Malta Complete Guide 2026: Valletta, Mdina, Gozo, Blue Grotto & the Megalithic Temples
Browse more guides: Malta travel | Europe destinations Malta Complete Guide 2026: Valletta, Mdina, Gozo, Blue Grotto and the Megalithic Temples TL;DR I planned Malta around four ideas: walk a UNESCO city built by Knights after the Great Siege of 1565, stand inside temples older than the Pyramids, ride a boat into sea caves, and slow down on Gozo. Valletta was founded in 1566 and inscribed by UNESCO in 1980. The Megalithic Temples (UNESCO 1980) date from 3600 to 3200 BCE, predating Stonehenge by about 1,000 years and the Pyramids of Giza by 600. The Hypogeum of Hal-Saflieni (UNESCO 1980) dates from 4000 to 2500 BCE and caps visitors at 80 per day; I booked six months ahead. Malta is the smallest EU member by population at about 526,000, third smallest by area at 316 km square after Vatican City and Monaco, and on the Euro since January 1, 2008. Maltese is the only Semitic language in the EU. For 2026, Indians need Schengen; ETIAS is for visa-exempt nationals from mid-2026. Allow fi...