Ultimate 5-Day Malta Itinerary: Top Attractions, Hidden Gems, and Travel Tips

In the middle of the Mediterranean, Malta is a captivating destination known for its rich history, stunning locations, and vibrant cities. Whether you’re planning a Malta holiday or looking for the best places to visit in Malta, this small island offers many different things. Here you can find the ancient streets of Valletta to the beautiful islands of Gozo and Comino’s Blue Lagoon.

Combine all this with 300 days of sunshine, and family-friendly activities and it’s so easy to see why Malta tourism is still growing. It truly has the top attractions and hidden gems, and I will explore them in this Malta travel guide!

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For your information, all these pictures were taken in July 2024.

Some information about Malta

Malta is a small island country in Southern Europe, located in the Mediterranean Sea. Despite its small size, just 316 square kilometers, Malta is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Valletta, Europe’s smallest capital. While this island enjoys over 300 days of sunshine a year and one of the official languages is English, Malta is easily one of the best locations for international visitors!

This country boasts over 7000 years of history, with ancient structures like megalithic temples which belong to some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world. Because of its location in the middle of the Mediterranean, this island became of great geostrategic importance to Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and Romans.

How to get to Malta?

Malta is located in the south of Europe, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The country is quite easy to visit because lots of flights go there. This is also the easiest way to reach this country.

1 | With the plane

The airport of Malta, better known as Malta International Airport, is the main airport of this island and is closely located in Valletta, and from here you can travel to all parts of this country. The airport is currently connected to 35 countries mostly Europe. Here is the perfect location to rent a car to travel around the island as well.

2 | With a ferry

There is only one ferry line getting directly to Malta and that’s from Pozzallo in Sicily, Italy. This takes around 2 hours and is perfect if you want to do these two islands in one trip.

How to get around Malta?

You can travel around the country by renting a bike or using a taxi/Uber. We did the latter as we were with a group of 5 and could split the costs, which wasn’t a lot. Also, know that the car rides aren’t long as the island is very small. Another thing to keep in mind if you still decide to rent a car is that Malta drives on the left side of the road. If you’re not experienced with this, it’s maybe better to just hire a taxi.

Malta Itinerary

Malta itinerary: Day 1

1 | Check into your hotel and discover Valletta

We arrived in Malta pretty late, so the first day was just checking in and getting into bed. After a full night’s rest, it was time to explore the island, starting with the capital of Malta! As we stayed in Sliema, it only took 15 minutes to arrive. It’s a very small, but cozy city. And there are a few things you definitely shouldn’t miss, like seeing St. Paul’s Cathedral, seeing a cannon being fired at the Upper Barrakka (every day at 12 PM and 4 PM), and enjoying a stunning view at Spencer’s Tomb.

2 | Have dinner at San Paolo Naufrago

After exploring the day in Valletta, it’s time to sit down and relax on St. Lucia’s Street. This restaurant may be quite busy, but it’s definitely worth going here. The atmosphere of the street is alive and unique, so that’s why we decided to have dinner here. Just make sure to make a reservation beforehand, otherwise you’ll have to wait a long time to be seated.

Malta itinerary: Day 2

3 | Wander around Mdina

Mdina is one of my favorite cities to visit in Malta, as it has a rich history to it. It was the former capital till the medieval period and it’s still confined within the city walls. As there are no cars allowed, except for the limited number of residents, the city has a quiet atmosphere, which I quite like. Hence the earned nickname of ‘the Silent City’.

It’s nice to wander around, but there are also some sights you can’t miss: St. Paul’s Cathedral, Mdina Gate, and the viewing point. As we decided to leave Mdina, we passed by a very intriguing museum, called the Mdina Dungeons Museum. It’s a rather morbid museum, explaining the cruelty and torture that took place over the years, but I found it quite important to see this kind of history as well.

4 | Views for days at Fontanella Tea Garden

This seemed to be one of the most popular lunch and dinner places in Mdina, so be prepared that it’s very busy at peak times. But it’s a stunning location for the views. As long as you have enough patience to be seated and served here, this location is great.

