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How many days in Valletta? 4 days: the knights' capital, Mdina and Gozo
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Valletta is a grid of honey-coloured streets on a peninsula less than 1 km wide, built by the Knights of St John after the Great Siege of 1565. You can cross it in 15 minutes, which is exactly why it makes the ideal base for Malta: the whole country is small and everything comes back to Valletta's bus terminus and ferry quays. Give it four days: one in the capital, one across the Grand Harbour in the Three Cities, one inland in Mdina, and one on the green island of Gozo.
Short answer
Three days covers Valletta, the Three Cities and Mdina with Rabat. The fourth day adds Gozo, about 1.5-2 hours away by bus and ferry, with its citadel, red-sand beach and cliffs.
The 4-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Valletta: St John's, the Barrakka and Fort St Elmo
Morning. Be at St John's Co-Cathedral (about €15) at opening, 9:00 on most days; the plain facade hides a gilded baroque interior with a floor of some 400 marble tombstones of knights. In the oratory hangs Caravaggio's Beheading of St John the Baptist (1608), the only painting he signed. Then walk Republic Street to the Grandmaster's Palace (check which rooms are open).
Afternoon. Go to the Upper Barrakka Gardens for the view over the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities; the Saluting Battery below fires a cannon at 12:00 and 16:00. Visit the Lascaris War Rooms (about €15-18), the underground headquarters from where the Allies directed the defence of Malta in WWII and the 1943 invasion of Sicily.
Evening. Walk to Fort St Elmo at the tip of the peninsula, home of the National War Museum (about €10), then dinner on Strait Street, once the sailors' bar street, now full of wine bars. A main course costs €15-25.
Valletta is built on a slope with stepped streets. Use the Barrakka Lift between the Upper Barrakka and the waterfront (about €1 up, free down) to save your legs.
Day 2: The Three Cities across the Grand Harbour
Morning. Take the ferry from below the Barrakka Lift across the harbour to Birgu (Vittoriosa), about 10 minutes, or a traditional rowing boat, a dghajsa, for a few euros. Visit Fort St Angelo (about €10), the knights' headquarters during the Great Siege, and the Inquisitor's Palace (about €6-8).
Afternoon. Walk the quiet lanes of Birgu, then cross to Senglea (Isla) and its Gardjola Gardens, with a stone watchtower carved with an eye and ear, looking straight across at Valletta. Continue to Cospicua, the third city, to see the huge Cottonera Lines fortifications.
Evening. Return by ferry at sunset and watch the lights of the harbour come on, then eat at the Birgu waterfront marina or back in Valletta. Try stuffat tal-fenek, rabbit stew, the national dish.
Grand Harbour boat tours (about €20-25, 1-1.5 hours) leave from Sliema and Valletta and are the best way to understand the size of the fortifications.
Day 3: Mdina, Rabat and the Dingli Cliffs
Morning. Take bus 51, 52 or 53 from Valletta, about 30-40 minutes, to Mdina, the walled former capital on a hill, called the Silent City. Enter by the baroque Main Gate, visit St Paul's Cathedral and its museum (about €10), and walk the ramparts at Bastion Square for a view over the whole island.
Afternoon. Cross into Rabat, the town outside the walls, for St Paul's Catacombs (about €6-7), early Christian underground burial chambers, and the Domvs Romana with its Roman mosaics. Then take the bus or a taxi 15 minutes to the Dingli Cliffs, about 250 metres above the sea.
Evening. Watch sunset at Dingli, then return to Mdina, which is beautiful and nearly empty after dark, for dinner in its lanes or back in Valletta.
Buy pastizzi, flaky pastries filled with ricotta or peas, for about €0.60-1 each, in a pastizzeria in Rabat; they are Malta's favourite snack.
Day 4: A day on Gozo
Morning. Take the fast ferry from Valletta to Mgarr on Gozo (about 45 minutes, check current timetables), or the bus to Cirkewwa and the car ferry (about 25 minutes crossing; the return fare of about €5 is paid when leaving Gozo). Take a bus or taxi to Victoria (Rabat) and its Cittadella, the fortified hilltop with a cathedral and views over the island.
Afternoon. Go to Ramla Bay on the north coast, a beach of red-orange sand, or to Dwejra in the west, where the Azure Window rock arch collapsed in 2017, but the Inland Sea and the Fungus Rock are still there. Visit the Ggantija Temples (about €10-12), stone temples older than the pyramids of Egypt.
