Mdina and Rabat: the Silent City
Mdina is the trip most visitors fall for, and it sits only about 15 to 20 minutes from Malta International Airport, so it is an easy half-day even on your arrival or departure day. The old walled city, Malta's former capital, is known as the Silent City because almost no cars are allowed inside the gates. You park outside the walls and walk in through the Baroque main gate, then wander narrow honey-coloured streets that open onto long views across the island.
Just outside the walls, neighbouring Rabat rewards a little extra time. St Paul's Catacombs are a cool, quiet underground complex of early burial chambers, a good first stop on a hot day, and the streets around them are full of unfussy local cafes. The two towns share a car park or two, so it is simplest to drive once, leave the car, and do both on foot.
If Mdina is the only place you want to see properly, our Mdina car hire page has the practical detail on getting there and where to leave the car.
Valletta and the Three Cities: park outside, walk in
Valletta is close, roughly 15 minutes from the airport, but it is the one place where a car is more useful for getting to than getting around. The capital is compact, steep and largely pedestrian, so the move is to park outside the walls, ideally at the park-and-ride below the city, and walk in. Inside you get the Grand Master's Palace, St John's Co-Cathedral, the Upper Barrakka Gardens and that famous view over the Grand Harbour.
For a fuller day, pair Valletta with the Three Cities across the harbour: Vittoriosa (Birgu), Senglea and Cospicua. This is where the Knights first settled, and the waterfront, marina and quiet back lanes feel a world away from the capital's crowds. You can drive over in a few minutes, or leave the car in Valletta and cross the Grand Harbour by the little ferry for a more memorable arrival.
Our Valletta car hire page covers parking realities so you are not circling for a space.
The south: Marsaxlokk, the Blue Grotto and ancient temples
The south is the trip a car really unlocks, because the highlights are spread out and the bus connections between them are slow. Start with Marsaxlokk, the fishing village where bright luzzu boats fill the harbour. Its Sunday market is the famous draw, part fish market, part everything-else stalls along the waterfront. Go early: the freshest fish sells out and the best of the morning is gone by late morning, so an early drive beats both the heat and the crowds.
From there it is a short hop along the coast to the Blue Grotto, a cluster of sea caves near Wied iz-Zurrieq where the water glows an intense blue on a clear morning. You can take a short boat trip out from the little harbour when the sea is calm, or simply enjoy the viewpoint on the road above. Close by stand the megalithic temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, UNESCO-listed and older than the pyramids, on a clifftop above the sea.
This stretch of coast sits roughly half an hour from the eastern seaside towns. If you are basing yourself that side, our Marsaskala car hire page is a handy starting point for a southern loop.
Mellieha and the north: beaches, the Red Tower and the Gozo ferry
Head north, about 40 minutes from the airport, and the island opens up into beaches and big coastal views. Mellieha Bay is one of Malta's largest sandy beaches, and the wider area around it gives you Golden Bay on the west coast, all clear water and low cliffs, plus a string of quieter coves. Above the town, the Red Tower (St Agatha's Tower) is a 17th-century watchtower with sweeping views over the channel to Gozo and Comino.
The far north is also where you catch the boat to the sister islands. The Gozo ferry runs from Cirkewwa to Mgarr, a crossing of about 25 minutes, and you can take your hire car straight across, which is by far the easiest way to explore Gozo at your own pace. Cirkewwa is only a few minutes' drive on from Mellieha, so the north and a Gozo day pair naturally.
For a base in the north, see our Mellieha car hire page, and for the seaside towns closer to the action, Sliema and St Julian's.
Sliema and St Julian's: an easy seafront day
If you want a relaxed day without a long drive, the Sliema and St Julian's seafront is about 20 to 30 minutes from the airport and made for strolling. A long promenade runs along the water, and the heart of it is Spinola Bay in St Julian's, a small harbour ringed with restaurants where traditional fishing boats still moor. It is the kind of place to park once, walk the front, swim off the rocks and eat well.
From Sliema you also get one of the nicest short crossings in Malta: the little ferry over to Valletta, which takes about 15 minutes and saves you driving and parking in the capital. Leave the car in Sliema, cross by boat, and you have combined two day trips into one easy outing.
This is also the most walkable base for first-time visitors. Our Sliema and St Julian's pages set out where to leave the car and what is within strolling distance.
A full day on Gozo
Gozo deserves a whole day, and with a car it is genuinely doable as a day trip. Drive to Cirkewwa in the far north, take the car across on the ferry to Mgarr, and you arrive ready to roam an island that feels slower and greener than Malta. Start in the capital, Victoria, and walk the ramparts of the hilltop Citadel early, before the day warms, for a view that explains the whole island.
From there, point the car west to the dramatic Dwejra coast, with its Inland Sea and open limestone cliffs (this is where the Azure Window stood until it collapsed in 2017). Then cut across to Ramla Bay, Gozo's wide red-sand beach near Xaghra, for an afternoon swim. A car lets you string these far-apart spots together at your own pace and still make an evening ferry back.
Our Gozo car rental page has the detail on taking a car across and driving on the smaller island.