Looking for the ultimate Malta Road Trip Itinerary? We've spent over a month living there, so we're pretty clued up on where to go, and what to see...
After spending a blissful month road-tripping Malta and Gozo, Brad and I pieced together the perfect one-week loop so you can experience the same cannon blasts, cliff-top sunsets and neon-blue swims we fell in love with—without ever driving more than 45 minutes at a time.
Grab the keys, cue the Med-rock playlist and let’s hit the road!
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Malta measures just 27 km end to end, but its silky-smooth roads link together three UNESCO sites, 7 000-year-old temples, hidden coves and villages where a golden-crusted pastizz still costs €0.60. Having our own wheels meant raiding every bakery that smelled good, pulling over whenever the coastline made us gasp, and chasing whichever bay promised the calmest swim that day. Buses are fine; a car is freedom.
How long do you really need?
5 days – Snapshot: Valletta, Mdina, Gozo, Blue Lagoon dip.
7 days – Just right (this route): Every headline sight, plus lazy coffees, bakery detours and sunset swims.
10+ days – Slow travel: Add beach-bum days, a scuba course and extra winery lunches.
Best time to visit Malta
April – May: 20-25 °C, wildflowers everywhere, almost zero queues.
June – August: 28-34 °C, village festa fireworks every weekend—book accommodation early.
September – October: 25-29 °C, bath-warm sea, thinner crowds; Valletta’s Notte Bianca on the first Saturday in October is magic.
November – March: 15-18 °C, dramatic waves for photographers, cheaper stays—too cool for long beach days but brilliant for city breaks.
My personal sweet spot is late-May or mid-September: balmy snorkels, golden-hour light and roads that still feel roomy.
Where to book your car rental in Malta
I booked with family-run Compass Car Hire with a, we picked it up in St Pauls Bay near us, (we got a Peugeot 208 for €23 a day (full CDW included).
Malta drives on the left, fuel is €1.34 / L (price-controlled) and there are zero toll roads.
Do yourself a favour and take full excess cover— we “tapped" a limestone verge near Mdina and having full cover helped...
But you can use Discover Cars or Rental Cars to look for car rental, and you can pick up and drop off at the airport!
Quick-reference road-trip checklist
Local SIM/eSIM: €15 Epic Traveller SIM at the airport kiosk, or pre-load an Maya eSIM.
Upper Barrakka Gardens – Valletta’s highest bastion terrace planted in 1661 for the Italian Knights. I grab an icy bottle of Kinnie and wait for the noon Saluting Battery volley that rattles every honey-stone wall around the Grand Harbour.
Lascaris War Rooms – Forty metres beneath the gardens, a humid warren of tunnels housed the Allied HQ that directed Operation Husky. Original plotting maps, Bakelite phones and ticking Morse machines make WWII feel inches away (open 10-17 h; last entry 16 h; €20).
St John’s Co-Cathedral – Plain façade, but step inside and every surface drips with gold leaf and polychrome marble. Caravaggio’s brooding Beheading of St John—his only signed painting—stops me in my tracks (Mon–Sat 09-16:45; €15; scarves provided).
Strait Street – Former red-light sailor strip reborn with craft-beer bars, speakeasies and live-music corners. Perfect aperitivo crawl.
Where to eat (vegetarian friendly)
Noni – Michelin-star Maltese plates; they’ll swap rabbit for roast-pumpkin terrine if you ask nicely.
Gugar Hangout – Vegan wraps, alt-milk lattes and beanbags under an arched cellar ceiling.
Crave – Smoothie bowls and falafel salads on the ferry quay.
Where to sleep
Budget – Osborne Hotel: rooftop dip pool & free brekkie.
Mdina – “The Silent City” – Malta’s medieval capital still houses aristocratic families behind mammoth doors. After 18 h the tour buses vanish; lamp-lit alleys echo with nothing but your footsteps. (GoT’s King’s Landing gate is here—geek squeal!)
