A traveler's guide to Malta
Do not expect a long sandy coast. Expect clear water, a boat, and a capital worth the evening.
Malta's swimming is mostly rock: ladders into very clear water, a few sandy beaches, and the Blue Lagoon at Comino, which is a boat ride and a crowd. Valletta is the stone capital. The beach week and the city week fit on the same small map.
When to go
May, June, September, and October are the comfortable swim. July and August are hot and the lagoons are at capacity. The sea stays warm late into the year.
The beach
Golden Bay, Ghadira at Mellieħa, and a few other sandy bays carry the towel-and-umbrella version. Most swimming spots are limestone. Comino's Blue Lagoon is the famous water and it is best early or not in August.
In the water
Clarity is the gift. Snorkeling off the rocks is ordinary and good. The Blue Lagoon trip should be an early boat, not the midday ferry pile. Sea caves exist with operators who know the swell.
If you only remember this
- Buses reach the sandy bays and take longer than the map.
- A car or a pre-booked boat beats August improvisation.
- Water shoes on the limestone.
- Valletta and the Three Cities are the other half of the trip. Leave time.