A three-night field guide
Three nights in a 16th-century Valletta palazzo, two long days to chase Caravaggio, eat rabbit stew, ride a dghajsa across the Grand Harbour, and watch the sun set over Mdina's bastions.
§ One
Effectively two full days — Saturday for Valletta and the Three Cities, Sunday for Marsaxlokk market and Mdina at sunset. Friday is just dinner, Monday is just the airport. The hotel is in the heart of Valletta so most of Day 1 is on foot.
Land at 21:20. With the small airport you can be at the hotel by 22:00. Just dinner and a wander tonight — save the energy for Saturday.
The big Valletta day, then across the harbour to the Three Cities by traditional dghajsa boat.
Marsaxlokk's market is at its best on Sunday morning. Then west to Mdina for one of the most atmospheric sunsets in the Mediterranean.
09:00 departure means an early start. Casa Rocca Piccola is about 20 min from MLA airport — no morning sightseeing on this one.
§ Two
Maltese food is its own thing — Italian roots, Arabic seasoning, British colonial habit, plus whatever the fishermen pulled in this morning. Don't leave without trying these five.
Diamond-shaped flaky pastry filled with ricotta cheese (tal-irkotta) or mushy peas (tal-piżelli). €0.50–€1.00 each. Eat hot from any pastizzeria. Best in the country: Crystal Palace in Rabat (next to Mdina) — open 24 hours, used by locals.
Slow-cooked rabbit in red wine, garlic, and bay leaves. Often served as two courses: spaghetti with the cooking juices first, then the meat. Try at Nenu the Artisan Baker or Rubino in Valletta, or any village festa if you're lucky enough to catch one.
A flat, ring-shaped sourdough loaf split and stuffed with tuna, olives, capers, Maltese cheese, tomatoes, anchovies. UNESCO-protected. Nenu the Artisan Baker still uses the original wood-fired oven. The Gozitan version is more pizza-like, also great.
Pie filled with mahi-mahi (lampuki in Maltese), spinach, olives, capers. Genuinely Maltese, hard to find elsewhere. Legligin often features it. Late May is on the edge of the season — ask if it's fresh that day.
Whatever the morning's catch brought in. Order it grilled, with bread, olives, and a glass of Maltese white (Marsovin or Meridiana). Tartarun on the Marsaxlokk waterfront is the locals' choice — book ahead Sunday.
Cisk (pronounced "chisk") is the local beer — clean, easy, made since 1928. For wine, try Maltese reds from indigenous grapes Ġellewża and Girgentina — Meridiana and Marsovin are the main producers. Cheap, decent, drinkable.
§ Three
Official taxi at fixed fare — €20 from booth in arrivals to Valletta. About 20 min. Book at the kiosk before exiting (avoids touts outside). The Bolt and eCabs apps also work and are often slightly cheaper.
Bus X4 from outside arrivals to Valletta terminus, €2.50, runs every 30 min until midnight, takes ~45 min. Fine for a 21:20 landing if you travel light. Drops you 5 min walk from the hotel.
For the 09:00 flight, leave by 07:00. Ask Casa Rocca Piccola to book a taxi for you the night before — it's the easiest way and they'll know the right driver. €20 fixed.
Online check-in opens 7 days before, closes 1 hour before. Do it on the app on Sunday evening. Bag drop at MLA closes 45 min before departure. Bordeaux is Schengen — no passport queue.
§ Four
The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is a 5,000-year-old underground temple complex — only 80 visitors per day are allowed, and tickets routinely sell out 3–6 weeks in advance. If you haven't already booked, check heritagemalta.mt immediately for any 23 or 24 May availability. There are sometimes "last-minute" tickets released the day before at €40 from the on-site museum at 09:00 — first-come first-served. If you get in, it's one of the most extraordinary places on earth.
Your B&B is also a private museum. The Marquis de Piro family has lived in this palazzo since the 1580s and gives guided house tours (Mon–Sat, hourly 10:00–16:00, ~€10). As a guest you should be able to slot in for free — ask at reception. You'll see the family chapel, the underground WWII shelter, and a 400-year-old collection of furniture, costumes and silver. The Marquis himself sometimes leads the tour. Do it Saturday morning before St. John's if you can.
Malta's smaller sister island — 25-min ferry from Ċirkewwa in the north of Malta. Slower, greener, even quieter than Mdina. If you somehow get a free half-day, the Ġgantija temples (older than Stonehenge), the Cittadella in Victoria, and a swim at Ramla l-Ħamra (red sand beach) are the highlights. But honestly, with only 2 full days, save Gozo for next time and do Malta properly.
Late May rain is rare but not impossible. Indoor backups: Lascaris War Rooms (Malta's WWII command bunker — fascinating), National Museum of Archaeology (prehistoric finds from the temples), MUŻA (national art collection). All in Valletta within 10 min walk of the hotel.
Noni (211 Republic Street, Valletta) — one Michelin star, modern Maltese, the kind of place locals book months in advance for special occasions. Or for the opposite end of the spectrum, Legligin (119 St. Lucia Street) — basement, no menu, the chef brings out seven small Maltese plates for ~€35. Both want a booking.