“Don’t drive on Malta”.
This is a warning I kept hearing whenever I mentioned I wanted to see some more of the island by renting a car for a day, so that I could explore the beaches that Malta is famous for, the little fishing villages, scenic cliffs and coastal views.

I decided to ignore the well-meant advice and the stories about the horrible Maltese drivers and rented a car anyway. Having driven in Rome’s mad traffic, in Mexico and in Argentina, I figured I’d be fine. Driving on the left side of the road also can’t scare me anymore after driving in Central London, so I was just silently praying all the crazy drivers would stay at home while I was cruising down the narrow country roads.While Malta has a pretty good public transportation network, driving yourself is still better – you can stop whenever and wherever you want, even if it’s just a quick photo stop, you don’t have to rely on the bus schedule, and you can also visit places that aren’t covered by the buses. I only paid €22 for a 24-hour rental, and you can add pick-up for an additional €10 (and drop-off for another €10). Even if you pay for pick-up, drop-off and the rental, I think this is a very affordable price, especially if you share the costs with someone.I had asked for the smallest car and this is what I got:
Isn’t this the cutest car?!
I was happy when my friend Umei decided to join me and off we went to our first stop: Marsaxlokk, a traditional fishing village in the south of the island. I fell in love with it the minute we got out of the car – look at these colors:The bay was filled with little fishing boats, called luzzu, which are known for being painted in bright colors and always having a pair of eyes on the front – supposedly to protect them from bad luck and the dangers out at sea.
While the village seemed sleepy and laid-back when we visited it, Marsaxlokk is buzzing with people every Sunday, when a fish market takes place here. Fishermen arrive with their fresh catch in the port where dozens of stalls sell the seafood right on the spot.
Similar to the medieval city of Mdina, I had the feeling I was stepping back in time here.
It felt like not much had changed here in the last few decades – the village seemed to be exactly the way it was in a time before TVs, cell phones and the internet (if you blocked out the tourists who were sharing their experience with the world via Instagram and Facebook).
We continued on to the Dingli Cliffs from here, to take in some of the spectacular coastline. The Dingli Cliffs are the highest point in Malta, at 253 meters (830feet), and you can usually look out over the Mediterranean for miles and miles. When we were there it was slightly foggy, but we still got a sense for how majestic the cliffs are, and loved the surrounding countryside that was filled with spring wildflowers.
If you want to discover more of this area, you can take a Segway tour that allows you to glide along the cliffs, while you learn more about the history and the nature of Dingli, and it includes stops at some of the landmarks around here, like the Magdalena Chapel, Palazzo Verdala and Palazzo Girgenti, and the Boschetto Gardens.
Here it is not uncommon to see horse-drawn carriages, old-fashioned traveling merchants and village people who still travel on foot.
Even though the cliffs were stunning, we also wanted to see some of the amazing beaches that we had heard so much about.
Malta is known to have some of the clearest waters in the Mediterranean, and when we finally reached Mellieha Bay, I wish it would’ve been warmer already so that I could’ve dipped more than just my toes into the crystal clear water…
When we got to Golden Bay, clouds had started to cover the blue skies, but I could still imagine how gorgeous this place must be on a sunny summer day.
We had reached the northernmost point on our road trip – which was nearly the northernmost point of the island! Malta is just so compact that you really can fit in most of the island in a daylong road trip.
Before heading south again, we stopped at a roadside stall that wasn’t much more than a table with a couple of boxes of strawberries on it – some of the biggest strawberries we’d ever seen! We couldn’t resist and had to pick up a box. They were the perfect road trip snack.
We couldn’t pass through Mosta, one of the bigger cities on the island, with a population of nearly 20,000 people, without stopping at the Mosta Dome (also known as the Rotunda of Mosta), which is not only the third-largest unsupported dome in the world, but is also home to the Miracle Of Mosta: In 1942, during World War II, a 200kg bomb was dropped by the German Luftwaffe over the church in which 500 people were hiding and did NOT detonate. Mosta Dome is impressive, but Mosta itself was also really pleasant.
On the way back to Valletta we passed through St Julian’s just in time to see Spinola Bay lit up during the twilight hours. St Julian’s is one of the most popular holiday spots on the island, with lots of hotels and restaurants, and we joined the wandering tourists for a stroll along the promenade where the gorgeous LOVE sculpture has become a popular place with lovers, who ‘lock’ up their love here.
