What to see in Malta: 8 must-sees
Discover what to see in Malta: 8 must-see destinations, from Valletta to Mdina. Predominantly UNESCO heritage and beach; each entry includes the best time to visit and the link to its official source.
UNESCO Heritage(4)
Walk the cobblestone streets of Valletta, the walled capital Malta built above the harbor, and explore its 320 monuments packed into just 55 hectares. Step inside St. John's Co-Cathedral, look out over the Grand Harbour from the Upper Barrakka Gardens, and understand why UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1980, a testament to the Order of St. John and its Baroque legacy.
Walk up the bridge over the old moat to the Baroque gate and enter the Silent City, Malta's capital until the arrival of the Hospitallers. Founded around 1500 BC, Mdina preserves narrow alleys, Norman palaces, and St. Paul's Cathedral, built on the spot where tradition places the house of the Roman governor Publius. From the northern bastions you can make out much of the island, and at dusk the sun lights up the golden stone. The site, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, remains almost intact and barely inhabited.
Climb the hill at Xagħra on Gozo and explore the Ġgantija Temples, built between 3600 and 3000 BC, older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt. Walk among limestone walls that reach six meters and note the rock spheres that served as rollers for moving the blocks. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, the complex preserves two temples with altars and ritual niches. The interpretation center will show you how a Neolithic community raised all of this without metal or the wheel.
Visit the Ħaġar Qim Temple in southern Malta and explore its megalithic structures, erected between 3600 and 3000 BC with blocks reaching 20 meters. Walk among its limestone walls, look at the altars and oracles of the main enclosure, and take in the Mediterranean coast that surrounds it. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, this complex preserves one of the world's oldest examples of religious architecture.
Beach(3)
Head over to Gozo, the Maltese island you reach by ferry, where life still keeps the rhythm of the countryside. Walk its trails between dry-stone walls, visit the megalithic Ġgantija Temples, and then head down for a swim in coves of crystal-clear water like Ramla Bay, with its reddish sand. Snorkel among the rocks, walk the shoreline at sunset, and eat fish for dinner in a village where you can still see the nets drying by the harbor.
Walk down the cliff to the golden sand of Golden Bay, Malta's most famous beach, in the north of the island. Swim in its crystal-clear water, snorkel by the rocks, or try surfing when the northwest wind blows. Stroll along the shore and take in the open bay from the fine sand, one of the few wide sandy stretches in the Maltese archipelago. At sunset, the sun goes down directly in front of the coast and turns the water coppery.
Take in the Sliema promenade, in northern Malta, where cafés, restaurants, and shops line up facing the Mediterranean. Stroll along the seafront with its sea views, head down to the beach of fine sand and clear water, snorkel among the rocks, or walk the shoreline at sunset. Here you combine shopping, sunbathing, and Maltese cuisine on a single coastal walk, unhurried, with the sound of the waves as constant company.
Religious(1)
Pass through the walls of Mdina and make your way to St. Paul's Cathedral, built on the spot where, according to tradition, the apostle preached after being shipwrecked on Malta in AD 60. Rebuilt in Baroque style after the 1693 earthquake, it preserves an interior with frescoes, polychrome marble, and a carved wooden choir. Wander the naves at a leisurely pace, admire the dome that dominates the skyline of the fortified city, and end your visit at the nearby viewpoints, from which you can see the rooftops and fields of the island.
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