'The big mistakes I made while visiting the world's best city'

Malta is certainly having its moment!

After emerging as one of the tourism success stories of 2025, this Mediterranean gem is now stealing the spotlight away from the more traditional favourites like Italy and Spain.

The captivating mix of golden beaches, historic sites and natural wonders has made itone of the most talked about European destinations.

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When I found myself with a few unexpected free days during a recent trip to Europe, I grabbed the opportunity to check out Malta for myself.

I hadn't done nearly as much research as I normally would before arriving in a new country, but I decided to just book the flight and wing it.

Big mistake. I made quite a few on this trip, actually.

Allow me to share the top 10 mistakes I made in Malta (so you don't have to).

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Three days was not enough

Friends who'd been to Malta assured me three days would be enough. This was terrible advice. I crammed as much as I possibly could into my brief visit.

I strolled the ancient alleyways of the UNESCO listed capital, Valletta. I took a traditional dghajsa boat across the stunning harbour to visit The Three Cities.

I immersed myself in Game of Thrones territory in the medieval Silent City, Mdina.

I spent a glorious day exploring the island of Gozo. I discovered the traditional fishing village of Marsaxlokk and its picturesque harbour, filled with scores of brightly coloured boats.

But I missed out on some key locations - The Blue Lagoon, The Blue Grotto, Golden Bay, Spinola Bay, Popeye's Village, St Julians, Sliema – just to name a few.

If you plan to cover all the main sights of Malta in one trip, you'll need seven days, minimum.

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Valletta was not as walkable as I expected

Malta's capital is a fortified city located on a peninsula between two harbours.

The area around the waters edge is pretty flat, but as soon as you venture away from the water and head into the city centre, you'll be walking up and down some very steep, hilly streets, with hundreds of steps and narrow cobblestone sidewalks.

I'm an enthusiastic holiday walker (at least 20,000 steps a day)and I'm pretty fit, but Valletta was quite challenging in some areas.

I regretted not packing my serious walking shoes.

On the plus side, I had buns of steel by the time I left.

I didn't pre-book tickets to The Hypogeum

Valletta's Hal Saflieni Hypogeum is an ancient subterranean complex and one of the world's best preserved pre-historic sites. To protect the 5000 year old neolithic necropolis, they allow only 80 visitors per day, so yo uneed to buy tickets weeks in advance.

Luckily, after some frantic searching, I managed to find a Hail Mary option for last minute tickets.

If you front up, in person, at The Fort St Elmo in Valletta, you can try your luck with the limited daily release, when the office opens at 8.30am.

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I arrived at 7.30am, with five people already ahead of me in the queue and gratefully nabbed the very last ticket – it cost 50 Euro instead of the regular 35 Euro, but I would have been devastated to miss this archaeological wonder.

I almost missed another Valletta masterpiece

Originally built in the 1500s, the lavish, baroque interior of the St. John's Co Cathedral, with its wall to wall gold, is jaw-droppingly spectacular.

However, the cathedral's exterior is deceptively nondescript. I would have walked straight past, had I not caught a glimpse inside, as a random group of people walked in through a side door. This is another Malta must-see.

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I underestimated the history

If I'd have done my research, I would have known Valletta is referred to as an 'open-air museum', because it's home to more than 300 monuments, all located within 55 hectares.

That makes it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world. To fully appreciate the wonder of this city, I recommend you book a Valletta walking tour with a local, knowledgeable guide.

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I did Gozo all wrong

Malta is made up of three islands. Malta Island is the largest – that's where the airport and capital Valletta are located. Gozo, the second largest island, is a 25 minute ferry ride from Valletta. Comino is the smallest island and home to the famous Blue Lagoon.

I'd allocated a full day to visit Gozo.

For convenience, I bought the 30 Euro ferry/bus combo, which included the return fast ferry from Valletta and the Gozo hop on hop off bus, which promised to take me to all the key sights. I'm not sure if I just caught them on a bad day, or if the Green hop on hop off bus needs a complete overhaul of its entire operations, but it was a complete shambles.

The audio was out of sync for every landmark and the timing was completely off for every location on the schedule. The bus was up to 30 minutes late arriving in some spots.

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When I bought my ticket, they didn't mention that the Salt Pans stop was not available that day, even though it's one of Gozo's main attractions.

The famous Azure Window from Game of Thrones is also listed as a scheduled stop - but it actually collapsed back in 2017 (I only discovered this after searching aimlessly for it for 20 minutes).

I'd suggest you give the big bus a wide berth, and instead, book a more curated, small group tour with an expert guide to best experience everything Gozo has to offer.

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I didn't make it to The Blue Lagoon

Famous for its bright blue, crystal clear water, this is one of Malta's most popular summer attractions.

I wasn't sure it would be warm enough for me to swim when I was there in November, so it wasn't a priority on my list of must-do's. However, with better planning, I could definitely have squeezed the Blue Lagoon into my itinerary.

Or I could have booked a combined Gozo/Blue Lagoon private day tour from Valletta. I'm kicking myself for missing this one.

I paid extra for a Maltese balcony

When I paid extra for a hotel room with a 'Maltese balcony', I didn't realise it's not really a balcony at all. A Maltese balcony is a small, enclosed alcove or window box, attached to your room, that juts out over the street.

The iconic brightly coloured window boxes look super cute on the exterior of the buildings all over Malta – but it was a complete waste of space in my hotel room. Also worth noting, my hotel included the 'balcony' in the room dimensions, which made me think the room was going to have more useable space than it actually did.

I didn't rent a car

I relied mostly on public buses to get around. They were reasonably priced - at 2 Euro per trip - and they got me to all the places I needed to go. But because the traffic in the city centres is so congested, it takes a long time to travel short distances and the buses are frustratingly slow.

For a longer stay in Malta, I'd suggest renting a car and exploring the island at your own pace. They drive on the left, like us, so you won't even need to navigate driving on the 'wrong' side of the road.

I expected food comparable with Italy

Despite its proximity to Sicily, the food in Malta was completely different.

The one pasta dish I ordered was underwhelming (although after coming from four weeks in Italy, it's probably unfair to compare).

The cuisine in Malta has been influenced by French, British, Arabic and Italian cultures and flavours. Popular dishes are rabbit stew, fresh seafood and ftira – a Maltese bread - but pastizzi was the winner for me!

The small, savoury puff pastries are filled with ricotta cheese or mushy peas. At around AUD$1 each, a couple of pastizzis made for a cheap, filling and delicious daily lunch.

I did get a couple of things right, though.

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Staying in Valletta

A travel agent friend recommended my hotel, which was located in the heart of Valletta.

As the historic centre of Malta, it does get busy during the day when the cruise ships are in dock, but it's an exceptionally beautiful city and a perfect balance of the old and new - an ancient city with a distinctly modern vibe. It's especially charming at night - the cute alleyways are lined with outdoor cafes, cocktail bars and pretty coloured lights.

Visiting in November

Despite the stunning beaches and endless sunshine, locals told me daytime temps are unbearably hot in Summer (June-August), and the main attractions are all heaving with sweaty tourists.

November was perfect for me. It felt vibey, but not over-crowded. And the temperature was just right.

Turns out it would have been warm enough for me to take a dip in the Blue Lagoon after all.

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I'll just have to make sure that's top of the list for my next visit.

In fact, maybe it's a good thing I didn't see enough of Malta on this trip – because now I have the perfect excuse to go back.

You can follow Sami on Instagram @samilukis