Europe · Beach and resort guide
History, swimming, restaurants and easy short-break energy in a compact destination.
Is it right for you?
A strong fit for
Couples, friends, city-style breaks and repeat visits.
We would think twice for
Families wanting big sandy beaches as the centre of the holiday, because Malta's coast is mostly rock lidos and small bays, and the island's real riches are its towns, history and sea colour.
What we would want you to know
It is not a classic sandy-beach resort holiday.
We’ve been here
We were in Malta in August 2026, from St Julian's out to Valletta, Comino and Gozo, and back again that October, and it is where we point people who want history, good food and warm sea on a short break. What we are careful to say up front is that Malta is rocks, ladders and small bays far more than long sandy beaches, which suits some people perfectly and disappoints others.
From our trips
Filmed by us on the trip itself and shown without sound. No stock footage.
Map and areas
A fortified capital built by the Knights of St John, small enough to walk end to end in twenty minutes, with baroque churches, palaces and harbour views from every edge. Staying inside the walls is special, though the streets are steep and some boutique hotels have no lift.
A seafront town of apartment blocks, shops and cafés along a long promenade, with rock lidos for swimming and ferries across the harbour to Valletta. Convenient and lively by day, calmer than St Julian's at night.
Spinola Bay's restaurants and the small sandy beach at St George's Bay sit beside Paceville, Malta's club district. Choose a hotel away from Paceville unless you are there for it, as the noise runs until dawn at weekends.
A hilltop town above Għadira, the island's biggest sandy beach, with shallow water ideal for children. It is handy for the Gozo and Comino ferries at Ċirkewwa, but a long way from Valletta's sights.
The value end of Malta: a busy resort of hotels, bars and restaurants around St Paul's Bay, with a long promenade and rock swimming. Plenty of life in the evenings and good bus links, though not much character.
The greener, quieter sister island, a short ferry ride from Malta's northern tip. Stay in a farmhouse with a pool, or by the sea in Xlendi or Marsalforn; a night or two slows the whole trip down. Evenings are very quiet.
Weather and seasons
Malta's swimming season runs long: the sea has warmed to 22°C by June and is still 24°C in October. High summer is humid, with an August average of 32°C, crowded bays and a village festa with fireworks somewhere almost every weekend. Spring and autumn suit sightseeing best. Winter is mild, around 16°C by day in January, and makes a cheap, uncrowded city break, but the gregale, a strong north-easterly wind, can bring rough seas and disrupt the Gozo ferries.
Worth timing a trip around
Floats, costumes and dancing through Valletta in the days before Lent, with a more anarchic version in Nadur on Gozo.
Competing fireworks teams light up the Grand Harbour over several nights, with a night on Gozo too. The Upper Barrakka and the Three Cities waterfront are good places to watch.
Every parish honours its patron saint with a statue procession, brass bands, street decorations and loud fireworks, and there is one somewhere nearly every weekend.
An old harvest festival in the Buskett woods near Rabat, with folk singing, rabbit stew and agricultural shows.
One night when Valletta's museums, palaces and squares stay open late, with free concerts, art and street performances.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°C | 10°C | 16°C | 46 mm |
| February | 16°C | 10°C | 15°C | 65 mm |
| March | 18°C | 11°C | 15°C | 23 mm |
| April | 20°C | 13°C | 16°C | 5 mm |
| May | 24°C | 16°C | 19°C | 10 mm |
| June | 30°C | 20°C | 22°C | 1 mm |
| July | 33°C | 23°C | 25°C | 0 mm |
| August | 32°C | 24°C | 27°C | 2 mm |
| September | 29°C | 22°C | 26°C | 23 mm |
| October | 25°C | 18°C | 24°C | 77 mm |
| November | 21°C | 15°C | 21°C | 89 mm |
| December | 18°C | 12°C | 18°C | 45 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Luqa, 6 km away at 91 m. Rainfall is from the same station and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
Sand, shingle and swimming
A long sandy bay that stays shallow a long way out, lined with loungers, watersports and snack bars. Ideal for small children, and busy with Maltese families at weekends.
A west-facing sandy bay with facilities, lifeguards in summer and sunsets over the sea. When the wind blows onshore, currents can be dangerous, so follow the flags.
Reddish sand under clay slopes, reached by a long flight of steps next to Golden Bay. Quieter and wilder than its neighbour, with limited facilities.
Gozo's red-gold sand beach in a green valley, with a few snack bars and little else. Shallow at the edges and calm on most summer days.
Clear, shallow turquoise water over white sand between Comino and a small islet, reached by boat. A free timed booking is now required, and it is very crowded at midday, so go early or late.
A natural rock platform near Marsaxlokk where you swim off ladders or jump into deep, clear water. No sand and no shade, so bring water and a hat.
