Munich → Malta → Cologne · Mon 9 to Thu 12 Nov 2026
Malta in November
Three relaxed nights before Friday's concert in Cologne. Flights are booked. Hotel prices are live from 9 October; the hotel is not booked yet.
Flights
Booked
Mon 9Tue 10Wed 11Thu 12Fri 13
FlightIn MaltaConcert, Fri evening
Flights
Mon 9MUC 11:30 → MLA 13:50 · Lufthansa€109
Thu 12MLA 17:20 → CGN 20:10 · Ryanair€62
Lands straight in Cologne the night before the concert.
Watch out
Lufthansa Basic has no cabin bag; Light (+€10) does
Your Rimowa (23 cm deep) is over Ryanair's 20 cm cabin limit. Book a checked bag on that leg
Ryanair: online check-in is mandatory; without a paid seat it opens 24 h before. Check that the bag is on the booking
Weather in November
21 °CAverage daytime high
14–17 °CNight, depending on the source
20–22 °CSea, swimmable but cool
~6 hSun per day (official norm 6.1 h)
~11Days with rain, usually short showers
80–93 mmRain in the month, the wettest of the year
The whole island has much the same climate, so the base you choose decides the wind, not the temperature. The Gregale is a north-east wind that brings rough seas to the north-east coast (Mellieħa, St Paul's Bay, Marsaxlokk). The Valletta harbours and the south-west stay calmer. On a Gregale day, swap beach and town days. There are no lifeguards from mid-September, and Golden Bay has strong undercurrents in winter.
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Where to stay
Everything here is no farther from the airport than the Maritim, roughly in its price range, and away from Paceville. Live Booking.com prices for Mon 9 to Thu 12 Nov, 2 adults, plus €2–3 per night city tax. Remove hotels with ✕, add them back with “Add hotel”, or show only the ones you kept in the picker. Food on foot: ● strong · ◐ some · ○ none.
Hotel
€ / night
3 nights
Rating
Airport
Sea / beach
Pool / spa
Fish · Italian · British
Links
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My pick: Courtyard by Marriott Sliema. Same money as the Maritim (€386), rated 9.3, with a spa, half the airport time, and the only base with fish, Italian and British food all on foot. Sliema's Tigné end is lively by day but not a nightlife area; Paceville is 2 km away. 1926 Le Soleil is the cheaper Sliema option with a spa and its own lido.
South coast: close to the airport and quiet, but the hotels are 3★ and the food is thinner, with no British pubs. If you want it, C'est La Vie in Marsaskala (sea-view balcony, €83 a night) is the pick. Marsaxlokk itself has the best fish but no proper hotels.
Three Cities:Palazzo De La Sengle (€103 a night with breakfast) is the calm harbour option with fish and Italian on the waterfront and a 10-minute ferry to Valletta.
Before booking
Free cancellation dates differ by hotel (Maritim until 4 Nov). Several rooms showed "only 1 left" on 9 Oct. Your wife's Booking links were set to 9–13 Nov; these prices are for 9–12.
Food by base: fish, Italian, British
Several options per base, so you can choose on the day. For fish, ask for the catch of the day grilled or baked, or prawns; lampuki (dorado) is in season until November. Dishes with squid, octopus, clams or mussels are left out. Your dates are Mon–Thu, so no Sunday roast; pubs still do fish and chips, pies and a full English. Opening hours are from listings and should be checked.
Sliema · all three on foot
British
Salisbury Arms (Triq Il-Kbira): full English, pub classics, cheap, open daily
The Londoner (The Strand): fish and chips with mushy peas, steak and Guinness pie; can be loud · listing
Italian
Marrobbio Trattoria (Triq it-Torri): pizza, carbonara, €15–25 · menu
Storie & Sapori (Gżira, The Strand): pasta, pizza and fish, open daily
Piccolo Padre (Balluta Bay): pizza and pasta by the sea
Fish
Il-Fortizza (promenade): fried fish and grills, sea view, mixed reviews
Better fish: the ferry to Valletta or a taxi to Marsaxlokk (20 min)
Valletta · ferry from Sliema or the Three Cities
Italian
Zero Sei Trattoria Romana (Old Theatre St): carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana, pasta from ~€14
Sotto Pizzeria: Roman-style pizza in a cellar
British
The Queen Victoria (South St): fish and chips, pies, open daily
The Ordnance Pub (by City Gate): fish and chips, lasagne
Fish and Maltese
Rubino (Old Bakery St): lampuki pie or fried lampuki, rabbit; closed Sun, Mon lunch only · Michelin
Ta' Nenu: rabbit, ftira, Maltese dishes, open daily · menu
Three Cities · fish and Italian, no pub
Fish
Terrone (Birgu waterfront): Michelin Bib Gourmand, daily local fish; likely €50+ a head · Michelin
Il-Ħnejja (Senglea): small, fish and pasta
Don Berto (Birgu waterfront): broad menu, open daily, touristy
Italian
Novità (Senglea): wild boar lasagne, tables at the water
Osteria.VE (Birgu): Venetian small plates, fresh pasta; dinner Tue–Sat
Il Pirata (Senglea): pizza and pasta with harbour view
Many Birgu places close Mon and Tue from November.
Aperitivo with a view: Harbour Club or Upper Barrakka (Valletta), Sliema promenade at sunset
Verdict: Sliema covers all three cuisines on foot, with Valletta 10 minutes away by ferry. The Three Cities are best for fish and Italian. The south coast has the best fish (Marsaxlokk) but no British food.
Four relaxed days
Works from any base. From Sliema, the Three Cities or the south, Tuesday's beach day in the north is a 30–40 minute taxi each way; swap it for St Peter's Pool near Marsaxlokk on a calm day.
Mon 9 Arrival
Land 13:50, check in, sea
Taxi to the hotel. Walk along the seafront in the late afternoon, then a relaxed dinner close to the hotel.
Tue 10 Beach
Għadira Bay and the north
A morning on the sand at Għadira, lunch nearby. Afternoon: a walk at Golden Bay (walk, don't swim) or Popeye Village (winter hours ~09:30–16:30). Sunset aperitivo, then dinner at Ix-Xatba.
If the wind is up: Valletta day instead (see Wednesday).
Wed 11 Town
Valletta, aperitivo at the harbour
Pastizzi at Sphinx, stroll the lanes, Upper Barrakka. Lunch at Ta' Nenu or Rubino. Aperitivo at Harbour Club, back by taxi. Alternatively: lunch in Marsaxlokk (Tartarun is open Wednesday).
Calm and sunny: Gozo day trip instead (ferry from Ċirkewwa, 25 min, €4.65 return; lunch at Ta' Karolina).
Thu 12 Departure
Mdina and Rabat on the way
Check out, store the bags in the taxi or at reception. Mdina in the morning, pastizzi at Crystal Palace, a slow lunch. Rabat to the airport is only about 20 minutes, so leave at ~15:30 for the 17:20 flight.
Getting around and bags
Taxi from the airport: fixed fares, roughly €17 (Valletta) to €40 (Mellieħa). Bolt and eCabs are usually cheaper.
Bus: X1 from the airport to Mellieħa/Ċirkewwa, about 50 min, cheap but slow.
Gozo ferry: the winter timetable starts around 9 Nov. Check times at gozochannel.com.
Bags: book Lufthansa Light (+€10, cabin bag included). On Ryanair the Rimowa (23 cm deep) is over the 20 cm limit, so book a checked bag.