Escorted holidays to Malta and Gozo
Malta may be small, but it has a remarkable history and plenty to discover. Influenced by civilisations ranging from the Phoenicians and Romans to the Knights of St John and the British, the island is home to impressive historic buildings, honey-coloured limestone streets and spectacular harbour views.
Our Maltese holidays combine comfortable hotel accommodation with opportunities to explore the island’s highlights at a relaxed pace. Discover the historic streets of Valletta, the Three Cities and Mdina, visit the distinctive dome of Mosta and enjoy the chance to explore the neighbouring island of Gozo. With English widely spoken alongside Maltese, getting around and experiencing local life is easy.
Travelling on your own or as a couple?
Alongside our private group tours, we run open tours with set departure dates. You book just the places you need, one or two is fine, and travel with others who chose the same holiday.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Malta Tours
Valletta is built on a ridge, so several streets drop away in flights of shallow steps, and Mdina's lanes are cobbled and uneven. Both walking tours are taken at an unhurried pace with stops, but comfortable shoes matter, and there is little shade at midday. If you have any concerns about standing or stairs, ask us before you book and we will talk you through the day.
Valletta, Mdina and the Three Cities
Valletta was built from scratch by the Knights of St John after the Great Siege of 1565, laid out on a grid across a peninsula so narrow you can walk from one harbour to the other in ten minutes. It is a city of steps, shuttered balconies and sudden views down to the water, best seen on foot with someone who can explain what you are looking at. Our Valletta walking tour does exactly that.
Across the Grand Harbour sit the Three Cities — Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua — older than Valletta and quieter, with fishing boats moored below the fortifications. Inland, Mdina was the capital until the Knights arrived and moved the centre of gravity to the coast. It is walled, largely traffic-free and known as the Silent City for good reason. Nearby Mosta has the great domed church whose roof was pierced by a bomb in 1942 that failed to explode during Mass.
Maltese food, pastizzi and kinnie
Maltese cooking sits somewhere between Sicily and North Africa, with a British accent it never quite lost. Rabbit stewed slowly in red wine and garlic is the national dish. Look out too for ftira, the flat sourdough loaf loaded with tuna, capers and tomato, and lampuki pie when the dorado are running in autumn.
The everyday snack is the pastizz — a diamond of flaky pastry filled with ricotta or mushy peas, sold hot from small hatches for small change. It is traditionally washed down with kinnie, a bittersweet soft drink made with oranges and wormwood that divides opinion on first sip. Our holiday includes a Maltese snack of two pastizzi and a kinnie so you can decide for yourself, plus lunch on the day of the Gozo excursion.