If you are planning a visit to Malta, I highly recommend renting a car and seeing the island that way – at least for a day or two. Places you shouldn’t miss include Valletta, Mdina, Mellieha Bay, Marsaxlokk, the Dingli Cliffs and St Julian’s.
This post was brought to you as a result of the Blog Island Malta campaign, created and managed by iambassador in partnership with the Malta Tourism Authority and the support of Air Malta. I maintain full editorial control of the content published on Globetrottergirls.com and it is my policy to provide an honest, objective review, reflecting my own experience and opinion.


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So you had no problems getting around by car? There’s just nothing that compares to the freedom of having your own car..
Nick – no problem at all! That said – we did come across some of the crazy drivers that I had been warned of. Luckily, rental cars on little islands like Malta always tend to have a few scratches already 😉
It looks like a beautiful little island to road trip around and all the better if it’s left hand drive for those of us who live in London!
Shikha – yes, for Brits it’s definitely easy to drive in Malta 🙂
It is so beautiful. Was the water cold? So you recommend renting a car? What about public transportation? What is you opinion?
Hi Emma, public transportation is actually pretty good on the island – there’s an extensive (and cheap!) bus network. This website is a great resource for using public buses on Malta: http://www.maltabybus.com/ I think if you only plan to visit a couple of places during your trip to Malta, you should be fine using the buses. But if you’d like to cram in as much as possible, stop in random places along the way, and don’t want to have to rely on bus times, a car makes more sense.
The water starts warming up mid-June, btw – by August it’s bathtub-warm 🙂
Malta is beautiful. It looks like you had a great time. I was only there for two days and didn’t see half of what you saw. I will remember your cool idea of driving.
Maybe you’ll make it back there one day and can cruise around the island in a cute little rental, too 😉 Did you enjoy your two days in Malta still?
Yes it was lovely. Valletta is beautiful and the Temples and the Hypogeum w=
ere really really interesting. I’d definitely love to go back 🙂
Why is it that before you talked about it I didn’t even know anything about Malta…looks great! Love the new site design too 🙂
Rachel – nobody is ever talking about Malta and I just don’t understand why! One of the most underrated places in the Mediterranean in my opinion.
P.S. Your comment about the new site design totally made my day when I read it 🙂 Thanks so much Rachel! There’s more to come, but I couldn’t stand the ugly green anymore, so I decided to reveal with the new header already.
Gorgeous pictures! Malta is definitely on my list. I want to stick my toes in that beautifully clear water…
Thanks, Katie! I can’t wait to go back to Malta and go for a swim in the ocean! Will make sure to head there in August or September the next time so that I know the water will be warmer than it was in May 🙂
Looks like a beautiful place to take a road trip.
It sure is, Steph! Malta is often overlooked when people travel to Europe but I think it definitely deserves a spot on a European vacation itinerary 🙂
Beautiful photos. I never really wanted to go to Malta before but I think you’re succeeding in changing my mind 😉
Yay! Success 😉 Wait till I show off Valletta (Malta’s capital), Carmen.. so pretty 🙂
Amazing photos Dani. Malta is really creeping up my list of places to visit lately. It really looks like my kind of place. BTW love the new website look!
Thanks so much, Jen! I am so happy that you love the new design, too – it’s not finished yet but I couldn’t wait to show the new logo & header 🙂
Definitely sounds like it is a good idea to rent a car on Malta. I found the same for Majorca.
Katie – absolutely! When you mentioned Majorca I realize that I usually like renting a car on small Mediterranean islands.. did it in Ibiza & Formentera and Majorca as well 🙂 I just love the freedom and independence a car gives you.
We have just had one week in Gozo and we hired a car as well and travelled everywhere, i must admit we got lost a few times, but we did get a lot of help from the locals and we stopped a lot of times along the way to check the views, and had a swim at San Bais Bay. which was so hard to get to, but it was worth it. we will be going to Malta tomorrow, and staying in St Julians for 1 month, and by the way the drivers are not too bad at all, you always get the odd crazy driver even in Australia.
Mary, so happy to hear that you had such a good time on Gozo! St Julian’s for a month – amazing! I am slightly jealous 😉 Make sure to eat at Gululu. Enjoy your Maltese summer 🙂