Backpacking in Malta: Tips, Ideas & Opportunities

Malta doesn't get the backpacker attention it deserves. While its Mediterranean neighbours fill with gap-year travellers every summer, Malta tends to attract package tourists, language students, and those in the know. This is, from a backpacker's perspective, the best possible situation — a genuinely remarkable destination that hasn't yet been overrun, with prices to match.

This guide is the one I wish I'd had. It covers the practical stuff — where to stay, how to get around, what to eat, what it actually costs — alongside the less obvious opportunities that make Malta genuinely different from a beach holiday: the Erasmus community, the volunteer scene, the history that quietly astonishes you, and the social infrastructure that makes it easy to connect with people from across Europe and beyond.

Understanding Malta in About Three Minutes

Malta is a small archipelago in the central Mediterranean — three inhabited islands (Malta, Gozo, and Comino) and a handful of smaller islets. The main island is 27km long and 14.5km wide. You can drive across it in half an hour. But don't let the size fool you: it contains more history, more character, and more contrast per square kilometre than almost anywhere else in Europe.

It's been continuously inhabited for 7,000 years. The Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Knights of St John, French, and British have all left marks — in the architecture, the language (Maltese is a uniquely Arabic-rooted language written in Latin script), the food, the place names, and the cultural DNA. Valletta, the capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage city that was European Capital of Culture in 2018. It contains some of the finest Baroque architecture in the world, housed in a grid of streets that fits inside about 900 metres by 600.

English is an official language — the legacy of 150 years of British rule that ended in 1964. This makes Malta uniquely accessible for English-speaking travellers and explains why it's such a popular destination for language schools, Erasmus exchanges, and international NGOs.

The Backpacker's Honest Assessment: What Malta Does Well

• The weather. 316 days of sunshine per year. The sea is warm enough to swim in from April to November. Even in January it rarely drops below 12°C.
• The history. Genuinely world-class and largely walkable. You stumble into Caravaggio paintings and prehistoric temples without trying.
• The English. Everywhere, all ages, all contexts. Zero language barrier fatigue.
• The community. The international community is disproportionately large for such a small island — driven by language schools, Erasmus, and the expat scene. Easy to meet people.
• The day trips. Gozo by ferry. Sicily by fast catamaran (summer only). An entire island (Comino) that's mostly car-free and turquoise water.
• The food. Under-celebrated. Maltese cuisine is a fascinating blend of North African, Italian, and British influences. Rabbit stew, ftira sandwiches, fresh fish, and pastizzi (the legendary flaky pastry snack at €0.35 each) are genuinely excellent.

What Malta Does Less Well (Honestly)

• The traffic. Malta has one of the highest car-ownership rates in the EU for its size. Traffic jams are real, especially around Sliema, St Julian's, and Valletta. Bus schedules can run late as a result.
• July and August. The main island is genuinely packed in peak summer. Prices spike, beaches crowd, and the heat can be oppressive in the midday hours.
• Nightlife variety. St Julian's (Paceville) is the party district — it's fine, but it's not Berlin. Don't come primarily for the club scene.
• The touristy bits. Sliema's seafront can feel like a generic tourist strip. The solution is easy: walk five minutes inland.

Getting There and Getting Around

Arriving

Malta International Airport (MLA) is connected to most European cities via Air Malta, Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air, and others. Prices are genuinely variable — booking 4–6 weeks ahead usually catches a reasonable fare. The overnight ferry from Sicily (Pozzallo or Catania to Valletta via Virtu Ferries) runs in season and is a scenic alternative that's often comparable in price once you factor in the full cost of flying.

Getting around the islands

Malta's bus network (Tallinja) covers the entire island. It's cheap, runs frequently on main routes, and the app is reliable for journey planning. A single fare is €1.50 (€2 after 11pm). The Explore Card (7-day unlimited travel for €21) is excellent value for anyone spending a full week. Google Maps works well for bus routes. The Gozo ferry departs from Ċirkewwa in the north — runs very frequently, costs €4.65 return (bizarrely, the return leg is free).

Where to Stay: The Backpacker's Map

Sliema & St Julian's

This is where most hostels are. The seafront promenade is pleasant for morning walks, the area is well-connected, and there's no shortage of cafés, supermarkets, and food options. It can feel a bit strip-mall in parts — the high-rise development of recent years hasn't helped aesthetically — but it's convenient and social.

