The best hikes in Malta

Dingli Cliffs are Malta’s highest point and the island’s most striking hike. At 253 metres above the Mediterranean, the cliffs drop straight into the sea — a 180° panorama over the blue horizon and, on clear days, down to the islet of Filfla below.

The main trail follows the cliff edge for several kilometres, passing terraced fields and isolated chapels. Ideal timing: late afternoon for sunset. Avoid the middle of the day in July and August — the trail is fully exposed.

This coastal trail connects two of Malta’s most beautiful red-sand beaches along a path that runs across the cliffs between the bays. The scenery shifts between Mediterranean scrubland, turquoise sea viewpoints and descents to small coves you can reach on foot.

You can do it in either direction, with a swim stop at Għajn Tuffieħa — wilder and less crowded than Golden Bay. Ideal to combine with a boat trip along the north-west coast to see the coves that are inaccessible by road.

The Blue Grotto is one of Malta’s most photographed sites — a series of sea caves carved into the limestone cliffs of the south coast, where phosphorescent blue water glows through light refraction. The trail to the viewpoint lets you take in the site from above before hopping on a local boat to explore inside.

The coastal walk around the area gives you constant views of the cliffs and the sea, with several dedicated viewpoints. Best combined with a boat ride into the caves.

Majjistral Nature and History Park is Malta’s only official nature reserve. The park covers the north-west coast, with marked trails crossing preserved Mediterranean scrubland, prehistoric ruins and sea viewpoints. In spring, wildflowers explode with colour — the best time for this hike.

Several loops of different lengths let you adjust the duration. It is one of the rare places in Malta where you can truly feel alone in nature.

Ta' Ċenċ Cliffs, in southern Gozo, deliver the archipelago’s most dramatic coastal scenery. These limestone cliffs drop more than 130 metres straight into the Mediterranean, with views stretching as far as Filfla on clear days. The scrubland covering the plateau adds an almost desert-like mood to the landscape.

The trail follows the cliff edge for several kilometres, with a few less clearly marked sections — keep children well away from the edge. Access by car from Sannat. Combine it with a visit to Xewkija and its impressive rotunda.

Ramla Bay is Gozo’s largest and most beautiful beach, with its distinctive orange-red sand. The hike from Xagħra village to Calypso Cave — the cave where, according to tradition, the nymph Calypso held Odysseus for seven years — gives you a spectacular plunging view over the beach and sea. The walk down to the sand and a swim complete the outing perfectly.

The Marsalforn coast is home to salt pans carved into limestone rock since antiquity — hundreds of geometric basins filled with seawater, slowly evaporating under the Gozo sun. The hike along this rocky coastline blends ancient working landscapes, Mediterranean views and small coves perfect for a swim break.

The salt pans are especially photogenic at sunrise or late afternoon, when low light makes the basins shine like golden mirrors.

Comino is almost uninhabited — a few residents, a hotel, a chapel and kilometres of wild coastline. After the crowds at Blue Lagoon, Malta’s most photographed turquoise bay, the trails across the island offer a totally different experience: isolated coves only hikers reach, the deep blue of Crystal Lagoon and 360° viewpoints over Malta and Gozo.

Arrive early in the morning to enjoy Blue Lagoon before the tourist boats, then hike toward the quieter parts of the island in the afternoon. Malta Adventures offers boat trips that let you combine swimming and exploration.