Three days in Malta: the capital, the south with Mdina, and a day on Gozo

Three days is the length most people settle on when they plan Malta, and I see why, because it’s the minimum at which both big islands start to fit. My split is simple. One day for the capital, one for the south and the interior, and the third entirely for Gozo. What I don’t do is mix them, because in Malta it isn’t the sightseeing that eats your time, it’s getting between places. If you only have two, my weekend in Malta leaves Gozo out and saves Sunday for Marsaxlokk, Rabat and Mdina.

Day 1, the capital within its walls

I’d spend the whole first day in Valletta, which packs more in per square metre than anywhere else on the islands. In the morning, St John’s Co-Cathedral and the Grandmaster’s Palace; at midday, the Saluting Battery’s gun at Upper Barrakka; in the afternoon, Fort St Elmo and its war museum. To finish, the ferry to Cospicua, which for €3 shows you the Grand Harbour from sea level.

If your first day is a Sunday, flip the trip round and start with Gozo, as St John’s won’t be open and the Saluting Battery only opens Monday to Saturday.

Day 2, five thousand years in one outing

This is my favourite day of the plan. I’d be at Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra for 09:00, two temple complexes sharing one park and one €10 ticket. They were raised more than five thousand years ago, and these two look out from high above the south coast. I go into them properly on the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra page.

Close by is Wied iż-Żurrieq, the inlet where the Blue Grotto boats set off. Here the weather decides, not you. The boatmen’s cooperative doesn’t sail when the wind is from the south, so if it’s blowing that way, I’d let it go without a second thought.

In the afternoon I’d drive up to Rabat for lunch and St Paul’s Catacombs, then cross into Mdina, the old capital, and wander it slowly. The day ends at the Dingli Cliffs, which face west and give you the sunset. By car all this fits comfortably; by bus, the temples leg means juggling routes, which is why this is the one day I’d pay for a hire car or a taxi.

Day 3, Gozo all to yourself

The final day belongs to Gozo. From Valletta or Sliema, the fast ferry leaves the Grand Harbour and docks at Mġarr in about 45 minutes. From the north, the Ċirkewwa ferry takes about 25 minutes and costs €4.65 return, which you settle at Mġarr before sailing home. On the island I’d see the Citadel in Victoria, the Ġgantija Temples and have a swim at Ramla Bay, with the €13 Discover Gozo combo covering the first two. Bear in mind that only the Gozo Channel ferry takes cars; the fast boat is for foot passengers. I’ve timed it all in my Gozo day trip.

What gets left out of three days?

The classic mistake is cramming it all in. In three days I’d leave out Comino and the Blue Lagoon, which needs a booked time slot and a beach day, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum unless you’ve a ticket well in advance, and Marsaxlokk if none of your days is a Sunday. If you can add one more day, it solves nearly all of that, and I’ve planned it in my Malta 4 day itinerary. For Comino the easy answer is sleeping the last two nights on Gozo, the idea behind my Malta 5 day itinerary, and with seven days everything fits, as the Malta 7 day itinerary shows.

Getting around for three days

If you’re relying on buses, the card worth a look is the Explore Flex from Malta Public Transport. The 4-day card costs €21 and covers day routes, night routes, Airport Direct and special services, so it handles your airport runs too. There’s also an add-on for a Gozo HighSpeed return, advertised at €36 with the 4-day card, which sorts out day three. Paying as you go costs €2.50 a ticket in high season (€2 in low season), so over a summer trip the card wins from the ninth journey.

Where to stay for three nights

For three days I wouldn’t move hotels. Valletta keeps day one on foot and the fast ferry to Gozo close at hand; Sliema has more choice and the ferry across to the capital. If you’d rather be by a beach and plan to use the Ċirkewwa ferry, the north works too, but you’ll lose time on the bus on day one.