Malta for couples, from Mdina to the cliffs of Gozo

Malta has a reputation for stag weekends and English courses, and that throws a lot of couples off. I’d rate it among the most complete couples’ trips in the Mediterranean, because in a week you get a baroque capital, a walled town, a quiet island and a sea made for boats. The trick is not cramming it all into the same days.

Split the trip in two

My advice is simple. Half the trip in Valletta, with its dinners, its sunset walks along the bastions and the ferry to Sliema. The other half on Gozo, slower and greener. Visitmalta points out that most hotels are close to the sights and that getting around by public transport is easy, so you don’t need a hire car to do it.

In between, an afternoon and evening in Mdina. It’s the walled town inland, home to just 201 people, and for me it changes completely once the day-trip groups leave. Wandering its stone streets at night is one of the loveliest things a couple can do in Malta.

Why is Gozo the romantic half?

The Ministry for Gozo ties the island’s romantic reputation to the myth of Calypso, the nymph who kept Odysseus captive in the Odyssey, and notes that 19th and early 20th century travel writers already described it as a pastoral island for retreats and honeymoons. Today it suggests a very specific itinerary. Walk the southern cliffs of Ta’ Ċenċ and Sanap, head down to San Blas Bay or Wied il-Għasri, and visit the wine estates and olive groves in the valleys.

It adds two plans I rate highly. In autumn, the opera at Victoria’s theatres, and in summer, hiring a private boat or going sailing at sunset. Everything else on the island is in my guide to Gozo.

Dining well, with or without a star

Malta has seven Michelin-starred restaurants in 2026. For a couple, the one I like most on paper is De Mondion in Mdina, with one star and a sommelier, Miljan Radonjic, who won the guide’s Sommelier Award this year. In Valletta, Noni and Under Grain have a star each.

On Gozo, Level Nine at The Grand sits on the top floor of the Grand Hotel, above Mġarr harbour, and its chef, George Attard, won the guide’s Young Chef Award. The Ministry for Gozo adds the seafront terraces of Xlendi, Marsalforn and Mġarr. If you don’t need a star, the areas and the reasoning are in my page on where to eat in Malta.

A boat for two

Visitmalta puts this at the heart of its honeymoon pitch. Charter a yacht and head for secluded coves and blue lagoons, with options for complete beginners and seasoned sailors alike. The Ministry for Gozo agrees, suggesting private boat hire and sunset sailing trips. If you go to Comino, remember that landing at the Blue Lagoon has needed a free booking since 2025. The options are laid out in my page on Malta boat trips.

Getting married in Malta

If the plan goes beyond the honeymoon, visitmalta says the paperwork isn’t heavy, and the only condition is arriving in Malta three days ahead of the date. Maltese law permits same-sex marriage. Its list of wedding venues takes in gardens, palazzos and vineyards, from Valletta’s Barrakka Gardens to Palazzo Parisio in Naxxar. And you’ll be at your honeymoon destination already, as visitmalta cheerfully points out.

If you fancy treating yourselves to a proper hotel, the five-stars are in my guide to luxury hotels in Malta.