Malta itinerary: Day 3

5 | Have a relaxing morning at Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk is a small, traditional fishing village, known for its traditional and colourful fishing boats, called luzzu. These are used for the fishermen while fishing near the shore, but tourists can also enjoy a boat trip with them. It’s nice to wander around the small harbor and take some pictures of the unique location.

6 | Get lunch at the harbour

There are many different restaurants at the harbor, where you just can be seated and have a delicious lunch. The main thing on the menu will be fish of course as you’re right at the harbour. It’s a nice way to enjoy the sight of the fishing boats a bit longer.

7 | Swimming time at St. Peters Pool

St. Peters Pool is one of the most famous swimming places in Malta, which is closely located from Marsaxlokk. You can easily go by car, but also by ferry from the harbor. It’s a beautiful natural ocean pool, where you can practice jumping from different heights. Know that there is no shade and that it can become very busy in high season.

Malta Itinerary: Day 4

8 | See the film set of Popeye Village

Did you know Malta was used as a famous film set? Me neither, but apparently, in 1980, Anchor Bay was used for shooting the movie ‘Popeye’ with Robbin Williams. After the movie was done, they decided to leave the set and it’s now truly a paradise for young and old!

After you pay the entrance fee, you can freely roam around the film set and see many different lodges used in the movie. When you are done exploring the decor, you can relax or play in the ocean with inflatables and the beach area.

The entrance fee for adults is €24 and for children and pensioners is €16 in high season (July till September). In mid-season, which is in June and October, the price for an adult is €18, and for children and pensioners is €14. Lastly in the low season, the price for adults is €15, and for children and pensioners, it is €10. It’s open from 9.30 AM till 6 PM, and you can easily spend the whole day here!

9 | Have a fancy dinner in Sliema at Felice Brasserie

After spending the whole day in Popeye village, it’s time to get ready in our hotel in Sliema and have dinner nearby. We decided we wanted something more fancy and opted for Felice Brasserie. The view over the ocean at sunset time made it the perfect end of the day.

Malta Itinerary: Day 5

10 | Take the ferry to Gozo

Time to take a ferry to another small island next to Malta, called Gozo! You can easily arrange this yourself and take the ferry to Cirkewwa at the harbor. But it’s also possible to book a tour that goes to Gozo and the Blue Lagoon!

In Gozo, there are a few things to visit: Bażilika Tal-Madonna Ta’ Pinu Mill Gharb, Azure Window, and Victoria with the Citadel Ruins. It’s a very small island, but it truly has some gems to discover. So, make sure that you leave early in the morning to have all the time here.

11 | Have lunch at Victoria

In St. George’s Square in Victoria, there are many cute restaurants to have a delicious lunch. We opted for a pizza, which was perfect to fill our bellies before going to another must-see spot in Malta!

12 | Make a stop at the Blue Lagoon

For the last stop, the Blue Lagoon was our destination. Have you ever seen water that blue? Me neither, but in Malta, it’s possible! The only downside is that this location is very busy as tourists love to come here. It’s still a beautiful location, but it’s better to come here early in the morning or later in the afternoon as it’s not that nice to visit it with that many tourists.

Other things to do in Europe

These are the best places to visit in Malta and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did back in July with my girlfriends! Please let me know if you visited Malta and if you liked it. If you still have any questions, I will get back to you as soon as possible with answers!

Be sure to check out my other blog posts about things to do in Europe:

Discover the Best of Slovenia – Another great country in Europe to visit is Slovenia! It has great views, easy hikes, and stunning cities as well.
Exploring the Charming Scenery of North Brabant during a 3-Day Cycling Adventure – If you want a different type of vacation, make sure to check out my biking trip in the Netherlands Check it out, so you know what to expect
4-day itinerary for hiking and castle-hopping in Luxembourg – Here is another short itinerary for a country that is my absolute favourite that I discovered.

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Travel blogger

Hello, I’m Ellen and welcome to this blog! I’m in love with exploring the world and hopefully I get to inspire you with these blog posts and pictures to feel the same. You will find detailed itineraries, hidden gems, tips and so much more!

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