A week in Malta is enough to see almost everything that matters — but only if you don’t try to do everything every day. Malta is small (316 km²) but the bus rides are slow, the heat in summer is real, and ten minutes more at lunch in a Marsaxlokk waterfront restaurant beats a third museum every single time. This is the itinerary we’d give a first-timer who has 7 nights, wants the highlights without the death-march pacing, and would rather come home rested than ticked-off-a-list.
The structure: 4 nights Malta, 3 nights Gozo, with Comino done as a stop on the ferry day back. If you’d rather stay in one place the whole week, see our 5-day Malta + Gozo version for the compressed take, or our 3-day fast version for short trips.
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At-a-glance: the 7-day itinerary#
| Day | Base | Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sliema/Valletta | Arrive, settle, Sliema waterfront walk | Ferry to Valletta, Upper Barrakka | Dinner Valletta or Strait Street |
| 2 | Sliema/Valletta | Valletta walking tour + St John’s | Three Cities (water-taxi from Valletta) | Sunset at Senglea Point |
| 3 | Sliema/Valletta | Mdina + Rabat | Dingli Cliffs + Buskett | Dinner Rabat (Crystal Palace pastizzi) |
| 4 | Sliema/Valletta | Marsaxlokk market or Hagar Qim | South-coast swim (Blue Grotto / St Peter’s Pool) | Dinner Marsaxlokk waterfront |
| 5 | Gozo | Ferry to Gozo, settle Xlendi/Victoria | Citadel + Victoria | Dwejra sunset |
| 6 | Gozo | Ramla Bay + Calypso Cave | Wied il-Għasri or Marsalforn coast walk | Dinner Marsalforn |
| 7 | Malta | Mġarr → Comino on early small-group cruise | Lunch back in Malta, last swim Sliema | Flight |
Below, the day-by-day version with transport, timings, costs and the bookings we’d actually make.
Where to base yourself#
Nights 1–4 (Malta side): Sliema or Valletta. Sliema is the practical pick — walkable seafront, every cafe, the ferry to Valletta (€1.50, 8 minutes, runs ~half-hourly), and the hub of half the bus routes in the country. Valletta itself is more atmospheric but pricier and quieter at night.
Nights 5–7 (Gozo side): Xlendi, Victoria/Rabat, or Marsalforn. Xlendi is the postcard — small bay, restaurants, sunset side. Victoria is central for sightseeing. Marsalforn is sleepier and good for slower travellers.
Full breakdown by traveller type in where to stay in Malta.
Day 1 — Arrive, decompress, ease into Valletta#
Most flights land late morning to early afternoon. Don’t try to sightsee the day you arrive.
Plan:
- Airport → hotel by airport bus (X1/X2/X3, €2.50,
45 minutes to Sliema) or pre-paid taxi (€20). Full breakdown in airport to Valletta/Sliema. - Drop bags, walk the Sliema seafront for an hour. Get coffee at one of the front-row cafes. Adjust to the heat.
- Late afternoon: ferry to Valletta (€1.50 one-way, last ferry usually around 18:30–19:00 in summer, earlier in winter — check Valletta Ferry Services).
- Walk up Republic Street, Upper Barrakka Gardens at golden hour. This is one of the best free views in the Mediterranean — the Three Cities lit up across the Grand Harbour.
- Dinner in Valletta or back in Sliema. For Valletta, Strait Street has the best mix of small bars and casual restaurants (try Trabuxu for wine, Legligin for slow Maltese cooking — book ahead).
Day 1 cost (couple, mid-range): €30–60 dinner + €5 ferry + €5 transport from airport via bus (or €20 taxi). Expect €80–120 day total before any tours.
Day 2 — Valletta deep dive + Three Cities#
This is your main Valletta day. Don’t try to rush it.
Morning (09:00–12:30): Take a 2.5–3 hour paid walking tour that includes St John’s Co-Cathedral interior and the Caravaggio. The free tip-based tours are good for orientation but skip the cathedral interior.
Valletta Highlights Walking Tour with St John's Co-Cathedral
2.5–3 hour small-group tour. Covers City Gate, Republic Street, Upper Barrakka, the Grand Master’s Palace exterior, Strait Street, plus the full St John’s Co-Cathedral interior (including Caravaggio’s Beheading of Saint John the Baptist). Best single tour for understanding what you’re looking at.
Compare the alternatives in our Valletta walking tour comparison — there are food, Caravaggio, GoT and WWII-themed versions if you’ve done a standard tour before.
Lunch (12:30–14:00): somewhere on Strait Street or at Nenu the Artisan Baker for a proper Maltese ftira sandwich. €15–25 per person.
