Malta is a country located on the Mediterranean island archipelago, between Sicily and Tunisia. It is one of the smallest countries in the world, but it has something more to offer tourists than fantastic weather and golden beaches.
Malta is primarily a story from thousands of years ago and remains of ancient civilizations. An example of what is the capital city of Valletta, which is one of the cities with the most monuments per square meter in the world.
Malta is also amazing nature, which itself creates attractions for visitors, such as the sadly departed Azure Window – a rock bridge that disappeared under the surface of the sea in 2017.
Holidays in Malta is a good idea for people not only looking for sun and relaxing on the beaches, it is also an ideal place for lovers of sea cruises and sightseeing. In the multitude of monuments and interesting places, optional trips will help, on which you can get to know this extraordinary country. They will definitely be a convenience for those who do not feel confident in a foreign country behind the wheel. The more so that left-hand traffic applies here and not everyone can adapt to it.
Optional excursions in Malta are a chance to get to know interesting places with a guide who will show you and tell you about the admired attractions.
Optional tours in Malta
Arriving on a vacation to Malta, you can choose to explore the islands on your own, which will surely find enthusiasts of this type of tourism or purchase of optional trips on site. As usual, faculties can be purchased directly from the resident of the travel agency with whom you arrived or from local organizers.
What optional trip to Malta should you choose?
The most popular optional excursions in Malta are rather those all-day trips, during which you leave in the morning to return to a hotel or other lodging house late in the evening. Among them, the one showing the most beautiful places of Malta and visiting the capital – Valletta – is of particular interest.
Tourists also often choose a cruise to the island of Gozo and a trip to three selected cities in this country – depending on the organizer. There are also cruises that allow not only to see Malta from the sea, but above all to admire the varied coasts of the Maltese islands, with the Blue Grotto at the forefront. Interestingly, the sea crossing to nearby Sicily is also quite popular.
Below are the details and prices of some of the most frequently organized optional trips in Malta:
Optional trip ‘The most beautiful places of Malta’
Malta’s most beautiful places – is a full-day trip where you can see the most important and most beautiful attractions of Malta. Often the price includes lunch or dinner in one of the restaurants.
The plan of this type of optional trip is usually the city of Mosta with its famous Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which has the third largest dome in Europe.
Next in line is the quiet city of Mdina, where you can stroll around the defensive walls and the old town.
Another point on the trip is also Rabat, where the grotto of St. Paul is located. Often, a stop on the route is also the village of Ta’Qali, where local handicrafts manufacturers have their stalls and shops on the premises of the now disused military airport used by Allied airmen during the war.
You can buy original souvenirs from Malta, including glass, wooden and metal products, silver jewelry and porcelain. A trip to the most beautiful places in Malta is crowned by a cruise to the Blue Grotto or a trip to the capital of Valletta (a walk through the streets and a visit to the Barrakka gardens and St. John’s Basilica).
What is the price?
The cost of such an optional trip is around 47-50 euro per person.
Optional trip to the island of Gozo
Island of Gozo – a trip to one of the three largest islands of Malta. Despite its small size, however, it has a lot to offer for tourists. The tour usually begins with visiting the prehistoric Ggantija Temples in Xaghra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, estimated to be over 5,800 years old.
Then there are plans to visit Dwejra Bay, where we can see only one of Malta’s two most famous attractions – Fungus Rock (characteristically formed limestone rocks).
Unfortunately, the Azure Window located in the area ceased to exist in 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkUEiS1fGXU
Then you can go to the largest city on the island – Rabat (Victoria), where we can admire the ancient citadel or the local cathedral. Many trips also go to Xlendi Bay, where you can see a show showing the history of the island.
It was in this part of Gozo that the scenes for Troy with Brad Pitt were filmed. In your free time, you can buy lace and woolen products for which this island is known. A day trip around Gozo costs about 50-60 euro per person.
See on the map where the island of Gozo is located:
Optional trip to Valletta
Valletta – an optional trip around the capital of Malta. This trip usually starts with a walk towards the Barrakka gardens, from where there is a view of the Grand Port.
