With energetic towns, high-summer wine revelries and a soul-warming programme of activities and events in the build-up to Christmas, Malta and its related islands cast Mediterranean magic over visitors whatever the season. Whether you’re looking for a walking holiday, fun in the sun or a budget break, our experts have the lowdown on the best times to visit.
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When is the best time to visit?
Aim for the shoulder months of May, June and September when it’s not too hot or busy. Winters are mild and will come with a smaller price tag, while summer tends to be hot, dry and filled with festival goers.
When is best for the beach, swimming and water sports?
July and August — as with much of the Mediterranean — is peak season for tourists. Sunny days and calm seas are more or less guaranteed, and you’ll find that the Maltese will also flock to the coast. Sea temperatures reach comfortable swimming levels by early June and remain in the 20Cs until November. Diving is popular between March and September — avoid late autumn, which brings occasional winds and storms that can affect water safety and visibility. While holidaying in Malta outside high season will reward you with crowd-free beaches, there won’t be any lifeguards.
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Which season is best for walking holidays?
Spring in Malta is made for hiking. It’s the greenest time of year, with wildflowers in full bloom and T-shirt-wearing temperatures.
When is the best time for sightseeing?
Spring and autumn tend to be the most comfortable months for ticking off Malta’s museums and attractions, as most of its historic buildings don’t have air conditioning. In autumn, the calendar is filled with cultural festivals, which bring a buzz to Malta’s ancient streets.
When is it cheapest to visit?
Aim for winter if you’re on a tight budget: you’ll find great deals on four and five-star hotels and flight prices plummet. Temperatures are mild and everything stays open; it’s much easier to get a table at the island’s big-name restaurants and you can enjoy the main streets and sights without the crowds. You’ll see prices rise over Christmas and New Year, and you can expect to pay a premium in the capital if you’re visiting during the Valletta Baroque Festival (a musical highlight, usually around mid-January).
Sunshine and rainfall
July is the driest month, with imperceptible rainfall, while August tends to be the hottest month with average highs of 32C. November and December are typically wettest, with around 90mm of rain, while February is coldest — but, even then, temperatures reach 15C to 16C most days.
When is the best time to visit for a traditional festa?
Festas, a kaleidoscopic blur of fireworks, brass bands and parades, are celebrated in spring and summer, and you’ll usually find at least one every weekend (a notable earlier exception is the feast of Malta’s patron saint, St Paul, in February). Each parish celebrates its saint and competition is fierce. Churches are lit with hundreds of bulbs, larger-than-life statues are paraded through the streets and orchestras add to the cacophony. Locals look forward to festa all year — and, crucially, visitors are always welcome.
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Key dates for your calendar
February
February hosts the Malta Marathon, which runs from the ancient capital Mdina in the centre of the island to coastal Sliema, via the Second World War airfield of Ta’ Qali. February 10 is a national holiday for the Feast of St Paul, Malta’s most popular patron saint, who is said to have been shipwrecked here in a storm around AD60. It traditionally rains on his parade — so pack an anorak. Meanwhile, Malta’s age-old carnival shimmies through the streets for five days before Lent (usually in February, but occasionally in March) with floats and revellers buzzing around Valletta and Gozo’s capital, Victoria.
March/April
Malta’s a country of devoted Christians who observe Holy Week with something approaching fervour, as they contemplate the Passion, death and resurrection of Christ. The most spiritual holiday of the year starts on the Friday before Palm Sunday here, and culminates on Easter Sunday, the two dates bracketing a period of special services and religious re-enactments that captivate the faithful and intrigued holidaymakers alike.
The street processions, held in various locations, are the obvious main event: a tradition forged in the 16th century, depending on the day these feature dramatic statues of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Passion of Christ and the Risen Christ paraded aloft for the benefit of the cheering crowds. Village brass bands usually accompany the proceedings, playing sombre music. When you’re peckish, look out for Easter treats, including qaghaq tal-Appostli (a delicious celebratory bread topped with almonds and sesame seeds) and kwarezimal (Lent biscuits made with honey and chopped almonds).
July
This is the month of outdoor festivals. The popular Isle of MTV Malta Music Week — a series of gigs and parties culminating in one of Europe’s largest free open-air concerts — usually attracts big-name stars (Lady Gaga and Paloma Faith among them, in recent years). Also taking place in July is the Malta Jazz Festival, from which strains of classic and modern jazz ricochet around the fortified walls of the Grand Harbour.
August
Oenophiles are in their element when Malta’s annual Delicata Classic Wine Festival sets up in Valletta’s photogenic Upper Barrakka Gardens for three nights of high-summer bacchanalia. The family winemaker — Malta’s oldest — has been producing top-quality output since its launch in 1907; now, in its fourth generation, it works with 20 world-class local grape types to spread the word about the archipelago’s excellent vino. The event — which takes place from August 8 to 10 in 2025 — is free to enter, but tastings of Delicata’s boutique varieties are paid for using special “wine coins”. Maxing up the ambience, live music plays and, coupled with the view from the atmospheric public gardens over the Grand Harbour, makes for a magical night — or three. If you’re not holidaying until later in the month, the event heads to Gozo on August 22 and 23.
delicata.com/wine-festivals
October/November
October’s Notte Bianca — White Night — is one of the best evenings in Valletta. Museums, sites and galleries stay open for free until late, and historic and public buildings normally closed to the public throw open their doors. Performances pepper the streets and squares, along with food, craft stalls and family-friendly activities. More sedate is the Three Palaces Festival — concerts in Malta’s most iconic palazzi, typically taking place in late October or November — and Gozo’s Festival Mediterranea, an autumn arts festival centred on opera and classical music. There’s also the Rolex Middle Sea Race, in which sailing boats set off from the Grand Harbour in October around a 606-nautical-mile course.
December
A nation so steeped in tradition, with its tight-knit Catholic communities and heritage, certainly makes the most of the festive season. Expect everything from shiny displays of fairy lights in towns and villages across the islands, to spiritual congregations and carol-singing in baroque parish churches, where altars are adorned with flowers (try the famous St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta).
In the south-eastern town of Birzebbuga they put up a fabulous seven-storey Christmas tree — a must for your Instagram feed. Meanwhile, at the capital’s Teatru Manoel, the annual pantomime is a hit with young ones — and their older relatives. Wherever you go, look out for Malta’s signature seasonal cribs (presepju) and nativity figures (pasturi) — some of them filling whole village squares with life-size effigies.
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