Travel

Dive into Malta: adventures for the teens, and paradise for you


If you’re looking for the holy grail: somewhere that your teenage offspring will enjoy as much as you will, Malta is the place. The Mediterranean archipelago’s coastline is magnificent, with dramatic coves, dizzying sea cliffs, and Smurf-blue sea. Choose from a large collection of superb hotels, with spas, rooftop infinity pools, and beautiful locations. There are epic prehistoric sites, great museums, and extraordinary baroque architecture. Restaurants and bars look out over sea views, and there are endless shops, boutiques and markets to browse. This island country is a wonderland for the whole family, whatever their age.

Malta’s dive sites have been repeatedly voted second best in the world, with warm sea year-round and superb visibility. There are many shipwrecks around the islands, some dating from the second world war. This is a fabulous place to learn to dive, as there are excellent facilities, with dive companies offering Padi courses for ages 10 and up, and many dives directly accessible from the shore.

Discover Malta’s secluded swimming spots, such as the natural coastal St Peter’s Pool close to Marsaxlokk, highly rated by teens for the chance to bask at the edge and dare each other to dive off the rocks. There’s fabulous snorkelling at bays all around the islands and the Blue Lagoon at Malta’s neighbouring Comino island has aquamarine water that looks as if the saturation’s been turned up a notch. The islands offer a wealth of watersports, from stand-up paddle boarding to jet skiing.

Young Woman climbing cliffs of Gozo



Glorious boat trips are a way of life for the Maltese, and here you can choose from day trips, where you can stop off on remote beaches for lunch, to short visits to places such as the Blue Grotto, a huge natural cave whose walls glow aquamarine with reflected sea.

Your family will also have a great choice of activities on land, from trotting through the surf on horseback at Golden Bay to the growing rock climbing scene. Malta’s smaller sister island of Gozo is ideal for cycling trips: hire bikes or e-bikes and you can explore along low-traffic country lanes. Teens can choose from quad biking through the countryside to Segway tours around areas such as the Maltese capital Valletta and the lofty Dingli cliffs. Another fabulous trip for teens is the Rolling Geeks excursion, with self-drive electric cars, complete with pre-programmed GPS to guide you. This allows all the benefits of an organised excursion, but with the freedom of being in your own quirky electric car. The route takes you to Malta’s film studios – the islands are regular movie and TV locations, with shoots including Game of Thrones, Assassin’s Creed and Murder on the Orient Express.

View of Valletta from St Andrew’s Bastions.



The caves of Comino



St Johns Co Cathedral, Valletta



There’s more to offer than outdoor activities, and a good place to start is Malta 5D and the Malta Experience, state-of-the-art films with special effects, that bring the islands’ tumultuous history to life. The Malta at War Museum is great for history buffs. It uses cutting-edge technology to illustrate the islands’ life at war, including the Great Siege when the Knights of Malta defended it against a much larger force of Ottoman Turks, and its key role in the second world war. St John’s Co-Cathedral is a spectacular sight, lined in gold and inlaid marble, and the islands’ many prehistoric sites are awe-inspiring, predating the Egyptian pyramids.

One of Malta’s newest attractions is the hands-on Esplora Interactive Science Centre in Bighi, Kalkara just across the harbour from Valletta, with more than 200 hands-on exhibits to bring science alive for all ages, plus its superb planetarium.

Gozo, 3 people Scuba diving in Malta



Malta’s towns are small enough to wander on foot, and teens will relish the chance to explore the shops and restaurants of Valletta and the glittering waterfront of towns such as St Julian’s and Sliema. There’s plenty of vibrant nightlife at the Paceville district in St Julian’s, as well as festivals and club nights throughout the long and balmy summer. Malta is also one of Europe’s best destinations for summer music festivals, with house, dance and traditional music, and plenty of open-air gigs. It’s even the venue for Europe’s biggest free music festival: the Isle of MTV.

Whatever you like to do on holiday, from adrenaline-fizzing boat trips to vibrant evenings, be it culture, history, beachlife and watersports, or fresh seafood on sea-facing terraces, you’ll find it here. For the ideal family break as your children grow up, choose Malta, a paradise for you and even the hardest-to-please teens.

With more than 300 days of sunshine a year, Malta offers more to explore



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