I’ve worked for the Maltese government since 2024, so you might assume I’d visited before. I hadn’t – at least not until this year.
The irony is that I booked this trip entirely on my own dime after deciding I’d probably never get to Malta through my contractual work. About a month later, I was contacted about a re-accreditation project that included an on-site visit. Such is life (and yes, very much “white people problems”…).
Still, a work trip is a work trip. There’s no guarantee you’ll have time to tack on a few days of sightseeing before or after being on site, so I’m glad I went anyway.
From a tourist’s perspective, Malta has two glaring weaknesses. First, the public transport isn’t the most reliable. Second, its road network is well beyond capacity—which largely explains the first problem. The buses come when they come, timetables often feel more aspirational than real, and you can spend a fair bit of time waiting at dusty bus stops. Next time, I might just hire a little moped.
Gripes aside, Malta is an absolute delight.
Its position in the Mediterranean infuses almost everything about it. You get a real sense of being in an ancient yet thoroughly modern place, sitting between Europe and Africa. I was also struck by how visible its British colonial history still is; in many ways, it feels far more Anglo than Italian despite its proximity to the latter. That creates a fascinating blend of architectural, cultural and institutional influences, making the country feel both surprisingly familiar and completely distinctive.
The highlights are plentiful: Valletta is a match for any fortified old city you’ll find in Europe. The coastline seems endless, the water is impossibly clear and turquoise, and the whole country has a genuine energy about it. It may be a tiny island nation packed with tourists, but it’s also a modern European economy with plenty of contemporary bustle and character.
In short, Malta is many things—but dull certainly isn’t one of them. It offers all the timeless pleasures of the deep Mediterranean, along with its fair share of everyday frustrations. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and somewhere I can’t wait to get back to for work (Sept 2026),
Dr Martin James 