The mid-Mediterranean archipelago of Malta is renowned for its generous sunshine, magnificent architecture, and long and fascinating history. It’s also now more accessible than ever thanks to seasonal nonstop flights from New York with Delta. With heritage spanning five millennia, landscapes that appeal to even the most discerning adventurers, and scenic locations seductive enough to lure Hollywood’s biggest filmmakers, this island cluster is climbing fast up travelers’ dream lists.
Use this guide to plan a journey that gets you deeper into some of Europe’s most mesmerizing isles. Beyond the big hitters—St. John’s Co-Cathedral, the Blue Lagoon, and Valletta’s UNESCO-listed bastion walls—other memorable experiences will help you truly understand Malta’s cultural heritage.
Traveling between Malta’s islands is simple thanks to a fast, easy-to-navigate ferry system and an array of locally run boats and shuttles. Here’s how to soak up the island nation’s singular history and heritage by going off the beaten path.
See sunrise through the ancient doorway of Mnajdra Temples
The Mnajdra Temples are one of the oldest manmade structures in the world and one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the islands of Malta.
Courtesy of VisitMalta/@ollygaspar/@hayleabrown
One of the best things about Malta’s many historic sites is that you can do more than simply look at them—they’re designed to be immersive. Every one of the islands’ archaeological wonders offers a unique way to experience them, thanks to a year-round events calendar.
Plan ahead to experience one of Malta’s most enchanting moments. The summer and winter solstices and spring and fall equinoxes at the megalithic Mnajdra Temples, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back some 5,000 years, offer visitors the rare opportunity to view the astronomical events as people did millennia ago.
On each year’s equinoxes, the morning sun shines straight through a narrow limestone doorway, precisely aligned by the temples’ ancient builders, and on the solstices, solar rays light up the megaliths flanking the doorway. Only a small group—usually around 30 people—can witness it each time.
Go to a concert in a palace and practice yoga in a fortress
The halls of the Grand Master’s Palace host various immersive events throughout the year.
Courtesy of VisitMalta
Even comparatively modern (but no less striking) structures such as the Grand Master’s Palace, once the seat of the Knights of Malta, and the storied Inquisitor’s Palace provide more than a mere glimpse into Malta’s past. Live concerts regularly take place within their walls (look out for the Malta Police Philharmonic Band during Holy Week and the Museums by Candlelight series throughout the summer) as well as workshops and art exhibitions.
How about practicing yoga in a fortress? Some sites, such as the centuries-old Fort St. Angelo, host fitness classes too.
St. Paul’s Cathedral in Mdina has its own museum filled with age-old artifacts.
Courtesy of VisitMalta
Visit the MUŻA, MICAS, and Metropolitan Cathedral Museum
Malta offers plenty of ways to dive into its art and creative history. MUŻA, in Valletta, is a national community art museum housing more than 20,000 artworks. MICAS, a glass-walled work of art itself that sits just beyond Valletta’s walls in Floriana, is a contemporary arts space showcasing international artists alongside interactive workshops, a virtual gallery, and the occasional cinema night.
In the “silent city” of Mdina, the Metropolitan Cathedral Museum boasts a trove of rare manuscripts, Dürer engravings, and baroque art. On Gozo, the dominating cittadella (its own kind of museum) lets curious visitors investigate five distinctive museums, including the intriguing Gran Castello Historic House.
Attend a Maltese festival
Many of Malta’s festivals feature dramatic firework displays, like these in Valletta.
Courtesy of VisitMalta
Perhaps the best way to discover Maltese culture is to attend a festa. Throughout the summer, villages across the islands host celebrations honoring their patron saints, bringing banners, processions, marching bands, and fireworks to the streets.
The Santa Marija festa, one of the most spectacular, is celebrated across seven localities on August 15 each year. Among the many other themed events, in June, the delicious Xagħra Fig Festival takes over the square in this hilltop Gozo town.
On the same island in February, Nadur’s spontaneous carnival brings revelers together in striking fancy dress costumes for an open-air party like no other. Most spectacularly, the annual Malta International Fireworks Festival illuminates the skies on two weekends in April in Valletta’s Grand Harbour and in Nadur in Gozo. All these events are popular with locals, too, so you can meet residents and get to know their culture.
Music is big business in Malta, and live performances and festivals fill the calendar year-round. One of the biggest is the Valletta Baroque Festival, which runs for roughly 18 days every January. Historic venues host a variety of classical concerts and vocal performances, showing off local and international talent.
