Malta Photo Spots
Malta is an archipelago and island country located in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and the North African coast. Steeped in rich history, it’s also one of the most beautiful places in Southern Europe. Trust us! You won’t want to miss these photo ops. 😮📸 Here at Flytographer, we connect people with trusted photographers for fun photo shoots—we’ve captured over three million memories worldwide! Today, we asked our local photographers to create a travel guide of all the very best places to take photos in Malta.
TLDR
(A little sneak peek just for you 😊)
- Hastings Gardens: Situated in the capital city of Valletta, this garden offers a panoramic view of the city and its surrounding waterfronts.
- Old Town Valletta: Explore the steep streets of Valletta, filled with stunning architecture and Maltese cuisine.
- Marsamxett Harbour: Marsamxett Harbour, together with the Grand Harbour, creates the largest natural harbour in Europe. It’s beautiful at sunset! 🌅 😍
- The Three Cities: This area is filled with historic bastions, churches, palaces, beautiful views of Valletta, and plenty of waterfront strolls.
- Mdina: Referred to as “the silent city,” Mdina is an ancient, magical walled city full of both medieval and Baroque architecture.
Let’s dig into these breathtaking photo opportunities!
Photo: Darren in Malta for Flytographer. Patty and family capture memories in Malta with a family photoshoot on Strait Street.
1. Hastings Gardens
If peace, quiet, and stunning views are your thing, don’t miss Hastings Gardens in Valletta, Malta’s capital city. Hastings Gardens is a public garden located on top of St. John’s and St. Michael’s Bastions, and it offers a panoramic view of the surrounding city. From the top, you can see the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, along with Floriana, Msida, Sliema, and Manoel Island, broken up by gorgeous blue water.
Definitely one of the top Instagram spots thanks to its wonderful architecture, monuments, sand-coloured stone, and incredible views, this is not a photo opportunity to be missed! 📸
Photo: Darren in Malta for Flytographer. Trevor and partner celebrate a proposal in Malta with a proposal photoshoot.
2. Old Town Valletta
Valletta is the southernmost capital of Europe and, at just 0.61 square kilometres, the European Union’s smallest capital city. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Built on a hill, many of Valletta’s streets are steep, narrow, and meant for pedestrians only. 🏃🏻♀️🚶🏼🚶🏾🏃🏽♂️🚶🏻♂️But don’t worry, most come with stairs and ramps that lead straight down to the picturesque waterfront.
If all those stairs sound intimidating, never fear; lining the streets are several bars and delicious restaurants serving up authentic Maltese cuisine, where you can fortify yourself and take group photos with friends and family. 🍝🥧🫒🥐🧀🐟
And while you’re out huffing and puffing on those steep streets, don’t forget to look up! Many of the houses you pass feature balconies of dark and pastel green, cornflower blue, bright yellow and red, and other beautiful colours that stretch around corners and across cobblestone streets. It seriously looks like a film set—the ideal backdrop for your photos!
In the city centre, you can find Baroque-style palaces and government buildings, along with old-fashioned door knockers and archways. Keep your camera at the ready!
Photo: Darren in Malta for Flytographer. Bethany and partner celebrate a babymoon in Malta with a babymoon photoshoot.
3. Marsamxett Harbour
Marsamxett Harbour rests on the north-west side of Valletta. Its calm turquoise waters, along with major creeks like Sliema, Msida, and Lazzaretto, provide calm mooring for boats. Separated from the Grand Harbour by the Valletta peninsula, the two inlets make up the largest natural harbour in Europe. ⛵️
Marsamxett Harbour is one of the most Instagrammable spots and one of the best places to take photos in Malta, and it looks particularly glorious at sunset. 🌅
If you want to get out on the water, a ferry runs between Valletta and Sliema every week, and if you want to get in the water, check out St. Elmo Bay on the northeastern side of Valletta. But if you’ve got swimming on your mind, go in the summer, as it can get a bit cold and rainy in the winter.
In the centre of the harbour is Manoel Island, where you can find the Baroque 18th-century Fort Manoel as well as a duck sanctuary called “Duck Village,” where you can feed (and photograph) ducks! 🦆🦆
Photo: Darren in Malta for Flytographer. Carly and partner capture memories in Malta with a couples photoshoot.
Look amazing in photos
Get 50+ insider tips on how to prepare, what to wear, and easy posing ideas for your next photo shoot!
4. The Three Cities
Across the Grand Harbour, you can find the historic and incredibly photogenic Three Cities: Vittoriosa, Senglea, and Cospicua. It’s a chiller part of Malta, with stone-paved residential neighbourhoods. But that’s not all; the Three Cities are full of historic bastions, churches, palaces, beautiful views of Valletta, and all the waterfront strolls you can handle.
If the hunger pangs strike (and they will!), grab a table along the waterfront and try local Maltese dishes like fresh seafood, pastizzi (savory cheese or pea cakes), and Malta’s celebrated national dish, Stuffat tal-Fenek (rabbit stew). 🥘
Photo: Darren in Malta for Flytographer. Jen and partner celebrate an anniversary in Malta with an anniversary photoshoot at The Three Cities.
5. Mdina
Lit by lamps at night and commonly referred to as “the silent city,” Mdina is an ancient walled city made up of both medieval and Baroque architecture, giving it a magical and timeless atmosphere.
Pretty much everything is supremely Instagrammable here, from the Mdina gate to St. John’s Cathedral to extraordinary palaces to archaeological, historical, and religious sites like catacombs, The Roman Villa (Domus Romana), and St. Paul’s Grotto, where the apostle St. Paul is said to have lived after being shipwrecked in 60 A.D.
With history tracing back over 4000 years, Mdina is not a spot to be missed on your trip to Malta!
Photo: Darren in Malta for Flytographer. Shaun and partner celebrate a proposal in Malta with a proposal photoshoot at Mdina.
Capturing Memories in Malta
This city is filled with hidden gems, so it was tough to limit ourselves to just 5 places to take photos in Malta. If you plan to visit Malta for a longer stay, we also recommend these Insta-ready photography spots.
The Blue Grotto holds absolutely gorgeous views along the coast of Malta. On your way there, make a pit stop at the Dingli Cliffs, which are only 13 kilometres from Valletta.
And if you have time for day trips, check out Comino Island, located between Malta and Gozo, which is only a boat ride away. There you’ll find the Blue Lagoon, which looks absolutely stunning in photos.
Flytographer pairs you with professional travel photographers all over the word. We have a long list of talented Malta photographers, as well as photographers nearby in the south of Italy. In a previous post, we shared our Top 5 Places to Take Photos in Bari—Italy’s gateway for Mediterranean adventures.
“Darren was the definition of perfect. I was a little unsure of everything at first but he always answered any questions I had. He also recommended additional locations that weren’t originally suggested that were beautiful. He was there on time and offered to answer any questions we had about Malta for the rest of our trip. If I could give him a 6* rating I would. I highly recommend him for any occasion!”
Trevor
“Darren was wonderful to work with. He suggested such a unique and stunning location for our photos, and he was incredibly friendly and easy to work with. I appreciated that he didn’t over-direct us and was open to a couple of requests, but he offered enough feedback to get some really great shots. This was our first Flytographer experience, and it is definitely a must-do for all of our travels moving forward–what an incredible addition to an incredible trip! We cannot recommend Darren enough!”
Carly
“We are from the US and our travel agent helped us find Darren. Best decision we could have made. He met us in Valletta, Malta and we did not just stay in one location. He knew the best places to go to get great photos. He was kind and personable and spoke great English. Highly recommend.”
Patty
