With 30m (98ft) of visibility, warm water and dramatic undersea vistas, Malta has great diving. Gozo has the best spots, including the waters off the northeast coast near Marsalforn. St George’s Bay, on the southeast coast, is another good place for a plunge. Comino also has good dive spots, including a 40m (120ft) drop-off at Ras I-Irieqa on the southwest tip of the island.

Despite its rocky coastline, Malta has some good beaches. Gnejna and Golden Bays, on the northwest coast, and St George’s Bay have warm, calm waters and good sandy strands. Ramla Bay has Gozo’s best beach.

All the islands in the archipelago are excellent for walking. Gozo and Comino are small enough to be covered by foot in a day or less, and nothing is really very far from anything else on Malta.

Comino

Comino is the smallest, sleepiest island in the Maltese archipelago. There are no cars on the island, and only one hotel. Besides a few travellers, the only inhabitants are a handful of farmers and the only thing to do here is scramble over the rocks along the shore or swim and snorkel in the many sheltered bays.

Cottonera

Malta’s ‘three cities’ - Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua - form the Cottonera, a not-too-touristy area that gives you a glimpse into the island’s daily working life. A shipbuilding centre since the Middle Ages, the name comes from the 17th-century fortifications that protect the area.

Attractions include the Maritime Museum which has exhibits on Malta’s naval history. Those with a taste for the macabre can visit the misnamed Folk Museum, housed in the Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa. The museum has displays of Inquisitors’ instruments, and you can take a peek at the ominously named Hall of Judgement and the dungeon. A few kilometres to the southwest is the Hypogeum, located in the suburb of Paola. The Hypogeum consists of a 4400-year-old underground network of caves, tunnels and rooms, all carved out of rock with flint tools.

Inland Sea

This stretch of the western coast of Gozo has one of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean. The Inland Sea is a secluded pool of clear water and pebbly sand, sheltered by sheer cliffs. Centred around Dwejra Point, the area’s outstanding feature is the Azure Window, a giant rock arch in the cliff.

Mosta

Mosta is famous for its massive church, which has one of the largest unsupported domes in the world, with a diameter of 40m (131ft). The church was designed by Maltese architect Giorgio Grognet de Vassé whose plan was closely based on the Pantheon in Rome.