When did we go? June 2018 for 1 week
Where did we stay? Airbnb in Buggiba
We had a wonderful time in Malta with our boys this year. The locals seem to love children and we were met with friendly faces wherever we went.
My 2 biggest tips: rent a car and take picnics on day trips!
Any questions about our holiday or my blog, please drop me an email!
Here are my top tips for enjoying Malta with young children:
Ghadira beach at Mellieha bay
Malta does not have very many sandy beaches and this is by far the best sandy beach we found. The water is beautifully clear and extremely shallow so safe for lots of swimming and paddling. There is lots of free road parking, but just keep in mind that it’s on a busy road where speed is at the driver’s discretion! We paid 13 Euros for 2 sunbeds and an umbrella the first time we visited and just left our non-valuables on the beach the second time.
Playmobil Funpark
So good we made two trips! The Funpark is about 5/10 mins drive from the airport so it was a great time filler before we flew home. The boys absolutely loved this place and we were very impressed too! Endless play with a huge variety of Playmobil in a child friendly air conditioned building. There is a café and a newly built outside play area with safe climbing equipment. The kids can happily roam about freely so parents were taking advantage of being able to sit down! The best part was it only cost 7 Euros for us all to get in and you can stay as long as you like.
Ferry to Gozo & Ramla Bay
We have never driven onto a ferry before so this was an exciting experience for all of us! You get out of your car once on board and enjoy the journey on any of the decks. The ferry leaves every 45 mins and you pay on Gozo when getting the ferry back to the mainland. The cost for us was 21 Euros 50 cents. We went later in the day so didn’t see that much of Gozo but we drove to Ramla Bay which is definitely worth a visit – if your nerves can take the drive down some extremely narrow streets to get there! We highly recommend eating at Ta’ Vestru, Qala, They went out of their way to accommodate us with the boys and delicious food.
Malta National Aquarium
This wasn’t unlike most aquariums we have visited. If your children like fish then it’s a good place to visit to get out of heat and let them explore. It only takes about half an hour to get around but the boys said it was lots of fun. It cost us 41 euros 80 for the 4 of us and you get free parking so remember to get the ticket validation at the aquarium reception desk. There is seating to eat lunch or a snack opposite the aquarium and next to a good play park. We didn’t find much else to do in the immediate area so we had the afternoon to keep exploring the island.
Malta 5D at Valetta
My partner found this cinema on another blog and wanted to give it a try. The film is a history of Malta which lasts about 15 mins. The 5D element is the fun part though. Very interactive!!! My 4 year sat on the moving seats with his Dad but I sat on the non-moving seats with my 2 year old. Both boys were happy with their experience and the adults enjoyed it too. Show times are at regular intervals throughout the day. Tickets are 9 euros for adults and they didn’t want to charge us for the boys which we appreciated.
Marsaxlokk
We were told to visit the famous Sunday fish market and that is exactly what we did! We guessed that the street parking was free and seemed to get away with it! The market itself is not the most interesting thing for young children to do especially in the heat but checking out the boats was definitely a hit. It was our own exploring that lead us to uncover a few gems…over-sized and much needed ice creams, a big enough play park and a small sandy beach. I had left the swimming stuff in the car so I wasn’t very popular that the boys couldn’t go into the water!
Comino
A stunningly beautiful island with a very fun boat ride to and from but do not expect it to be child friendly, especially with little ones. There are no man made roads or paths so don’t take a buggy. The blue lagoon is off a steep cliff with no real safe way to get into the water. There were jellyfish in the water, which was colder due to the strong wind. It was also very busy. I can’t imagine what it must be like in peak season. We walked to the other side of the island pretty soon after arriving to try and find a flat place to eat a picnic which ended up being a wall. We did find a little sandy beach but with the jellyfish and the fear of being stranded amongst the large amount of visitors, we just got on the boat back to the mainland!
My Family Travel Diary 