A week is where Malta stops being a checklist. Seven days is enough to see the headline sights, give Gozo and Comino their due, spend a day doing nothing but swim, and still keep a day spare for the weather. The shift from a shorter trip is simple: stop day-tripping Gozo and stay over instead. Here's the day-by-day plan, where to base, and how to flex it.
- 01A week is enough to slow down: stay over on Gozo for a night or two rather than day-tripping it, and add a proper beach day.
- 02Split the trip between the two islands rather than crossing back and forth – it's the point of having a week.
- 03Comino's Blue Lagoon and the south each get their own day, with a spare day to flex around the weather.
- 04Want it tighter? Our 5-day plan covers the same islands without the Gozo overnight.
- 05Seven days leaves room to repeat a favourite – a second swim or a slow morning – which a shorter trip never allows.
How to plan a week in Malta
A week is where Malta stops being a checklist. With seven days you can see the headline sights, give Gozo and Comino their due, spend a day doing nothing but swim, and still keep a day spare for the weather. Our guide to planning your first Malta trip covers the basics before you get into the day-by-day.
The shift from a shorter trip is one change: stop day-tripping Gozo and stay over instead. A night or two on the quieter island slows the whole week down and lets it set the pace. Everything else flexes around the two ferries and the forecast.
Where to base yourself
The trick for a week is to split your stay. Spend the first stretch – around five nights – on Malta in Sliema, St Julian's or Valletta, all central and well connected. Our where to stay in Malta guide compares the Malta bases.
Then move across for a night or two on Gozo near the end. A farmhouse or small hotel around Victoria, Xlendi or Marsalforn puts you on the slow island in the evenings, after the day-trippers have gone – the where to stay in Gozo guide covers the areas and farmhouse stays.
Getting there is its own short journey; see Malta airport to Gozo for the ferry and transfer options. Short on days instead? Our 5-day Malta itinerary does the same islands without the overnight.
Day 1: Valletta and the Grand Harbour
Open in the capital. Valletta is small and walkable, with St John's Co-Cathedral and its Caravaggio, the Upper Barrakka Gardens over the Grand Harbour, and the squares off Republic Street – the things to do in Valletta guide has the route.
In the afternoon, cross to the Three Cities by dgħajsa or ferry for the older, quieter side of the harbour, then head back to Valletta for the evening.
Day 2: Mdina, Rabat and the centre
Spend the second day inland. Mdina is the silent walled city; Rabat next door adds the catacombs and an everyday Maltese feel, both covered in the Mdina and Rabat day trip guide. Go before the coach tours arrive mid-morning.
The huge dome of the Mosta Rotunda is an easy stop on the way back. It's a gentle day that sets up the busier island days to come.
Day 3: A beach and coast day
Here's the day a shorter trip can't spare: do nothing but the coast. Golden Bay and neighbouring Għajn Tuffieħa are the best sandy beaches on the main island, while Mellieħa Bay is the biggest and most family-friendly – our best beaches guide picks between them.
If the wind is up on the north-west side, the sheltered lidos and rock platforms along the Sliema front are an easy fallback. A slow swim day mid-week is what stops seven days feeling like a march.
Day 4: Comino and the Blue Lagoon
The marquee swim day. Comino's Blue Lagoon has the brightest water in the islands, reached by boat from the north, and with a week you can give it a full, unhurried day rather than a stop on a tour.
Boats also reach the quieter Crystal Lagoon and the sea caves around the island. Go early, bring shade and water, and you'll have the best of it before the midday crowds.
Day 5: Across to Gozo
Mid-week, change islands. Take the ferry to Gozo and check into your base, then spend the afternoon in Victoria and the hilltop Cittadella, with its views over the whole island. End the day out on the Dwejra coast for the sunset, where the Azure Window once stood.
Staying over is the difference a week makes: once the day-trip boats leave, Victoria's squares and the coastal villages belong to the people who live there. The Gozo day trip guide maps the sights if you want the full run-down.
Day 6: Gozo at its own pace
Give Gozo a slow second day. The red sand of Ramla Bay, the fishing inlet of Xlendi, the chequerboard salt pans near Marsalforn and the Ġgantija temples – older than the pyramids – are all a short drive apart.
This is the day the overnight earns itself. With no ferry to catch back, you can swim, linger over lunch and watch the light change before crossing to Malta in the evening or the next morning.
Day 7: The south and Marsaxlokk
Finish back on Malta in the south. Start in Marsaxlokk among the painted luzzu boats – on a Sunday, the big fish market – then the Blue Grotto sea caves and the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra temples on the cliffs above.
If the week has thrown a windy or wet day along the way, this is the one to shuffle – swap it for the day you lost, or simply go back to the spot you liked best.
Getting around for a week
Over seven days a hire car starts to make sense, especially for the beach day, the south coast and your days on Gozo, where the sights are spread out and buses are sparse. Take the car across on the Gozo ferry, or hire locally once you are there – our getting around Malta guide weighs it up.
On public transport alone the buses and ferries still cover most of it, but you will wait longer and plan around timetables on the Gozo and beach days. Taxis and ride-hailing fill the gaps where the buses are thin.
Seven days is the length that lets Malta breathe – the cities and temples, two islands, and the kind of slow beach day that turns a trip into a holiday. Split your base, build around the ferries, and keep one day loose for whatever the week throws at you.
Featured image: G.Mannaerts / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
