Malta in November: fewer people, mild days and the first proper storms

November is when Malta goes back to the Maltese. Summer is a memory, the hotels empty out and you can walk the cities without elbowing anyone. The downside is rain, but for a trip built around old stone, museums and walks, November ranks high on my list.

Does it rain much in November?

More than in any other month with a published norm. The Malta Meteorological Office gives November 89.1 mm, ahead of January (79.3 mm) and October (77.6 mm). In autumn 2022, more than half the season’s rain fell in November alone. Even so, wet days are the exception. The usual pattern is a storm with heavy showers and wind, followed by sunshine until the next one.

The mean temperature is 17.9°C (64°F). In the daytime sun you’ll often be fine in short sleeves, and you’ll want a jacket in the evening. Days are shorter too, and visitmalta reckons sunshine drops from about twelve hours a day in summer to five or six in midwinter, so an early start pays off. The whole year is on Malta weather.

Can you still swim?

Early in the month, if you’re not easily chilled, yes. In 2020 the Met Office quoted a sea norm of 21°C (70°F) for November, based on an older reference period, and visitmalta says swimming is possible well into the winter months. But beach facilities have gone, the Blue Flag season ended in October and the wind can change the sea overnight. I wouldn’t plan a November trip around the beach.

What changes on 1 November

This is the detail most worth knowing. From 1 November Heritage Malta moves to winter hours. The temples, Fort St Elmo, Fort St Angelo, the National Museum of Archaeology and St Paul’s Catacombs go from a 19:00 close to 17:00. The Grandmaster’s Palace, MUŻA, Ġgantija and Tarxien also close at 17:00. Last entry is always half an hour earlier. The Hypogeum holds on to its 10:00 to 18:00 hours until 3 January, pre-booked as ever. Site-by-site details are on museums in Malta.

The Sliema to Valletta ferry moves to its winter timetable on 1 November, finishing at 18:30 on Sundays and public holidays. Gozo Channel runs a night fare from November to March. And the bus returns to the €2 winter single, assuming the 2025 pattern repeats, when it began on 19 October.

What to do in November

The calendar is quieter, but there’s still plenty. Heritage Malta stages In Guardia at Fort St Elmo on Sunday 1 and Sunday 15 November 2026, and on those days normal entry starts at 12:00. On the 2nd there’s a family event at St Paul’s Catacombs, and on the 3rd a Gozo cheese workshop at the Gran Castello Historic House in the Ċittadella. Stay on into the following month and Malta in December adds three public holidays and 165.7 hours of sunshine. The National Museum of Archaeology has two exhibitions overlapping, an Egyptian one from October to March and a Phoenician one on Tas-Silġ from November to February.

The Three Palaces, Festivals Malta’s end-of-October festival, finishes on 1 November. If you like wine, visitmalta notes that the Delicata winery in Paola runs guided tastings from November to May, so this is the first month of the season to book one.

Away from the listings, November is a lovely month for walking. The countryside turns green after the first rain and Għadira’s nature reserve, on the edge of Mellieħa, opens its gates from September until May. If you head into the fields, remember it’s hunting season, with guns in use from before dawn until after dusk, as the Foreign Office points out.

Coming from the UK

The time difference stays at one hour, the plug is the same and the flight is short, which makes November a realistic long weekend. Entry works on Schengen rules for British passport holders, visa-free for short stays, according to gov.uk, which also recommends carrying a GHIC or EHIC for state treatment that’s medically necessary. I’d add travel insurance on top, as I would for any trip, and leave a little slack in the plan if you’re crossing to Gozo on a stormy day. Hotel prices by month aren’t published anywhere official I’ve found, but some prices do drop. Popeye Village, for example, moves to its low-season tariff on 6 November 2026, with adult entry at €15.

To see November in the context of the whole winter, read Malta in winter; still choosing? Try the best time to visit Malta.