A sample Malta itinerary.
Thursday 17 September to Wednesday 23 September · balanced pace
Your Thursday morning begins at Malta International Airport, where you land and collect bags before a Bolt transfer takes you to your Sliema accommodation on the quiet residential streets away from the main front. The drive from Luqa to Sliema usually runs 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic; once you arrive, leave your bags at reception (check-in opens from 14:00) and head out to the seafront within an hour. The September sun is still strong, the water deep and clear, and your first afternoon belongs entirely to the sea and the neighbourhood rhythm of this well-travelled resort town.
Getting there
~10:00 · Land + airport transfer
Your activities3 stops · ~4h 15m
Arrive by 12:00 after your airport transfer and luggage storage at your accommodation reception. Plan roughly 90 minutes in the water and at the lido platform.
Exiles is a proper rock swim for confident swimmers like yourselves, with clear deep water and a lively lido atmosphere, perfect for an active arrival afternoon that lets you test the September sea straightaway.
Local tip
Bring swim shoes for the slippery rocks and come earlier in the afternoon before the lido fills; there is no lifeguard, so this suits strong swimmers and snorkellers. Check for calm conditions before you arrive, any northeasterly of force 4 or stronger makes the whole coast unsafe.
→ From Exiles, it is a short 15-minute stroll along the same seafront to Balluta Bay, where the sandy cove and church backdrop offer a gentler second swim of the afternoon.
Balluta Bay gives you a second, more relaxed dip on the Sliema front, framed by the distinctive neo-Gothic church and with easier access than Exiles if the wind has picked up or you want a gentler second swim.
This street stroll captures Sliema's everyday rhythm before dinner; a coffee or pastizz at a local cafe and a gentle wander up the shopping street is how locals begin their evening and how you shift from beach to town.
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