Malta

There's a reason prices are low for the time period you are looking at: It's winter. The weather may not be awful (depends on your standards), and you won't experience snow or freezing temperatures, but it's probably not going to be consistently hot (or even warm) and sunny in February.

Most people go to Malta looking for sun and swimming (and drinking). If you don't mind cooler temperatures, and at least some (maybe a lot of) wind and rain, then you will probably find it a bargain. You could luck out and get dry days, but I would not go in February expecting to swim or lay around the beach/pool.

Malta gets a lot of tourists in season (many on inexpensive "packages"), and lots of cruise ships nearly year round (stops of less than 24 hours). It seems to me that the majority of tourists come looking for cheap fun in the sun - think Orlando or Las Vegas for the Brits. Lots of folks from the UK on package tours, younger folks looking to party all night. There's also (a minority of) visitors who come for other reasons - history and architecture, which Malta has in excess.

If you're a history buff, interested in old fortifications and faded glory from the British Empire's heyday (and much older empires that rolled through), you'll be more than satisfied. But many (most?) tourists never bother with that stuff.

I loved the place (in late September-early October) and found it a fascinating mix: a curious blend of Italy but with the intensity turned up to 20, blended with hundreds of years of the British Empire and Victorian-era history, seasoned with a healthy helping of North African cultural spiciness. The weather at the end of September and early October was perfect for me (hot enough to swim comfortably, sunny and warm, quite hot at mid-day but not brutally hot - I can not imagine being there in July or August). But in February? Be sure to bring some warm layers.

Malta is not everyone's cup of tea, and I could see why some might be turned off. There is a lot of cool stuff to see there, but personally I'd skip the winter visit and look for a spring or fall window. Prices won't be as low, but you'll probably enjoy your time outside more.

Tips? It all depends on your reasons for going. We were there for about 2 weeks and we could have probably stayed for another week before running out of things to do. With just a week, you will need to prioritize and make difficult choices. Definitely plan some time on Gozo (the other island), it's a bit different and much less touristy. We stayed in "the Three Cities", a section of the old city across the harbor from Valletta proper, and we really liked it (note: they're not really separate "cities", more like "neighborhoods", and there are more than three of them, plus each has two completely different names that are used interchangeably, so it's pretty confusing at first). There's LOTS of vertical terrain throughout the city (and elsewhere) - your stair-climbing muscles are going to get quite a workout. Driving is pretty much impossible in Valletta; parking can be extremely challenging too. There's a convenient ferry that runs across the harbor, get a week-long ferry pass to save money. Grocery stores are few and hard to find, most seem to be closed at night and over weekends, so plan ahead for supplies. There are plenty of walled fortifications (quite an understatement there), lots and lots of fancy churches, good food (extra points if you like Italian). If you plan to go to the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum (google it), buy your tickets as soon as you know your travel dates; last minute tickets are hard to get and stunningly expensive when you can. Don't miss Gozo (I had the best pizza of my life there). Driving around Malta and Gozo (wrong side for us) is not for the faint of heart, but having a car is a great way to get around (outside the city) to reach interesting places.

Happy to answer any specific questions if you have any.

We spent about 2 weeks in Malta in January right before the pandemic. We thought January was a nice time to visit. We were primarily interested in history and taking long walks (the tourist office a carious walks over Malta and Gozo). We used public transportation to get around. Very nice, relaxing trip.

Thank you for your response. I am not planning any beach or pool time, and prefer cooler weather. I guess we will see. What would you consider to be the not to be missed sights? Thank you.

I was in Malta May 2023 and there were lots of folks on package tours, younger folks looking to party all night. No issue with the tour people, we are all tourists. No issue with the young kids, I was young once.

Absolutely enjoyed the trip. Great lace with great prices. History or water. It's all good. Some great food too.