Long weekends are one of the top reasons why I moved to Europe. With every country being so close to each other, it’s easy to just hop on a plane and travel to a new destination for a few days. Well, that’s what I just did when I learned that June 10th was a national holiday here in France. I was pretty last minute since I didn’t know I would be off that day. My two favourite websites to plan a last minute trip are Kayak and Skyscanner. They both allow you to type in the city you want to depart from, and select “anywhere” as your destination: a-ma-zing! You can then filter per price, number of stops, flight duration, etc. Easy peasy! That’s how I ended up booking a 3-day trip to Malta on a Monday morning before going to work. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Day 1: Malta

Malta is the main and biggest island of the archipelago. It’s also where Luqa’s airport is located. Once you land, go straight to the first convenience store you’ll see in the arrivals section, and buy a bus pass (tip: you need to pay cash!) This will give you access to unlimited bus rides for 7 consecutive days. There is also an option to pay for a 12-ride pass. Google Maps will be your best friend during this trip, as they include all bus itineraries, so in order to get to your hotel just type in the address in the app and it’ll tell you which bus to take. If you do not wish to use public transportation, I’d suggest you to download an app called eCabs. It’s their equivalent of Uber. They also have Taxify. Both are pretty cheap.

Valletta

This city is the country’s capital, and you really must go there when travelling to Malta. The streets are very pretty and it is surrounded by water everywhere which means it has amazing views. The two things I liked most are walking around the Upper Barrakka Gardens and chilling at The Terrace in Sliema (this place now has a new name, it is located in front of the Barceló Fontina Malta hotel) to admire the view. I slept in Sliema the first night which was perfect for what I wanted to do.

Popeye Village

This super cute village was built in 1979 to film Popeye’s movie starring Robin Williams. It has now been converted into some sort of open-air museum where they host daily activities.

Għajn Tuffieħa Bay

If you’re looking for a unique beach with orange sand and not too many people, here’s where you need to go. Located just next to Golden Beach, Gahj Tuffieha is much more quiet. It requires a bit of a walk to get there, but you’ll be rewarded I promise.

Mellieha

This town is located on the North Coast of Malta, and it is where I suggest staying if you’d like to explore Comino and Gozo during the next two days. It has its own beach, which is pretty cute, and has lots of very good restaurants in the downtown area. I personally tried Blu Beach Club, and had a blast + the food was out of this world.

Day 2: Comino

Comino is the smallest island of the archipelago. It is famous because it is home to the Blue Lagoon, which is honestly so stunning. You have three options to get there: (1) booking a tour, (2) taking the public ferry or (3) hiring a private boat.

If you can afford it, definitely get yourself a private boat and go there either super early in the morning (before 9am), or later in the afternoon (after 4pm). I personally chose to take the first public ferry of the day since I was travelling by myself. The first ferry departs from Cirkewwa at 9:10am, which means you get there at 9:30am. This gives you about one hour to enjoy the place without thousands of tourists.

Blue Lagoon

The public ferry will drop you off at the Blue Lagoon. You can either secure a beach lounger upon arrival (€20) or go for a walk and explore. Note that if you intend to stay there all day, you really should book a spot by the ocean right when you get there.

Crystal Lagoon

If you choose to explore, then I encourage you to walk until you get to Crystal Lagoon, which is more quiet than the Blue Lagoon. You’ll be able to do some cliff jumping and swim without a lot of people around.

Day 3: Gozo

Gozo is the third and last island of the archipelago. There are ferries departing from Cirkewwa every 45 minutes during high season. Once you get there, you can hire a car/scooter or book a jeep tour. I chose the latter as I was short on time and not comfortable driving around.

Qala belvedere

Our first stop was in Qala, which gives you a stunning view on all 3 islands.

Tal-Mixta Cave

Then we headed to Tal-Mixta cave, and walked along the Northern cliffs to get some cool views and a few shots. The cave is really big and from there you can see Ramla Beach very well.

Marsalforn Bay

Our next stop was Marsalforn and the salt pans. Nowadays, people don’t really use them anymore aside from tourism purposes, but back in the days, they used to collect the salt from these pans. A few of them were created naturally, then humans created some artificial ones to boost production.

Wied il-Għasri

This was my favourite stop. A breathtaking beach hidden between two cliffs.

Dwejra

This place is where you’ll see the Blue Hole, a popular diving spot. You can also go on a short boat tour once you get there. It only costs €4 and gives you access to the other side of the cliffs.

Ta' Ċenċ Cliffs

To end your day, I highly recommend stopping there, as watching the sunset from these cliffs is just mesmerising.

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