Afternoon (14:00–18:00): Three Cities — Birgu (Vittoriosa), Senglea, Cospicua. Take the traditional dgħajsa water-taxi from the Valletta waterfront (€2 per person, ~5 minutes across the Grand Harbour). Walk Birgu’s waterfront, climb up to Fort St Angelo (entry ~€10), wander the back streets where most tour groups don’t bother going. End at Senglea Point for the postcard view back to Valletta.
Evening: dinner in Birgu (try Don Berto or Tal-Petut) or ferry back to Valletta and eat there.
Day 2 cost: €25–35 walking tour + €15–25 lunch + €4 water-taxi + €25–40 dinner = €70–105.
Day 3 — Mdina, Rabat, Dingli#
Out of Valletta, into the limestone-and-prickly-pear interior.
Morning (08:30–12:30): Bus 51/52/53 from Valletta to Rabat (~30 minutes, €2 with a Tallinja card or single ticket). Or rent a car for Days 3–4 if you’d rather have flexibility — Mdina, Rabat, Dingli, Buskett, Marsaxlokk are all easier with wheels and the bus rides are the slowest part of any Malta day. See renting a car in Malta for the honest picture on left-side driving.
In Mdina: the “Silent City” is small (15 minutes end-to-end on foot). Walk the bastion walls, see St Paul’s Cathedral, peek into a couple of palazzo courtyards. The Mdina Dungeons are skippable; Palazzo Falson (~€10) is genuinely good if you like decorative arts.
Tours worth booking here: Mdina + Rabat half-day from Valletta, the Mdina Night Tour (atmospheric but only worth it if you have an extra evening), or a Game of Thrones filming-locations walk that pairs Mdina + Valletta. Compare them in best Mdina & Rabat tours from Valletta.
Lunch in Rabat: Crystal Palace for €0.50 pastizzi (the best in Malta, full stop, and yes, you can eat four), or Bobbyland at Dingli Cliffs for a proper sit-down rabbit lunch with a view.
Afternoon (14:00–17:00): Dingli Cliffs (250m drop into the Mediterranean — Malta’s most spectacular natural sight, free, no crowds). Then Buskett Gardens (the only proper woodland in Malta, lovely in spring), and if time, the Hagar Qim & Mnajdra megalithic temples (€10, UNESCO).
Evening: Bus back to Sliema. Dinner near your hotel; you’ve earned a quiet one.
Day 3 cost: €10–25 transport (bus or partial car day) + €15 lunch + €10 Hagar Qim + €25–40 dinner = €60–95.
Day 4 — Marsaxlokk + south coast OR a tour#
Two ways to play this.
Option A — Marsaxlokk + south coast (DIY-friendly): Bus 81 or 85 from Valletta to Marsaxlokk (40 minutes). Wander the luzzu fishing-boat harbour, watch the market if it’s Sunday (the famous fish market runs Sunday mornings only — every other day is a smaller produce/tourist market). Walk 25 minutes around the headland to St Peter’s Pool for a swim (rocky, no sand, gorgeous). Lunch on the Marsaxlokk waterfront — Tartarun or Ir-Rizzu for fish, expect €30–50pp.
Option B — Booked tour day: Take a half-day Hagar Qim + Blue Grotto + Marsaxlokk combo, or a half-day cooking class with a Maltese family. Less driving, more guided context.
Evening: Sunset on the Sliema seafront with a drink at one of the front-row bars, or splurge on a Sliema sunset cruise if your trip lines up. We compare the cruise options in best Malta sunset cruises.
Day 4 cost: €40 tour or €15 transport + €30–50 lunch + €25–40 dinner = €55–115.
Day 5 — Move to Gozo#
Travel day, but Gozo is so close it’s a half-day, not a whole one.
Morning (08:00–11:00): Bus 222 from Sliema (or 41/42/45 from Valletta) to Ċirkewwa ferry terminal (~75 minutes). Ferry to Mġarr, Gozo (€4.65 return, paid on the way back, 25-minute crossing, runs every 30–45 minutes). For full ferry mechanics see Malta to Gozo ferry guide.
Settle in Gozo: drop bags in Xlendi (cliffside bay village), Victoria/Rabat (central, market town) or Marsalforn (north coast, calmer). Lunch in Victoria — Tmun Mgarr if you stayed near the port, or Maldonado Bistro in Victoria for something a notch up.
Afternoon (14:00–18:00): The Citadel of Victoria — small fortified hilltop in the middle of Gozo, free entry to the walls, ~€10 combined museum ticket if you want them. Walk the perimeter for the best 360° view in the Maltese islands. Then drive (or bus 311) west to Dwejra Bay for the sunset — the Inland Sea and the spot where the Azure Window used to stand before it collapsed in 2017.
