6-Day Travel Itinerary for Malta

The bus stop for the airport route sits right outside arrivals, and that single detail saves more stress than any packing list. Malta rewards travelers who sort transport and timing before they sort sightseeing, because the island is small, the roads are narrow, and August afternoons will flatten anyone who tries to power through a full day outdoors.

Day 1: Arrival and Exploring Valletta

Visitors from the Schengen Area, UK, USA, Canada, and Australia can stay up to 90 days without a visa. Everyone else should confirm requirements with a Maltese embassy well before booking flights, since Malta’s Schengen membership means the same 90-in-180-day rule applies across the whole zone, not just Malta itself.

Skip the taxi touts in arrivals. The TD4 bus (the old X4 route was renumbered) stops directly outside the terminal and runs to Valletta roughly every half hour from just after five in the morning until well past midnight. A single fare is 2 euro in winter and 2.50 euro from mid-June through mid-October, and the ride takes 15 to 20 minutes depending on traffic. A private transfer runs 20 to 25 euro to Valletta or Sliema, which is worth it only if you land with heavy luggage or a late flight.

Once in Valletta, St John’s Co-Cathedral is the one non-negotiable stop. Caravaggio’s “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” hangs in the oratory, and the marble floor is made entirely of inlaid knights’ tombstones, a detail most visitors walk over without noticing. Buy a timed ticket online rather than queuing at the door. Upper Barrakka Gardens is free and gives the best angle on the Grand Harbour, especially around the noon and 4pm cannon firings from the Saluting Battery below. The Grand Master’s Palace still houses government offices, so parts close without notice for state business, worth checking same-day before you commit to a tour slot. Finish on Republic Street, but treat the souvenir shops there as overpriced and save real shopping for Sliema.

Day 2: Mdina, Rabat and Dingli Cliffs

Mdina earns its “Silent City” nickname literally, cars are banned except for residents and a handful of taxis, so the streets stay hushed even at midday. St Paul’s Cathedral inside the walls is smaller than Valletta’s showpiece but has a quieter, more contemplative feel, and the attached museum covers Malta’s Roman and early Christian period well. Buses run from Valletta in about 40 minutes, or a taxi cuts that to 20.

Rabat sits just outside Mdina’s walls and is where the actual archaeology lives. St Paul’s Catacombs, not the necropolis at Ta’ Hagrat as older guides sometimes conflate, are the site to prioritize here, a genuinely eerie network of Roman and Byzantine burial chambers you can walk through. Ta’ Hagrat itself is a separate megalithic temple complex worth a stop if you have time, but it is compact and can be seen in twenty minutes.

Dingli Cliffs close out the day with the best unbroken sunset view on the main island, no entry fee, no infrastructure, just a cliff edge and a long drop to the sea. I would rank this above the more crowded Blue Grotto viewpoint for sunset specifically, since Dingli faces west and Blue Grotto does not catch the same light. Bring water and decent shoes; the path has no railing in most spots.

Day 3: Comino’s Blue Lagoon and Gozo

The Blue Lagoon is genuinely stunning and genuinely overwhelmed. A return ferry ticket runs 12 to 15 euro for adults from Malta or Sliema, and as of 2025 Malta’s government requires a free pre-booked access ticket if you plan to actually set foot on Comino, a response to years of ecological strain on what is a Natura 2000 protected site. Go early, ideally on the first boat out, because by late morning in summer the lagoon fills with day-trip boats and swimming space gets tight. My honest opinion: if you are visiting between June and September, treat Comino as a two-hour swim stop, not a full day, and move on to Gozo before the crowds peak.

The Gozo ferry departs from Cirkewwa and takes about 25 minutes to Mgarr, running continuously with no need to book ahead outside peak summer weekends. On Gozo, the Ggantija Temples predate Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids and are among the oldest freestanding stone structures on earth, a fact that undersells just how strange it is to stand next to them. Victoria’s Citadella, the fortified hilltop old town, is free to walk around and gives sweeping views over Gozo’s patchwork of fields, though the museums inside charge separately.

Day 4: Hagar Qim, Mnajdra and Golden Bay

Hagar Qim and Mnajdra sit on the same archaeological park ticket, currently 15 euro per adult, and cover two separate temple complexes a short walk apart, both overlooking the sea toward the tiny islet of Filfla. Go in the morning; there is minimal shade and the limestone glare gets punishing by early afternoon. If you plan to visit multiple prehistoric sites during your trip, Heritage Malta’s multi-site pass at 25 euro pays for itself quickly.

Golden Bay is the most popular sandy beach on the main island and gets crowded fast in summer, sunbeds and umbrellas for rent, a couple of beach bars, decent for families. If you want something less packed, Ghajn Tuffieha next door has more steps down to reach it, which filters out a chunk of the crowd, and I would choose it over Golden Bay for that reason alone.

Day 5: Diving at Cirkewwa and Marsaxlokk

The waters around Cirkewwa, near the Gozo ferry terminal, are some of the best shore diving in the Mediterranean, with visibility often exceeding 30 meters and several wreck and cave sites reachable without a boat. Several PADI-affiliated dive centers near the ferry landing rent gear and run guided shore dives for both certified divers and first-timers doing a discovery dive.

Marsaxlokk in the afternoon is where the traditional Luzzu fishing boats, painted in the same reds, yellows, and blues for generations, line the harbor. The Sunday market is the famous version, mixing fish stalls with clothing and souvenirs, but locals will tell you the fish stalls are actually a small slice of the stalls overall, most of it is general market goods. For a proper seafood lunch, Tartarun and Ir-Rizzu both have strong reputations among Maltese diners rather than just tour groups, and Ir-Rizzu in particular has been run by the same fishing family for three decades. Expect mains around 15 to 30 euro, with fresh whole fish priced by weight, often 40 to 60 euro per kilo, so ask the price before you order if that matters to your budget.

Day 6: The Three Cities and Departure

Vittoriosa, Senglea, and Cospicua, collectively the Three Cities, sit directly across the Grand Harbour from Valletta and predate it as Malta’s fortified stronghold under the Knights of St John. Fort St Angelo in Vittoriosa is the standout, a layered fortress that saw the worst of the Great Siege of 1565 and later served as a British naval base well into the 20th century. A short harbor ferry from Valletta to Vittoriosa is faster and more scenic than the road route, and cheaper than a taxi.

Budget at least two hours before your flight to get back to the airport, since the TD4 bus timing can be unpredictable during peak traffic hours around Valletta’s bus terminus. If your flight is genuinely early or your bags are heavy, book a private transfer the night before rather than gambling on a 5am bus.