Malta in spring: April and May, the island at its best

Spring in Malta: the underrated best season

Most travel content about Malta focuses on summer — the Blue Lagoon, the beach, the nightlife. The travellers who actually know Malta well tend to go in spring. Here is why.

April and May hit a specific combination that other seasons do not:

• Temperatures comfortable for walking (17–21°C) but not exhausting at noon
• Wild flowers across the Maltese countryside — poppies, Mediterranean scrub, valley plants — that disappear by June
• The archaeological sites (Hagar Qim, Tarxien, Ggantija) can be visited without the midday heat and without tour bus crowds
• Hotels are filling up but not at summer prices (expect 10–15% above winter rates, 20–30% below summer)
• The sea becomes genuinely swimmable in May (around 19°C)
• One of Malta’s best free events: the Fireworks Festival in late April at the Grand Harbour

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April in Malta

Weather

Average temperature: 17°C (low 13°C, high 21°C). Occasional rain is possible, particularly in early April when winter weather patterns still influence. By late April, days are predominantly sunny with 7–8 hours of sunshine. The sea is still cool at 17°C — swimmable for cold-water enthusiasts but brisk for most.

What makes April special

Wild flowers. Malta’s limestone plains and valley sides are carpeted in spring wildflowers from late March through April. This is a completely different visual experience from the brown and dusty summer landscape. Poppies are particularly abundant in the fields around Buskett Woodlands and the agricultural valleys of Gozo. By late May they are mostly gone.

The quiet before the storm. April occupies the space between winter’s emptiness and summer’s crowds. The major sites have queues — but queues of 10 minutes rather than 45. Restaurants are happy to seat you without a booking. Hotels have availability at reasonable prices.

Easter. Easter week (dates vary) is Malta’s most spectacular religious occasion. The Good Friday procession in Valletta is extraordinary — life-sized statues depicting scenes of the Passion are carried through the streets by barefoot penitents; the procession typically lasts 3–4 hours. Similarly impressive processions happen in Birgu and several other towns. Easter in Malta requires booking accommodation at least 3 months ahead, as it is one of the island’s most popular weeks for visitors.

Malta International Fireworks Festival. Held at the end of April (dates vary slightly by year) over the Grand Harbour in Valletta. This is Malta’s largest free public event — teams from Malta and visiting countries compete in spectacular firework displays from the fort walls and bastions. Watching from the Upper Barrakka Gardens or the Valletta bastions is the best viewpoint; free to watch. The event typically runs over two consecutive Saturday evenings.

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May in Malta

Weather

Average temperature: 21°C (low 16°C, high 26°C). May is consistently warm and sunny. Rain is possible but rare — the dry season is essentially beginning. The sea reaches 19°C, which is the inflection point where most people find it comfortably swimmable.

What makes May special

May is arguably Malta’s single best month. The combination is close to ideal: warm enough for the beach and boat trips, cool enough for comfortable sightseeing, uncrowded enough that you can move freely, priced below the summer peak.

First swimming of the year. May opens the Comino season — boats to the Blue Lagoon start running, and the 19°C sea is pleasant for swimming and snorkelling. The Blue Lagoon in May, before the summer crowds arrive, is one of the most beautiful places in the Mediterranean. Transparent turquoise water, almost no other boats, absolute quiet in the early morning.

The festas have not started. The village festas (fireworks, brass bands, processions) begin in June. In May, Maltese village life is at its quietest and most local. This is the time to visit Marsaxlokk’s Sunday market and find it still manageable, or drive through Gozo’s agricultural interior and see it as a working landscape rather than a tourist circuit.

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Spring activities: what to do

The outdoor circuit

The combination of manageable temperatures and uncrowded sites makes spring ideal for Malta’s outdoor archaeology:

• Hagar Qim and Mnajdra: These clifftop prehistoric temples, 5,500 years old, require a 15-minute walk across open limestone plateau. In summer, this walk at noon is punishing; in May it is a pleasure. The site is rarely crowded before 11 am.
• Dingli Cliffs walk: A 3–4 km coastal walk along the highest cliffs in Malta (253m above sea level). In spring, the cliff-edge vegetation is green and the views across to Gozo and Comino are clearest.
• Gozo’s west coast: The trails around Dwejra, including the path to the Inland Sea and around Fungus Rock, are best walked in spring before the summer heat.

Valletta in spring

The city hits its stride in spring. Outdoor café culture begins in earnest in April. The Strait Street bar scene (Valletta’s historic red-light district turned arts and nightlife area) is at its liveliest in the pleasant spring evenings. The Upper Barrakka Gardens are full of Maltese families on April evenings.

The Valletta Food and Wine Festival (if running — check dates) typically falls in spring and offers tastings and events across the city’s squares and bastions.

Gozo in April–May

The Ggantija temples, the Citadel in Victoria, Xlendi bay and the salt pans at Marsalforn are all significantly better in spring than in summer. The sea at Xlendi bay is a clear blue-green in May that rivals the Blue Lagoon. The farmhouses and accommodation in Gozo are well-priced and have availability.

Snorkelling and water activities

May is when water activities start in earnest. Boat tours from Sliema, Bugibba and Mellieha run to Comino and the Blue Lagoon, Blue Grotto and sea caves. Snorkelling is excellent from May onwards — visibility in the clear Mediterranean water is at its annual peak in spring and early summer (before warm weather brings algae growth).

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Spring packing

See the full Malta packing list for detail. For spring specifically:

• Light to medium layers for morning and evening (15–18°C before 10 am)
• Swimsuit — essential from May, useful in April for early adopters
• Compact rain layer (April can have showers)
• Sun protection — UV is already strong in April; SPF 30+ minimum
• Comfortable walking shoes for archaeological sites and Gozo terrain

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Frequently asked questions about Malta in spring

Is April a good time to visit Malta?

Yes. Comfortable temperatures (17–21°C), wild flowers, no summer crowds, and the Malta Fireworks Festival at the end of April. The sea is still cool (17°C), but everything else about April is positive.

Can you swim in Malta in May?

Yes. The sea reaches 19°C in May, which most people find comfortably swimmable. The Blue Lagoon on Comino opens for the season in May or early June. Public beaches like Mellieha Bay and Golden Bay are accessible and enjoyable.

Is it busy in Malta in April?

Moderately. April is not summer-crowded but is noticeably busier than winter, particularly around Easter week. Sites like St John’s Co-Cathedral may have 15–20 minute queues rather than the zero queue of January. Hotel availability is good outside Easter.

Is Easter in Malta worth visiting for?

Yes, particularly if you are interested in cultural and religious traditions. The Good Friday processions in Valletta, Birgu and other towns are some of the most spectacular Holy Week events in Europe. Book accommodation far in advance if you plan around Easter specifically.

What is the Fireworks Festival in Malta?

The Malta International Fireworks Festival is held in late April at the Grand Harbour in Valletta. Multiple countries compete in firework displays launched from the historic fortifications. It is free to watch from the Valletta bastions and Upper Barrakka Gardens. One of the best free events in the Mediterranean.

When do the village festas start in Malta?

The first festas of the year typically begin in late May or early June, building to a packed schedule of every-weekend events from June through September. Spring visitors may catch the very beginning of the festa season.

Last reviewed: 2026-04-20