St Paul’s Catacombs – Duck under 3rd-century arches into a cool labyrinth where early Christians held farewell feasts among the tombs (€6; 09-17 h).
Mosta Rotunda – World’s fourth-largest unsupported dome at 45 m wide. In 1942 a Luftwaffe bomb punched through the ceiling mid-Mass and failed to explode. The replica shell on display still gives me goosebumps (donation €2).
Dingli Cliffs – Malta’s highest point (253 m). Kestrels surf salt-spray thermals while the sun slips into the Med. Pack a blanket and a chilled bottle of Girgentina rosé.
Golden Bay – Wide crescent of honey sand; grab a €5 lounger, swim at dusk and watch the Milky Way creep out.
Food stops
Fontanella Tea Garden – Best chocolate cake on the island and panoramas that stretch to the coast.
Coogi’s – Wood-fired pizza plus a full vegetarian menu in an Mdina courtyard.
The Cliffs Restaurant – Farm-to-fork plates; the lentil-and-gbejniet soup hugs your soul.
Overnight
Sleep back in Valletta or treat yourself to Radisson Blu Golden Sands where balconies literally hang over the beach.
Day 3 – Film Sets, Sea-Caves & Fishing Boats
Drive legs
Golden Bay ➜ Popeye Village • 3 km • 5 min
Popeye ➜ St Paul’s Bay • 8 km • 12 min
St Paul’s ➜ Blue Grotto • 25 km • 35 min
Blue Grotto ➜ Marsaxlokk • 13 km • 20 min
Marsaxlokk ➜ St Peter’s Pool • 3 km • 8 min
Return to St Paul’s Bay • 25 km • 30 mim
My must-see highlights
Popeye Village – Candy-coloured 1980 film set now loaded with water trampolines, mini-golf and killer Anchor-Bay viewpoints (10-18 h; €25).
Blue Grotto – 20-min skiff (€10, cash) threads under seven limestone arches; late-morning sun turns the seabed electric cobalt—bring a polariser.
Marsaxlokk – Sunday fish market (08:30-13:30) heaves with tuna steaks, prickly-pear jam and straw hats; eye-painted luzzu boats beg for photos.
St Peter’s Pool – Horseshoe limestone lido famous for 3-5 m cliff jumps. Reef shoes are a must—Brad’s toe learned the hard way.
Food & drink
Ta’ Victor – Family tavern known for fish soup; veggie ftira stacked with olives & capers is lush.
Roots Restaurant – Harbour-view Mediterranean plates; vegan risotto marked V.
Gozo Channel – Breezy 25-min sail past Comino; grab a pastizz on deck and watch Santa Marija tower (from Count of Monte Cristo) glide by.
Citadella – Bronze-Age acropolis later fortified by Knights. Clamber the bastions for 360° views, peek into WWII grain silos and visit the graffiti-scarred Old Prison (ticket combo €5; 09-17 h).
Where to eat
Maldonado Bistro – Pumpkin-sage risotto paired with Ġellewża red.
Dwejra Bay & Inland Sea – A collapsed limestone dome now forms a turquoise lagoon linked to open ocean by a 100 m tunnel. €4 dinghies roar through the arch; the echoing surge sounds like a freight train.
Wied il-Mielaħ Arch – Gozo’s “new Azure Window”. A narrow cliff track leads to a perfect natural frame—sunset ignites the arch in burnt orange.
Basilica of Ta’ Pinu – Neo-Romanesque shrine where, legend says, the Virgin Mary spoke to a local woman in 1883. Inside, hundreds of crutches, helmets and baby photos thank her for miracles.
Sanap Cliffs – 120 m precipice tour buses skip. Arrive for golden hour as Cory’s shearwaters scream below your feet and the sky blushes peach.
Xlendi Bay – Fjord-like inlet ringed by candle-lit cafés; perfect moonlit swim.
Eats
The Boathouse – Grilled veggie antipasti with sea spray on your face.
Root 81 – Michelin-listed; five-course vegetarian tasting with foraged herbs.