Evening. Return on an evening ferry. If the sea is calm, stop on Comino next time for the Blue Lagoon, best before 10:00 or after 16:00 when the day boats leave.
Gozo is about 14 km long but buses are slow. A hop-on hop-off bus or a hired car with driver saves time if you want to see more than two places.
Only have 3 days?
With 3 days, do Days 1-3 and replace Gozo with a half-day boat to the Blue Lagoon on Comino. With 2 days, combine Valletta and the Three Cities on one day and Mdina on the second.
Got extra days?
A 5th day can go to the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum (book several weeks ahead, about €35-50) and the Tarxien temples, then to Marsaxlokk, the fishing village of painted luzzu boats with a Sunday fish market. Or visit the clifftop temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra and the boats to the Blue Grotto.
Where to stay in Valletta
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Floriana / Gzira | Cheaper rooms 10 minutes from Valletta's bus terminus or the Sliema ferry. | €70-120 |
| Mid-range | Valletta | Boutique hotels in old townhouses, walk to everything, ferries to the Three Cities and Sliema. | €130-240 |
| Mid-range | Sliema | Seafront promenade, shops and swimming rocks, 5 minutes by ferry to Valletta. | €110-200 |
| Comfort | Valletta palazzo hotels | Restored 16th- to 18th-century palaces with rooftop pools and harbour views. | €250-500 |
Getting around
Malta International Airport is about 8 km away; bus X4 reaches Valletta in about 20-25 minutes, and taxis cost about €17-25 with the Bolt or eCabs apps. The national buses start from the terminus outside Valletta's City Gate; a single ticket costs about €2.50 in summer (cash, card or the Explore card). The Sliema ferry (5 minutes) and the Three Cities ferry (10 minutes) leave from the harbours. Gozo is reached by fast ferry from Valletta or the car ferry from Cirkewwa. Traffic is heavy; avoid driving in Valletta.
What to eat in Valletta
Maltese food mixes Sicilian, Arab and British influences. Try pastizzi, ftira (a ring-shaped bread filled with tuna, olives, capers and tomato), bigilla (bean paste with garlic) and stuffat tal-fenek, rabbit slow-cooked in wine and garlic, often served as two courses: spaghetti in the sauce, then the meat. In autumn, eat lampuki (mahi-mahi) pie. Sweets include imqaret, date pastries fried and sold hot near City Gate. Drink Kinnie, a bitter orange soft drink, and Cisk lager. A taverna meal is €25-40 per person; a pastizzi breakfast costs about €2.
Best time to visit
April-June and September-November, with 20-28°C and sea warm enough to swim from June to November. July and August are hot (30-34°C), humid and busy. Winter is mild, around 15-17°C, with some rain and wind, and fewer visitors; ferries to Gozo still run. Valletta's festas fill the streets in summer, and the Notte Bianca cultural night is in early October.
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | €40 | €90 | €190 |
| Food & drink | €25 | €45 | €85 |
| Sights & tickets | €15 | €30 | €50 |
| Local transport | €5 | €10 | €35 |
| Total per person, per day | about €85 | about €175 | about €360 |
Approximate 2026 prices in euros. Malta charges an eco-contribution per adult per night, a small amount capped for longer stays, paid at the hotel.
Before you go
Common questions
Is Valletta a good base for Malta?
Yes, for most travellers. All bus routes start at the terminus outside City Gate, and ferries go to Sliema, the Three Cities and Gozo. It is quiet at night compared with St Julian's, and the hotels are full of character. Beach lovers may prefer Sliema or the north, around Mellieha, but they will travel more to see the sights.
Do I need to book the Hypogeum?
Yes, well in advance. The Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, an underground prehistoric burial site about 5,000 years old, admits only a small number of visitors per hour to protect it. Tickets are released online by Heritage Malta and often sell out several weeks ahead in summer. Photography is not allowed inside.
How do I get to Gozo from Valletta?
There are two options. The fast ferry from Valletta to Mgarr takes about 45 minutes. Alternatively, take a bus to Cirkewwa, about 1-1.5 hours, then the Gozo Channel car ferry, a 25-minute crossing every 45 minutes or so in the day. Check current timetables before travelling, especially in bad weather.
Can I swim in Valletta?
There is no beach in Valletta itself, but locals swim from the rocks below the walls, for example around the area of Fort St Elmo and on the Marsamxett side. Sliema, 5 minutes by ferry, has rocky swimming platforms and lidos along the promenade. For sand, go to Golden Bay, Mellieha Bay or Ramla Bay on Gozo.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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