The Best Malta Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Last updated on October 29, 2025

Looking for a Malta travel guide to help you plan an upcoming trip to this incredible Mediterranean island? You’ve come to the right place!

Planning a vacation always feels a bit daunting. There is so much to research and figure out, especially if you’re traveling internationally.

I know when I was planning our trip to Malta, I was overwhelmed by the options on where to stay, what to do, and things to know before my trip. Should I rent a car or rely on public transportation, how much cash do I really need?

That’s why I created this guide—to share everything you need to know about visiting Malta in 2026 (and beyond) and provide helpful tips most other guides overlook. Now, let’s dive in to this Malta travel guide and help you plan the best possible trip!

Key Things to Know about Malta

Below are some basic, but helpful things to know about Malta. I’ll talk a bit more about some of the items later in this Malta travel guide.

🗺️ Location: Malta is located in the Mediterranean Sea, about 309 miles north of Tunisia, Africa, and 50 miles south of Sicily, Italy. The island is tiny—only 316 122 square miles (sq. kilometers).
🛂 Stay Limits: Malta is in the EU and Schengen Zone, limiting stays to 90 days within 180 days across all Schengen countries.
🚨Visas: Visas are not typically required for most North American and UK visitors to Malta; However, starting in 2026, you will need to get an ETIAS before arriving.
🧑‍🧒 Population: Roughly 550,000 people.
🗣️ Language: Maltese is the official language, but most people speak English.
🧾 Tipping: Tipping is not customary in restaurants or tour experiences in Malta. You can round up a bill to an even dollar, or if the service was excellent, leave a 10% tip, but it is not required.
💳 Money: The Euro is the official currency. Most places in Malta will accept debit or credit cards, but bring ~100€ with you, just in case. We pull out money from ATMs using our Revolut debit card (no international or ATM fees).
📱Cell Phone: Most North American cell phone providers charge roaming and international fees for data, phone calls, and texts. Check with your provider before arriving. Most charge $10 per day (which can get expensive). Instead, buy a digital eSim card from Airalo once you arrive for data, phone, and text while in Spain.
💧 Tap Water: Tap water is safe to drink in Malta, but it’s desalinated and has a somewhat salty taste to it. So, everyone (even locals) drinks bottled water.
⏰ Time Zone: Central European Standard Time (can be five or six hours ahead of EST).
🔌 Electricity: Runs on 220 volts (USA runs on 110 volts). A European adapter is needed.

Malta Quick Guide

If you’re short on time here is our quick guide for easy planning.

2025 Malta Entry Requirements

The first thing you need to know as a part of the Malta travel guide is entry requirements.

🚨 An ETIAS should be required in 2026, but check here before traveling to ensure you can apply if it is open and required.

Europe was set to roll out new entry requirements for 2025 that would have impacted most travelers visiting Malta. However, they pushed the launch of this new requirement to 2026. Starting in 2026, all US travelers and tourists from other countries that don’t traditionally need a visa to enter the Schengen area, like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand must apply for the ETIAS.

ETIAS stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System and is more or less a visa waiver that helps the country track who enters the country for safety. The ETIAS requires online registration before arriving and can take up to 2 weeks to receive approval.

The ETIAS costs $7 per adult applicant and only takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Each person must have their own ETIAS before arriving, including children and seniors, however, the application fee is waived for minors and elders. The ETIAS sounds scary, but it’s honestly not a big deal.

Just make sure you apply shortly after booking your tickets and triple-check that you’ve entered your information accurately, including your passport number, name, and contact information, arriving destination in Malta, and verify your passport won’t expire in the next 5 months or you can be denied entry once arriving.

The Best Time to Visit Malta

The best time to visit Malta is in late spring, early summer or early fall. Summer can be extremely hot and humid making it a challenging time to explore. It’s also the busiest season for tourism, so you will be met with higher prices and crowds. The only big benefit for visiting Malta between June and September (summer season) is the weather is ideal for visiting places like Comino Island.

Winters are mild in Malta by most travelers standards. But due to the islands high humidity, it can still feel quite cold and wet. Most boat tours to Comino Island will stop mid-October and won’t begin again until May. So, if that’s a top activity for you on your trip, you should avoid traveling to Malta in winter.

Late May and early October are the best times to visit Malta if you want fewer crowds but ideal weather. Though, May can be a tricky time visit because the water temperature is very cold from the winter still. Early October has warmer water temperature, slightly cooler nights, and pleasant days that are warm enough to enjoy time at the beach or islands.

Check out the average weather below to decide what month might be best for you to visit. Just keep in mind the humidity makes the temperatures feel colder and hotter than they may be. When we visited in September, the temperature rivaled Florida summers, with “feels like temps” around 95°F (35°C).

