Malta

Places in Malta

• Buġibba

  Buġibba is Malta's main package-holiday resort town, a purpose-built coastal strip where mass tourism replaced traditional housing with hotels and prefab apartments. It has little intrinsic sightseeing appeal but serves as a cheap, convenient base for beach days and island-hopping.

  Atlas entry

• Comino

  Comino is the smallest inhabited island in the Maltese Archipelago with only 3 permanent residents. The island's main draw is the famous Blue Lagoon—a stunning lagoon with exceptionally clear azure-blue water perfect for swimming and snorkeling.

  Atlas entry

• Mdina

  Mdina is a tiny fortified city (barely 400 residents) that has preserved its character for over a millennium, with narrow Arab-derived alleyways that wind past Baroque palaces and the cathedral that inspired Malta's other churches. The view from the city walls alone makes it worth the visit: on a clear day you can survey most of the island from this ancient defensive perch.

  Atlas entry

• Mellieħa

  Mellieħa is a compact beach town in northwestern Malta, popular with package tourists and day-trippers for its sheltered bay with calm, shallow waters ideal for families. The town sits on a steep hill with a charming main street of cafes and souvenir shops, while the lower beach area offers sunbeds, water sports, and the quirky Popeye Village film set at Anchor Bay.

  Atlas entry

• Qawra

  Qawra is a coastal resort town in Malta's St. Paul's Bay region, directly connected to the more bustling Buġibba.

  Atlas entry

• Rabat

  Rabat means 'suburb' in old Arabic, reflecting its origin as the settlement outside Mdina's fortified citadel. The town preserves Roman-era street patterns and houses several underappreciated museums and catacombs that most tourists skip in favor of Mdina.

  Atlas entry

• Sliema

  Sliema and St Julian's form Malta's most modern and built-up tourist corridor, offering the island's highest concentration of hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops. The town features a well-developed sea front with shaded seating areas, stone beaches with clean swimming areas, and free wireless internet along the promenade.

  Atlas entry

• Valletta

  Valletta's compact peninsula is well suited to exploring on foot. Stairway shortcuts thread through the city, with steep sections that can make a walk tiring.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$146

  Best months

  Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov

• Victoria

  Victoria, also called Rabat, is the administrative heart of Gozo island and home to the fortified Citadella that dominates the skyline. The town offers Malta's second-oldest cathedral, baroque architecture, and a compact car-free old city for easy exploration.

  Atlas entry

• Żejtun

  Żejtun is the largest city in southern Malta and one of the island's oldest cities, with a parish established as early as 1436. The city is renowned as the hub of Maltese folk singing (l-għana) and has produced many of Malta's most respected folk singers.

  Atlas entry