Malta, worth doing?

Although I haven't yet been there, I am sure Malta is worthwhile, but 12 days is not much time for Sicily itself. You will be missing some very interesting places in Sicily as it is, and the situation will be worse if you spend part of your time in Malta. Furthermore, one night in Malta won't allow you to see much at all. The transit time will be a total waste, and Pozzallo isn't very close to places you would typically choose to visit in Sicily, so you'll also be spending additional time getting to and from that ferry port.

In mid-July Sicily (and I assume also Malta) will be very, very hot. It's really not the best time of year to visit that part of Italy.

We enjoyed Malta. Society there was incredibly old. Hard to believe the huge fortress in the harbor was built of huge stone slabs brought by ship from the Nile River Valley and put up.
If you're so close, by all means take a day to visit Malta.

Agree with both above. ;)

I am sure that Malta is worth some time - in fact, a lot more than 24 hours. I think I'd be heart-broken to show up there by ferry, spend the night, then leave the next day. You're basically burning two full days of your usable time, and for that you'll get two long ferry rides, plus dinner and breakfast and maybe a couple hours walking around in Malta. Not a smart use of your limited time.

There's plenty to enjoy in Sicily and you will not run out of things to do and see there in 12 days. If it were me, I'd skip Malta this time, spend that time in Sicily, and save Malta for a future trip when you can do it justice.

I hope you do OK in the heat - it's gonna be like a blast furnace in either place in mid-summer.

Never been, but I’m considering a super short visit next summer.

Many of my Italian friends and relatives have been. Also have a coworker from there. It’s definitely worth it, in their opinion.

The absolute minimum stay my friends all recommend is 3 days (basically a long weekend). Anything less, they told me, would be a waste of time and money and it would be ridiculous to consider. My friends actually recommend at least 5 days for a more proper visit.

If all you have for Sicily is 12 days, however, then you need all of that (and more) for Sicily.

So unless you can increase your vacation and have at least a very minimum of 10 to 12 nights in Sicily and 3-4 nights in Malta, you should leave Malta for another trip.

Haven't been there either, like some other folks, but have made quickie island trips in Scotland, Ireland, and Greece, and am very glad to have made them. When will you be near Malta again? If it works, enjoy the visit, however brief!

My visit to Malta was on a guided tour, 5 full days with no free time, and we didn't see it all. Beautiful scenery, quaint fishing villages, history that goes back as far as the Egyptians, and was pivotal in saving Western Europe from the Ottomans and then from the nazis. Then there are the Caravaggios! Stunning churches, and good food. IMO if you can't go for at least three days, it's a waste of travel time.

I went to Malta for 2 weeks years ago as a beach holiday plus some exploring in early July. It was hot and very busy!

Whilst it is worth a 3 full day visit to scratch the surface of Malta, within your timescale, I wouldn’t detract from your time in Sicily.

The ferry between Pozzallo and Malta is only about 100 minutes, so as a journey it's not very different from what many consider day-trip territory. But you also need to get to Pozzallo which may well not be convenient for the rest of your Sicily holiday (not so much an issue at Valletta since the ferry arrives/departs in the Grand Harbour). If you do decide to do this then I'd look at flight options as well as the ferry - they may be more convenient from your Sicily bases.

Whether it's worth it only you can decide, but I guess one question would be whether you think you'd visit Malta otherwise (or go back to Sicily). Basically, I'd say you can fill a varied 12+ days in Sicily without problem. And you can also easily fill 5 or 6 days of sightseeing in Malta. So how do you feel about splitting the time and seeing less of each?

If you did have 36 hours in Malta then I'd restrict your visit (and hotel overnight) to Valletta, the Hypogeum and a tour around the harbours, rather than trying to go further afield. Though you might take taxis to visit Mdina in the evening for dinner and sunset walk.

It will very hot. Valletta will be crowded, especially if a cruise ship is in port.

Honestly, I wouldn't do what you plan, but then for us visiting either island are not long or expensive trips (from our UK home, more so from Murcia), so we know we can easily return to one or the other should we wish.

Thanks everyone. I am thinking of adding a couple of days to the trip so I can spend 2 nights in Malta. Don't know when I'll get so close to be able to get to Malta again.

So, not to hijack the thread or anything, but...

So what's the "right way" to do Malta? How long is about right (see all the highlights, not too rushed), and what time of year is best (good weather, warm and beachy-enough but not blistering hot; not over-crowded)?

These days I tend to take trips to Europe that are 2-to 2.5-weeks long. I'm guessing that Malta would make a good destination for about a week (so I assume it would pair well with another Mediterranean destination that's good for about a week). Would May or September be the timing sweet-spots?

Thanks.

About 10 years ago, 5 of us spent two weeks in Malta. We had a great time and there is plenty to see and do, but in retrospect one week would have been enough.

Logistics, tolerance for heat and crowds, and very limited timeframe are your major impediments. I could not make the Pozzallo ferry "work" because it was too hard to get down to Pozzallo, and it wasn't near anywhere else I wanted to be in Sicily. I flew from Catania to Valetta instead - it worked out very well (40-minute flight via Air Malta). I would never travel to either Sicily or Malta again in early September - it was blazing hot and super uncomfortable (if I return, it will definitely be early Spring). I can't imagine what it would be like in mid-July. Valetta is a major cruise ship destination, and the cruise crowd fills up the entire compact walled city when in port. Attractions like the St. John's Co-Cathedral (amazing, by the way) were wall-to-wall people in September. The bus system was great for getting around, and quite easy. The beauty of Malta, though, is to give yourself enough time to see both Valletta and the much smaller villages and archeological ruins scattered throughout the island. There is also a nearby island called Gozo, which is worth seeing (it's lovely and more rural).

I definitely think Malta is worth visiting but not for the very limited time you have - unless you don't mind a "drive-through" type of visit. I crammed both Sicily and Malta into one 12-day trip and ended up shortchanging both.

David,

My "right way" would be what you suggest. High Summer is brutally hot and very busy (odd really, as Malta doesn't have great beaches, at least compared to Greece, Spain or closer north Africa). So May/September seems better (but still hot).

I think a week is enough for sightseeing, though it depends how active you are (we're very lazy tourists and spent a fortnight there last visit), and how much you want to see different versions of the same thing. I know some want to see almost every famous church in Rome, but for us a couple per trip is enough. Same with Malta's temples, which get a bit samey after a while. With 6 nights, you could have 2 on Gozo and 4 in Valletta, or nearby Sliema, seeing the city, harbour area/three cities/hypogeum, south coast fishing villages, west coast, Mdina, Victoria lines and some more temples. And lots of cats.

Edit: I realise that might sound like a lot for four nights, but Malta is tiny. The old claim that London is six times bigger than Malta turns out to be a myth. It is only four times bigger, apparently.

“And lots of cats.”

Loved those cats, Fat and with a bit of a superior attitude. Dishes of cat food and water bowls are on every third doorstep so the people of Malta must like their cats. I have lots of photos of happy Maltese pussycats, basking in the sun,

We had a brief 8 hr stop in Malta as part of a larger Mediterranean cruise. The island was one of my favorite stops on the entire trip. As for leaving Sicily with only 12 days to visit Malta, only you can make that call.

Frankly, two of my colleagues here, on separate trips, did not care for Malta, in comparison to many other great places they've each traveled. They gave it a fair shot, several days each. Sicily has so many more sights that could be considered "must-sees."