Things to do
A plain exterior hides a baroque interior of gold and inlaid marble tombstones, with Caravaggio's Beheading of Saint John the Baptist in the oratory. Cover shoulders and knees, and go at opening to beat the cruise groups.
Arcaded gardens high above the Grand Harbour, where the Saluting Battery fires a cannon at noon. Arrive a little early for a place at the rail.
Cross the Grand Harbour from Valletta in a traditional painted dgħajsa to Birgu, then wander the quiet lanes of the Three Cities, which are older than Valletta and far less busy.
The walled former capital on a ridge in the centre of the island, silent once the day-trippers leave, with the catacombs of Rabat just outside the walls. Go in late afternoon for the views.
An underground prehistoric burial complex carved from the rock over many centuries. Only a few small groups go in each day, and tickets often go weeks ahead, so book early.
Prehistoric temples on the south coast, older than Stonehenge, under protective canopies with a clifftop path between them. At the equinoxes the rising sun shines straight through a Mnajdra doorway.
Small boats from Wied iż-Żurrieq nose into sea caves where the water turns electric blue in the morning light. Trips stop when the sea is rough, so keep the day flexible.
A fishing village of brightly painted luzzu boats with a big Sunday fish market on the quay. Lunch on fresh fish, and ignore the pushier menu touts on the front.
The film set built for the 1980 Popeye musical, now a family park above Anchor Bay with shows and boat rides. Best for younger children, and older ones may be happy with the view of the whole set from the road above.
Gozo's Ġgantija temples are among the oldest free-standing buildings in the world, and the Citadel in Victoria looks out over the whole island.
Food and drink
Flaky pastry parcels filled with ricotta or mushy peas, sold hot from hole-in-the-wall shops. Breakfast, snack and late-night food all at once.
Rabbit stewed slowly in wine and garlic, the national dish, often served as spaghetti in the sauce followed by the meat.
Crusty Maltese bread rubbed with tomato paste and olive oil, topped with tuna, capers, olives and onion. The classic beach lunch.
Small round sheep's cheeses from Gozo, eaten fresh, dried or peppered, often in salads or with bread.
Dorado fish baked in pastry with spinach, olives and tomatoes, made while the fish are in season from late August to the end of the year.
Malta's bittersweet orange soft drink flavoured with herbs, an acquired taste worth trying once with ice and a slice of orange.
Money
Malta is kind on the budget by Mediterranean standards, especially outside July and August, and its winter prices are low for somewhere this mild. The premium is for harbour views in Valletta and seafront rooms in Sliema. Buses are cheap but slow in summer traffic, so for day trips a taxi app or a couple of days of car hire saves hours.
Flights and transfers
Direct flights run from Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle across most of the year, and the flight is a comfortable Mediterranean length. The island is small, so no transfer is a hardship and location is about atmosphere rather than access.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
1 hour ahead of the UK
Euro (€)
Maltese and English
Type G (UK three-pin), 230V
On the left
Safe but desalinated and heavily treated; most people drink bottled
Around 5 to 10 percent in restaurants if service is not included
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed for tourist stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
Passport. Issued less than 10 years before you arrive, and valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave the Schengen area.
The EU Entry/Exit System is now in use, so you may be asked to register your fingerprints and photo at the border on your first visit. It is free.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
A few good ones: Għadira at Mellieħa, Golden Bay and Għajn Tuffieħa in the north-west, and Ramla Bay on Gozo. Most of the coast is rock, and around Sliema and St Julian's people swim from rock lidos and ladders. If sand matters, stay in Mellieħa or the north-west.
Not for a city and beach stay: buses, harbour ferries and taxi apps cover it. A car helps for Gozo and the south coast, but Malta drives on the left, traffic is heavy and parking in Valletta and Sliema is hard, so we usually suggest a day or two at most.
Yes, with the right base. Mellieħa has a long, shallow sandy beach, Popeye Village and the Comino boats nearby, and Bugibba and Qawra have plenty of family hotels. Sliema and Valletta suit older children who enjoy history more than sandcastles.
Four nights covers Valletta, Mdina and a day on Gozo. A week lets you add the south-coast temples, a Comino boat trip and slow beach days, and a night or two on Gozo makes it feel like two holidays.
The car ferry runs from Ċirkewwa at Malta's northern tip to Mġarr on Gozo through the day and night, a crossing of around 25 minutes, and you pay on the way back. Fast passenger ferries also run from Valletta. Organised day trips are easy, but a night or two there is better.
It can be. Midsummer is humid, nights stay warm and there is little shade in the historic towns, so we plan sightseeing for the mornings and choose hotels with pools. June and September are easier for anything beyond the beach.
Photographs
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