Malta Shore Excursion: Malta in One Day Private Sightseeing Tour

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Valletta, Malta

5 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Leave the cruise port behind and spend the morning exploring beautiful Malta on this private, half-day shore excursion. In the company of your very own driver-guide, you’ll be whisked around the archipelago of Malta. Enjoy a panoramic tour of the UNESCO-listed capital city of Valletta, taking in top sights like the Grandmaster’s Palace and the Mosta Dome from the comfort of your private vehicle. You’ll also visit Upper Barrakka Gardens and have free time to explore at your own pace.

Private Malta sightseeing shore excursion
See the best sights in Valletta and around the island
Free time to shop or have lunch
Private, English-speaking tour guide and private vehicle
Visit the Upper Barrakka Gardens and Grandmaster’s Palace
Free port pickup and drop-off

What's Included

Private tour guide
Private vehicle
Port pickup and drop-off
Worry-Free Shore Excursion Guarantee

Food and drinks, unless specified

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

If arriving by ship, you will need to walk along the quay and through the terminal building. The guide will be waiting for you as you exit the terminal. Note: In the unlikely event that your ship docks in Senglea (across the harbor from Valletta), the ship will provide a complimentary boat transfer across to Valletta. Please take this shuttle and proceed through the terminal building as per the normal instructions to the meeting point.

Operating hours
.9:00 am

Itinerary

Meet your driver when your cruise ship docks in Malta, then hop inside your comfortable, private vehicle and set off to begin your shore excursion.

Stop first in the postcard-perfect village of Marsaxlokk. Take in the harbor-front sights and snap photos of the luzzus (multi-colored fishing boats). Then, continue to Wied iz-Zurrieq, a rocky inlet that affords beautiful views of the famous Blue Grotto and Filfla island.

Continue past Mosta Dome, one of Europe’s largest unsupported domes, and travel into Valletta, Malta’s fortified capital city. Here, see the Grandmasters’ Palace, the former residence of Malta’s Grand Masters and currently the seat of parliament.

Next, travel to Upper Barrakka Gardens, the highest point in Valletta, where you’ll pause for photo opportunities of the city and the Grand Harbour. Finally, see Valletta’s ancient bastions before returning to the cruise terminal.

Worry-Free Shore Excursion:

We will ensure your timely return to the Malta port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.

Marsaxlokk

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Mosta Rotunda (Pass By)

Grand Master's Palace

50 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Upper Barrakka Gardens

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 2 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
At time of booking, Cruise Ship passengers must provide the following details under Special Requirements: Ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Clients will need to wear face masks in transport and museums.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Reviews

4.5

based on 22 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

So much to see, so little time to experience it!

Nancy_S, Sep 2025

With limited time, our family was able to see a wonderful overview of Malta. Traveling through the entire island showed us the very different styles of architecture and landscape. The guide was so knowledgeable and friendly. Many people that only utilized the hop on, hop off bus didn't get a real flavor for this wonderful place. I especially loved the blue grotto.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are very happy that you enjoyed your time in Malta.

Roberta was an amazing...

Tonya_B, May 2023

Roberta was an amazing guide. Very knowledgeable and friendly. She listened to our preferences and filled the day exactly as requested.

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you for your kind comments. I will let Roberta know.

Beautiful Country

407margob5, Nov 2019

We hired a private car with driver and guide . She met us on time and the driver was good. We found the guide knowledgable but not very personable. When her mic went out shortly after our tour started she did not speak loud enough for us to hear and when problem was brought to her attention she said yes that’s a problem but did not even attempt to speak louder. Most of the time driving she did not really talk about the surroundings. Once we where stopped at different sites she did seem knowledgeable and would answer questions.

Private Tour in Malta

Kenneth_H, Sep 2019

We visited Malta as part of a cruise and was able to save some money by using Viator with a private tour. Our Guide met us at the Port and began sharing very interesting information about Malta as soon as we closed the doors to the van. We were a party of six; two of us have visited Malta before, but four had not. We discussed the best places to visit with the Guide so that the four would get a good idea of what Malta has to offer. He listened to our questions and gave complete answers. As the day went on, he realized that we may be running short on time to visit the main Cathedral in Valletta, so he contacted people he knew and made sure we would be able to get in for the visit. Sure enough, we made it just in the nick of time and they were waiting on us. We appreciate the extra effort he gave our party and would book again.

