Europe · 9 days
Ancient temples older than the pyramids. Carnival underneath a walled city. An island so small you can see it all on foot.
On a scale of 1 (slowest pace) to 5 (fastest pace), we've rated the following factors: number of 1-night hotels; driving miles per day; fullness of schedule; mid-tour airline flights; high elevation setting; and average amount of walking per day.
This number represents an average walk difficulty rating for the tour using a scale of 1 (easiest) to 5 (hardest).
Malta sits at the crossroads of everything — Europe, Africa, the Middle East — and every civilization that passed through left its mark. In nine days, you'll walk through 5,000-year-old temples that predate Stonehenge, cruise the Grand Harbour where the Knights of St. John held off the Ottoman Empire, and stand on cliffs where the blue Mediterranean shimmers below.
But this is also a tour about the Malta that tourists miss. You'll learn to make ftira — the Maltese flatbread — with a local baker in Valletta, then eat it still warm from the oven. You'll ride tuk-tuks through Gozo's rural lanes, stopping to walk down to hidden caves and clifftop viewpoints. And on your last evening, you'll taste wines at a Gozo winery before a farewell dinner in a restaurant that's been feeding islanders for generations.
The timing is deliberate. Your three nights on Gozo coincide with Malta's Carnival — parades, music, elaborate floats, and the kind of local celebration that hasn't been sanitized for tourists. Victoria's narrow streets come alive, and you're there to walk right into it.
Most travelers who time a Malta trip around Carnival end up in Valletta with the cruise crowds. Your three nights are on Gozo, where Victoria's Carnival is older, smaller, and authentically local — handmade floats, satirical costumes, street music below the walls of the Cittadella. The hotel is a four-minute taxi from the heart of it. Go and come as you please.
Hagar Qim and Mnajdra were built between 3600 and 2500 BC, putting them ahead of Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids. Most tours stop for thirty minutes; you'll walk both temple complexes properly, with a local Maltese specialist guide who can explain what archaeologists still don't understand about them.
Malta's archipelago has three inhabited islands. Most walking tours do Malta only. You'll spend five nights on Malta, three on Gozo, and a full day on Comino — population four — walking 7 to 8 kilometers around the entire coastline past sea caves, abandoned watchtowers, and the Blue Lagoon. The speedboat in, the packed lunch, the boat home: it's a day most operators reduce to a thirty-minute photo stop.
Five vehicles, five or six travelers each, weaving through countryside lanes coaches can't reach. Stops at the Dwejra Inland Sea, the Mixta Cave, the salt pans, Ramla Bay, and the Cittadella in Victoria. It's the kind of access that requires local relationships — the kind we've built.
You'll spend a midday in Valletta learning to make ftira — the Maltese flatbread — with a local baker at Eddie's, shaping the dough yourself and pulling it out of the oven warm for lunch. On your last day, you'll taste three Gozitan wines paired with a ftira lunch at Tal-Massar Winery, in a farmhouse setting that's quintessential Gozo.
The DoubleTree by Hilton in St. Paul's Bay sits on the waterfront with Mediterranean views from your room. The Kempinski San Lawrenz on Gozo is a five-star countryside retreat — the kind of property that justifies the trip on its own. Two contrasting bases, both walkable to where you need to be.
Many European walking tours price single supplements above $1,000. Ours is $436 — Malta's contract structure makes solo travel especially affordable, and the small-group atmosphere is built around travelers attending alone or with companions.
Download the full brochure with day-by-day details, pricing, and what's included.
Make your adventure even richer with these optional additions. Pre-nights and activities can be added at any time — before booking, during registration, or later via your trip advisor.
Available to add during registration or by emailing fun@walkingadventures.com.
Start by browsing our tour calendar and finding the adventure that fits your interests, dates, and walking level. There are two ways to secure your spot.
Pre-register first ($200 per person): express interest before full details are released. Your $200 pre-registration deposit is fully refundable until you accept your Priority Booking Invitation. Pre-registered travelers receive a Priority Booking Invitation with one week to register before remaining space opens to the general public.
When you convert your pre-registration to a full booking, the $200 applies toward the $500 booking deposit and becomes non-refundable (an additional $300 brings the total deposit to $500). If you register directly without pre-registering, the full $500 booking deposit is also non-refundable from the moment it’s paid.
For Malta & Gozo, the balance is split into two milestones: $500 per person is due about 180 days before departure (around August 6, 2026), and the final balance is due 90 days before departure (around November 4, 2026). Payments can be made online. Final payment is non-refundable and non-transferable.
