![Marsaxlokk, Malta](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Malta/malta-GettyImages-1029971220.jpg?imwidth=680)
The best things to do for free in Malta
There's lots you can enjoy doing without blowing the budget in Malta, from strolling city walls to savouring panoramic views
![Marsaxlokk, Malta](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Malta/malta-GettyImages-1029971220.jpg?imwidth=680)
With glorious coastline, free-access beaches, a cornucopia of churches, and historic sights all over the landscape, there is loads to do in Malta without shrinking your wallet. From cliffs to castles, the baroque to the avant-garde, there’s a treasure trove of tourism to discover without a ticket. This miniature nation is full of tiny towns, many surrounded by towering bastion walls, thick with limestone palazzi and hidden nooks and corners. It’s ripe for a bit of constructive loafing and there’s almost always a friendly local around to chat or lend a navigational hand.
Below you will find a plethora of suggestions to fill your time in Malta that don't cost a bean. What's more we also have guides devoted to spending a weekend in Valletta, Malta's top hotels, the island's finest restaurants, greatest attractions, most beautiful beaches and the best of the bar scene.
Valletta
Stroll through City Gate
The main entrance to Malta’s fortified capital since it was built in 1570, City Gate has gone from drawbridge (closed each night to protect the populace) to modern open entranceway designed by Italian star-architect Renzo Piano (of London Shard fame). Cross the deep ditch and enter through the impressive bastion walls. Climb the steps on either side for views from the top of the fortifications (and access to Hastings Gardens and Castille Square) or head straight on past the Piano-designed parliament building that opened in 2015, and into the heart of Valletta.
![city gate malta](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Malta/malta-GettyImages-1442613851.jpg?imwidth=350)
Drink in the view at the Upper Barrakka Gardens
These arcaded public gardens, built by the Knights of Malta and embellished by the British, sit perched on top of Valletta's towering bastion walls and boast a spectacular panorama of the Grand Harbour. Across the water is Malta’s oldest fortress and the historic Three Cities. Explore the monuments and sculptures, cool off by the fountain or grab a coffee at the little open-air café. If you can be here at noon, you’ll be treated to British martial music, a little bit of loudspeaker history and the firing of the cannons on the Saluting Battery.
![Upper Barrakka Gardens](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Malta/upper-barracca-gardens.jpg?imwidth=350)
Walk around the Valletta fortifications
Built by the Knights of St John (Knights of Malta) after they very nearly lost the islands to the Ottoman Turks in the Great Siege, Valletta was a state-of-the-art fortified city c. 1570. Much of its impressive protection is still standing today and with sea on three sides, it’s an immensely pleasant walk around the city walls. Less than 3km will take you from City Gate, past the Upper Barrakka Gardens and down the side of the Grand Harbour to the Knights Hospital and Fort St Elmo, before returning up the other side of town via the Fortress Builders: Fortifications Interpretation Centre.
![Valletta fortifications walk](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Malta/valletta-aerial-fortress-walls-malta-free-things-to-do.jpg?imwidth=350)
Visit The Fortress Builders - Fortifications Interpretation Centre
Fortress Malta is a Second World War expression but this island had been heavily fortified for centuries by then. Valletta was built from scratch by the islands’ sixteenth-century rulers, the Knights of St John Hospitaller, to be impregnable, so desperate were they to keep out their sworn enemy, the Ottoman Turks. Created by the world expert on Malta’s fortifications, this free-to-enter centre tells the story of the nation’s defences – with models, objects and computer graphics – in as much detail as you choose to take in. There is a section for children too, complete with building blocks so they can have a go at a bit of their own fortification construction.
Contact: thefortressbuilders.weebly.com
Step inside the Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck
St Paul is a patron saint of Malta and a bit of a Maltese hero. According to the bible, he was shipwrecked here in 60AD, and this is one of several churches dedicated to him and this story. Inside is the colourful wooden festa statue of St Paul that is paraded through the streets each February 10 (his feast day) and a couple of slightly gruesome saintly relics: ‘St Paul’s wrist-bone’ and a piece of the marble column on which he is said to have been beheaded in Rome. Around the sides of the church are intriguing little chapels each belonging to a different confraternity or guild.
Address: 74 St Paul Street (tourist entrance at the side in St Lucy Street), Valletta
![Church of St Paul's Shipwreck](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Malta/church-st-paul%27s-shipwreck-malta-free-things-to-do.jpg?imwidth=350)
Birgu/Vittoriosa
Explore the tiny streets of Birgu
Officially called Vittoriosa, but almost always referred to by its pre-1570 name of Birgu, this was the Knights' first base in Malta. When the Order of St John arrived here in 1530, with Valletta not even a twinkle in their eye, these seafaring warrior monks needed to live by their boats so they settled in this, the only existing harbourside town. Birgu remains medieval in layout, a labyrinth of tiny traditional streets, flanked with many Knights'-period buildings. It’s a lovely place for an historic wander through the main square with its decorative balconies, and the Collachio, the area where the Knights had their auberges (collective homes) – now marked with plaques.
![Old Birgu Streets, Malta](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Malta/malta-GettyImages-1367222606.jpg?imwidth=350)
Step back in time in Mdina
High above the centre of the island, Malta's first citadel capital, Mdina has been inhabited and fortified since the Bronze Age. The Romans, Arabs and medieval aristocracy ruled from here and it remains a rarefied city of limestone palazzi, convents and churches along narrow zig-zag streets designed for defence. Left in the past when the centre of gravity moved to Valletta, Mdina remains a ‘silent city’, a living museum still inhabited by dwindling numbers of the Maltese nobility, a place of atmospheric alleys, and bastion-top walkways offering sweeping views across the island.
![Mdina, Malta](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Malta/malta-GettyImages-1313430107.jpg?imwidth=350)
Take in a fabulous panorama at the Dingli Cliffs
The highest place in Malta, the Dingli cliffs plunge a sheer 250m into the sea, but they have more to offer than spectacular views (though there are plenty of those). Here you will find Clapham Junction, the largest collection of Malta's mysterious ancient cart ruts crisscrossing their way over the surface of the rock. There are Punic tombs, and a troglodyte cave, inhabited well into the nineteenth century, as well as indigenous plants and herbs, aromatic underfoot. A great spot to take in the panorama is the little seventeenth-century Chapel of St Mary Magdalene where there is a viewing platform – ideal for a quick photo stop or a serene sunset.
![Dingli Cliffs, Malta](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Malta/malta-GettyImages-1140448043.jpg?imwidth=350)
Watch the boats bob in Marsaxlokk
Traditional fishing boats painted in bright stripes of yellow, red, blue and green bob in Marsaxlokk Harbour. This is Malta’s traditional little fishing port where boats go out and the catch comes in each day as it has for hundreds of years. Fish is sold at the early morning market – replaced later in the day by a more tourist-friendly set of stalls – and fish dinners are consumed by Maltese and visitors alike in the string of family restaurants that range along the waterfront. It’s a delightful place for a sunny stroll, a browse, and dreamy moments gazing out to sea.
![Marsaxlokk, Malta](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Malta/marsaxlokk-malta-free-things-to-do.jpg?imwidth=350)
How we choose
Every attraction and activity in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from world-class museums to family-friendly theme parks – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations.
-
Stay at the home of one of Malta’s most important noble families in a 16th-century Valletta palaz... Read expert review
-
Malta’s iconic Art Deco hotel, the Phoenicia, is perfectly located beside the main gates of the n... Read expert review
-
This adults-only b&b in a traditional Gozitan village has eclectic rooms that feel more like suit... Read expert review