Malta Travel Guide:

    Best Places to Visit in Malta

Map of the leading tourist destinations in Malta

Located about about 90 km from Sicily (50 miles) and about 290 km (175 miles)  from the coast of Tunisia on the coast of North Africa, the nation of Malta is composed of three major islands, Malta, Gozo, and Comino .  Most of the Malta's population (around 400,000) lives on Malta and Gozo.  Comino is sparsely populated and there are three islets in the Maltese chain that remain unpopulated.

Malta is relatively dry and rain falls mainly in the winter. The islands moderate climate attracts visitors in all seasons, but spring and fall are most popular with tourists. The islands of Malta are attractive, somewhat hilly and loaded with beaches, bays and coastlines that invite exploration, but you often have to work to discover their treasures.

In addition, Malta is a place of enormous historical importance and is populated with stone megaliths and other monuments attesting to nearly 7,000 years of civilization. The island has been ruled by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the Knights of St. John. If any country deserves the reputation of a potpourri of cultures, Malta certainly is near the top of the list. More recently, Malta has become a popular cruise destination and we consider it to be a great "add-on" destination when touring the Mediterranean.

Read our sections on Malta Travel Information and Malta Facts to complete your basic preparation for exploring the best places to visit in Malta.

The pictures of Malta on the right-hand edge of this page were provided by  the Malta Tourism Authority.  Visit them at www.visitmalta.com

• Malta

  • Malta, the largest, busiest and most developed of the country's three main islands, has been an important settlement in the Mediterranean for millennia.  In addition to its fine climate and gorgeous coastline, Malta is attractive to visitors due to its unique history.  In particular, the role of Malta and the Knights of St. John in repulsing the Ottoman Empire is regarded as one of the turning points in Europe's history.  We provide a brief summary of the Siege of Malta, as well as several photographs and maps showing the locations of the major battle here.

     

  
  

  • Valletta 

    • Valletta, the Capital of Malta, is the commercial, administrative, and tourist center of the country.  Valletta's history is closely intertwined with the Knights of Saint John  (the Hospitallers) who were founded in Jerusalem at the time of the Crusades.  After being forced to leave Jerusalem and, then, Rhodes, the Knights of Saint John settled in Malta. 

•  In 1565, the Hospitallers and the citizens of Malta defended the city during an epic battle with the Ottoman Turks, marking a rare defeat in the Mediterranean for Suleiman the Magnificent (Suleiman I).  See this page for a brief summary of the Siege.

• In addition, the city is endowed with interesting architecture and a few  good quality museums ( see Heritage Malta for information on what's open and visiting times).
  
  

• Sliema/St. Julian's/Paceville

  • Sliema and St. Julian's are the two leading coastal resort areas on Malta, just to the northwest of Valletta.  St. Julian's, once a quiet fishing village, is the more scenic of the two areas and merges with Paceville, a popular area featuring of nightclubs, dancing and a number of good restaurants.

• Mdina and Rabat

• Mdina, the historic capital of Malta, is a walled city given its name by the Saracens during their occupation of the Island.  Known as the "Silent City", vehicles are prohibited in Mdina. The city's  walkways wander through narrow canyons of interesting buildings.




• Rabat is less interesting that Mdina, but be sure to see the beautiful Cathedral of St. Paul: legend has it that St. Paul was shipwrecked  on the island  during the first century A.D.

The island is filled with exceptional archaeological sites that evidence some of the oldest settlements in the world.

Be sure to visit Hagar Qim and the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum (a large underground structure that was excavated in 2500 B.C. and eventually converted to a necropolis).

 

Although Malta's climate is Mediterranean and somewhat arid, it provides impressive scenery, especially through  its glorious seascapes.

• Gozo (Għawdex)

  • Take the ferry from Malta to Gozo, an agricultural island that can provide a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the busier main island.  Gozo's main attraction is a series of prehistoric megaliths and some of the best dive spots in the Mediterranean( see, especially  the Blue Hole and Chimney at the Azure Window).

    • Gozo is the place of legends, as it has been identified by some as Calypso, the "mythical" island in Homer's Odyssey

  
  

• Comino (Kemmuna)

  • The smallest of the islands, Comino is another great place  for snorkeling and diving.  Be sure to see  the famous Blue Lagoon where you can swim, snorkel, dive or wander to your heart's content.

 

 

If you need information about another travel destination, try Googling our site or the Web

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