Extra Hour in Bed, Malta! Winter Time Kicks in This Sunday 25 October
Malta switches to winter time on 25 October, bringing brighter mornings and earlier sunsets. From the clocks going back to traditional Maltese wall clocks and the curious story behind church clock faces, discover the island’s fascinating relationship with time.
You’ve probably noticed it already. The sun is slipping away a little earlier each evening, and that late swim at Għadira is starting to feel like a summer memory. Whether you live here or you’re just visiting, get ready, because in just over a week the evenings are about to get shorter still.
Daylight Saving Time officially ends in the early hours of Sunday 25 October. At 3am, the clocks go back to 2am, which means one glorious extra hour in bed. Your phone will sort itself out overnight, but if you’ve got an early tour, ferry or flight booked, it’s worth double-checking the time on your ticket. (And don’t trust the clock in the hire car. It’s almost certainly wrong!)
From that Sunday, sunrise and sunset both shift an hour earlier. Mornings will be brighter, with the sun up shortly after 6am, but it will dip below the horizon at just past 5pm. Good news for early risers keen on a stroll along the Sliema front before the crowds arrive.
Better news, perhaps, for anyone who fancies an early dinner and a glass of local wine as the lights come on over the harbour. Winter Time will stay with us until Sunday 28 March 2027, when the clocks spring forward again and the long, golden evenings start creeping back.
You can’t talk about time in Malta without mentioning the “arloġġ tal-lira” and you’ll know one when you see it. They have a curvy wooden case and a hand-painted face, usually covered in flowers, birds and little countryside scenes, with a gentle tick you can hear from across the room. These stunning wall clocks have been keeping time in Maltese homes for centuries. They really came into fashion during the days of the Knights, and many families still treasure one that’s been handed down through the generations.
As for the name, nobody can quite agree. Some say it came from the price, others reckon it’s down to the shape. Keep an eye out for them in antique shops around Valletta and Mdina, or pick up a smaller version as a souvenir. Just remember that these classic beauties don’t update themselves, so whoever owns one has a little job to do this Sunday.
And while you’re exploring, take a look up at the parish churches. Many have two clock faces, but only one of them actually works. The other is simply painted on. Local folklore says it was meant to confuse the devil, so he’d never know the true time of Mass.
Are you loving the cosy evenings, or already counting down to spring? Tell us in the comments!
