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Things To Do In Malta
Rent a Boat for the Day
Experiencing Malta from the water is completely different from seeing it by land. Many of the islands’ most beautiful places — hidden caves, remote swimming spots, dramatic cliffs, and crystal-clear lagoons — are best accessed by boat. Areas around Comino, the Crystal Lagoon, the southern coast of Malta, and parts of Gozo reveal an entirely different side of the islands once you leave the harbors behind.
Tourist Boats & Party Cruises
Large tourist ferries and party boats regularly depart toward the Blue Lagoon and other coastal hotspots. Many include music, drinks, swimming stops, waterslides, and sunset cruises, making them popular for groups, families, and travellers looking for a social atmosphere on the water.
Pirate Ships & Sightseeing Cruises
Traditional-style pirate ships offer a more themed sightseeing experience around Malta’s coastline. These boats are especially popular with families and provide a fun way to explore harbors, caves, and coastal landmarks while enjoying views from the sea.
Self-Drive Boats
Self-drive motorboats are one of the best ways to explore Malta independently. Many smaller boats can be rented without a boating license, allowing visitors to cruise between bays, stop for swimming whenever they want, and discover quieter areas away from the larger tourist crowds.
RIBs & Speedboats
For travellers wanting to cover more coastline in less time, RIBs and speedboats are widely available. These boats are ideal for visiting multiple locations in one day, including hidden caves, snorkeling spots, and more remote areas around Comino and Gozo.
Sailing Yachts & Catamarans
Private sailing yachts and catamarans offer a slower and more relaxed experience on the water. With plenty of space for sunbathing, dining, snorkeling, and anchoring in secluded bays, they are one of the best ways to experience Malta’s coastline comfortably.
Luxury Private Charters
Luxury motor yachts and fully crewed private charters are also available throughout Malta. These charters often include a skipper, food and drinks, water toys, and custom itineraries visiting locations like the Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon, sea caves, and waterfront restaurants.
Why You Should Experience Malta by Boat
For many visitors, spending a day on the water becomes one of the highlights of visiting Malta. Seeing the islands from the sea gives a completely different perspective of Malta’s cliffs, hidden coves, historic harbors, and natural beauty that simply cannot be experienced from the road alone.
Harbour Cruises & Boat Trips
Malta’s harbours are best experienced from the water. Harbour cruises and guided boat trips offer a slower and more relaxed way to explore the coastline while giving a completely different perspective of the island’s historic fortifications, waterfront cities, and maritime culture.
Grand Harbour Cruises
Cruises through Grand Harbour are among the most popular boat trips on the island. Passing beneath the massive fortress walls of Valletta and the surrounding Three Cities gives a real sense of Malta’s strategic importance throughout history.
Traditional Harbour Tours
Smaller sightseeing boats often navigate through narrow creeks and hidden inlets around the harbour areas. These guided tours usually explain Malta’s naval history, shipbuilding heritage, wartime importance, and the role the harbours played during the time of the Knights of St. John.
Sunset & Evening Cruises
Evening harbour cruises are especially popular during summer, when the limestone cities begin glowing gold at sunset. Watching Valletta light up from the water while cruising through the calm harbour creates one of the most scenic experiences on the island.
Boat Trips Around the Coast
Beyond the harbours, many boat tours explore Malta’s coastline, including sea caves, cliffs, swimming stops, and locations around Comino and Gozo. These trips are ideal for travellers who want to experience the sea without renting a private boat themselves.
Why Harbour Cruises Are Worth It
Seeing Malta from the water helps explain why the islands became one of the Mediterranean’s most important maritime locations. The scale of the fortifications, historic dockyards, and natural harbours is far more impressive from sea level than from land.
The Megalithic Temples of Malta
Malta is home to some of the oldest freestanding stone structures in the world. Built between 3600 and 2500 BC, the Megalithic Temples of Malta are even older than the pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge, making them one of the islands’ most fascinating historical attractions.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Seven temple sites across Malta and Gozo are protected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The most famous include Ġgantija, Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, and Tarxien Temples.
