We holidayed in Malta during early November and came home wondering why more people don’t. Two weeks, £99 return flights from Gatwick, a self-catered studio in Valletta for €72 a night, and enough sun that we were in t-shirts most days.
November sits in that awkward gap where Malta stops being a summer holiday and hasn’t yet become a Christmas one. Flights drop, hotel rates drop, the crowds thin out, and the island is still warm enough to swim (just about). It’s the most underrated winter sun option in Europe and we would highly recommend a winter trip.
In a Rush? Best Hotels in Malta
1926 La Galerie Boutique Art Suites
Art-filled boutique suites with a design-led feel, a pool to cool off in and easy access to the seafront promenade.
Check ratesValletta Harbour View Apartment
A self-catering apartment in the heart of Valletta with harbour views, ideal if you like a base of your own within walking distance of the old town.
Check ratesALTANA by Valletta Vintage
A characterful Valletta Vintage apartment blending original features with modern comforts, tucked into the city’s honey-stone streets.
Check ratesBattery House
A boutique stay in Valletta set within a restored historic building, a short walk from the bastions and harbour views.
Check ratesMalta Weather in Winter
Out of fourteen days we spent in Malta in November, we had two days of rain and twelve day of blue skies and sunshine.
The rain, when it came, was torrential rather than drizzly, mostly overnight. Malta gets its rain in short, dramatic bursts and then the sky clears again.
The rest of the time it was nicely sunny. T-shirt and shorts during the day, with a light sweater once the sun dropped. It’s not lie-on-a-beach-for-eight-hours hot, but warm enough that we walked everywhere, ate outside and never once thought about the weather.
The thing that surprised us most was how quickly the temperature falls once the sun goes down. You’ll be in a t-shirt at four o’clock and reaching for a jumper by six.
Can You Swim in Malta in November?
Yes — and we did. We swam in the sea off Gozo and it was lovely. Not bracing, not tropical, but fairly pleasant. Plenty of people swim at this time of year. The caveat is timing. Everyone swims during peak sun, roughly late morning to mid-afternoon when it’s warmest.
If swimming matters to you, Gozo’s coast is where we’d head. Ramla Bay’s red sand and the water around Dwejra are the standouts, and the island is quiet enough in November that you’ll have a lot of it to yourself.
Was Anything Closed?
We didn’t find anything closed in Malta during November.
This is the question everyone worries about with off-season travel, and Malta handled it better than we expected. We didn’t run into a single closure. The buses ran, the ferries ran, the restaurants were open, the museums were open, and the boats to Comino and the Blue Lagoon were still going.
November is the good version of off-season: shorter queues, easier tables, and Valletta’s streets to yourself first thing in the morning.
What Malta in November Costs
November is one of the cheapest times to go, and the savings are across the board.
- Flights: £99 per person return from London Gatwick
- Accommodation: €72 a night for a self-catered studio in central Valletta
- Buses: €1.50 a single, versus €2 in summer — and the summer rate only runs mid-June to mid-October, so November is winter pricing
- Gozo ferry: €4.65 return from Cirkewwa (you only pay coming back)
- Pastizzi: €0.40 at Crystal Palace in Rabat, straight out of the oven
- Daily spend: around €55 / £50 per person, all in
That daily figure is with self-catering some meals and eating out for others. We made sandwiches with ftira from the local bakery and ate properly at places like Margo’s and San Paolo Naufrago in Valletta, and Ta’ Doni in Rabat.
The full breakdown is in our guide to how much a trip to Malta costs.
Getting Around Malta in November
Malta’s buses go everywhere and nearly every route funnels through Valletta, which is a large part of why we’d tell you to base yourself there. A ticket is valid for two hours so you can hop between buses on the same fare, and a 12-journey Tallinja card works out at around €15 and can be shared between people.
There are ferries from Valletta to Sliema and Valletta to the Three Cities. Both save you a long loop by road, and the Gozo ferry hops across from the north in about twenty-five minutes.
One November-specific note: shorter days. It’s dark by around half five, so if you’re planning a day trip to Gozo or the south, go early rather than after a slow morning.
Malta or the Canaries in November?
If your only criterion is heat, the Canaries win. Tenerife and Lanzarote sit further south and run a few degrees warmer, with more reliable sunshine and a sea that stays swimmable later into the winter.
Malta trades those few degrees for other things. You get a walkable UNESCO capital, three thousand years of history, some of the best-value eating in the Mediterranean, and an island small enough to cross by bus for €1.50. It’s a place to explore rather than a place to lie down.
Our honest take: go to the Canaries if you want guaranteed beach weather, and Malta if you want a more cultural trip with sun on top. We’ve written up both in our guide to winter sun destinations we’ve been to.
What We’d Do Differently
Stay longer on Gozo.
We went over for the day, loved it, and spent the ferry back wishing we’d booked a couple of nights in a stone farmhouse. It’s quieter, greener and slower than the main island, and in November it’s close to empty. If you’ve got two weeks, give it two or three nights. If you’ve got one, still give it one.
Is Malta Worth Visiting in November? Our Verdict
Yes, without hesitation. It’s a brilliant time to go.
You get warm, sunny days, sea you can still swim in, an island that’s open for business, and prices roughly a third below high season. The trade-offs are real but small: two of our fourteen days were washed out, the evenings get chilly, and it’s dark early.
Set against £99 flights and Valletta at €72 a night with no crowds in it, we’d take that trade every time. Malta in November is the most underrated winter sun trip in Europe, and if you’re weighing it up, book it.
FAQ: Malta in November
Malta is a brilliant place to visit in November. We had twelve sunny days out of fourteen, swam in the sea off Gozo and found everything open, and it is warm, quiet and considerably cheaper than it is in summer.
Malta in November is warm enough for t-shirts and shorts during the day, with a light jumper needed once the sun goes down. It cools off quickly in the evenings.
You can sunbathe in Malta in November, but really only in the middle of the day. Plenty of people were out on the rocks and in the water around midday, though it is not reliable all-day sunbathing weather.
It does rain in Malta in November, but in short heavy bursts rather than all-day grey. We had two wet days in two weeks, and most of that rain fell overnight.
Tenerife is warmer than Malta in November, by a few degrees. Malta is the better pick if you want history, walkable cities and cheap eating alongside the sun.
For Malta in November you should pack shorts and t-shirts, a light jumper or fleece for the evenings, a waterproof, swimwear and comfortable shoes for Valletta’s hills and steps.
November is not high season in Malta. Summer bus fares run from mid-June to mid-October, so November falls into winter pricing across flights, accommodation and transport.