08/26/2026
Malta: Five Days of History, Island Adventures, and Maltese Nights
There are some trips where the destination immediately lives up to the hype. Malta was one of those places for me.
Tucked into the Mediterranean between Sicily and North Africa, Malta packs an incredible amount into a surprisingly small space: ancient cities, massive fortifications, turquoise water, dramatic coastline, Catholic traditions, tiny villages, excellent food, and a nightlife scene that can go from a quiet harbor bar to a full-blown village festa in the same evening.
My August 2026 trip was only five days on the ground, but I managed to experience a little bit of everything—from the historic streets of Valletta and Mdina to Gozo, the Blue Lagoon, the Blue Grotto, and one of Malta’s famous village feasts.
Getting to Malta
The trip began Wednesday, August 19, with a flight from Indianapolis to Atlanta and then an overnight flight to Paris.
After arriving at Charles de Gaulle early Thursday morning, I had a few hours before continuing on to Malta. By early afternoon, I had landed at Malta International Airport, picked up a rental car, and was on my way into Valletta.
The first stop was one of Malta’s most impressive landmarks: St. John’s Co-Cathedral.
Valletta: An Incredible First Impression
Valletta feels different from almost anywhere else I’ve visited.
The city is compact, but nearly every street seems to reveal another limestone building, balcony, church, staircase, or view over the Mediterranean. It’s the kind of place where wandering without a plan is almost as rewarding as having an itinerary.
St. John’s Co-Cathedral was the perfect introduction. The exterior is relatively restrained, but the interior is spectacularly ornate, with elaborate Baroque decoration and some remarkable works of art.
I checked into my apartment on St. Paul Street afterward, putting me right in the middle of Valletta. That turned out to be an excellent base for exploring the city on foot.
Gozo, the Blue Lagoon and the Sea
Friday was my first full day of exploring.
After breakfast at Sunday in Scotland, I joined a tour that combined several of Malta’s most famous coastal attractions with a visit to Gozo.
The Blue Lagoon was exactly the kind of Mediterranean scenery you expect from Malta—bright turquoise water surrounded by rugged limestone and rocky coastline. It was beautiful, although August is definitely peak season, so this isn’t exactly a hidden corner of the Mediterranean.
The sea caves and coastline added another dimension to the day, while Gozo provided a much more relaxed contrast to Valletta.
That evening, I returned to Valletta and found a very different kind of entertainment: watching Arsenal beat Coventry in the English Premiere League opening match at The Queen Victoria Pub.
For a traveler who enjoys finding a good place to watch the Premier League while abroad, Malta turned out to be a surprisingly easy destination.
A Second Day on Gozo
Saturday was another early start, this time for a full-day Gozo excursion that included Ġgantija and the citadel ay the heart of Gozo.
The Ġgantija Temples were one of the highlights of the entire trip.
The prehistoric temples are among the oldest monumental free-standing structures in the world, which makes standing among the enormous stone blocks a little surreal. Malta’s history doesn’t just go back centuries—it goes back thousands of years.
One thing I particularly enjoyed about Gozo was how quickly the landscape changes once you’re away from the busiest tourist areas. There are quiet roads, small villages, agricultural land, cliffs, and views across the Mediterranean.
Back in Malta that evening, I headed to St. George’s Square for the PINTA Beer Festival.
After a day spent exploring ancient temples, drinking local beer in a historic square was a pretty good way to finish the day.
Fort St. Elmo and a Maltese Festa
Sunday morning brought another piece of Malta’s military history: Fort St. Elmo.
The fort occupies a strategic point at the entrance to Valletta’s Grand Harbour and played a major role during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565.
But the real surprise of the day came that evening.
I headed to Birkirkara for the Feast of St. Helen.
If you’ve never experienced a Maltese village festa, it’s difficult to describe just how different it feels from a typical tourist attraction. Streets are decorated, buildings are illuminated, music fills the air, and the entire community seems to come together for the celebration.
It was one of those experiences that reminded me why I prefer traveling beyond the standard list of tourist attractions. You can visit the Colosseum, the Eiffel Tower, or the Taj Mahal and have an incredible experience—but sometimes the memories that stick with you most are the unexpected local experiences you stumble into along the way.
The St. Helen celebration was definitely one of those.
The Blue Grotto and Mdina
Monday was my final full day in Malta.
I started with a drive toward the Blue Grotto overlook.
The Blue Grotto is another reminder of just how dramatic Malta’s coastline can be. From the overlook, you can see the enormous limestone cliffs dropping into brilliantly blue Mediterranean water.
From there, I headed to Mdina.
Known as the “Silent City,” Mdina is almost the complete opposite of the modern resort side of Malta. Its narrow streets, honey-colored stone buildings, imposing gates, and medieval atmosphere make it feel like a movie set.
It’s easy to understand why Mdina has been used as a filming location, but even without that connection, it’s one of the most atmospheric places on the island.
I finished the trip with dinner at 1522: A Food Story, a fitting final meal after several days of exploring Malta’s history and food culture.
Heading Home
Tuesday morning meant an early departure from Malta.
I flew from Malta to Amsterdam, then continued to New York before the final flight home to Indianapolis.
It was a long travel day, but by then I had packed a remarkable amount into five days.
My Take on Malta
Malta is one of those destinations that works particularly well for travelers who don’t want to choose between history, beaches, food, nightlife, and adventure.
You can spend the morning walking through a 16th-century fortress, swim in crystal-clear Mediterranean water in the afternoon, explore a prehistoric temple the next day, and then end the evening at a village festival surrounded by locals.
And because the country is so compact, you can experience an incredible variety of places without spending hours every day in transit.
For me, the biggest highlights were Valletta, Gozo, the Ġgantija Temples, Mdina, and the Feast of St. Helen. But perhaps the best part was the variety.
Malta isn’t simply a beach destination. It isn’t simply a history destination. And it isn’t simply a European city break.
It’s all of those things packed onto a tiny Mediterranean island.
And five days was enough to make me want to come back.
Would I Go Back?
Absolutely.
Next time, I’d spend more time on Gozo, explore more of Malta’s smaller villages, and slow the pace down a little.
Because if there’s one thing Malta made clear, it’s that this is a destination worth exploring beyond the obvious highlights.
