Last year we spent over a week in Malta, visiting a lot of places. Here are some of our favourite spots, and a few things to know when visiting the islands.

#1: Coral Lagoon

First on our list is Coral Lagoon, which is actually a naturally formed cave. From above it is not possible to go down into the water, but in summer time people arrive by dinghies and canoes from the sea through a narrow opening. From a distance the lagoon is not that easy to spot, until it suddenly appears. It’s a really bizarre place.

#2: Popeye Village 

Popeye may not be particularly popular these days, but it’s something almost everyone has heard of. In 1980 a musical comedy movie was made, and it was shot here in Malta. This was before the time of computer generated images and fancy technology, so they simply built an entire village for the film set. This village still stands today and is quite a sight. 

#3: Għar Dalam

Malta has plenty of caves and first on our list is Għar Dalam Cave. Not only is it a huge cave, it still contains bone remains of animals that have become extinct in Malta. A huge amount of bones has also been removed from the cave and placed in the exhibition at the entrance but a lot of the bones are still in the cave.

#4: Ramla Beach

Beaches are something Malta isn’t very well known for. It’s a rock filled country with few sandy beaches. However, there are a few, and Ramla Beach also has an extra surprise. Not only is it a large beach but within a short walk you can get to a viewpoint from a cave and see the stunning scenery.

#5: Għar Hasan

Yes, more caves! Għar Hasan Cave is massive and right on the cliff edge going straight down. The initial cave is closed off shortly after entering, but on the left side it is possible to go further. As we weren’t sure how structurally stable it was we didn’t dare venture to the end, and decided to turn around before our luck ran out but from the looks of it the cave goes quite a lot further in.

#6: Salt Pans

The Salt Pans are found in several places in Malta, particularity on the island of Gozo. They make stunning structures and look particularly special in poor weather with the wind and large waves. Be careful not to step onto the actual salt pans though, as these 350 year old structures are still in use today.

#7: Ninu Cave

As we entered the town of Xaghra (Shhara) we came looking for Ninu Cave. Expecting some rural area out in the open we were quite surprised to be pointed towards the city itself. Sure, there was a sign, and an old man, very much resembling Carl from the Pixar movie Up came to greet us. To our surprise the cave was located underneath his house! The actual cave is very small, but the location, the nice old man and the atmosphere made it well worth the trip. 

#8: Xerri’s Grotto

Ninu cave is not the only cave in the town and we discovered that Xerri’s Grotto is another one underneath a building. It was discovered while making a well and today people descend down a spiral staircase inside this well to get to the cave. It is much bigger than Ninu Cave and well worth a visit too.

#9: Valletta

This list wouldn’t be complete without the capital and its surrounding places. It is unlike any capital we’ve seen before, being high up on the rocks above the sea around it, bigger than the other cities, but still very small compared to most capitals. The Three Cities and Sliema located on each side of the capital are also interesting and easily accessible by either ferry or these small boats. Out on St. Angelo there is also a rather unique place, namely the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. In short, it’s a country recognised by very few other countries, holds no land, but has been provided some area by both Malta and Italy to host their offices. As for its status as a country, it is not recognised by the United Nations, although it has observer status as an entity, like the Red Cross and International Olympic Committee.

#10: Wied Il Għasri

Malta’s natural wonders is what convinced us to visit this country. Wied Il Għasri is a beautiful natural valley where people go for a swim in the summer. There are steps made in the rocks going down but apart from that all the carving in this valley has been done by the water over hundreds of years.

#11: Victoria Lines

To our surprise Malta has its own version of the Great Wall of China, actually nicknamed the Great Wall of Malta. Its actual name is the Victoria Lines and is a series of fortifications spanning 12 kilometres across the main island. While large parts of the walls have collapsed it has been entered into UNESCOs World Heritage Site list and the Maltese Tourism Authority is now focusing on restoration and making it a walkway.

#12: St. Paul’s Catacombs

Below the ground near Mdina are some catacombs. Today 20 of these underground sites are open to the public, fitted with lights. Some are remarkably large and have been used for Christian, Pagan and Jewish burials. 

#13: Għar Tuta

A lesser known cave in Malta is Għar Tuta. Located North-West on the main island it is a bit in the middle of nowhere and took us a bit of time to find. As with the other caves it is not easy to spot until you’re very close by and it suddenly appears as a hole in the ground. It is also a cherished bouldering spot among the locals.

#14: Azure Window

No list would be complete without the Azure Window. It use to be the landmark of Malta, but collapsed during bad weather in 2017, after a long time of erosion, suspected to have been accelerated by climate change. While the arch is completely gone today the place is still worth a visit. There is a museum showing the history and erosion of the arch as well as the local fauna. An inland sea is connected to the ocean through a narrow cave and you can go through it in a boat. Overall the landscape is still quite unique and still worth a visit.

#15: Wied Il Mielah

Speaking of natural stone arches, Wied Il Mielah is another one that is still intact. It may not be as spectacular as the Azure Window once was, but it is a lot less known and a spectacular site for photos.

#16: Xlendi

While spending time in Gozo Xlendi is a nice place to spend the night. There are hotels by the waterline and a trail along the rock edge for some nice views of the town. 

#17: Blue Grotto

Sharing the fame of the Azure Window is the Blue Grotto, another arch-like structure with a great view. There are daily boat rides from the nearby village for tourists to see it from below.

#18: Mdina

Alongside Valletta, Mdina is one of the most popular cities to visit. To be honest we found it a bit underwhelming. Sure, it is nice to look at, but with Malta being as unique as it is we struggled a bit to see what made this place so special. Nonetheless, it is a very popular destination and others might find it more interesting than we did.

What to know before you go

First, transportation. Malta has a wide range of buses running across the islands. We used them for transport to the capital and it worked well. However, in more rural areas they run less frequent and we have heard others saying that time tables are not exactly to be trusted. Therefore we decided to rent a car. Apart from driving on the left side of the road it was a fairly OK experience. The driving was a lot more reasonable than we had read online, but parking was quite often hard to find in populated areas. Keep in mind that we travelled in the low season. During high season we would not want to look for a parking space near any tourism spot. It should also be noted that some of the roads are in a terrible state and awful to drive on. They can also be so narrow that if you meet someone, there’s no choice but to start backing up quite a lot. 

As for rental cars, the prices are incredibly low. As in 5 euros per day.  We read online that a lot of people were not happy with the service and a plethora of scams happening, even with well established brands being reputable elsewhere in the world. We therefore proceeded with caution, but did not have any problems. 

While travelling around we got a really strange impression of both a very hospitable and inhospitable culture. The people we spoke to were friendly and we felt very welcome, but so many places had signs telling people not to enter in far from polite ways. There was no way of telling the difference between private and public land and we actually found it problematic to explore several places without feeling bad or risking angry landowners. Malta should certainly clarify the rules and make the signs more official and clear if they are actually put there legally. 

As for hotels, few places can offer the same value for money as Malta. We paid about 50 euros per night for a sea view hotel room in a four star hotel including breakfast. While not being as cheap as Southeast Asia and other backpacker destinations the service and quality compared to the cost was very high.

Last, but not least, when to go? The summer is the time with least rain, most sun and best temperatures. However, it is also the time of the year with more tourists than anything else. As the roads are small and the country isn’t really made for large amounts of people I honestly think we would have gone mad trying to spend time here during peak tourist season. We travelled in December and the lack of other tourists was great. If you don’t mind a crowd the summer is the time to go, but if you are like us and have gotten tired of overcrowded places then winter gives you a lot more freedom to see sights if you can accept the colder and slightly rainier season.

Whatever you decide to do, going there is something we can strongly recommend.