Travel guide
Malta Travel Guide
Malta packs 7,000 years of history, three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, world-class diving, and a thriving English-language school industry into an archipelago smaller than the Isle of Wight. Valletta — the fortified Baroque capital built by the Knights Hospitaller — is one of the most concentrated historic cityscapes in Europe. Gozo offers rural tranquillity, megalithic temples older than the pyramids, and the Azure Window's successor reefs. Comino's Blue Lagoon is a turquoise postcard. The warm Mediterranean climate (300+ sunny days), English as an official language, and direct flights from most European capitals make Malta one of the most accessible island destinations on the continent.
Updated 2026-08-16
Ways to Experience This Destination
The megalithic temples of Ġgantija, Ħaġar Qim, and Mnajdra are the world's oldest free-standing structures — over 5,500 years old, predating Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Valletta's St. John's Co-Cathedral houses two Caravaggio masterpieces. Mdina, the medieval “Silent City”, offers fortress architecture and panoramic views. The Three Cities (Vittoriosa, Senglea, Cospicua) preserve the Knights' earliest harbourside fortifications.
Malta, Gozo, and Comino rank among Europe's top diving destinations: crystal-clear water with 30+ metre visibility, spectacular wrecks (HMS Maori, MV Karwela, Um El Faroud), underwater caves, and reef walls. The Blue Hole on Gozo and the Blue Grotto on Malta's south coast are must-dives. Snorkelling, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding round out the water-sports offering.
Malta is the third most popular destination for English language courses in Europe after the UK and Ireland — with the advantage of Mediterranean climate and significantly lower living costs. Over 40 accredited schools offer courses at all levels. Especially popular with Italian, Spanish, German, and French students seeking affordable English immersion in an EU country.
Comino's Blue Lagoon is Malta's signature swim spot — turquoise water over white sand, mobbed by boat tours through summer middays and recovered by late afternoon, so arriving early or staying late is the entire strategy. Golden Bay and Mellieħa Bay on Malta offer broader sand; Ramla Bay on Gozo unrolls the archipelago's best beach below the cave where legend lodges Calypso, and the salt pans at Marsalforn nearby have been worked since Roman times. Malta's coastline alternates between rocky coves, sand beaches, and cliffs. Ferries connect all three islands at frequent intervals.
Malta's cinematic backdrop has doubled for ancient Rome, King's Landing (Game of Thrones), Troy, and numerous Hollywood productions. Valletta, Fort Ricasoli, Mdina, and the Blue Grotto have appeared on screen repeatedly. Guided film-location tours are popular, and the Malta Film Studios at Rinella feature one of the world's largest water tanks for marine shoots.
Deep dives
Deep dive
The Megalithic Temples: Older Than the Pyramids →
The oldest free-standing structures on earth — Ġgantija predates Stonehenge's sarsens by a millennium — and an underground necropolis that sells out weeks ahead.
Deep dive
Diving Malta: Wrecks, Walls and 30-Metre Visibility →
Why Malta doubles as one of Europe's biggest dive-training destinations — routine 30-metre visibility, the Mediterranean's densest wreck collection and benign conditions.
Itinerary
Malta, Gozo & Comino: Three Islands, Three Commitments →
Malta's three islands look interchangeable on a map. Each needs a different level of commitment, and that should shape your week, not the map distance.
City guides
Frequently asked questions
Maltese is the national language and the only Semitic language written in the Latin script — a genuine linguistic oddity, derived from Arabic but heavily influenced by Italian, English and French, so it sounds Arabic but reads on the page like Italian. English is a co-official language spoken fluently throughout the country, so visitors get by entirely on English while Maltese remains the language of everyday life between locals.
Beyond the Italian-leaning restaurant menus, Malta has its own distinct dishes worth actively seeking out — pastizzi (savoury ricotta or pea pastries sold at any hour), fenkata (rabbit, genuinely the national dish, with a history tied to hunting rights once restricted under the Knights), and ġbejniet (Gozo's fresh or peppered sheep and goat cheeselets). A full guide to Maltese food covers all three in depth.
The three islands run on genuinely different transport regimes rather than one interchangeable system — Malta by bus or car with no advance planning needed, Gozo by a fixed-schedule car ferry that needs no booking, and Comino only by private, weather-dependent boat charter with no public timetable at all. That difference, rather than the distances between the islands, is what should shape a week's itinerary.
Entry rules, visa types and practical notes live on the Malta overview.
Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.