Dinner: back in Xlendi or Victoria. Ta’ Rikardu inside the Citadel does sheep-cheese platters and homemade Gozitan wine for €15–20 a head.
Day 5 cost: €5–7 ferry + €15–25 lunch + €30–45 dinner + €30 car for the day if rented = €80–110.
Day 6 — Gozo’s coast, slowly#
Day 6 is the day you don’t book anything and you’re glad you didn’t.
Morning: Ramla Bay — the red-sand beach on Gozo’s north coast, the prettiest beach in the Maltese islands. Get there by 09:30 in summer to claim a sun-lounger; by 10:30 in shoulder season. Calypso Cave is the small cliff-top viewpoint just above Ramla — 5-minute drive, then a 2-minute walk, very Instagrammable in a quiet way.
Lunch: beach kiosk at Ramla, or drive 10 minutes to Nadur for Maxokk Bakery (legendary ftira and Gozitan pizza-bread for €5–8).
Afternoon: drive Wied il-Għasri (a tiny limestone fjord on the north coast — small parking, 5-minute walk down, swim in calm water between cliffs), then over to Marsalforn for a coastal walk along the salt pans toward Xwejni Bay.
Evening: dinner in Marsalforn (Otters or Tatita’s for fish) or back in Xlendi (Ta’ Karolina is the waterfront classic). Both villages do post-dinner ice-cream walks beautifully.
Active alternative: a small-group Gozo jeep tour if you skipped the rental car — covers Dwejra, Ramla, Wied il-Għasri, Marsalforn and lunch in one organised day. Compare options in best Gozo day trips.
Day 6 cost: €10 lunch + €0 beach + €25 car + €35–55 dinner = €70–95.
Day 7 — Comino on the way home#
The trick most 7-day travellers miss: don’t make a separate trip to Comino. Do it on your ferry day back, in the morning, before crowds, while you’re already heading south.
Plan:
- 08:00: check out, drive to Mġarr port.
- 08:30–09:00: join a small-group Comino cruise that departs from Mġarr (much shorter than the Sliema cruises — you skip the 90-minute open-sea slog). Half-day boat with Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon, Santa Maria Caves. Expect to be back at Mġarr by 13:00–14:00.
Comino Blue Lagoon Cruise from Mġarr (Gozo Side)
Half-day small-group cruise that leaves from the Gozo side, so you get to the Blue Lagoon before the Sliema crowds arrive. Stops at Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon and the Santa Maria Caves. Snorkel gear usually included; bring your own water and snacks.
If you’d rather a more flexible option (RIB charter, sailing yacht, or the cheaper DIY ferry from Ċirkewwa), our Blue Lagoon Comino tours comparison breaks down all five formats with cost, crowd and pacing notes.
- 14:00: ferry back from Mġarr to Ċirkewwa.
- 15:00: drive (or bus) to your last lunch — Mellieħa Bay if you want one final swim, or Sliema for a proper end-of-trip dinner.
- Evening: to the airport. The X1 airport bus from Sliema is €2.50 and runs every 30 minutes, last bus around 23:00. For peace of mind on a flight day, a pre-booked private transfer is €20–25 for two. See airport transfer options.
Day 7 cost: €30 cruise + €5 ferry + €5–25 transport + €15–25 lunch = €55–85.
Total 7-day cost (couple, mid-range)#
| Category | Mid-range estimate |
|---|---|
| Accommodation (4 nights Malta + 3 nights Gozo) | €700–1,000 |
| Food (~€60/day x 7) | €420 |
| Tours (Valletta walking, Comino cruise, optional jeep/half-day) | €120–200 |
| Transport (7-day Tallinja card x 2 + ferry + 2 days car rental) | €120–180 |
| Misc (museum entries, drinks, market snacks) | €80–120 |
| Total | €1,440–1,920 |
Add another €600–900 if you upgrade to a 4-star hotel in both bases. Halve the food line if you self-cater breakfasts. For a full daily-budget breakdown by traveller type see Malta travel costs.
When to do this itinerary#
The 7-day version works year-round, but the experience changes a lot.
| Season | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Apr–May, Oct | Best light, swimmable sea, manageable crowds, hiking is pleasant | Limited beach hours in April |
| Jun–early Jul | Long days, warm sea | Comino starts getting packed |
| Late Jul–Aug | Maximum daylight, festas | Heat is brutal, Blue Lagoon is mobbed, prices peak |
| Sep | Sea is warmest of the year, crowds drop fast after the 15th | School-trip groups in late Sep |
| Nov–Mar | Cheap, empty, great food scene, wildflowers in Feb | Sea too cold to swim, some Gozo restaurants close, Comino tours scaled back |
For a season-by-season breakdown including wind patterns and which beaches are usable when, see best time to visit Malta. For an off-peak version of this trip, see Malta in winter.
