coast. They are famous for the incredibly clear, blue water that laps through them.
There are six caves to the grotto, and it’s possible to explore them on a boat trip. The amazingly clear water makes it one of the best places in Malta to snorkel or dive. Even from way at the top of the cliff, I could make out how light and clear the water was.
The main arch was my favourite feature of the grotto. The cliff edge, dappled with greenery, slopes downwards as if sections of the cliff have melted into the sea. I pictured the limbs of a lanky rock creature that could shake awake at any second and stomp off through the clear, blue water.
Malta is surrounded for miles by the Mediterranean Sea, so it’s no surprise that there are plenty of fishing villages on the small island. The most well-known is Marsaxlokk, a sleepy, little village with a Sunday fish market. In the harbour, lots of Malta’s famous colourful boats bob around, a sight marred only by the island’s power plant looming in the background!
Also in Marsaxlokk is St. Peter’s Pool, a natural swimming spot in a cove surrounded by high, flat rocks. Apparently, because it’s slightly outside the main village, it never gets too busy.
We also visited Birzebugga, a little further west in the same bay. Birzebugga is smaller than Marsaxlokk, and the harbour was very quiet. Moreover, the power plant was less obvious behind Birzebugga’s colourful boats, so it made for a very peaceful scene.
As Malta is such a varied island, I found there was something to explore no matter what I was in the mood for. I really enjoyed my day trips to Valletta, Comino and Gozo, which I think are absolute must-dos while in Malta.
Aside from these, my highlights were visits to Mdina and Dingli Cliffs. Both were practically deserted and so peaceful. Together, they represent the stunning scenery and ancient history that became my favourite things Malta has to offer.
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