Valletta

Staying in the capital is a special experience. Fewer large hostels but several excellent guesthouses and small boutique options. The city changes character significantly after around 8pm when day-trippers leave — it becomes quieter, more local, and genuinely beautiful in the evening light. Great for a few nights; perhaps quieter than you'd want for a social week-long stay.

Gozo

Self-catering apartments and farmhouses in Gozo can be remarkably affordable, especially for longer stays. If you're planning a week or more in Malta and value peace, landscape, and lower prices over nightlife access, consider basing yourself in Gozo and making day trips back to the main island.

Eating on a Real Budget

The secret weapon: pastizzeriji. These small pastry shops exist on almost every street corner and sell pastizzi (flaky diamond-shaped pastries filled with ricotta or mushy peas) for €0.35–0.50 each, along with qassatat (round pastries), imqaret (date pastries), and ftajjar (flat breads). Two pastizzi and a coffee will set you back under €2 and keep you going until lunch.

For actual meals, head away from the seafront and tourist strips. Local restaurants ("eateries") in residential areas — Msida, Birkirkara, Żabbar — charge roughly half what tourist-facing places do. A full lunch of rabbit stew or fried fish with chips and a beer is €8–12 in these areas.

The Marsaxlokk Sunday market is one of Malta's great free experiences and doubles as excellent cheap food — fresh fish, local produce, and prepared foods at local prices. Buses from Valletta and Sliema run frequently.

Free and Nearly Free Things to Do

• Walk Valletta — the Upper Barrakka Gardens (free), the Grand Harbour views, the main shopping street, and the bastions. Half a day minimum, at your own pace.
• Swim at Peter's Pool, Pretty Bay, or Armier Bay — free beaches that are less crowded than Comino in peak season.
• Explore the Three Cities (Birgu, Bormla, Isla) — opposite Valletta across the Grand Harbour, accessed by a €1.50 ferry from Valletta or by bus. Largely untouristed, genuinely beautiful, free to walk.
• Mdina at dusk — Malta's ancient walled city becomes magical in the evening when the tour groups leave. Free to enter, extraordinary to walk.
• Marsaxlokk village — a working fishing village where the traditional luzzu boats still fish. The seafront is free to walk and the colours are stunning.
• Dingli Cliffs — Malta's highest point, looking out over the Mediterranean to the horizon. Free, accessible by bus, genuinely dramatic.

The Erasmus and Volunteer Community

This is where Malta genuinely surprises. The international youth community here — driven by language schools, Erasmus exchanges, and a growing number of NGOs and EU-funded projects — is active, welcoming, and surprisingly large given the island's size.

If you're in Malta through an Erasmus exchange, you'll plug into this community automatically through the university's ESN (Erasmus Student Network) chapter, which organises social events, day trips, and cultural activities throughout the semester. If you're arriving independently, it takes a little more initiative — but it's not hard to find.

For volunteer opportunities, Volunteers Malta is the most direct route in. The platform lists open positions with NGOs across the islands — you can filter by cause, time commitment, and location. No fee, no intermediary markup.

Projekta Malta is worth knowing about if you're interested in Erasmus-funded youth exchanges or non-formal education projects. They're one of the more active youth organisations on the island and regularly coordinate international exchanges — both sending Maltese participants abroad and hosting international groups in Malta.

And if you end up at a community event or youth night in Malta, don't be surprised to find a board game in progress. The GameOn project's board game library — available to youth organisations across the islands — has made game nights a genuine feature of the social calendar in Malta's youth and Erasmus scene.

A Suggested Week in Malta (Budget Edition)

• Day 1: Arrive, check in, explore Sliema seafront and get your bearings. Evening: Valletta by bus, dinner in a local restaurant, walk the bastions at sunset.
• Day 2: Full day in Valletta — Upper Barrakka Gardens, St John's Co-Cathedral (€15 but worth it), the streets, Republic Street. Pastizzi breakfast mandatory.
• Day 3: Gozo day trip — ferry from Ċirkewwa (go early), explore Ggantija Temples, the citadel, Ramla Bay. Return by evening.
• Day 4: Three Cities by ferry from Valletta, afternoon swim at Peter's Pool or Pretty Bay.
• Day 5: Mdina and Rabat in the morning (ancient capital + catacombs), Dingli Cliffs in the afternoon. Evening in Valletta.
• Day 6: Comino day trip (Blue Lagoon) — go very early (pre-9am ferry) or late September onwards to avoid the worst of the crowds.
• Day 7: Marsaxlokk Sunday market (if the timing works), relaxed afternoon, departure prep.

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