Being an island nation, most of Malta’s key things to do involve the sea. Many of the beaches, including the famous Blue Lagoon offer swimming and snorkeling while the wrecks and reefs around the coast are ideal for diving and fishing.
On land, Malta’s long history and diverse flora and fauna provide an excellent backdrop for walking and cycling, with Dingli cliffs being a popular destination for both. Malta is a wine making country with ample opportunities for enthusiasts to join a tasting tour.
Malta is a world renowned scuba diving spot with plenty of sites to explore. Some of the most popular are the sunken HMS Maori destroyer, the MV Hellespont paddle steamer, the HMS Stubborn submarine, the Rozi tugboat, the Blenheim Bomber plane, and the famous Zurrieq Valley Blue Grotto. Corsair Diving Malta offers instruction and guided day or night trips to popular dive sites, including the Rozi tugboat. Mellieha based Go Dive Malta are a professional and safety conscious organization offering various courses and day trips, including a dive to the underwater Madonna Statue in the cave off Cirkewwa in the north.
Snorkeling is a cheaper and less strenuous way to see Malta’s underwater world. Some of the best sites that can be accessed from the shore are Fomm ir-Rih, Wied il-Għajn, Ghar Lapsi, and Gnejna Bay. The Aquatic Diving and Fishing Centre in St Paul’s Bay offers instruction and tours while Aquatica offers a variety of day excursions and snorkeling safaris to different locations, including the unusual opportunity to swim with schools of tuna inside a holding net.
Malta’s warm seas and plentiful lagoons make it ideal for swimming. Some of the best beaches are at Paradise Bay near Circewwa, Hola Beach at Marfa, Ghadira Bay in Mellieha, and Ramla Bay in Gozo. Malta Deluxe offers sailing trips to various swim spots, including the famous Blue Lagoon. The Mediterraneo Marine Park offers visitors the unique opportunity to swim with bottlenose dolphins.
Malta’s beautiful scenery, diverse nature and interesting history make it ideal for hiking. One popular walk is from Mellieha to the Red Tower, which has stunningly uninterrupted views of Gozo, Comino and Ghadira. MaltaNatureTours.com offers guided nature hikes where you can look for butterflies, birds and chameleons. For a less strenuous outdoor trip, the seafront promenade of Valetta offers a pleasant stroll and plenty of opportunities to take photographs. YourMaltaGuide.com has some unusual tours, including a ghost walk through haunted Valetta at night.
The oceans that surround Malta is ripe for fishing. May through August is the best time to catch albacore, August to November is when anglers are most likely to find Lampuki, Malta’s national and most consumed fish, and November through February is prime squid season. Bottom fishing for grouper and wrasse is possible all year round. Pirotta Fishing Centre or Maltabookers.com can rent equipment or schedule charters for tuna, swordfish, dorado, and snapper.
Cycling around Malta is a good way to see the countryside and access natural and historic sites that may not be well served by public transport. There are a number of resources for self guided rides while Maltabybike.com offers guided cycling tours and rents bikes. The Malta Cycling Federation and Kunsill Malti għall-iSport (KMS) organizes group rides throughout the year, as part of a "Sport for All" initiative.
Malta has five major wine producers making red, white and sparkling wines from indigenous and international grape varieties. Visitors can spend a happy day visiting the wineries and sampling the local produce. Paola Waterfront based Delicata also hosts the Delicata wine festival, offers cellar tours and tasting lessons, as does Marsovin Cellars in Marsa, whose two hour tour includes sipping and exploration of the 400-year old cellar.