What we’d cut if you only had 5 days#
If you’re flexing this down: drop Day 4 (south coast/Marsaxlokk) and Day 6 (slow Gozo day). You lose the south coast and one Gozo coastal day; you keep Valletta-Three Cities-Mdina-Citadel-Comino. That’s our 5-day Malta + Gozo version.
If you only had 3 days, you’d skip Gozo entirely — 3 days in Malta.
Booking-ahead checklist#
| What | When to book |
|---|---|
| Hotels (Malta + Gozo) | 8–12 weeks ahead in summer; 2–4 weeks shoulder |
| Comino cruise | 3–7 days ahead in summer; same-day fine in shoulder |
| Valletta walking tour | 1–3 days ahead summer; same-day shoulder |
| Gozo jeep / quad tour | 1 week ahead in summer |
| Rental car (Days 4–7) | 2–4 weeks ahead for July/August |
| Ferry tickets | No need to pre-book — pay on the way back |
| Hagar Qim, Hypogeum | Hypogeum 8+ weeks ahead (limited daily slots); Hagar Qim walk-up fine |
Common mistakes on a 7-day Malta trip#
- Sleeping in Paceville. It’s a nightclub strip. The morning after is not the morning you want before a tour. Sliema or St Julian’s south of Paceville is fine.
- Booking three days of guided tours. Malta is small; you’ll burn out. One walking tour, one boat cruise, one half-day combo is plenty.
- Doing Comino as a separate Sliema-cruise day. The Sliema → Comino route is 90 minutes each way of open sea. Combining it with your Gozo ferry day (Mġarr departure) is shorter, less hot, less crowded.
- Renting a car for the whole week. Sliema/Valletta parking is a nightmare. Bus or taxi for Days 1–3, rent for Days 4–7 only.
- Skipping the Three Cities. Most first-timers do; everyone who did go puts it in their top three Malta memories.
- Not booking St John’s Co-Cathedral online in summer. Walk-up queues hit 30–45 minutes between 10:00 and 14:00.
FAQ#
Is 7 days enough for Malta and Gozo?#
Yes — comfortably. Seven days lets you cover Valletta in proper depth, the main inland sights (Mdina, Rabat, Dingli), the south coast, three Gozo days including the Citadel and west coast, and Comino on the way back. Anything longer than 10 days starts to feel slow unless you’re a beach-hours traveller.
Should I rent a car for 7 days in Malta?#
Not the whole week. Sliema-based Days 1–3 are easier and cheaper without a car (buses, ferries, and walking cover everything). Days 4–7 — Mdina/Rabat, Marsaxlokk, Gozo — are noticeably better with a rental. We’d rent for 4 days, not 7. Full case-by-case: renting a car in Malta.
How many nights should I spend in Gozo on a 7-day trip?#
Three. Two nights feels like a tease; four leaves you wandering by the last day. Three nights gives you the Citadel, Dwejra, Ramla, the north coast, and one slow morning.
What’s the best month for a 7-day Malta itinerary?#
May, late September, and early October — pleasant weather, warm sea, manageable crowds, full operator schedules. June and July have longer days but more heat and crowding.
Can I do this itinerary without a tour?#
Almost. The walking tour of Valletta is the one we’d genuinely keep — Valletta’s history is the part that doesn’t survive a self-guided walk. Everything else (Mdina, Three Cities, Marsaxlokk) is fine DIY. Comino works DIY via the Ċirkewwa shuttle but is much smoother on a small-group cruise.
Where should I base myself in Malta and Gozo?#
Malta: Sliema (most practical), Valletta (most atmospheric), or St Julian’s south of Paceville. Gozo: Xlendi (prettiest), Victoria (most central), or Marsalforn (calmest). Detailed by traveller type in where to stay in Malta.
Is 7 days too long for Malta?#
Only if you’re allergic to slow days. The trip handles 7 days well precisely because Gozo and the Maltese south coast reward unhurried time. If you’re a fast-paced traveller and you’ve done Valletta and Mdina before, 5 days is the right length.
How much should I budget for 7 days in Malta?#
Mid-range couple: €1,400–2,000 before flights — see the table above. Backpacker solo: €600–900. Splurge couple in 4-star + private guides: €3,000–4,500. Full breakdown: Malta travel costs.
Last verified: April 2026. Prices, schedules and operator availability change — confirm with the operator before booking. Public transport fares are the published Tallinja and Gozo Channel rates.