Sapana Indian – Vegan-friendly curries that nuke the salty evening chill.
Day 6 – Salt Pans, Red Sand & Giant Temples
Drive legs
Victoria ➜ Xwejni Salt-Pans • 6 km • 10 min
Salt-Pans ➜ Ramla Bay • 8 km • 15 min
Ramla ➜ Tal Mixta Cave • 2 km • 7 min
Cave ➜ Ġgantija Temples • 5 km • 9 min
Ġgantija ➜ Ta’ Mena Estate • 2 km • 5 min
My must-see highlights
Xwejni Salt-Pans – Checkerboard pools carved in 1860s. Leli, fifth-gen salt farmer, sells €2 bags of flaky sea-salt—souvenirs that won’t gather dust.
Ramla Bay – Rare rust-red sand backed by protected dunes. Sunrise sets the grains on fire and you’ll share it with a handful of joggers and one nosy terrier.
Tal Mixta Cave – Fifteen-minute goat-track scramble to a natural arch framing Ramla’s entire horseshoe—bring a wide-angle lens.
Ġgantija Temples – Twin megalithic temples older than Stonehenge; some blocks weigh 50 t, fuelling giant legends (09-18 h; €10).
Ta’ Mena Estate – €12 tasting of Girgentina wine, sun-dried tomatoes and citrus marmalade. I left with a case and zero regrets.
The Fat Rabbit – All-you-can-eat buffet with clearly labelled veggie dishes.
Day 7 – Comino’s Blue Lagoon & Farewell
Drive legs
Victoria ➜ Mgarr Harbour • 6 km • 10 min
Mgarr ➜ Ċirkewwa by ferry • 25 min
Ċirkewwa ➜ MLA • 24 km • 30 min
My must-see highlights
Blue Lagoon – Caribbean-blue, waist-deep water ringed by sheer rock. I cannonballed in at 10 a.m. before flotillas arrived and felt like I’d stolen a private pool.
Santa Marija Bay – Ten-minute coast path to Comino’s quieter second beach where goats outnumber sunbathers; snorkelling is surprisingly fishy.
Sea-caves speed-boat – €15 add-on zips you beneath cathedral-like arches; rumour says monk seals still poke around the deeper grottoes.
Practical cruise & food tips
Sea Adventure Catamaran – 11-17 h, €20; twin slides, shade and an onboard café serving vegan wraps.
Santa Marija Kiosk – Maltese ħobż biż-żejt sandwiches and melon sorbet.
Return the car, raise a farewell Cisk in departures and start planning your comeback.
Indicative budget (per person, mid-range)
Car + fuel (split two ways) – €28
Twin / double room – €60–80
Food & caffeine – €30–40
Activities & entries – €15
Total ≈ €140 a day
What to pack
Reef shoes – limestone ledges are razor-sharp
Light scarf – cathedral shoulders & knees rule
Snorkel mask + dry-bag
Type-G plug & power bank
Light jacket – Gozo cliffs get breezy after dark
5 L jug for refilling; tap water safe (a bit minerally)
Responsible travel tips
Re-fill bottles at Re-FILL Malta fountains or ask cafés—ditch single-use.
Skip giant inflatables at Blue Lagoon; by October the cove becomes a plastic graveyard.
Stick to marked trails—coastal flora is fragile.
Support family producers: Leli Salt, Ta’ Mena wines, micro cheeseries.
Final words
From Valletta’s noon cannon to Comino’s neon-blue lagoons, Malta proves you don’t need marathon drives for mega adventure.
Follow this loop, feast often and wave if you see us queuing for more pastizzi—because I know we’ll be back.
Happy road-tripping! — Cazzy
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As the type 1 diabetic half of Dream Big, Travel Far, I'm passionate about encouraging fellow type 1's to travel the world and not let their diabetes hold them back. I'm proud to now be a full-time digital nomad. Meaning I live my life working and travelling all over the world and am here to help you achieve your dreams as well in any way I can.
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