Fall brings with it an array of festivities for every kind of music fan. Mighty Hoopla Malta celebrates queer culture with a variety of international performers, while Defected is a four-day house music festival that plays out across beach clubs, ancient forts, and other open-air venues.
Kayak in Comino and watch the sunset from Dingli Cliffs
Comino’s rugged coastline is a scenic spot for watersports like kayaking.
Courtesy of VisitMalta/@ollygaspar/@hayleabrown
Nature is a cornerstone of Malta’s national identity. With stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea, the islands’ cliffs, beaches, and bays are easy to explore thanks to various inter-island ferries, which take visitors from multiple spots in Malta (Valletta, Sliema, and Buġibba) to Mġarr in Gozo.
Comino, the archipelago’s smallest inhabited island, has a gently undulating coastline that’s home to turquoise-blue bays, striking rock arches, and a coastal walking route with sweeping views back across the main islands. It’s the perfect place for adventure-lovers to grab a kayak or stand-up paddleboard and cruise the circumference, stopping for an obligatory snorkel in the gin-clear Crystal Lagoon.
Certified scuba divers can descend into the multilayered Santa Marija Caves or dive deeper to explore the P31 patrol boat—a former minesweeper deliberately scuttled as an artificial reef—that sits on the sandy seabed off Comino’s northwest coast. Get there by boat from Mġarr or Ħondoq in Gozo or Ċirkewwa in Malta.
If you prefer to stay landside, Gozo has some exhilarating options. Rent an e-bike or mountain bike, and kick up some dust along the island’s north coast, past the eminently photogenic, deep-cut valley of Wied il-Għasri and wind-cut slabs of Wied il-Mielaħ. Another option is to hike the southern tip of the island from the ferry port of Mġarr to Ħondoq Bay, where hot dogs, pizza, and flaky pastizzi (a traditional filled pastry) await.
You can also stay in mainland Malta to enjoy an abundance of beautiful scenery. Soaring some 830 feet above the water, Dingli Cliffs are the country’s highest point and a standout spot for a sunset stroll. Wander past the tiny chapel of St. Magdalene and gaze out to the open sea past the islet of Filfla, keeping an eye (and ear) out for the blue rock thrush, Malta’s national bird, which nests among the clifftops.
Go set-jetting and visit the Popeye Village film set
The Mdina Gate is famous for appearing as the entrance to King’s Landing in Game of Thrones.
Courtesy of VisitMalta
With so much distinctive architecture, unbelievably blue seas, and temperate weather, Malta frequently tops the list for film and TV producers searching for their next compelling shooting location. Filmmakers have had their eye on the islands since at least the 1950s, and in 1980 director Robert Altman built an expansive film set here for his comedy Popeye, starring Robin Williams.
The slanted houses and crooked walkways of Popeye Village still stand and today make a rewarding day out for families. Visitors can splash in an inflatable water course, meet characters from the film, let little ones enjoy a soft play area, and dig into spinach-themed delicacies such as “The Flubber,” a burger with the chef’s secret spinach pesto sauce (there are spinach-free dishes, too).
Popeye Village, the film set of Robert Altman’s 1980 comedy Popeye, today makes for a thrilling family day out.
Courtesy of VisitMalta
For 2013’s Oscar-nominated Captain Phillips, Paul Greengrass brought Tom Hanks and his crew to the middle of the Med to shoot dramatic scenes for his modern-day pirate tale off Malta’s south coast, as well as in and around the bustling fishing villages of Birżebbuġa and Marsaxlokk. These neighboring villages exemplify Malta’s maritime heritage, especially Marsaxlokk, which boasts the biggest fish market in the country alongside a curved bay filled with iconic luzzijiet (traditional brightly hued fishing boats).
Malta’s Grand Harbour is made up of ancient fortifications, one of many examples of the country’s fascinating history.
Courtesy of VisitMalta/@scroll_theglobe
The honey-colored walls of Birgu, one of the Three Cities on the eastern side of the Grand Harbour, also appears in Ron Howard’s 2006 blockbuster The Da Vinci Code. Wandering the narrow, quiet streets of the town is like going back in time to the 16th century, and it continues to regularly attract TV and film crews.
Valletta, too, has proved endlessly appealing on screen, including as a location for the 2017 Agatha Christie crime thriller Murder on the Orient Express, which brought Dame Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh, who directed and starred in the film, to Malta’s shores. Valletta’s limestone towers and Grand Harbour served as stand-ins for Jerusalem and Istanbul. For more of Malta’s film and TV credits and natural wonders, check out “10 Malta Filming Locations That Belong on Your Next Trip.”
