Malta & Gozo
Baroque Valletta, the Blue Lagoon, Gozo's temples and 3,000 hours of sun a year, three hours from the UK, with English spoken everywhere.
Malta packs a lot into three small islands: a Baroque capital that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, temples older than the pyramids, swimming coves of clear blue water and a sunny, easy-going pace. English is an official language, they drive on the left and the plugs are the same as at home, so it is one of the simplest sunshine breaks from the UK.
Why go
Walk the honey-coloured streets of Valletta and step inside St John's Co-Cathedral to see Caravaggio's Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. Take a boat to the Blue Lagoon on Comino, wander the silent lanes of Mdina, and cross to Gozo, the greener, quieter sister island, for the Ġgantija temples and the Cittadella in Victoria. Malta has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Valletta, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum and the Megalithic Temples.
When to go
Malta gets around 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. The beach season runs from May to October, when daytime highs climb from the mid-20s °C to over 30 °C in July and August and the sea warms to around 25–26 °C by late summer. Spring and autumn are ideal for sightseeing and walking. Winters are mild, with most of the rain falling from November to January, which makes Malta a good short break all year round.
Getting there from the UK
Direct flights take around three to three and a half hours. There are services from London (Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted), Manchester, Newcastle and other UK airports, on airlines including British Airways, KM Malta Airlines, easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair. Transfers are short: most resorts are 30 to 50 minutes from Malta International Airport. Tell us your nearest airport and we'll find the best route.
Where to stay
- Valletta: the capital, for history, harbour views and evenings in wine bars and small restaurants.
- Sliema and St Julian's: a seafront promenade, shopping, ferries to Valletta and plenty of places to eat. Paceville, in St Julian's, is the nightlife hub.
- St Paul's Bay, Bugibba and Qawra: the main resort area in the north, with large family-friendly and all-inclusive hotels.
- Mellieħa: the north-west, close to Mellieħa Bay (Għadira), Malta's largest sandy beach, and the ferry to Gozo.
- Gozo: a slower pace, rural views and good diving. Mġarr is the ferry port and Victoria the island's capital.
What to do
- Cruise to Comino and swim in the Blue Lagoon
- Spend a day on Gozo, with the Ġgantija temples, Dwejra and the Cittadella
- Explore Valletta and St John's Co-Cathedral with a guide
- Walk through Mdina and St Paul's Catacombs in Rabat
- Take a boat into the Blue Grotto, then browse the Sunday market in Marsaxlokk
- See Valletta and the Three Cities from the water on a harbour cruise
- Try scuba diving, or take the family to Popeye Village
Food
Try pastizzi, flaky pastries filled with ricotta or peas, from a bakery. Stuffat tal-fenek, a slow-cooked rabbit stew, is the national dish, and ftira, a Maltese bread, is filled with tuna, tomatoes, capers and olives. Wash it down with a local Cisk beer or Kinnie, a bittersweet orange soft drink. In Marsaxlokk, the fishing boats bring fresh fish to the waterfront restaurants.
Good to know
- Currency: euro (EUR)
- Time: one hour ahead of the UK
- Plugs: UK-style three-pin (type G), 230 V, so no adaptor needed
- Languages: Maltese and English
- Driving: on the left
- The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) now applies to UK passport holders. Check the latest GOV.UK advice before you travel
Tell us your dates and airport, and a SkyRay advisor will put your Malta holiday together.
