Need to know

When to go

Year-round. Summer is hot and dry; spring and autumn are warm and sunny. Winter, in particular, is mild, cheaper for travellers and shorn of the crowds that can cluster Valletta – plus all the main sites remain open.

Visas & currencies

Visas: Not required by UK nationals for stays of up to 90 days. Currency: Euro (€), currently around €1.16 to the UK£.

Getting there & around

Multiple airlines, including

British Airways (ba.com), Air Malta (airmalta.com), Easyjet (easyjet.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.,com), fly from London and regional airports to Malta. Flights cost from around £60 return.

It is just a 9km drive from the airport to Valletta. Buses are regular and inexpensive; Malta also has Uber, Bolt and various taxi companies. Water taxis depart Customs House Wharf (£1.50pp) across the Grand Harbour; £9pp for a 30-minute harbour tour.

Carbon offset

A return flight from London to Malta produces 360kg of carbon per passenger. Wanderlust encourages you to offset your travel footprint through a reputable provider. For advice on how to find one, visit wanderlust.co.uk/sustainable-travel.

Further reading & viewing

Art as Life: Caravaggio in Malta (Midsea Books, 2023) by Prof Keith Sciberras – The professor’s definitive new book has just been published.

The Last Caravaggio at the National Gallery, London – This definitive exhibition will display the painting The Martyrdom of St Ursula, which has been loaned from Naples, as well as its original 1610 commissioning letter. Also on display is the gallery’s own Salome Receives the Head of John the Baptist. Free; 18 April–21 July. nationalgallery.org.uk