Malta is one of the most compact countries in Europe, measuring just 27 kilometres from north to south, yet it packs in more history, coastline and contrast than islands three times its size.
The bus network connects the main resorts and Valletta, but the places that make Malta genuinely memorable, the cliff-top villages, the ancient temple sites, the hidden swimming coves, the fishing harbours on a Sunday morning, sit beyond any timetable. A hire car does not simply make getting around easier. It changes what you are able to see entirely.
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Why a Hire Car Makes All the Difference in Malta
Public transport in Malta is operated by a single bus network centred on Valletta. For travellers based in Sliema or St Julian’s, the bus works well enough for reaching the capital. Beyond that, the picture changes quickly. Routes to the south and north run infrequently, connections between destinations that are not Valletta require multiple changes, and several of Malta’s most rewarding places to visit are simply not served at all. St Peter’s Pool, the Dingli Cliffs at sunset, the Hagar Qim temples before the coaches arrive: none of these work comfortably without your own transport.
Malta also drives on the left, which removes one of the more unsettling adjustments for UK visitors. Roads in the south and centre are well maintained. The north and Gozo are generally straightforward too, though lanes narrow considerably once you leave the main arteries. There are no toll roads and no motorway charges anywhere on the island. Once you have the hire car, exploring costs nothing beyond fuel.
Our Malta road trip itinerary covers how to structure your time across the island over several days. This guide takes a different approach: a destination-by-destination breakdown organised by region, so you can build your own day trips around wherever you are based.
South Malta by Hire Car
The south is the most immediately rewarding part of the island for a first day’s driving. The distances are short, the roads are good and the range of things to see within a compact area is exceptional.
Marsaxlokk
Marsaxlokk (pronounced mar-sa-SHLOK, meaning harbour of the south wind) is Malta’s most photographed fishing village. The harbour is lined with brightly coloured luzzu (pronounced LOOT-su, meaning traditional Maltese fishing boats), each painted with the Eye of Osiris on the bow.
The fish market that runs every Sunday morning along the waterfront is one of the most atmospheric places in Malta: catches brought in fresh, stalls stretching along the quayside, the whole village filled with locals and visitors from early morning. Driving time from Malta Airport: approximately 15 minutes.
Insider Tip: The Sunday fish market at Marsaxlokk is at its best between 7am and 9am, before the tour coaches arrive and the stalls begin packing down. Park on the approach road from the north, walk in, and leave by mid-morning. After 10am, the one-way traffic system through the village centre becomes almost impassable.
Blue Grotto
The Blue Grotto near Wied iz-Zurrieq (pronounced weed iz-ZUR-riq, meaning the valley of the blue cave) is a series of sea caves whose waters glow an intense blue in morning light. The viewpoint above the caves is free to access and directly off the road.
Boat trips into the caves depart from the small harbour below and last approximately 25 minutes. Mornings offer the best light and the calmest seas; afternoon visits in summer can mean long queues and choppy conditions that cancel trips entirely. Driving time from Malta Airport: 20 minutes.
Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples
Hagar Qim (pronounced ha-JAR eem, meaning standing stones) and the nearby Mnajdra temples (pronounced im-NAJ-dra) sit on a hillside overlooking the sea a few minutes’ drive from the Blue Grotto. Together they form one of the most significant prehistoric sites in the world, predating Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.
Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and managed by Heritage Malta, which operates the visitor centre at the site. Tickets cover both temples. Morning visits before 10am allow you to explore in near-solitude before organised tours begin arriving.
St Peter’s Pool
St Peter’s Pool, a few kilometres east of Marsaxlokk, is a natural limestone swimming hole carved by centuries of wave erosion. The flat rock platforms surrounding it are ideal for sunbathing and the water is exceptionally clear.
The approach road is narrow and unpaved for the final stretch: a small city car handles it comfortably in dry conditions, though a low-slung vehicle would struggle. Two small car parks serve the site and both fill completely by mid-morning throughout summer.
Central Malta by Hire Car
The centre of the island holds Malta’s most historically significant destinations, each within easy reach of one another and all within 30 minutes’ drive of the airport.
Mdina and Rabat
Mdina (pronounced im-DEE-na, meaning the walled city) was Malta’s capital for most of its history and remains one of the most remarkably preserved medieval cities in the Mediterranean.
Private vehicles are not permitted inside the walls, which only adds to the atmosphere: park in Rabat, the town immediately outside the gates, and walk in through the main entrance.
The streets inside are almost entirely silent, a quality that has earned Mdina its other name, Il-Belt Imsewwta (pronounced il-belt im-SEW-ta, meaning the silent city). The cathedral, the palaces along the main street and the views from the bastions over the central plain are the highlights.
Rabat itself is worth exploring once you leave Mdina. The St Paul’s Catacombs, an extensive underground network of early Christian and Roman burial chambers, are among the most atmospheric sites in Malta and take no more than an hour to explore properly.
Insider Tip: The light in Mdina at dawn, before 7am, is extraordinary. The limestone walls turn deep amber, the streets are completely empty and the cathedral square has a stillness that disappears the moment the first tour groups arrive. If you are based anywhere within 30 minutes’ drive, the early start repays the effort entirely.
Dingli Cliffs
The Dingli Cliffs on Malta’s western coast rise 250 metres above the sea and stretch for several kilometres along the island’s highest ridge.
There is a car park at the main viewpoint alongside the Chapel of St Mary Magdalene, which marks the highest point on the island. The cliff road continues north and offers a succession of views across open water to the tiny uninhabited island of Filfla.