Month	Avg. High	Avg. Low	Avg. Rain (in.)
January	59°F (15°C)	50°F (10°C)	2.2″ (56 mm)
February	59°F (15°C)	50°F (10°C)	1.7″ (43 mm)
March	62°F (16.6°C)	52°F (11.1°C)	1.3″ (33 mm)
April	66°F (18.8°C)	55°F (12.7°C)	0.8″ (20 mm)
May	73°F (22.7°C)	61°F (16.1°C)	0.5″ (13 mm)
June	81°F (27.2°C)	68°F (20°C)	0.2″ (5 mm)
July	86°F (30°C)	72°F (22.2°C)	0.1″ (2.5 mm)
August	86°F (30°C)	73°F (22.7°C)	0.2″ (5 mm)
September	81°F (27.2°C)	70°F (21.1°C)	1.4″ (35 mm)
October	70°F (23.9°C)	65°F (18.3°C)	2.1″ (53 mm)
November	68°F (20°C)	59°F (15°C)	2.5″ (63 mm)
December	62°F (16.6°C)	53°F (11.6°C)	2.5″ (63 mm)

Things to Know Before Visiting Malta

I’ll dive into the top things to do in Malta, where to stay, and eat later on in this Malta travel guide. But for now, let’s cover some of the common questions and things to know about Malta before you visit.

Malta is small, but there is a lot to do

Malta is a tiny, tiny country with three main islands: Malta’s mainland, Comino Island (largely uninhabited), and Gozo Island in the north. Despite it being the eight smallest county in the world you still want enough time to see all Malta has to offer, which is a lot!

I recommend no less than four days for your first trip, but five to six days would be ideal if you want to do things like visit Gozo or Comino Island.

Maltese is the official language, but English is widely spoken

English is widely spoken in Malta. Estimates say upwards of 90% of the 550,000 people on the island speak English well, or fluently. Although, it’s worth noting that Maltese is the official language in Malta.

It’s a very old semitic language with roots in Arabic and uses Roman alphabet. There is also some influence of English, Portuguese and Italian languages in Maltese. A few helpful phrases to know to show respect when talking with locals:

• Hello: Bonjour
• Goodbye: Addiju
• Thank you: Grazzi
• Please: jekk jogħġbok (pronounced yek-yo-jbok)

They drive on the left side of the road

Malta was a British Colony for 150 years. In 1964, the country gained independence but many British traditions remain in place—like driving on the left hand side of the road. All vehicles follow UK driving rules, with left hand driving vehicles.

Have some cash on you, but not a lot

You don’t need a lot of cash when visiting Malta. It’s a mostly cashless country, however it’s a good idea to have some Euro’s on you for street vendors or for small transactions. Many of the convenient stores and a few Pastizzi restaurants require a minimum of €2 or €3 but the items came out to €1, requiring cash. I recommend having €100 with you for the trip.

Just make sure whatever credit card you use that it doesn’t have international transaction fees!

Don’t drink the tap water

Tap water in Malta is safe. However, the island gets fresh drinking water from a state of the art desalination plant which gives it a salty taste. For that reason, everyone drinks bottled water. We always do what the locals do and followed suit. Thankfully, bottled water is very affordable here unlike many other European countries.

What to Do in Malta

We share more about the top things to do on the island in more detail in this post, but you’ll find some of the highlights below. We also wrote a 5-day Malta itinerary that takes all the guesswork out of what to do and where to eat each day, making trip planning super easy!

• Explore Valletta, the capital city and get a drink on one of the streets overlooking to ocean.
• Visit one (or all three) of the Three Cities.
• Take a boat tour to Comino Island to visit Malta Blue Lagoon.
• Explore the areas of Sliema or St. Julians for a night out or day on the beach.
• Spend a day on Gozo Island and go hiking or relax on the beach.
• Swim in a swimming hole or jump of a cliff at St. Peter’s Pool.
• Visit the Blue Grotto on a boat tour or see it from the vista above.
• Visit the Hypogeum (book tickets 1+ month in advance) or visit another archeological zone, like Hagar Qim.

Malta Tours to Book

If you’re visiting Malta during peak season, make sure you book activities well in advance. Below are a few of the tours you should 100% book and plan for in advance.

• Hypogeum (tickets sell out months in advance. Purchase when you book your flights).
• Valletta Food + History walking tour (at least 2 weeks in advance)
• Comino Island boat tour
• Mdina and Rabat walking tour (with catacombs)
• Gozo jeep full day-trip
• St. John’s Co-Cathedral (you can buy tickets a day or two beforehand, but buy them online + skip the huge lines). Or do this unique afterhours experience.

Maltese Foods to Try + Where to Eat in Malta

Maltese cuisine is heavily influenced by its neighbors and former ruling civilizations. You’ll find Mediterranean ingredients like pasta, capers, olives, fresh cheese, and tomatoes in many dishes with lots of Middle Eastern spices and ingredients too.

