Malta tours and day trips: the ones I'd book and the ones I'd do myself

Malta is so small that almost everything sold as a tour can be done on public transport. That doesn’t mean no tour is worth it, but it does mean choosing carefully. Here’s which ones I’d book, which I’d do independently and what to check before handing over any money.

What’s on sale, and what you already have

Visit Malta sums up the classic menu well, guided visits to the Three Cities or Mdina, the crafts village at Ta’ Qali and, with a full day, Gozo. At sea there are harbour cruises, round-the-island cruises and boat charters. The same site also points out that you can simply take a taxi or bus and explore the islands at your own pace.

That’s the key point. The Gozo Channel ferry costs €4.65 return and the bus drops you in Victoria, so doing a Gozo day trip yourself costs a fraction of a tour. The same goes for Mdina, served by several routes from Valletta. And in the capital, a free walking tour in Valletta gets the city straight in your head without spending a penny on transport.

What licence should a tour operator hold?

This is the question I find most useful. The MTA requires a travel and organised excursion operator licence, governed by subsidiary legislation S.L. 409.09, and applicants must carry at least €250,000 of third-party liability insurance. Guides hold their own separate licence too. If a street seller can’t tell you which company actually runs the trip, I’d walk away. The MTA also administers Malta’s package travel regulations, so if you’re booking several nights plus excursions as one deal, ask how that package is protected, just as you would with a holiday booked at home.

The bus company’s bundles nobody looks at

Malta Public Transport sells its Explore Flex pass with excursions added on, and the prices are published. With the four-day pass at €21, the offer including a harbour cruise is €36, so the cruise effectively costs you €15. There are also bundles with the fast ferry to Gozo, the sightseeing bus, a two-islands trip and, in summer only, one to Comino. The full table is above, and there’s more on the boats themselves in my guide to Malta boat trips.

Comino and the Blue Lagoon without overpaying

It’s the most sold excursion and the one that causes most confusion. Since 1 May 2025 you’ve needed a free timed booking to enter the Blue Lagoon, with a cap of 4,000 people. The boat costs money, but nobody sells the access. If a tour charges you for the booking, something’s off. Check before you travel, because the rule dates from 2025 and could change.

Sicily in a day, the one I’d actually book

This is different, because doing it alone is very hard. In 2026 Virtu Ferries sells one-day trips with a catamaran to Pozzallo, an air-conditioned coach and an English-speaking guide. The Taormina and Etna trip leaves Malta at 06:30, reaches Pozzallo at 08:15 and sails back at 21:30, with a stop at the Silvestri crater at around 2,000 metres. It’s €159 per adult and €110 per child aged 4 to 13, and lunch is extra. Syracuse and Marzamemi comes down to €139, and in winter there’s an Etna and Catania trip on Sundays.

Remember that hotel pick-up in Malta costs another €15 per person, and under-4s travel free apart from that transfer. It’s a very long day and it isn’t cheap, but if you’re in Malta for a week and have never seen Etna, I think it’s the best treat on the list. Bring your passport, as Virtu only accepts passports and national ID cards, not driving licences. If you’d rather spend a few nights in Sicily, you’ll find sailing times on my Sicily to Malta ferry page.

How I’d split a week

With seven days, I’d do Gozo independently, a harbour cruise through the bus bundle, Comino with the lagoon booking made myself, and save the one expensive trip for Sicily. That way the week’s big spend goes on the only outing you genuinely couldn’t put together yourself. For hopping between Mdina, Marsaxlokk and the southern temples without changing buses, the Malta hop-on hop-off bus is the organised alternative to regular routes.