Blue Grotto Malta Sarah Latham

Visiting Malta? Discover the best things to do in Malta plus Malta’s top attractions and must do’s.

1. St George’s Bay

If you’re looking for a place to stay that’s both near the hustle, bustle and night life of Malta but just far enough away to have a bit of peace and quiet – stay at St George’s Bay. We stayed at Corinthia St George’s Bay during our time in Malta – which backed onto the ocean as shown below.

St George's Bay Malta Sarah Latham

2. St Peter’s Pool

Our first stop in Malta was St Peter’s Pool. Unfortunately for us, this day in Malta was incredibly windy so the water was too choppy to get in. However, you can see what St Peter’s Pool in Malta looks like on a gorgeous clear day here.

St Peter's Pool Malta Sarah Latham

3. Drive under the airport

Yeah, that’s right! If you hire a car in Malta to get around (and heads up – they drive on the left in Malta, but the driving rules are questionable and driving in Malta can be a bit hectic. Also when hiring a car in Malta, don’t be afraid to barter, you’ll get a much better deal if you do) there’s one spot between St Peter’s Pool and the Blue Grotto where you can drive underneath Malta Airport like below.

Malta International Airport Sarah Latham

4. The Blue Grotto

The Blue Grotto is a Malta must do and one of the main Malta attractions I wanted to visit during our time here. We drove here and overlooked the Blue Grotto from above, but you can see it from below with a boat tour. You can view some of the Blue Grotto boat tours (as well as other Malta tours) available here.

Blue Grotto Malta Sarah Latham

5. Ghar Lapsi

Ghar Lapsi was an unexpected spot, a real hidden gem of Malta. A small rocky bay with some of the bluest, clearest water around and only around the corner (by car) from the Blue Grotto. We rock hopped the various boulders to admire the water (being from northern Australia, Malta in October was a tad too fresh for me to jump in for a swim!)

Għar Lapsi Sarah Latham

6. Riviera Beach

Riviera Beach was an interesting one. If you are driving past it, I would recommend stopping in but unlike many of the other sights around Malta, I wouldn’t hold my breath for something spectacular. This may be because I’ve been spoilt my entire life with Australian beaches and the Great Barrier Reef at my doorstep. We stayed for about an hour or so before continuing on.

Riviera Beach Malta Sarah Latham

7. Popeye Village

Now this place was cool! Popeye Village in Malta really was the film set for the 1980’s ‘Popeye.’ Since its theatre production days it has now been transformed into a small amusement park – mostly for children. The cute little houses facing the bay are fun for photographers, and my friends went in for a dip here. I opted to stay above and admire the view instead (you had to pay to swim in the water here) as it really is quite a unique spot in Malta. You can find out more about Popeye Village here.

Popeye Village Malta Sarah Latham

8. Coral Lagoon

Unfortunately we were plagued by windy weather the entire day we explored Malta by rental car. This meant that when we reached Coral Lagoon at the north end of Malta, we again were unable to view the beautiful blue clear water we had seen online and were left with very choppy water. I would recommend being very careful on the rocks and as a disclaimer I wouldn’t go as close as my friends did to the waves here as this can be very dangerous. You can see how beautiful Coral Lagoon normally looks like here.

Coral Lagoon Malta Sarah Latham

9. St Julian’s Bay

St Julian’s Bay is a hot spot for nightlife and atmosphere in Malta. We visited St Julian’s Bay twice for dinner while in Malta. Top tip: Make a dinner reservation as some of the more popular restaurants book our early. I also did a solo walk one morning around St Julian’s Bay and it was very beautiful when lit up golden as well.

10. Blue Lagoon, Comino Island

One of the ultimate things to do in Malta and one of the most well known places to visit in Malta is the Blue Lagoon on Comino Island. Off the main island, we visited Comino for the day via a boat trip.

We went with Supreme Cruises and as a review of them, I would completely not recommend them. They misled us on the journey time (it unnecessarily took 4 hours – yes! – each way due to added pick ups on the way we weren’t told about and only found out about half way through), the lunch provided was pretty disgusting, and the unlimited (soft) drinks were not unlimited. Other people on the boat told us they had been told alcohol was included when they booked, when it clearly was not. Based on our experiences, I would not recommend travelling with Supreme Cruises to the Blue Lagoon.

However, with that negative nancy note aside, once we arrived and were free to do as we pleased, the Blue Lagoon was incredible. Some of the bluest water in Europe (see below) and a really relaxed holiday vibe. It is clear why the Blue Lagoon is a top rated attraction in Malta. The water is calm and easy to swim in, but there are jellyfish around and my friend was stung while we were here (TripAdvisor reviews on jellyfish here) so be careful.

Blue Lagoon Malta Sarah Latham

My top recommendation at the Blue Lagoon is to get a pineapple cocktail. From memory these cost $15AUD for your first cocktail (served inside a pineapple – yes!) and then there were $8AUD refills. Watch out because the cocktails are free pour so you will get your money’s worth of alcohol – as a result I stopped at two refills for the entire day so I didn’t get so drunk. Don’t forget to snap a pic.

Blue Lagoon Malta pineapple cocktail Sarah Latham

11. Crystal Lagoon, Comino Island

Blue Lagoon is one of the most well known spots in Malta; however, just a quick walk over the rocks from the Blue Lagoon on Comino Island is Crystal Lagoon. We admired this lagoon from the cliff edges above – would you just look at that water!

Crystal Lagoon Comino Island Malta Sarah Latham

12. Valetta

On our final day in Malta, I visited Valetta by myself as we hadn’t visited on our day travelling around with rental car. This town was really beautiful and quaint. I wandered around the streets, bought a ‘pastizzi’ (the Malta version of a pastry) and snapped this pic below. Believe it or not, this spot is actually just a car park and you can find the exact location of this Malta Instagram spot here.

Valletta Malta Sarah Latham

You can find the above places on Google Maps link here (excluding those on Comino Island). As you can see Malta is quite a small country where you can travel around the main island of Malta within less than 2.5 hours on the road if you follow the same route we did. As mentioned above we visited Blue Lagoon and Crystal Lagoon on Comino Island on a seperate day.

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