5 days in Malta and Gozo

Why 5 days is the sweet spot for first-time Malta visitors

Five days lets you breathe. You see the canonical Malta — Valletta, Mdina, the Three Cities — without rushing, you cross to Gozo properly (overnight, not a day trip), and you tick the Blue Lagoon before flying home. This is the itinerary I would give to anyone asking “what do I need to see?” without wanting to be pushed too hard.

The plan is based in Sliema for nights 1-3, then Gozo (Xlendi or Victoria) for night 4, back to Sliema for night 5. No car required — buses on Malta are genuinely usable, the Gozo ferry is regular and cheap (€4.65 return, passenger), and Gozo is small enough to get around by taxi, Bolt, or tour for a day.

This is for: first-timers, couples, people who want a mix of culture and scenery. It is NOT ideal for families with children under 8 (see 7-day family itinerary), for serious divers (see 7-day diving itinerary), or for those who want the maximum number of beaches.

At a glance

Day	Base	Focus
1	Sliema	Valletta: walk, St John’s, Grand Harbour
2	Sliema	Mdina, Rabat, Dingli Cliffs
3	Sliema	Three Cities, harbour cruise
4	Gozo (Xlendi)	Ferry + Citadella + Dwejra
5	Comino + return	Blue Lagoon, ferry back

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Day 1 — Valletta from the water up

Morning

Take the Sliema–Valletta ferry (€1.50, 5 minutes, from Sliema Ferries terminal, every 15 minutes). Arriving by water gives you the right perspective: limestone battlements rising 50 metres out of the sea, the silence of Grand Harbour before the cruise ships.

Start at the Valletta Waterfront then climb through the city gate. Spend the morning walking the grid — the architects who built Valletta for the Knights of Malta in 1566 created the first planned European city, and that grid still works. Republic Street is the obvious spine but the real character is on St Lucia Street, Old Bakery Street, and around the Casa Rocca Piccola.

[ Valletta guided city walking tour ] covers the main squares and bastions in 2.5 hours — good value if you want context for what you’re seeing. Alternatively, [ the self-guided audio tour ] gives you flexibility at your own pace.

Afternoon

St John’s Co-Cathedral is the centrepiece of Valletta — ticket €15 adults — and worth every cent. Caravaggio’s “Beheading of St John” alone justifies the entry. Book online in advance (queues can be 45 minutes in peak season). [ The combined city tour and co-cathedral ticket ] saves the queue entirely.

After the cathedral, Upper Barrakka Gardens for the harbour view. Canon salute at 4pm if you’re there. Then walk down to the Lower Barrakka Gardens for the quieter, less photographed angle.

Evening

For dinner, stay in Valletta rather than going back to Sliema. The restaurant row on Republic Street and Strait Street is generally overpriced — try Old Bakery Street (Noni, Inspirations) or the backstreets near St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral. Budget €30-45 per head for a proper sit-down.

Honest tip: Don’t book a Valletta hotel for night 1 unless you specifically want the atmosphere of sleeping inside the walls. Valletta hotel prices are 30-40% higher than Sliema equivalents for the same standard, and the Sliema ferry makes it irrelevant for access.

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Day 2 — Mdina, Rabat, and the cliffs

Morning

Bus 52 from Sliema to Mdina: 45-50 minutes, €2 single or included in your Explore Card (€21 for 7 days). Arrive before 10am — by 10:30 the coaches start arriving.

Mdina is the former medieval capital of Malta, population roughly 270. Streets so narrow two people can barely pass. The silence is real and slightly eerie. The Maltese call it Ir-Rabat il-Imdina (the Silent City) and on a weekday morning before the tourists arrive, you believe it.

[ Guided walking tour of Mdina ] covers the highlights in 90 minutes with a local guide who knows which doors are normally closed. [ The Mdina Experience audio-visual show ] is a good alternative if you prefer self-paced.

Mdina Cathedral: worth 30 minutes inside. Different to St John’s in Valletta — smaller, more intimate, less crowded. The floor is covered in Knights’ tombstones.

Afternoon

Walk 10 minutes downhill to Rabat for lunch. Crystal Palace pastizzeria on St Agatha’s Square: the best pastizzi on the island at €0.40 each. The catacombs of St Paul are nearby — an underground network of Roman and early Christian tombs going back 2,000 years. [ St Paul’s Catacombs and Domvs Romana combo ] is €10 and completely unjammed even in high season.

