Winter Sun, Anyone? Six Summer Routes to Malta Are Now Flying Into the Colder Months
Vittoriosa, Malta
Malta isn’t just a summer destination. With six seasonal flight routes extending into autumn and winter, getting here for a cooler-weather escape is easier than ever. Expect mild days, quieter streets, greener countryside, festive events and plenty of reasons to visit beyond the beach.
If you thought Malta was strictly a summer fling, think again. Malta International Airport has launched its autumn-winter flight schedule, and six routes that used to vanish once the beach season ended are staying on for the cooler months for the first time.
That means getting here for a winter break just got a whole lot easier. In all, the new schedule connects the islands directly with 31 countries, with at least 21 airlines doing the flying.
Four of the six routes will now run right through the winter season. Travellers in Amsterdam can hop over with EasyJet, Londoners can fly with Jet2, Ryanair is keeping its Tirana service, and Wizz Air will carry on linking Rome with the islands.
There’s good news for the north of the UK too. EasyJet’s Glasgow route will operate in November, February and March, while its Newcastle flights return for February and March. If you’re staring down months of grey skies and drizzle, consider this your escape hatch.
So why come in winter? For a start, the weather. While much of Europe is scraping ice off windscreens, Malta is usually enjoying mild, bright days. You may need a jacket in the evening, but lunch outdoors by the sea is still very much on the menu.
La Valletta, Malta
Then there’s the space and fewer crowds. Valletta’s golden streets, the silent alleys of Mdina and the Three Cities are far calmer once the summer rush has gone. You can take your time in a museum, grab a table without booking weeks ahead, and actually hear your own footsteps on the stone streets.
Of course, the landscape around us changes too. After the first rains, the countryside swaps its dusty summer browns for bright green, which makes the cooler months the best time for coastal walks and hikes in Malta and Gozo. Cliff paths that are too hot to tackle in August become a pleasure.
The calendar doesn’t go quiet either. December brings Christmas lights, cribs and festive markets, while February means Carnival, with its floats, costumes and street parties. In between, there are theatres, concerts and plenty of long, lazy Sunday lunches to keep you busy.
Your wallet may thank you as well. Outside the peak season, hotels and flights are often cheaper, so a long weekend in the sun doesn’t have to cost a summer-sized fortune.
With this many routes sticking around past summer, the only thing left to do is pick your dates. We’ll keep the sunshine warm for you.
