Malta Explorer

Itinerary · 3 days

Mdina at sunset, the limestone facade glowing against the deep blue evening sky

3 days in Malta: Valletta, Mdina and a Gozo daytrip

The short Malta trip that hits the essentials. Day 1 Valletta + Three Cities, Day 2 Mdina and the centre, Day 3 Gozo. Honest, independent itinerary.

Three days is enough to see the essential Malta if you are willing to keep moving. The rough split: one day for Valletta and the Three Cities, one day for Mdina and the central villages, one day across the harbour to Gozo. Comino is not in this itinerary; you cannot fit it without sacrificing one of the other regions. The honest version of a 3-day Malta is intense but rewarding; if you have 5 or 7 days available, those are better formats and detailed elsewhere.

Who this works for

  • First-time Malta visitors who have only a long weekend plus one day available.
  • Travellers based in Western Europe with direct flights and tight schedules.
  • Anyone willing to wake early and stay out late.

Not the best fit for: travellers wanting Gozo properly (3 nights minimum recommended), divers, or anyone with mobility limitations that make 3 km of daily walking difficult.

Day 1: Valletta and the Three Cities

Morning arrival at the airport (assuming you land before noon). X4 bus or Bolt to your Valletta or Sliema hotel. Drop bags, change shoes.

Early afternoon walk in Valletta:

  • Triton Fountain outside the city gate.
  • Republic Street to the cathedral.
  • St John’s Co-Cathedral (€15, 90 minutes). Book online to skip the queue.
  • Upper Barrakka Gardens for the Grand Harbour view. Time the 16:00 Saluting Battery cannon below.

Late afternoon dghajsa across the harbour to Birgu (€2). Quick walk past:

  • Inquisitor’s Palace (briefly; full 60-minute visit is the Three Cities specialist option, not for a 3-day trip).
  • Fort St Angelo rampart (€10, 75 minutes if you have time; otherwise just the outdoor view from the rampart’s lower terrace, free).

Dghajsa back to Valletta around 18:00.

Evening: dinner inside the walls. Walk Strait Street at 21:00 for the slow gentrified wine-bar scene; the city is yours after the cruise crowds have gone.

If you arrive late in the day (afternoon flight), skip the Three Cities crossing and stretch Valletta over the rest of the day. The Cathedral remains the priority.

Day 2: Mdina, Rabat and Mosta

Morning: bus #202 from Sliema or #51 from Valletta to Rabat (45-50 minutes, €2.50). Or hire a car at the airport-side garage if you have not already, and drive (20-30 minutes).

In Rabat (before climbing up to Mdina):

  • St Paul’s Catacombs (€6, 90 minutes). The 2,000 m² underground network of early Christian burial chambers is the strongest single Rabat visit.
  • Domus Romana (€6, 45 minutes) if you have appetite for the Roman house with mosaic floors.
  • Crystal Palace pastizzeria at the bottom of the Rabat hill for lunch (€3 for two pastizzi + tea, cash only).

Mid-afternoon: walk uphill to Mdina through the gate at around 14:30 (still busy with cruise excursions; if you can wait until 16:00, do).

Inside Mdina:

  • Mdina Gate and the small square just inside.
  • Triq Villegaignon spine walk to the cathedral.
  • St Paul’s Cathedral and Museum (€10, 90 minutes). The Mattia Preti vault painting is the highlight.
  • Bastion Square at the back of the city for the view over the central plain.

If the timing works, stay in Mdina for sunset (golden hour starts around 17:30 in summer, 17:00 in shoulder season). Have an aperitif at Fontanella Tea Garden terrace (no reservations, queue at peak times).

Optional Mosta detour if you have time and a car: drive 15 minutes to see the Mosta Dome before sunset. The third largest unsupported dome in Europe. The 9 April 1942 unexploded-bomb story is the local lore. Free, 30 minutes inside.

Evening dinner at one of the Mdina restaurants if you have a hotel inside the walls; otherwise back to your Valletta or Sliema base.

Day 3: a long day on Gozo

Early morning start. Drive or bus to Cirkewwa for the Gozo ferry:

  • From Sliema: bus X1 at 07:30 to Cirkewwa, arrival around 09:00.
  • By car: leave at 08:00, arrive Cirkewwa around 08:45.
  • Take the 09:00 or 09:30 ferry, arrive Mgarr by 09:30.

On Gozo, the compressed daytrip:

  • 09:45-11:30: bus or drive to Victoria; visit the Cittadella (bastion circuit + Cathedral). 90 minutes is enough for the essentials.
  • 11:30-13:00: bus #307 (or drive) to Xagħra. Ggantija temples + Ta’ Kola windmill (combined ticket €10, 90 minutes). Quick lunch in Xagħra square.
  • 13:30-15:30: drive to Dwejra. Inland Sea boat trip (€4, 25 minutes) + Fungus Rock viewing + Dwejra Bay swim if the weather allows.
  • 16:00-16:45: drive to Mgarr.
  • 17:00 ferry back to Cirkewwa, arrive Malta by 17:30.

This is the rushed version. You see the main Gozo sights but you miss Ramla Bay, the coastal walks, the diving, the village pace. The honest disclaimer: most travellers who do this full-day version come away wanting to go back to Gozo for 2-3 nights on a future trip. That is the right reaction.

Evening in Malta back at your hotel. Dinner near your base; pack early.

Day 4 (if morning flight): airport transfer

If your departing flight is in the morning, skip a third Malta day. If it is in the afternoon or evening, there is time for one final morning in Valletta:

  • Casa Rocca Piccola if you missed it on day 1 (€9, hourly tours).
  • Manoel Theatre tour (€7, 30 minutes, when no performance is on).
  • The Saluting Battery 12:00 cannon at Upper Barrakka.

Lunch in Valletta, then airport.

Where to sleep

For a 3-day trip, base in Valletta inside the walls if budget allows. Mid-range boutiques run €180-300/night. Three nights is the sweet spot at this budget.

Alternative: Sliema Tower Road apartments at €90-140/night with the Valletta ferry (5 minutes, €1.50). Saves €50-100/night with minor evening commute cost.

Detailed picks on the Valletta where-to-stay page and the Sliema page.

Transport pattern

The most efficient 3-day combination:

  • Days 1, 2: bus + ferry. The Sliema-Valletta ferry handles the daily commute; the bus #202 or #51 handles the Mdina/Rabat day.
  • Day 3: hire a car for that single day (€30-45). Saves substantial time on the Gozo crossing and across-Gozo travel.

If you would rather have a car for the full trip, accept the parking hassles in Valletta (€15/day at the MCP underground) and the cost.

Budget

At mid-range, expect €350-550 per person for a 3-night Malta trip including flights from a European hub, mid-range hotel, lunches, dinners, museum admissions, and the Gozo ferry. The car for one day adds €30-50. Add €100-200 for inside-the-walls Valletta boutique stays.

Closing note

Three days in Malta is the floor. It works but it concentrates the trip on the major sights at the expense of the slow village pace, the southern temples, the Gozo nights, and Comino. If you can extend to 5 or 7 days, see the 5-day or 7-day versions; the marginal returns are large. If 3 days is genuinely all you have, this itinerary delivers the headline experience without compromise on depth.