There’s a lot of unique dishes to try, like Pastizzi, Imqaret, and Stuffat tal-fenek, Malta’s famous rabbit stew. I won’t cover all of the traditional foods you should try in this Malta travel guide. Instead, I share several other things to eat and where to eat them in my Malta food guide.

A few restaurants you can’t miss though, are Rubino and Legliglin in Valletta, Rebekah’s in Mellieha, Is-Serkin Crystal Palace (they have the best pastizzi), BeriutBay in Sliema, and Tmun on Gozo Island. You can see our top 20 restaurant recommendations in Malta in our full guide.

➡ Read Next: 20 Best Restaurants in Malta and Must-Try Maltese Dishes ⬅

Where to Stay in Malta

Where to stay in Malta will depend on what you want to do on your trip. If you’re looking for a good time and want restaurants, bars, clubs, and beaches to hang out on you should stay in St. Julian’s or Sliema.

If you’re looking for a quieter more relaxing stay and want sandy beaches nearby, stay in Mellieha or St. Paul’s Bay. Opt for Valletta or Mdina and Rabat if you want history. There are a lot of beautiful hotels to choose from across the island no matter where you are staying though.

➡ Read Next: Where to Stay in Malta: Best Areas & Hotels for All Travelers ⬅

If you want to know more about each area and what some of the top hotels are, we break it all down here. However, if you’re short on time you can simply browse accommodations on the map below.

Our top 3 hotels in Malta, Spain

• Luxury: Best Western Premier Malta ⭐⭐⭐⭐, 9.3 rating
• Mid-range: The Mdina Heritage Boutique Hotel in Rabat ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Budget: Mr. Todd hotel ⭐⭐⭐, 8.5 rating
  Explore all Malta hotels >

Getting Around Malta

Malta is really easy to traverse given it’s small size. You can get to the farthest part of the island in 40 minutes or less. Renting a car is convenient, but isn’t necessary. Parking can be difficult, the drivers are very fast and aggressive, and as I mentioned, they drive on the left hand side of the road.

Instead, we recommend using public transportation or ride sharing apps, like Bolt or Uber to get around Malta. We explain how to get around Malta in detail, including costs, routes, things to know about each method and pros and cons of each here.

➡ Read Next: Best Way to Get Around Malta: Car Rental vs Bolt vs Bus ⬅

What to Bring on a Malta Vacation

To finish off this Malta travel guide, let’s talk about what you should bring with you on your trip. We created an entire post about what to pack with some cute outfit ideas. But here are a few general things to ensure you have with you.

• 🎒 Zippable backpack with straps or fanny pack: Pick-pocketing isn’t a problem here. Matla is a very safe island so you don’t have to be super worried about petty theft (although, always be aware). The fanny pack or backpack just makes it easy as you’re exploring!
  
• 🧴 Sun protection: The sun is no joke in Malta (and that’s coming from a native Floridian). Bring sun shirts, hats, and mineral sunscreen so you don’t get burnt as you’re exploring. ATTITUDE’s mineral sunscreen is our favorite for trips like this because it’s packable and not a liquid.

• 🩻 Travel Insurance: We always recommend having travel insurance to cover the “what-ifs”. While Madrid is safe, it’s nice to know you would be covered if there were any major medical emergencies or trip interruptions. Our go-to travel insurance is Safety Wing. You can get a free quote for coverage by clicking here.
  
  
• 💃🏻 Cute lightweight outfits: Bring lightweight, breathable clothing that provides some sun protection. I love leveling up my travel wardrobe with Nuuly for trips like these. I can rent 6 pieces of clothing from some of the top designers for a low fixed-rate fee. Try Nuuly here. Sun dress, cover up, linen shorts or other lightweight short, and a skirt are a must for a Malta trip.

• 🔌 European adapter: For anyone traveling outside of Europe, you will need a European adapter to charge things like your phone or computer. This is the adapter we chose which allows for items requiring up to 100W (like a laptop) for charging.⚡️ Be careful with high-wattage things like razors or straighteners. Electricity is stronger in Europe than in the US and certain gadgets have a hard time (I’ve ruined two hair tools now).
  
  
• 👟Comfortable shoes. We walked a lot in Malta so we wanted a comfortable shoe that was breathable since it was super hot on our trip. We loved the grounding effects of our Earth Runners sandals and that they are lightweight and breathable. We walked 6 – 10 miles a day with these without issue!
  
  
• 💳 Travel credit card with no international fees: Most places in Madrid will accept credit and debit cards. But before swiping, check your bank or credit card company’s international fee policy.

FAQ’s about Malta

Hopefully, this Malta travel guide has answered all of your burning questions about planning a trip to Malta. However, if not, below are a few frequently asked questions about planning a trip to Malta.