48 Best Sights in Malta

The museum is housed in the Auberge de Provence (the hostel of the Knights from Provence). The building's Gran Salon alone is as breathtaking an example of the Baroque style as you'll see in Malta outside of the Co-Cathedral, though its intricate painted walls are undergoing major restoration. The museum has an excellent collection of finds from Malta's many prehistoric sites—Tarxien, Haġar Qim, and the Hypogeum at Paola. The intricately carved figurine of the Sleeping Lady, found at the Hypogeum, dates back almost 5,000 years. You'll also find information on the ancient "cart ruts" that you'll see in the northwest, not far from Rabat.

On an island characterized by cliffs and a rocky coastline, this is one of Gozo's prettiest coastal inlets. The clear waters and many small caves along the waterline attract snorkelers, divers, and kayakers who can access the site from the shore. This is also the launching point for kayaking trips to Comino. A whole range of sea creatures live in and around the rocks including sea urchins, crabs, and small- to medium-size fish. There's a tiny sandy stretch but this is not a sunbather's beach. Several metal stairways lead directly from the rocks into the water. It's busiest on summer weekends when local families come to spend the day. Best for: snorkeling; swimming. Amenities: food and drink (summer only); parking (no fee).

Mdina's medieval Patrician stone mansion dates from between the 13th and 15th centuries and reveals a wealth of original architectural features. The mansion's rooms display more than 45 collections of silver, furniture, jewelry, armour, paintings, and more, including art works by Anthony Van Dyck, Nicolas Poussin, and Mattia Preti. There is a free audio guide.

Gozo's widest beach has fine ocher-color sand interspersed with areas of pebbles and boulders. The water conditions are good for children and nonswimmers. It's calm with an easy entrance into the sea and a wide stretch of shallow water. There are stones underfoot in the shallows, so beach shoes are a good idea. There's no natural shade but a concession rents sun umbrellas. The beach is especially busy on summer weekends when local families spend the day. Best for: swimming. Amenities: food and drink (summer only); lifeguards (summer only); parking (no fee).

Offers PADI courses ranging from beginner to technical, and has a comprehensive list of dive sites that it visits around the islands of Gozo and Comino.

The splendid baroque St. George's Basilica has the most beautifully ornate interior on Gozo, hence its nickname as the "Golden Basilica." It also has the only bronze door on the island, and is home to some superb artwork, including two works by the prolific Mattia Preti. The adjoining Heart of Gozo museum (free entry) is also worth exploration and houses a rich collection of historic, religious, and artistic artifacts gifted by various popes and wealthy benefactors over the centuries.

Mdina's St. Paul's Cathedral is famed for Mattia Preti's intricate 17th-century apse mural The Shipwreck of St. Paul. It along with the 900-year-old Irish bogwood sacristy doors were among the few surviving relics of the 1693 earthquake, which destroyed the Norman-era church that stood previously on this site. Rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1703, its interior is second only in Malta to Valletta's Co-Cathedral in terms of grandeur, its floor similarly lined with the marble tombstones of Maltese nobles. Across the square lies the CathedralMuseum, set inside a former seminary. It is home to an excellent art collection, the highlight of which are a series of Dürer woodcuts and illuminated manuscripts.

The importance of St. Paul to the Maltese explains the work lavished on this Baroque marvel, with its raised central vault, oval dome, and marble columns. The os brachii (arm bone) relic of the saint is housed in a chapel on the right, a splendid gated chapel is on the left, and a baptismal font stands by the entrance.

An interesting companion to the nearby Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, the four interconnecting Tarxien Temples have curious carvings, oracular chambers, and altars, all dating from about 2800 BC. Recovered stone figures of the broad-hipped fertility goddess, now lying in Valletta's National Archeology Museum, indicate it was dedicated to the Earth Mother. An audio guide accessed via a downloadable app (iOS/Android) narrates the history of the site and shows images of artifacts now covered for their protection.

Here, knights once honed their fencing skills under a covered loggia (now open to the sky). Today, a troupe of stray cats and some greenery occupy this lofty lookout offering the best uninterrupted views of Grand Harbour and the Three Cities across the water. A cannon is fired at noon, daily, at the Saluting Battery following a practice that, from the 1820s on, served to help Ship Masters calibrate their onboard chronographers, which were used to help navigate. Once you've soaked up the views, take the elevator 165 feet down to the harbor below.

The 3-square-km (1-square-mi) island is populated by a handful of people year-round. Day-trippers walk the dirt paths and swim in the beautiful but overcrowded Blue Lagoon.

The baker at Mekren's Bakery makes some of Gozo's best bread in the traditional way—hand shaped and cooked in a limestone wood burning oven—and the most delicious wood-fired pizza that you can take away.