3 days in Malta - how much does it cost and how to organize a holiday in Malta
Malta is the most recent country visited by us. A small country, but special and very sunny, Malta welcomed us with sunshine, when in our country winter was still making its presence felt.
We spent a wonderful vacation here, we visited the most beautiful places and understood why Malta is such a popular tourist destination.
In this article I will present the itinerary of our 3-day trip, what we visited and how much this whole trip cost us.
Malta is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the smallest countries in Europe and in the world. Touristically, Malta offers many leisure activities: with a very friendly climate, you have beach time almost 6 months a year. In addition to the beautiful landscapes that you can find here, Malta is also a country with a rich historical past, with an architecture and culture that is worth discovering.
I invite you to read this article, to find out all the important details about Malta and what are the main touristic attractions: Malta, the Treasure of the Mediterranean Sea - Everything You Need to Know About This Country.
How to get to Malta
The easiest way to reach Malta is by plane.
We flew to Malta from Cluj-Napoca, Romania with Wizz Air, and the price of a round trip ticket was 318 RON per person, single ticket.
Where we stayed in Malta
Being a short trip of a few days, in which we wanted to explore the whole country, for us the best option was to book an accommodation in St. Julians. St. Julians is a seaside resort, very popular for partygoers, but where, during the off-season, accommodation prices were much better than in Valletta, the capital of Malta.
This was our accommodation: Antoniel Suites. For 4 nights we paid 324 euros (81 euros / night room for 2 people). In Valleta, prices started from 100 euros/night.
In this article I mentioned the accommodation options you have in Malta: Malta, the Treasure of the Mediterranean Sea - Everything You Need to Know About This Country.
How we traveled in Malta
Malta was so far the country where we traveled the most with the Bolt. Being a small country, and we a group of 4 people, the most convenient option was to travel with Bolt: the price for any ride was with only 1-2 euros more expensive than if we had travelled by bus, but the comfort and travel time mattered the most. Another option would have been to rent a car, but the price would have been the same. Plus, in this way we avoided the stress of parking the car and we didn't even risk driving in the British style, as is the case in Malta, with the steering wheel on the right.
If you want to find out how you can travel in Malta, by public transport, by ferry, by rental car or by Bolt/Uber, I invite you to read this article: How to Travel in Malta – By Bus, Car, Ridesharing, Ferry.
What to do in Malta - daily schedule
Day 0 – Arrival in Malta
We arrived in Malta on Thursday evening, and with a Bolt we arrived directly at our accommodation in St. Julians. The with Bolt, from the airport to St. Julians, was 13 euros.
We traveled to Malta during the Catholic Easter holidays, so we found this little country expecting and celebrating Easter.
Day 1 – Valletta, The Three Cities
Valletta
The first day we started with a walk through Valletta. Valletta is the smallest capital in the European Union, occupying less than 1 km². You can walk the whole city, from east to west and from north to south in less than an hour. But even so, the atmosphere inside the walls of the fortress, the architecture of the buildings, the streets with shops and terraces and the multitude of tourists make Valletta a true European capital. Valletta shows you stories from its history at every corner, and it is a pleasure to discover them.
We visited the main tourist spots in Valletta: St. John's Co-Cathedral, Grand Harbour, Barakka Gardens, Republic and Merchant Street.
I invite you to read this article to find out how we spent the day in Valleta and in The Three Cities: A Day In Valletta, Malta - Europe's Sunniest Capital.
The Three Cities – Birgu, Cospicua, Senglea
From the port of Valleta, we went by boat to the other side, towards The Three Cities, and arrived in Birgu. Here we found a very authentic Malta, with a quieter atmosphere compared to Valletta. We walked the streets of the city for a few hours, ate an ice cream and enjoyed the good energy that this place sent.
Being Good Friday, we had the opportunity to catch the procession that the Maltese celebrate every year on this holiday. It was a unique opportunity to see such a manifestation, considering that Romania (our country) does not celebrate it in this way.
Day 2 – Cruise on the islands of Gozo and Comino
The second day we visited the island of Gozo and The Blue Lagoon on the island of Comino. Because our time in Malta was quite short, we only had 3 days to discover the whole country, so we chose for an organized one-day trip. The tour was this: From Sliema: Gozo, Comino & The Blue Lagoon Boat & Bus Tour and it cost 43 euros/person.
We left at 10 in the morning by ferry from Sliema to Gozo, in the port of Mgarr, from where we were taken by coach to Victoria, the capital of the Gozo island..
In Victoria we had time to visit Cittadella, the most important tourist attraction of the island.
After Victoria, we had some time to enjoy a walk on Xlendi Bay, where we admired a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea.
We then got back on the boat and went on to the Blue Lagoon on the island of Comino. Here, for an hour and a half, we enjoyed the small lagoon with turquoise water and understood why it is such a popular destination to visit. The landscapes are spectacular, the color of the sea is gorgeous and the feeling we had here was one of peace, relaxation and contemplation.
In the month of April, even if the weather was not yet suitable for the beach, there were many brave tourists who tried the sea water. Certainly, during the summer this place is very crowded, being one of the top destinations in Malta.