Bolt or taxi from Rabat to Dingli Cliffs: 10 minutes, €8. The cliffs are 253m above sea level — highest point in Malta — with views to Sicily on a clear day. No entrance fee, no barriers, almost no facilities. Spend 45 minutes and take the obvious photos.

Bus back from Dingli: Route 55 to Rabat then 52 to Sliema. About 1 hour total. Or Bolt direct for €15.

Honest tip: The horse-carriage tours in Mdina are €60 for 30 minutes. The horses work in 35°C summer heat. Skip it — the city is more interesting on foot and the walking is short.

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Day 3 — The Three Cities and harbour life

Morning

Take the Valletta–Three Cities ferry from Valletta (€2.65 return, 10 minutes, every 30-45 minutes). The ferry drops you at Senglea — the smallest of the three cities — and the view of Valletta from the water is the single best vista in Malta.

The Three Cities — Birgu (Vittoriosa), Senglea, and Cospicua (Bormla) — sit on three peninsulas across the Grand Harbour from Valletta. They are older than Valletta, less restored, more real. The Knights of Malta lived here before they built Valletta, and their baroque palaces and fortifications are still standing.

[ Three Cities walking tour with Inquisitor’s Palace ] covers the main streets and sites in 2 hours with a guide who can unlock the stories behind the façades.

Fort St Angelo in Birgu: [ Fort St Angelo e-ticket with audio tour ] — the fortress that was the headquarters of the Order of St John during the Great Siege of 1565. You can walk the ramparts and get the same harbour views that the Knights had when they watched the Ottomans across the water.

Afternoon

Walk the Birgu waterfront — the marina is full of superyachts and traditional Maltese luzzus side by side. The Malta Maritime Museum is free with a Heritage Malta pass if you have one.

[ Sliema harbour cruise around both harbours ] departs from Sliema in the afternoon and gives you the full Grand Harbour panorama from the water. 90 minutes, €15. Alternatively, the [ traditional 2-harbours day cruise ] is a longer version with lunch if you want a full afternoon on the water.

Evening

Tonight is a good night for Valletta if you haven’t tried it for dinner yet. Strait Street — the former red-light district of the British garrison — has been reborn as a good restaurant and bar street. Try Legligin Wine Bar for Maltese wine and small plates (€15-20 per head), or Rubino for more substantial Maltese cooking (€35-45 per head).

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Day 4 — Crossing to Gozo

Morning

Bus 41 or 221 from Sliema to Cirkewwa (Malta’s northern tip): 55-65 minutes. The ferry to Mġarr (Gozo) takes 25 minutes and leaves every 45-60 minutes in shoulder season. You pay at the Gozo end on the way back (€4.65 return for foot passenger). Take the 8am or 9am bus to arrive in Gozo before 11am.

In Gozo, the Citadella above Victoria (the capital) is the first stop. It is a fortified citadel on a hill — every Gozitan family historically had a house inside to shelter during pirate raids. The views from the walls cover almost the entire island. Entry is free. [ Victoria/Gozo walking tour ] covers the Citadella and the backstreets of Victoria in 2 hours.

Afternoon

Taxi or organised tour to Dwejra on the west coast of Gozo. The Azure Window arch collapsed in 2017 but the Inland Sea — a lagoon connected to the open sea by a tunnel through the rock — is still extraordinary. Fungus Rock sits in the middle of the bay. [ The Gozo full-day tour from Valletta covering Ġgantija, salt pans and Dwejra ] is worth it if you want everything handled.

The salt pans at Xwejni Bay near Marsalforn are 15 minutes by taxi from Dwejra. Still actively worked by local families, completely photogenic, and free.

Evening

Stay overnight in Gozo — Xlendi village is the nicest base: a sheltered bay, a handful of restaurants, no chain hotels. The Trabuxu Bistro in Xlendi does excellent Gozitan cooking (grilled rabbit, ftira bread, local cheeses) for around €30 per head. It books up in summer — reserve ahead.

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Day 5 — Comino and the Blue Lagoon

Morning

From Mġarr (Gozo ferry port), regular boats go to Comino in summer (June-September). You can also book a direct tour from Sliema. [ Sliema to Comino and Blue Lagoon cruise ] departs at 10am and includes a stop at the lagoon plus sea caves.