Sunset here is one of Malta’s genuinely unmissable experiences: the cliffs face due west and the light on the limestone in the final hour before dusk is exceptional. Driving time from Valletta: 25 minutes.
The Mosta Dome
The Rotunda of Mosta (pronounced RO-tun-da of MOS-ta), commonly known as the Mosta Dome, is the parish church of the town of Mosta in central Malta and one of the largest unsupported domes in Europe.
It is notable both for its scale and for a celebrated incident in 1942 when a German bomb pierced the dome during a Mass attended by several hundred people and failed to detonate.
The bomb is displayed inside the church. Entry is free and the building is open throughout the day. Driving time from Valletta: 15 minutes.
North Malta by Hire Car
The north of the island is where Malta’s best sandy beaches are concentrated, alongside some of the island’s quirkier attractions and the departure point for the Gozo ferry.
Mellieha and Ghadira Bay
Mellieha (pronounced mel-LEE-ha) is a hilltop town in the far north of Malta overlooking the island’s largest sandy beach, Ghadira Bay (pronounced ra-DEE-ra). The beach is broad, shallow and sheltered, making it the best swimming beach on the main island for families.
The town sits above the bay on a ridge and has a working, lived-in quality that the resort towns further south lack. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieha, built into the rock face of a cliff, is one of the oldest active places of worship in Malta.
Ghajn Tuffieha Bay
Ghajn Tuffieha (pronounced ain-tuf-EE-ha, meaning the eye of the apple) is widely considered the most beautiful beach on the main island: a crescent of reddish-golden sand backed by low cliffs with none of the development that surrounds the more accessible beaches.
There is a car park at the top of the hill above the bay. Access to the beach requires descending a long flight of steps and climbing back up on the return.
Insider Tip: Ghajn Tuffieha car park fills completely by late morning in July and August. Arriving before 9am guarantees a space and gives you the beach at its most beautiful, when the low morning light catches the red in the sand and the only other visitors are early swimmers. There are no facilities on the beach itself, so bring water.
Popeye Village
Popeye Village at Anchor Bay was originally built as a film set for a 1980 production and has operated as an outdoor theme park ever since. It is one of those places that is difficult to categorise but almost impossible not to enjoy.
Even if the park itself does not appeal, the viewpoint opposite the entrance, overlooking the bay with the colourful wooden structures in the foreground, is worth a short stop.
Gozo by Hire Car
Gozo (pronounced GOH-zo), known in Maltese as Ghawdex (pronounced OW-desh), is Malta’s sister island, reached by a 25-minute ferry from Cirkewwa in the north of the main island.
You can bring your hire car on the ferry, which transforms Gozo from a day trip into a genuinely explorable destination. Gozo is quieter, greener and considerably less developed than the main island, and several of its most rewarding places require a car to reach in any practical sense.
The official Gozo tourism information is published by VisitMalta and covers seasonal schedules and opening hours for the key sites.
Victoria and the Citadel
Victoria, known in Maltese as Rabat, is Gozo’s capital and home to the Citadel (il-Kastell, pronounced il-KAS-tell), a fortified hilltop settlement with origins stretching back to the Bronze Age.
The views from the Citadel walls on a clear day extend across the whole of Gozo and, in good visibility, back to the main island of Malta. The museums within the walls cover Gozo’s history from the prehistoric through to the present day.
Ramla Bay
Ramla Bay (pronounced RAM-la, meaning sandy place) on Gozo’s northern coast is one of the finest beaches in the Maltese islands: a wide sweep of distinctive orange-red sand backed by low dunes and market gardens. The beach has no commercial development directly on it.
A hire car is essentially the only practical means of reaching it.
Dwejra Bay
Dwejra Bay (pronounced DWEY-ra) on Gozo’s western coast was home to the Azure Window, the natural limestone arch that collapsed in 2017. What remains is still spectacular: the Inland Sea, a shallow lagoon connected to the open Mediterranean by a tunnel through the cliff, and the Blue Hole, one of the finest dive sites in the Mediterranean. The coastal scenery here is among the most dramatic anywhere in the Maltese islands.
Frequently Asked Questions About Places to Visit in Malta by Car
Do you need a car to see Malta properly?
Not for Valletta or the main resorts, which are connected by bus. For the places that make Malta genuinely memorable, the southern temples, the cliff roads, Mdina at dawn, the northern beaches and Gozo, a hire car makes a significant difference to what you can see and when you can see it.
How long do you need to see Malta by car?
Three days covers the main island well, with time to explore the south, centre and north without rushing. Add a full day for Gozo. Five days gives a genuinely relaxed pace with time to return to places that deserve a second visit.
Is driving in Malta difficult?
Malta drives on the left, which removes the main adjustment for UK drivers. Roads vary in quality: the south and centre are generally good, the north narrows in places. Valletta and Sliema are best avoided by car during peak hours. Road signs are in English throughout.
Are there toll roads in Malta?
No. There are no toll roads anywhere in Malta or Gozo. The only ongoing cost of exploring by hire car is fuel, which makes the island particularly good value for a self-drive holiday.
Can you take a hire car to Gozo?
Yes. The Gozo ferry from Cirkewwa takes vehicles. Check with your hire car supplier before travelling, as most rental agreements permit inter-island travel but it is worth confirming at collection.
Start Planning Your Malta Road Trip
The places described above cover only a portion of what Malta and Gozo reward on a hire car. The island is compact enough that no destination is more than an hour from any other, which means you can combine southern temples with northern beaches in a single day, or spend a full afternoon on the cliffs and be back in Valletta for dinner.
Compare hire car deals across all Malta pickup locations on our Malta car hire page, with transparent pricing and no hidden fees.