Ancient Engineering & Mystery
The temples continue to puzzle historians and archaeologists today. Massive limestone blocks were transported and carefully positioned thousands of years ago without modern tools, while many of the sites show advanced layouts, carved altars, and alignments connected to the sun and seasonal changes.
The Legend of Giants
Local legends say the temples were built by giants rather than ordinary people. The name Ġgantija even translates to “Giant’s Tower,” tied to stories of a giantess named Sunsuna who supposedly carried the enormous stones while holding her child.
Visiting the Temples
Walking through the temples feels surreal, especially knowing the stones have stood for over 5,000 years. The combination of history, mystery, mythology, and sheer scale makes these sites one of the most unique experiences anywhere in the Mediterranean.
Why the Temples Matter
While Malta is often known for beaches, sailing, and historic cities, the temples reveal a much older layer of the islands’ history. They show that Malta has been a center of human civilization, culture, and storytelling for thousands of years.
Visit Popeye Village
Popeye Village
Originally built as the film set for the 1980 Popeye movie starring Robin Williams, Popeye Village has since become one of Malta’s most recognizable family attractions. The colorful wooden buildings overlooking Anchor Bay create a unique setting that feels more like a seaside movie set than a traditional theme park.
A Family-Friendly Attraction
Popeye Village is especially popular with families and younger children thanks to its relaxed atmosphere, small shows, play areas, and waterfront activities. Visitors can walk through the original film set, explore the wooden houses, and enjoy the scenic coastal surroundings.
Anchor Bay & Coastal Views
One of the biggest highlights is the location itself. Set above the turquoise waters of Anchor Bay, the village offers beautiful sea views, rocky cliffs, and one of the more photogenic coastal spots in Malta.
Swimming & Boat Activities
During summer, the area often includes small water activities, sunbathing areas, and short boat rides around the bay. The clear water around Anchor Bay also makes it a pleasant stop for swimming and relaxing by the sea.
Why Visit Popeye Village
Popeye Village works best as a relaxed half-day trip rather than a full-day attraction. It combines film history, coastal scenery, and light entertainment in a setting that feels distinctly Maltese while still being fun for both children and adults.
Bays & Beaches in Malta
Malta’s coastline is filled with a huge variety of bays, beaches, hidden coves, and swimming spots, each offering a completely different atmosphere. From lively sandy beaches with restaurants and watersports to quiet rocky coves surrounded by cliffs, the islands are perfect for beach hopping and coastal exploring.
Tuffieħa Bay
Tuffieħa Bay is one of Malta’s most scenic beaches, known for its golden sand, dramatic cliffs, and quieter atmosphere. Reached by a long staircase, the bay is especially popular for sunset views, swimming, and a more natural beach experience away from larger crowds.
Golden Bay
Golden Bay is one of Malta’s most popular sandy beaches, offering easy access, restaurants, beach bars, watersports, and family-friendly swimming. The combination of soft sand, calm water, and nearby facilities makes it one of the island’s busiest summer beaches.
Hofriet Bay
Hofriet Bay is a quieter and more rugged cove surrounded by steep cliffs and clear blue water. The bay is popular with swimmers, snorkelers, and travellers looking for a more hidden and peaceful coastal spot.
St. Paul’s Bay
St. Paul’s Bay combines coastal scenery with historical significance, as local tradition says this is where St. Paul was shipwrecked on Malta in 60 AD. Today the area is known for seaside promenades, swimming spots, boat trips, and views across the bay and nearby islands.
Little Armier Bay
Little Armier Bay is known for its shallow crystal-clear water and relaxed local atmosphere. Popular with families and locals during summer, the bay is ideal for swimming, sunbathing, and enjoying one of the quieter beach areas in northern Malta.
Why Malta’s Coastline Stands Out
One of Malta’s biggest strengths is the variety packed into such a small group of islands. In a single day you can move between sandy beaches, hidden coves, cliffside swimming spots, historic bays, and lively waterfront areas, each offering a completely different experience of the Mediterranean.