Three days itinerary in Malta

If you plan on spending a few days in Malta and want to make the most of it, here’s the best three days itinerary in Malta. 

From the Comino and Gozo islands, to Valletta cute streets, including Marsaxlokk colourful fishing village, I’ll show you the ultimate circuit around the island. If you need a full week itinerary, I’ll also indicate which activities and sightseeing can be added when coming for more days.

I also made an article about a boat day to Comino and Gozo, as well as a post detailing everything you need to know before coming to Malta.

Moving on to this itinerary !

• Day One : Getting there and slowly discovering La Valletta
• Day Two : A boat trip to Gozo and Comino, discovering the Blue Lagoon
• Day Three : La Valletta, Three Cities (Senglea, Vittoriosa, Cospicua), Marsaxlokk, Mdina, Rabat, Għajn Tuffieħa Bay

Day One

After landing and checking in your Hotel or Airbnb, get a first feel of La Valletta, the capital city of Malta, by wandering in the cute streets of the city center :

Start at Triton Fountain which is a huge emblematic fountain at the city’s gate called Bieb il-Belt.

From there you can keep straight on Republic Street, which is the most famous and frequented street of the city. Passing by the Courts of Justice and Saint-John’s Cathedral Museum, you’ll land on St Georges’ Square, the city’s main square.

This is where stands the imposing Presidential Palace and Parliament, as well as the Armoury Palace. You can visit the Grand Master Palace for 12€, or 10€ if you’re a student or a senior.

If you feel like walking, you can head to Merchand Street, another typical street with all the traditional maltese balconies : usually in wood in the lower part, and closed by glass in the upper part hence the name gallarija (which can be translated as gallery).

They had many advantages such as seeing without being seen, having a bit of freshness during the summer days, or even for drying the laundry. You’ll see those balconies everywhere in Malta and Gozo, and they are all truly unique, with different colours, engravings or sculptures.

We ended the day at the Lower Barraka Garden followed by the Upper Barraka Garden, two small parks with monuments, greenery but most importantly panoramic views of the port, Three Cities and the sea.

You will get amazing lighting during the sunset so it’s well worth to visit those gardens.

I recommend walking downtown in the evening as well, as it is a really animated and vibrant city center.

Day Two

For the second day, we chose to book a boat trip that would allow us to discover Gozo and Comino, respectively the secondary and third island of the Maltese archipelago, as well as the Blue Lagoon.

I detailed everything from where to book, what to expect or even what to bring in this article.

But in summary, the trip lasts from 10am to 5pm. You will get to see a few caves from the boat and then have around 1,5 hours in Comino and the Blue Lagoon.

After that, you’ll arrive in Gozo’s capital, Victoria, with approximately the same length of free time. The citadel is a great start to your visit, and then you can walk in the charming little streets of the city. On the return trip, the bus will make a few stops to see the cliffs at Xlendi Bay and you’ll sail back to Valletta, right in time to enjoy the sunset and have a nice evening.

That’s a great option if you only stays in Malta for a few days. Otherwise you can take the ferry and do a road trip on the island to see the Xwenji Salt Pans and the many impressive cliffs at your own pace.

Day Three

This third day will be dedicated to explore Malta outside of Valletta.

Start your day at Three Cities, three fortified cities right across Valletta knows as Senglea (or Isla), Cospicua (or Bormla) and Vittoriosa (or Birgu).

If you did not rent a car, both bus lines 1, 2, 3 or 4 will take you to Cospicua.

In Senglea, you can check out the basilica, walk in the charming streets and discover St. Michael Bastion.

In Cospicua, you can stroll along the Yacht Marina‘s waterfront which is really peaceful and beautiful :

Whereas in Vittoriosa, you can head to St. Lawrence’s Church, discover Fort St. Angelo and be amazed by the balconies on Victory Square.

Then, from Vittoriosa, we took a Bolt to Marsaxlokk. It was the fastest and easiest way to get there, for the reasonable total of 12€.

Note that the bus network doesn’t serve all the island’s points of interest very well, so instead of losing time we chose to spend a few more euros.

Marsaxlokk is Malta’s most traditional and authentic fishing village. One of the main attractions here are the small boats painted in bright colors called luzzus. If you notice closely, they have one element in common: the Eye of Osiris. Te local fishermen believe it protects them from the sea’s whims and keeps bad luck at bay.

If you can, it’s best to visit Marsaxlokk on a Sunday as we did. The fish market is held then and it’s the day when the village is at its most lively !

From here we took two buses (first the 80, 81 or 82 followed by the 51, 52 or 56) and 50 minutes later you’ll arrive at Mdina.

Known as “Citta Notabile” or the “Silent City”, Mdina, the former capital of Malta, is a fortified medieval town with just 300 inhabitants, many of them descendants of Maltese nobility. The town’s history goes back more than 4000 years, to the time of the Phoenicians.

Less than 15 minutes’ walk from Mdina is Rabat, a town built on an ancient Roman city, famous for the Catacombs of St. Paul and archaeological remains from the Roman era.

After walking in both cities and discovering the main monuments we took a Bolt fro 12€ again, to head to Għajn Tuffieħa Bay, a large, beautiful beach with fairly dark ochre sand.

It was also a perfect place to watch to sunset on this last day in Malta.

To head back to Valletta you can either take the bus 44 or take a Bolt. Don’t hesitate to ask other people waiting for the bus if they want to share the ride with you, it can be cheaper but also faster as the buses are usually late.

Enjoy your last dinner in Malta at Is-Suq Tal-Belt Valletta Food Market. it’s an upscale market in 19th-century building, with an international food court.

That wraps up my Malta three days itinerary !

It was a wonderful trip, in 3 days you get a really good feel of the island and can do a lot ! But there’s a lot more to see if you have more time such as:

If you need a personalized itinerary, you can fill this form and I’ll find you the best accommodations, flights and itinerary !