After this organized excursion, my recommendation would be, if you have at least one extra day at your disposal, to visit these two islands on your own. The advantage of an organized trip is that you manage to reach both locations in a single day, but it's a hurried visit, we didn't feel like we fully enjoyed this experience.
But, a day in Gozo and another day at the Blue Lagoon, on our own, would certainly have maximized all the good impressions that these places would have left us.
As an alternative, you can take the ferry to Gozo from Valletta or Cirkewwa, and from the Mgarr port to travel by bus or Bolt all over the island. Read in this article to find out how you can get to Gozo from the island of Malta. How to Travel in Malta – By Bus, Car, Ridesharing, Ferry.
Then at least another half day would be good to set aside for the island of Comino and the Blue Lagoon.
In the evening, after we returned by boat to Sliema, we had dinner at a terrace by the sea. Between Sliema and St. Julians there is a very beautiful promenade of about 2-3 kilometers, directly on the seashore.
Day 3 – Blue Grotto, Mdina and Rabat, Marsaxlokk
The Blue Grotto
We started the third day with a visit to The Blue Grotto. We arrived early in the morning with Bolt (from St. Julians we paid 17 euros) and we arrived at the best time of the day: the tourist buses had not arrived, so the place was not yet crowded by the multitude of travelers. In addition, in the morning the landscape is the most spectacular, the sun's rays reflected in the sea water created an exotic image of this place.
We took a half-hour boat trip (the ticket cost 10 euros), where we visited the Blue Grotto and several other nearby caves. The experience was wonderful, and I can say that this was my favorite place and activity in Malta.
If you come by car/Bolt/Uber, I recommend that you stop first at the panoramic point, from where you can admire the Blue Grotto from above. From here to the village where you take the boat, you only have to walk 8 minutes. If you come with a rented car, you can find parking spaces in the village.
Mdina - The Silent City, Rabat
From the Blue Grotto we took another Bolt to Mdina (14 euros)
In Mdina we discovered the old capital of Malta, still called The Silent City. Here we felt that we had gone back in time, to the medieval period, thanks to the peaceful atmosphere, the fortified citadel, the architecture of the buildings and the horse-drawn carriages. It is, moreover, a location that also appeared in the famous movie Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones.
In complete opposition to the tranquility of the City of Silence is the bustle of Rabat, the city adjacent to Mdina. A crowded city, with many tourists and with many terraces and restaurants. We had lunch here, where we had the tastiest food at the Enoteca restaurant. Afterwards, we visited Catacombs of St. Paul, the most famous tourist attraction in Rabat.
Marsaxlokk
From Rabat we then went to Marsaxlokk (18 euros with Bolt), the village with the emblematic port of Malta. The port offers a representative image of this small country, here are a lot of colorful, fishing, traditional Maltese boats, called Luzzu.
We took a one-hour boat ride (10 euros) to the interesting places in the area: St. Paul's Pool, Il-Kalanka beach or Hofriet Window.
In the port there are many fishermen's restaurants or terraces where you can enjoy a glass of wine or a cold lemonade.
What we ate in Malta
In Malta we ate very well, and not very expensive. A meal cost us about 35 euros / 2 people, with drinks included. In general, we ate at restaurants with international specialties: pasta, pizza or burgers. I will list below the restaurants where we dined, and which I further recommend, if you are in the area:
- L’Enoteca, Rabat
- The Compass Lounge, Sliema
- Pastaus, Valletta
Of course, in Malta there are also restaurants where fish-based or traditional food is served. The traditional Maltese dish is rabbit stew.
How much did the trip to Malta cost us
The main expenses, for a trip of 4 nights and 3 full days, consisted of:
- Flight 64 euro / person (approximately 128 euro / 2 people)
- Accommodation: 324 euro / 2 people
- Bolt: 122 euros / 4 people -> 61 euro / 2 people
- Day trip to Gozo, Comino, Blue Lagoon: 43 euros / person -> 86 euro / 2 people
- Boat trips -> 20 euro / person -> 40 euro / 2 people
- Entry tickets St. Paul's Catacombs -> 10 euros/person -> 20 euro / 2 people
- Food: aprox 200 euro / 2 people
In total, we spent approximately 860 euros / 2 people, or 430 euros / person.
Easter in Malta
As I already mentioned, we traveled to Malta exactly during the Roman Catholic Easter holidays: we arrived in Malta on Thursday evening and we returned home on Monday, the second day of Easter.
What I have noticed in this period here is that the Maltese are very faithful people: if in the rest of Europe you see all the cities beautifully decorated for Christmas, in Malta it is also decorated for Easter: many crosses with lights hanging on the houses, many flags hung on churches, a carpet of candles in the central square of Valletta.
In addition to these decorations, we also attended Easter processions in the cities. On Good Friday we caught the processions from Birgu and Valleta. In Valletta it was very impressive, many priests, statues and a large brass band that echoed throughout the city. Also in Valletta, we caught the procession on Sunday, Easter Day. It was a more joyful procession this time, after the Resurrection of the Lord, compared to the one on Good Friday, which seemed much more solemn to me.
From a tourist point of view, we did not feel any restrictions in Malta these days: we were able to visit all the desired tourist attractions, and in the cities most of the bars, restaurants and souvenir shops were open. Only the clothes shops were closed, but we did not miss them.
