Malta's Food, Festivals & Blue Lagoon
Taste Malta's unique Arab-Sicilian-British cuisine from street-corner pastizzi to Sunday rabbit stew; browse the painted fishing boats of Marsaxlokk; swim in the turquoise Blue Lagoon on Comino; and experience the theatrical Good Friday processions and explosive summer village festas.
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Maltese Cuisine – Pastizzi & Fenkata
Malta's cuisine blends Arab, Sicilian, and British influences into something entirely its own. Pastizzi—flaky diamond-shaped pastry filled with ricotta or mushy peas—are the national snack, eaten at pastizzeriji for a few cents. Fenkata (rabbit stew or fried rabbit) is the national dish, traditionally eaten on Sundays; braġioli (braised beef rolls) and aljotta (garlic fish soup) are other staples.
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Marsaxlokk Fishing Village & Sunday Market
The traditional fishing village of Marsaxlokk in southeastern Malta is famous for its luzzu—brightly painted wooden fishing boats with the Eye of Osiris on the prow. The Sunday morning market on the quayside sells fresh fish, lace, and produce; the surrounding restaurants serve the freshest lampuki (mahi-mahi) and octopus in Malta. A World War II flying boat base operated from the bay.
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Valletta's Restaurant Scene & Wine Culture
Valletta's food scene has transformed since the 2018 European Capital of Culture year. Restaurants like Noni (Michelin Bib Gourmand), Nenu the Artisan Baker, and Rubino serve refined Maltese cuisine in historic palaces and vaults. Local Maltese wines—Meridiana and Marsovin—have improved dramatically; the Maltese Islands GI produces characterful reds from Gellewża and whites from Ġellewża.
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Blue Lagoon & Malta's Swimming Coves
The Blue Lagoon between the tiny islands of Comino and Cominotto is one of the Mediterranean's most photographed swimming spots—crystal-clear turquoise water over white limestone shelves. Day-trip boats run from Valletta, Sliema, and St Paul's Bay; arrive early in summer to avoid the crowds. Comino's entire permanent population is three people.
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St George's Bay & Paceville Nightlife
St Julian's and the Paceville district north of Valletta form Malta's principal nightlife hub—a dense concentration of bars, clubs, and restaurants popular with young Maltese, English-language students (Malta hosts over 50 English schools), and tourists. The waterfront Spinola Bay area has quieter terrace restaurants; the clubs in Paceville proper run until dawn year-round.
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Carnival, Easter & Festa Season
Malta has an extraordinarily rich festival calendar. Carnival (February) fills Valletta with elaborate floats and Venetian-style costumes; Good Friday processions in Valletta and Vittoriosa are among Europe's most theatrical (life-size statues of the Passion carried through darkened streets). The summer festa season—each village celebrating its patron saint with fireworks and band marches—runs from May to September.