All set for autumn: why Malta is a year-round destination

In prime position at the heart of the sparkling, indigo Mediterranean, Malta basks in sunshine for more than 3,000 hours a year. As the nights begin to draw in, why not jump on a BA short-haul flight to enjoy an easy-to-reach summer idyll without the high-season crowds and prices. You can still dine outside in the sunshine, with everything from creative vegan to fresh-from-the-sea fish and Michelin-starred artistry, overlooking sea views and raspberry-ripple sunsets. Malta is a festival hub, and autumn sees the likes of dance festivals in the countryside and classical concerts in mansions. Take a boat out to glide across the magnificent Grand Harbour, go beach and cave hopping around the coast, and swim or dive in some of the world’s most pristine waters.

Festivals

The Maltese love a celebration and there is always something going on, be it music and arts festivals, or local village processions and saints’ days. On the first weekend of October, Valletta celebrates its Notte Bianca (White Night), when its streets, piazzas, churches, state palaces and museums host myriad live performances and concerts. Also in October, Take That will curate and headline their own four-day festival, The Greatest Weekend, with a line up including the Sugababes, Ella Henderson, Gok Wan, Sam Ryder, Daniel Bedingfield and Heather Small. For trance and dance lovers, there’s Defected, with club nights around the pool at seafront Café del Mar. Do not miss beautiful Birgufest, when harbour-front, golden-stone Birgu’s streets are illuminated by thousands of candles. To reach this tiny city that predates Valletta, you can take a traditional water taxi across the harbour, one of the world’s most beautiful commutes. 

The advantages of ‘shoulder season’

Autumn in Malta is not only a chance to extend your summer, but also a great time to get privileged access to its top tourist attractions while the weather is still warm. Visit the fun-packed Popeye Village, once a film set, now a picturesque coastal amusement park.

Malta’s prime location in the heart of the Mediterranean has left it with mind-boggling historic riches. Its prehistoric monuments are older than the Egyptian pyramids, and autumn is ideal for visiting the mysterious underground Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, a wonderfully preserved place of worship that’s more than 5,000 years old. Entry is timed, so you have a much better chance of visiting out of high season, though booking in advance is highly recommended.

The Knights Hospitaller (later Knights of Malta) landed here in the 16th century, famously managing to hold off the Turks in the siege of 1565. They subsequently built cities, churches and palaces in the splendid Baroque style, which still characterises much of Malta’s architecture today. In autumn, see some of the finest examples at their most atmospheric, including the wonderfully preserved hilltop walled city of Mdina and Valletta, with its Grand Master’s Palace and St John’s Co-Cathedral, with possibly the world’s most gilded Baroque interior, and certainly the largest painting by trouble-magnet genius Caravaggio. 

A gastronomic melting pot

Malta’s many occupiers over centuries, the Arabs, Normans, French and British, all threw something into the Maltese pot, and dining here has an extraordinary variety. Favourite local snacks are pastizzi, small filo parcels filled with ricotta and peas, with roots in Arabic cuisine. The Knights of Malta introduced rabbits here in the 17th century, and large rabbit stews are the traditional food of celebration. The Maltese love to dine out, hence the island’s six Michelin-starred restaurants, with a seventh, ION Harbour in Valletta, receiving two stars this year. With many foreigners choosing to live and work here, the choice of international gastronomy is superb, too, from an excellent authentic Japanese canteen to a South American mescal bar, both in Valletta’s atmospheric streets, where sailors used to hang out on shore leave.

Location, location, location

With so many pristine forts and mansions across the island, you might recognise it as the dramatic setting for blockbuster movies and TV shows, from Game of Thrones to the Spy Who Loved Me. Several scenes from Ridley Scott’s Napoleon were filmed here, using the town of Mdina and Fort Ricasoli as sets. Scott filmed Gladiator (2000) on the island, and returned to make the forthcoming Gladiator II, starring Paul Mescal (it’s released globally in November, after which you can go location spotting). All the more reason to take off to the autumn sunshine and atmosphere on this extraordinary, action-packed island.