Sun, sea and stuck in traffic: Tourists give their verdict on Malta

“I absolutely fell in love with it and can’t wait to come back.”

That was Sarah Wakelin’s verdict on Malta as she prepared to fly home to London after a holiday that had not started quite as expected.

“When I initially arrived, Malta wasn’t what I expected,” the 58-year-old said. “But over the time I’ve come here, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it.”

Her enthusiasm was shared by many tourists stopped by Times of Malta at the airport before their departure flights.

Most praised the island’s beaches, weather and hospitality. But the complaints were familiar: traffic, construction, late buses and, for some, prices that felt uncomfortably close to London’s.

Petrine, 24, from Denmark, said Malta’s weather and sea stood out most.

“The weather was very nice, and the water was very blue. I’m not used to that,” she said.

But asked whether anything had frustrated her, she did not hesitate.

“Absolutely – the traffic,” she said.

She described the roads as “very stuffed” and said journeys regularly took longer than expected.

“A ride that should have taken 10 minutes took 20 to 25 minutes,” she said.

Coming from Scandinavia, she said Malta’s driving also took some getting used to.

Oliver, 25, from Norway, also praised the weather but described the driving as “chaotic”.

“It’s very fast and if you were going to cross, people don’t stop,” he said.

He and his travel companions mostly used ride-hailing services during their stay.

For Kerry Hardwick, 63, from Yorkshire, the main drawback was construction near her accommodation in St Julian’s.

“The only negative thing was all the building work that was going on,” she said. “There was a lot of dust through the hotels and apartments that were being built. A lot of noise and dust.”

Still, it did not put her off returning.

“If we come back, it would all be finished. We would like to explore the other side of the island, so we will be coming back,” she said.

Martin, 64, from west London, who was in Malta for a family gathering, also noticed the construction but was more forgiving.

“Yes, obviously the construction, but they said to bear with them while this is all going on,” he said. “A lot of roadworks and so on, but it’s everywhere. In England we have the same.”

Sarah and her husband David said Malta’s prices had come as a surprise.

“A little bit too expensive. Very expensive,” David said. “More expensive than we thought it would be. Very similar prices to London. It was a little bit of a shock, but apart from that, absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to come back.”

 Their positive impression took a while to form, though. Sarah said she had felt underwhelmed initially.

“When I initially arrived, it [Malta] wasn't what I expected. But over the time I've come here, I've absolutely fallen in love with it and can't wait to come back,” she said.

She lauded the people of Malta: “The people where we stayed were fabulous. They couldn't do enough for you. So friendly. The scenery, the beaches… just the whole vibe.”

Elena, 20, from Greece, said public transport was her main frustration.

“There were too many people and the buses were late sometimes,” she said.

Some tourists had deliberately avoided the busier parts of Malta, choosing Gozo instead.

“We stayed in Gozo, so we didn’t really spend any time in Malta itself, but Gozo was beautiful, very quiet, just what we wanted,” one visitor said.

Another returning visitor to Gozo said traffic had improved since their last trip.

Paul Scotter, from Scarborough, England, had no complaints at all.

He had originally booked a trip to the Maldives before it was cancelled and chose Malta instead.

He described the island as “beautiful” and said there was “absolutely nothing” negative about his holiday.