VISITING MALTA IN NOVEMBER – Here’s Your Complete Travel Guide

UPDATED FEB 2020. When I was planning on visiting Malta in November, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I booked it all anyway and thought I’d roll the dice. It turns out that Malta is more than just a summer getaway destination. November ended up being a great time to visit. It was less crowded, you have a chance to support businesses when they need it most, and travel can be cheaper. Though you may not be able to swim, it could be windy and rainy, and some tours may not be operating. Here is my guide to visiting Malta in November, full of tips which would be useful for planning a visit at any time of year.

VISITING MALTA IN NOVEMBER – Here’s Your Complete Travel Guide

Disclaimer

There are affiliate links included in this post. This means at no extra cost to you, I earn a commission if you book through the link.

Travel planning basics for visiting Malta

Currency in Malta

The currency used in Malta is the Euro. Make sure you have some cash on you for tips, smaller purchases, and smaller businesses. Credit/debit cards are accepted at most places, though some have a minimum spend (about 10 Euro usually).

Language

English is spoken widely as well as Maltese and Italian.

Entry requirements for Malta

Most short tourist stays will not require you to get a visa – but check the requirements for your country before visiting.

Getting from the airport

If you are getting a taxi from the airport, go to the taxi booth. Each area of the island has a set price that you pay at the booth before getting in your taxi.

Getting around

In Malta, you will be driving on the left side of the road. If you are using public transport, it’s very easy to get around using the bus system or ferries.

Safety in Malta

I visited as a solo female traveler and found Malta to be very safe. In my opinion, it would be a good destination for a beginner solo traveler. Use the same precautions you would anywhere else – I have a solo travel safety guide here for more tips.

The weather in Malta in November

This is the part that can be a little touch and go. When it comes to visiting Malta in November, it can be very windy which could mean rough water and no swimming, or you could luck it out with a few calm days like I did.

You might also get a little rain during November too, so bring an umbrella. During my visit, it did not rain and was warm during the day, a bit windy that’s all, and a little chilly at night.

You might get some wind and rain, but if you luck out, visiting Malta in November can be an awesome experience.

Where to stay in Malta

I stayed at the Corinthia Hotel in St George’s Bay and it was a win on all fronts – location, services, food, rooms, staff.

It was in a scenic area overlooking the Mediterranean Sea but was only a short shuttle ride away from the capital of Valletta. The hotel also offered a free shuttle there too which made it easy to get around.

The Corinthia offered unique local tours offered that give back to the local communities, which was what originally drew me to staying there.

For more information, here is my full review of Corinthia Hotel in St George’s Bay.

If you prefer a different location or style of accommodation, I recommend searching on Booking.com. I use this to book my accommodation when I travel, whether it’s guesthouses, hotels or apartments, and I can always find a good deal on there.

Things to do in Malta in November

Gozo Jeep day tour

I was only in Malta for a short amount of time but I wanted to see one of the other islands as well. I debated between going to Comino solo or jumping on a day tour on Gozo and I ended up choosing the latter.

Let me tell you, I was so glad that I did! I got to see so much of the island and learn straight from a born and bred local, which, for me, made the experience so much better.

For more information about the tour, here is my full review of Gozo Jeep tours.

Visiting Malta in November is also a good way to support local businesses when they need it most.

For businesses that rely heavily on tourism, the low season can mean hard times. Some are forced to close, some operate on reduced hours and, either way, it means life gets a little harder during this season for all involved.

Swimming in Malta

Some of the clearest and blue water is around Malta. It’s a popular summertime destination because of that, but visiting Malta in November doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the water too.

Staying at the Corinthia Hotel at St George’s Bay meant that I was just steps away from the sea. Once I saw how pretty the water was, I just had to jump in. To my surprise, it was not that cold and I had a great sunrise swim!

On the Gozo Pride Jeep Tour, I got to do a boat tour of the Blue Grotto which had the most hypnotizing, pretty water I have ever seen. We also took a boat tour of the popular Blue Lagoon.

There were still people swimming when I visited, but it was a little chilly so it was not swarming with tourists. If you really want a beach holiday where you can swim the whole time, then it’s better to come in the summertime. But, if you’re flexible on how you want to enjoy the water, you can still have a great time in the off-season.

Explore the Mdina

I LOVED the Mdina! The maze-like, fortress city was like stepping back in time. I spent my time there walking around. It was easy to get lost in the narrow streets while listening to the horse’s hooves clip-clopping. I was mostly in awe of its character and charm too.

There are a lot of walking tour options, you can get a horse and carriage ride, visit the museums or stop in at the cafes and relax. It’s up to you. But it’s certainly a place to add to your list of places to see in Malta.

If you’re taking the bus look for the Rabat/Mdina line.

Travel tip: If you want to learn more while you’re there, check out the Knights of Malta museum. It is an interactive museum that walks you through exhibits with a headphone tour and also has a 3D movie to explain more of the history.

Visit Valletta, the capital of Malta

To be honest, I thought Valletta was a little overrated.

Don’t allow a lot of time there unless you really love cafes and shopping. It was a nice place to visit and walk around, I enjoyed visiting there. It was charming and very easy to find your way around too because the streets are laid out like a grid. But, it was a little too modernized and not much different from other cities in my opinion.

This is why I loved Mdina so much more because it had such a unique character of its own.

Three Cities & Dingli Cliffs

I didn’t get to visit Three Cities and Dingli Cliffs because I heard such rave reviews about Valletta and rearranged my plans. Grrrr, in hindsight I would’ve stuck to my guns and visited the places I had found in my own research. But, alas, now I really just need to go back for another visit.

Perhaps you can see these sights when you visit and let me know what they are like?

Exploring temples in Malta

One interesting thing about Malta is that it is home to a huge range of prehistoric temples. If you like archeology, you will love it here. Many of the sites are UNESCO protected and open for the public to visit.

Hagar Qim is one of the most popular, as well as the Ggantija Temples on Gozo, but for a full list of archeological sites visit this website.

If you are really an archeology buff, consider visiting the National Museum of Archeology in Valletta. It’s 5 Euro to enter and 20 Euro deposit for the headphone tour. It houses a good range of artifacts and was so interesting.

What food to eat

Rabbit is one of the traditional dishes in Malta, and I have to say, they do it well.

Even though I cringed a little at first, I gave it a go. It was a rabbit stew-like dish and was actually really good, especially since it was a little chilly that evening.

Some of the other local food and drink treasures I was recommended to try or take home with me was:

• The high-quality Maltese olive oil
• Sheep’s milk cheese
• Traditional sourdough bread
• Sausage
• Prickly pear everything (the liquor was my favorite)

Travel Tip: I tried the rabbit dish at Vinotheque Bistro which was located next to the Corinthia Hotel at St George’s Bay where I was staying. I liked this restaurant because it had a menu dedicated to local and traditional dishes.

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