You’ll receive reminders before each milestone. About 2–3 weeks before departure, you’ll receive a final email packet with hotel names, contact information, a list of fellow travelers, and a detailed daily schedule. All registrations are subject to our General Terms & Conditions. Questions? Call us at 360.260.9393 or email fun@walkingadventures.com.
Pre-registration ($200 per traveler): your pre-registration deposit is fully refundable any time before you accept a Priority Booking Invitation. Browse our 2027 Pre-Registration Terms for the full details.
Full registration (booking deposit): when you convert a pre-registration to a full booking, the $200 pre-registration deposit applies toward the $500 booking deposit and becomes non-refundable. If you register directly without pre-registering, the full $500 booking deposit is also non-refundable from the moment it's paid.
Balance payments: final payment is due before departure — your tour page lists the specific dates — and is non-refundable after the due date. We'll send you a reminder a week or two before each deadline so nothing sneaks up on you.
If WAI cancels the tour: If a tour doesn't reach the minimum number of participants needed to run, WAI may cancel the departure — and if that happens, you'll receive a full refund of everything you've paid. It's rare, but we want you to know where you stand. See our General Tour Conditions for complete cancellation and refund details.
Every WAI walk uses a two-part rating: a number (1–3) for incline and a letter(A–C) for terrain. Here’s what they look like:
Quick Reference
Each tour page also has a Tour Pace rating (1–5) and a Walk Challenge rating (1–5) that summarize the overall difficulty. Use these to compare tours at a glance — then check the day-by-day itinerary for the full picture.
You don't need to be an athlete. WAI tours range from gentle strolls through city streets to more adventurous walks on hills and trails — and most walking days offer a shorter or easier alternative so you can choose your level. If you enjoy walking regularly and can handle a couple of miles at a comfortable pace, you'll find tours that fit. More experienced walkers will find plenty to challenge them too. The best preparation is to walk regularly in the weeks before your trip, gradually building up distance. Every tour page shows walk-by-walk ratings so you can see exactly what's involved — and if you're unsure, give us a call. We love helping people find the right fit.
WAI groups are small by design — every group is kept intentionally small so you're never just a face in the crowd. Two WAI guides accompany every trip (plus local national guides on international tours), which means more personal attention, better access to local experiences, and the kind of camaraderie that turns fellow travelers into lasting friends. Check your tour page for specific group size details.
With help from local experts and walking guides, Classic Curated itineraries are crafted with extensive on-site planning by WAI tour planners. Our objective is to capture the essence of a destination by weaving together its culture, history, natural beauty, and culinary traditions into a walking-centric adventure. Think of it as a fully planned trip where each day is thoughtfully designed — not a self-guided hike, not a resort stay, but an immersive journey with a small group led by experienced WAI guides.
After you register, we'll send you an Adventure Advice email with everything you need to plan your trip — recommended flights, arrival airports, timing tips, and important steps to take before departure. One big thing: please don't buy your flights until you've seen this email. It'll save you headaches and help you find the best options. Closer to departure, you'll get a final packet with hotel details, a list of your fellow travelers, and a day-by-day schedule.
If a tour departure doesn't reach the minimum enrollment needed to run, WAI reserves the right to cancel it. If that happens, registered participants receive a 100% refund of all payments made to WAI. Most tours reach minimum enrollment well in advance, and cancellations are rare — but we want you to know we stand behind our commitment if it ever happens. In cases where supplier non-refundable deposits limit what WAI can recover, we'll do our best to apply unrecovered amounts as credit toward a future tour.
Our approach to wellness on tour encourages travelers to: focus on health before the tour so you start healthy; pace yourself while on tour, as travel is inherently stimulating and can mask energy drain; stay hydrated and rested, especially on long-haul travel days and at altitude; and speak up if you're not feeling well — our guides are trained to help and would rather know early. We travel in small groups where everyone looks out for each other, and our guides carry first aid supplies and know local medical resources at every stop. Read our full Wellness on Tour Policy for details.
We choose accommodations based on three things: convenience, comfort, and location. We are not a luxury tour operator, and we are not a budget one either. We are a comfort travel company.
That means properties where you can unpack and settle in, in locations that make sense for the next day’s walk. Sometimes that is a higher-end property because the place is simply too special to pass up. Other times, the most authentic way to experience a destination is in a more modest setting — and those stays often become the most memorable ones.
Every hotel is reviewed and approved by our guide team. After every tour, we survey our travelers to make sure our choices are landing right. If something misses the mark, it does not come back.
