Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceNorth Malta & the Medieval City
Link Mosta, Mellieħa, Għadira, Ċirkewwa, Golden Bay and Mdina on a two-day loop from Floriana.
- Allow
- 2 days
- Route
- 60 km
- Drive time
- 1 hr 13 min
- Stops
- 7
North Malta is the best first island drive because it alternates strong stops with short legs. Mosta’s great dome opens the route, Mellieħa occupies a steep ridge above the bay, and Għadira leads toward the exposed ferry point at Ċirkewwa before Golden Bay turns the road back south.
Mdina is the finale, not a place to test the rental’s width. Park outside the walls and enter on foot. Summer beach queues, village festas and buses on narrow roads can double a timetable, so use two days and measure success in good stops rather than kilometers.
The road, in one glance
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Drawing the route…
The route earns
its distance
Each pin is selected as a place to do something—not merely proof that you passed through.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceFloriana
Collect the car beyond Valletta’s historic core and controlled access zone.
Floriana (Maltese: Il-Furjana or Il-Floriana), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the Port Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana is the birthplace of many famous Maltese, amongst which the composer of the national anthem, 'L-Innu Malti', Robert Samut; former Bishop of Malta Dun Mauro Caruana, the poets Oliver Friggieri and Maria Grech Ganado, the writer and politician Herbert Ganado and Swedish Idol winner Kevin Borg.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceMosta
A monumental domed church rises unexpectedly from a busy central town.
Mosta (Maltese: Il-Mosta) is a small but densely populated city in the Northern Region of Malta. The most prominent building in Mosta is the Rotunda, a large basilica built by its parishioners' volunteer labour. It features the world's third largest unsupported dome, and displays a replica of a German bombshell that famously crashed through the dome during World War II but did not detonate upon impact.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceMellieħa
A layered ridge town looks over farmland, bays and the north channel.
Mellieħa (Maltese: il-Mellieħa ) is a large village in the Northern Region of Malta. The population of Mellieħa was 14,232 in July 2024. This included 7,578 males and 6,654 females; 9,312 Maltese nationals and 4,920 foreign nationals.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceGħadira Bay
Malta’s broadest sandy bay brings a softer pause below the ridge.
Mellieħa Bay (Maltese: Il-Bajja tal-Mellieħa), also known as Għadira Bay (Maltese: Il-Bajja tal-Għadira) is the largest sandy beach in Malta, located in the northern locality of Mellieħa. Shallow waters dominate the bay, and the beach stretches for over a kilometre.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceĊirkewwa
The island’s northern tip looks across the channel toward Comino and Gozo.
Ċirkewwa (Maltese: Iċ-Ċirkewwa) is a harbour and zone situated at the northernmost point of Malta, part of the locality of Mellieħa. It is the site of the Ċirkewwa Ferry Terminal, from where regular car ferries operate to the port of Mġarr in Gozo. In the summer, boat trips to Comino also operate, as well as organised diving excursions.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceGolden Bay
A warm-colored beach and high headlands catch the late western light.
Golden Bay (Maltese: Il-Mixquqa) is one of the bays and sand beaches in Malta. It was previously known as Military Bay. The white beach slopes gently allowing swimmers to easily walk into the sea.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceMdina
Honey-colored lanes and bastion views close the circuit in Malta’s old capital.
Mdina (Maltese: L-Imdina ), also known by its Italian epithets Città Vecchia ("Old City") and Città Notabile ("Notable City"), is a fortified city in the Western Region of Malta which was the island's capital from antiquity to the medieval period. The city has not spread beyond its ancient walls, and had a population of 242 as of July 2024.
Drive the conditions,
not the itinerary.
Drive on the left, expect tight roundabouts and bus traffic, and use signed peripheral parking. Never stop on a coastal road shoulder for a photograph.
Checked against
the people who run it
Distances and driving times are planning estimates. Conditions, closures, ferries, permits and park rules can change, so check the linked official guidance before setting out.