Stepping back in time in Malta

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
6
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
7
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
5
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
5
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
6
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
62 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
260th/454
Top 60%
continent
Europe
country
Malta
Length of time
3-4 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$100 ($150-$550 in 2025 prices)
Time of year visited
July
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Christian site Islands Old town
All Tags
Ancient ruins Beaches Boat trip Castles / Fortresses City Walls Islamic site Swimming UNESCO world heritage site
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐

Summary

Malta represents a great option for a 3-4 day European trip.  The Old Town of Valetta is as pretty as any Mediterranean old town and is a delight to wander around.  The various beaches scattered across the islands have some wonderfully picturesque spots for swimming and lazing the days away.  And its history – Malta has been ruled over the centuries by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Knights of St John, French and British – gives a variety of spots that will satisfy even the most demanding culture vulture for a short trip.  Add into the mix its warm climate (perfect for Europe’s winter months) and just how compact it is (you can drive from one side to the other in under an hour), and you’ve got a cracking spot for that 3-4 day trip.

 

Whilst I only visited for a short time for lash / partying (and, quite unusually, took practically no photos), here are the top highlights I took from the visit:

Highlight #1 – Valetta.  Gorgeous Old Town that will naturally be one of the key places you spend your time.  We visited in summer, which meant that it was scorching in the daytime, but was actually quite nice because you can wander around some of the practically deserted streets and churches without hoards of tourists, and get to watch the place come alive as the late afternoon sun starts to set and cool the place down.  As with all Old Towns, the best tip is to put away the map and just get yourself lost in the various back alleys and giving yourself that wonderful few moments of feeling like you truly are transported back before the changes of the modern world and the thousands of fellow tourists.

Highlight #2 – Mdina and Rabat.  Just how picturesque the setting is is reflected in its choice for various exotic filming locations for the TV show Game of Thrones.  Even more so that Valetta, Mdina felt like one of those places that transports you back in time as you wander through the honey-coloured buildings and look out across the views from the walls of this hilltop ancient capital of Malta.

Highlight #3 – The Blue Lagoon.  Based on the island of Comino, the Blue Lagoon is a delightfully picturesque spot for a swim and to chill on the waterfront.  Just try to bring either heaps of sunscreen of some umbrellas as there is very little shade there.  To get there you can easily take a standard sightseeing boat from either Silema, Bugibba or Golden Bay on main Malta Island.

Highlights

valetta-aspect-ratio-675-900

#1 - Valetta.  Gorgeous Old Town that will naturally be one of the key places you spend your time

mdina-aspect-ratio-675-900

#2 - Mdina and Rabat.  Picturesque hilltop towns with honey-coloured buildings and pretty narrow streets

P6284501-aspect-ratio-900-675

#3 - The Blue Lagoon.  Based on the island of Comino, the Blue Lagoon is a delightfully picturesque spot for a swim and to chill on the waterfront

Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Similar Small Country Trips

Itinerary for 10 wonderful days in Guatemala
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Going back in time for a week in Cuba
⭐⭐

Portugal Highlights – A 10 Day Road Trip Itinerary
⭐⭐⭐

Driving down the West Coast of Scotland – Glencoe, Oban, Skye and the Harry Potter Bridge
⭐⭐⭐

A supercharged week seeing the highlights of Israel and Jordan
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

6 day itinerary for Romania and the Transylvanian region
⭐⭐⭐

10 days campervanning around the South Island of New Zealand
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A week for the best of mainland Ecuador
⭐⭐

10 day roadtrip around Tasmania
⭐⭐⭐

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *