Malta 5-Day Itinerary: Valletta, the Temples and a Day on Gozo

Arrive at Malta International Airport (MLA) and take Airport Direct bus TD4 to Valletta or TD3 to Sliema. Once you have dropped your bags, start at St John's Co-Cathedral, the Knights of St John's great church, where the oratory holds Caravaggio's Beheading of St John the Baptist. Check its visiting days in advance, as it is a working church.

Walk to the Upper Barrakka Gardens for the view over the Grand Harbour; the Saluting Battery below fires at 12:00 and 16:00, Monday to Saturday (as of November 2026; check holiday closures). Continue to the Grandmaster's Palace, then down to Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum at the tip of the peninsula. Stop for pastizzi along the way.

The streets empty after the day visitors leave, which makes early evening the best time to walk them. If you skip one of the earlier museums, the National Museum of Archaeology sets you up for the temples later in the trip. For dinner, start with bigilla (bean dip) and follow it with rabbit stew.

Cross the Grand Harbour on the ferry from Valletta to the Three Cities. In Birgu, climb Fort St Angelo, the Knights' stronghold during the Great Siege of 1565, then walk inland to the Inquisitor's Palace. Only if your Hypogeum slot leaves time, cross to Senglea for the lookout at the tip of its point, facing Valletta across the water.

Take a short bus or taxi ride south to Paola for your timed visit to the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, the prehistoric underground burial complex listed by UNESCO in 1981. Then walk to the Tarxien Temples, where the carved spirals and altar stones can be seen from a raised walkway.

Back in Valletta, a Grand Harbour cruise is a relaxed way to see the fortifications from the water in the warmer months. Otherwise have an easy dinner near your base; timpana and kapunata (Maltese ratatouille) are good choices.

Head south-west to Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, two temple complexes over 5,000 years old on a slope above the sea, linked by a footpath of about 500 metres. They are part of the Megalithic Temples of Malta World Heritage listing and sit under protective shelters, with a visitor centre at the entrance. Go early, before the heat, as the walk between them is exposed.

Drop down to Wied iz-Zurrieq, a few minutes away, for a boat trip into the Blue Grotto and the sea caves around it. Boats run only when the sea is calm enough, so have a back-up: the viewpoint on the road above still gives a good look at the arch. Then drive east to Marsaxlokk, the fishing village known for its painted luzzu boats, for a late lunch of fish or aljotta (fish soup).

From late May to October, finish with a swim at St Peter's Pool, a rock platform on the Delimara peninsula near Marsaxlokk with rocky access to the water. It has no sand and little shade, and you should stay out of the water when the sea is rough. Out of season, walk the Marsaxlokk waterfront instead and head back to your base for dinner.

Take an early fast ferry from Valletta's Grand Harbour to Mgarr on Gozo, a crossing of about 45 minutes. From the harbour, take a taxi or a hire car up to Xaghra and the Ggantija Temples, built in the Late Neolithic period and part of the same World Heritage listing as Hagar Qim. Allow time for the visitor centre before you walk out to the temples.

Continue to Victoria (Rabat) and climb into the Cittadella, the fortified hilltop citadel at the centre of the island, for its cathedral and views over almost all of Gozo. Have lunch in the town below; Gozo is known for gbejniet, small sheep's milk cheeses. Then head west to Dwejra, with its Inland Sea and Fungus Rock, stopping at the Ta' Pinu Basilica on the way.

Return to Mgarr in good time for your ferry back to Valletta, and check the last sailing of the day before you set out in the morning. In summer, if you would rather swim than sightsee in the afternoon, swap Dwejra for Ramla Bay, a red-sand beach below Xaghra. Dinner is back at your base.

Head inland to Mdina, the walled former capital, ideally stopping first at the Mosta Rotunda, a parish church with a huge dome, on the way. In Mdina, see St Paul's Cathedral and walk the bastions for the view across the island.

Walk to the Domus Romana just outside the walls to see its Roman mosaics, and on into Rabat for the St Paul's Catacombs. Have a last lunch of ftira in Rabat. If your flight is later, add a short trip to Dingli Cliffs before you go.

Travel to the airport from Rabat by taxi or bus, leaving plenty of time. If you are staying another night, watch the sunset from Dingli Cliffs and finish with imqaret back at your base.