Comino is 2.7 square kilometres with no cars and almost no residents. The Blue Lagoon is the main reason everyone comes — shallow turquoise water over white sand, surrounded by limestone. It genuinely looks like a screensaver. It also gets genuinely overcrowded in July-August (3,000+ visitors a day).

Honest tip: The Blue Lagoon between noon and 3pm in July-August is not the Blue Lagoon you see in the photos. It is a floating mass of inflatables, sunburned people, and overpriced hot dogs at €8 each. Go early (before 9:30am) or late (after 5pm) for the actual experience. September-October shoulder season is ideal — still swimmable, half the crowds.

[ 5-hour Blue Lagoon sunset sightseeing cruise ] is a great alternative for arriving after the peak crowd — includes swimming at the lagoon plus a sea caves tour.

Afternoon

Return ferry from Mġarr to Cirkewwa, bus back to Sliema. Arrive early enough for a final sunset dinner. [ The dghajsa sunset gondola tour in Valletta ] is a lovely final evening option — 45 minutes on a traditional Maltese water taxi as the sun goes down behind the fortifications.

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What this itinerary skips (and why)

Popeye Village: Unless you have children aged 3-10 who have seen the film, skip it. It’s a film set that became a theme park. Entry is €18 and it’s fine, but not special enough for a 5-day trip where everything else competes with it.

Marsaxlokk: It didn’t fit the flow here. If your trip includes a Sunday, swap the Dingli Cliffs afternoon for the Marsaxlokk fish market and do the cliffs another time. The market (runs 6am-1pm) is worth adjusting for.

Hagar Qim temples: One of the most significant prehistoric temple complexes in the world — UNESCO, older than Stonehenge — and we didn’t include them because 5 days is tight. If you’re a history person, look at 5-day history buff itinerary instead.

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How to adapt this itinerary

• With more time: See 7-day Malta itinerary — adds Three Cities properly and a slower Gozo experience.
• With kids: See 7-day family itinerary — Mellieha base, Popeye Village, Comino Crystal Lagoon.
• On a budget: See 5-day budget itinerary — same route, different accommodation and cost-cutting strategies.
• With a car: See 7-day with car — unlocks the south coast and Gozo’s hidden bays.

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Practical info

• Best time: April-May or September-October. September is technically the best single month (sea still 25°C, crowds dropping, prices moderate).
• Getting around: Tallinja 7-day Explore Card €21. Sliema-Valletta ferry €1.50. Cirkewwa-Mġarr Gozo ferry €4.65 return (passenger foot). Valletta-Three Cities ferry €2.65 return.
• Currency: EUR. Cards accepted everywhere in Valletta and Sliema; Gozo villages and Marsaxlokk market prefer cash.
• Accommodation: Sliema B&B €70-90/night (3*). Xlendi Gozo guesthouse €65-80/night. Total accommodation for 5 nights (2 in Gozo, 3 in Sliema): €350-450 roughly.

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Frequently asked questions about a 5-day Malta itinerary

Is 5 days enough for Malta and Gozo?

Yes — 5 days lets you do Valletta properly, add Mdina and the south, cross to Gozo for one night, and see the Blue Lagoon. You won’t have time for everything, but you’ll leave with a genuine sense of both islands.

Should I rent a car for 5 days in Malta?

Not necessary for this itinerary. Buses and ferries cover everything here. A car becomes useful if you want to explore Gozo’s hidden bays and small villages independently, or if you want to do the south coast (St Peter’s Pool, Hagar Qim) at your own pace. See 7-day with car itinerary.

Where should I base myself for 5 days in Malta?

Sliema for nights 1-3, then one night in Gozo (Xlendi or Marsalforn), then back to Sliema for the final night before flying. Sliema is cheaper than Valletta, has the main bus connections, and the ferry to Valletta runs constantly.

Can I do Comino as a day trip from Malta in this itinerary?

Yes, that’s exactly what day 5 does. Return from Gozo to Mġarr ferry port, then a boat to Comino for the Blue Lagoon, then back to Sliema. It works smoothly as long as you book your Comino boat in advance in peak season.

Is the Blue Lagoon overcrowded?

In July and August, yes — dramatically so. It is still beautiful at those times if you arrive before 9:30am or after 5pm. In April-May and September-October, the crowds are manageable at any time of day.

Last reviewed: 2026-04-20