Another iron point of such a trip is a visit to the co-cathedral of St. John the Baptist, in which you can admire two paintings by Caravaggio – “Beheading of John the Baptist” and “Saint Jerome”.
The next item on the tour’s program is the Grand Master’s Palace, which currently serves as the seat of the President of Malta and Parliament. Then the tour can visit other buildings of historical significance – including the National Library, Saint Paul Church and the Manuel Theater. The price of visiting Valletta costs, depending on the organizer, from 30 to 55 euro per person.
See on the map where the capital of Malta, Valletta is located:
Optional trip “Three cities”
Three cities – depending on the organizer, a trip to three Maltese cities, usually towns on the eastern part of the island of Malta: Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea.
These were the former seats of the Order of St. John, which were later the docks of the British Navy.
In Vittoriosa you can visit the Saint Laurent church and the estates of the French and English knights. Then you drive through the largest of the cities – Cospicua, where, unfortunately, the least Renaissance architecture has survived. In Senglea, however, you can see the famous Senglea Point Vedette guardhouse, which offers a panoramic view of the capital city of Valletta and Fort St. Angelo. The cost of such a trip is 28-36 euro per person.
Another example of an optional trip to three cities is a full-day trip to Mdina, Rabat and Mosta. The trip begins with reaching Mosta and visiting the famous church with a rotunda. Its size is second only to that of the Vatican (St. Peter’s Basilica) and London (St. Paul’s Cathedral). In turn, in Mdina you will be able to admire the cathedral of St. Paul together with the cathedral museum. It is also worth walking through the narrow streets of this fortified city, where there is unusual silence, caused by the lack of car traffic. Whereas in Rabat the capital of the island of Gozo, you can visit the Phoenician catacombs, in which one of the caves once housed St. Paul. During your free time, you can go to dinner in one of the nearby restaurants. The cost of trips to these three cities is 32-50 euro per person depending on the organizer.
Other optional trips in Malta
In addition to these most popular trips around Malta, you can also go to the city of Mdina to visit the most famous quiet city and the cathedral of St. Paul. The cost of such a half-day trip is 24 euro per person.
Now something about children’s attractions in Malta!
Optional excursions in Malta for children
Kids will definitely be happy to visit Mediterraneo Marine Park, where you can see animal training shows such as dolphins, sea lions and parrots. In addition, the park also has amphibians and reptiles and coati. An organized trip to this zoo costs 26 euro per adult and 18 euro per child.
See on the map where the Mediterraneo Marine Park is located:
However, if we get to the park ourselves, the entrance fee will be 16 euro for an adult and 11 euro for a child.
Of course, you can buy one of the many cruises organized along the Maltese coast, depending on its length, the cost is about 15-30 euro per person. On some of them it is possible to go ashore for walking, shopping and dinner.
How much are optional trips in Malta?
For those interested, there is a night firework show on the island of Malta at a price of 24 euro per person, or a night cruise for 15 euro per person. Lovers of prehistoric monuments and archeology will probably be interested in an optional trip around the temples of Malta for 46 euro per person. A visit to the winery and learning about Maltese cuisine costs 29 euro per person. Interesting is also a trip in the footsteps of filmmakers, because in Malta a dozen films are made here every year. It was in this country that such works as Game of Thrones, Troy, Gladiator and Popeye were created. The tour takes place in small groups and the cost of such pleasure is 60 euro.
However, when it comes to a trip to Sicily from Malta, it takes a catamaran to the port of Pozzallo. From there, there is a bus transfer to Taormina – a picturesque Italian town, and then to the foot of Mount Etna. Entrance above 2000 meters (by cable car) is paid extra. The cost of this trip is 115-140 euro per person.
Tourist map of Malta
Locate on the map all places that are part of the optional excursions in Malta:
See also Malta’s official tourism website.
Opinions on optional trips in Malta
If you had the opportunity to spend your holidays in Malta and take advantage of optional trips in this country on the island, share your opinions, impressions and reviews. Your opinions will be helpful for subsequent tourists who would like to choose one of the recommended optional trips.