Ideal Highlights of Malta in 6 hours!

Kim_F, Sep 2019

This tour was great. We were on a cruise so had limited time. Julia was our guide and Lele was our driver. We quickly and efficiently moved about the island seeing the highlights. Our guide was well-versed in the rich history of Malta and ensured we saw the sights and learned some history. Medieval Medina was the highlight along with the colorful fishermen’s harbor.

Very good Guide

Irene_M, Jun 2019

Malta is a wonderful place to visit. Our guide was very nice (turn the visit to spanish - wich was VERY helpful) has a perfect knowledge of the history and culture of the island. Highly recommends that tour for people visiting the island by cruise!!!

Malta trip was wonderful. We had a...

RobertG_P, Feb 2018

Malta trip was wonderful. We had a private van that took us all over this gorgeous island. We did some walking through a Palace and towns. Our guide was super. She was a local that knew her way around this island. I would recommend the tour for anyone.

Tour was good and interesting. It was...

Robert B. K, Jan 2018

Tour was good and interesting. It was on Sunday and very crowded.

Fab was a fantastic guide! We loved...

Jeanie, Nov 2017

Fab was a fantastic guide! We loved her humor and she gave us different options for our tour that we loved. Malta is a beautiful city and a must see.

We were met at the cruise ship by...

JEAN G, Oct 2017

We were met at the cruise ship by Oresto. He was very knowledgeable re Malta....he was full of historic information and also a pleasant man so our experience was very enjoyable. Recommend.

Wonderful tour and fantastic guide...

Vicki S, Jul 2017

Wonderful tour and fantastic guide. We learned so much and saw so many areas of the island. Highly recommend!

The trip began with a visit to the...

Karen G, May 2017

The trip began with a visit to the fishing village of Marsaxlokk, which lived up to the reputation of a laid back village. The tour continued to Valletta where we walked through the city and to the Parliament Building. We were fortunate to watch a 5D movie of Valletta which explained the history of the city. It was unfortunate to have several buildings being renovated and therefore not able to visit. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and shared the beauty of this historical city. Would recommend.

Elena was our guide and Andrew was...

Helena C, May 2016

Elena was our guide and Andrew was our driver. They couldn't have been greater. We wanted to see the Red Tower at the other end of the island and the two of them timed it perfectly to get in all the other points of interest. We really got our money's worth for this tour and they were absolutely fantastic.

Very nice tour, interesting, has...

Regina G, May 2016

Very nice tour, interesting, has free time to observe historical places, provide a lot if information, we had a nice comfortable car, knowledgable tour guide. We like it!

Outstanding and knowledgeable English...

Mike G, Oct 2015

Outstanding and knowledgeable English speaking guide made for a wonderful experience.

Our guide was very knowledgeable...

Joanne J, Sep 2015

Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history of Malta and wanted to show off her homeland since we only had one day on Malta. The driver was a bit of a grump but she took care of him. She was also interested in where we were from so we had a lively discussion. The island's history is unusual compared to the rest of Europe, so having someone explain it in such detail was excellent. Malta is a lovely island wish the ship stopped here longer.

although i thought it a bit expensive...

DALE, Oct 2014

although i thought it a bit expensive we did enjoy our tour in Malta

Very informative yet not as much...

Donna J D, Oct 2014

Very informative yet not as much beauty as other tours. Our guide, Fredrick, Was very knowledgeable but tailored the tour based on his preferences, we would have preferred to see things more appealing to us

Excellent! So interesting that my...

tjbatson, Aug 2014

Excellent! So interesting that my husband and I want to go back to Malta as a single destination. Danielle was a dream...thanks so much!

This excursion was exceptionally...

Ian B, Jul 2014

This excursion was exceptionally good, everything we were hoping it would be. Our guide Frederick was extremely knowledgeable and attentive, and very easy to get along with. The car was cool and comfortable, Duncan the driver was courteous and accommodating. Nothing was rushed and we saw everything we were hoping to see. All in all, excellent value - we have no hesitation in recommending this tour to anyone visiting Valletta.

What an excellent tour - our guide...

Karen Y, Jun 2014

What an excellent tour - our guide was fantastic and very knowledgable. Visted so many attractions around Malta. Great day and would love to go back to explore some more.

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