Sports in Malta - Malta Activities

With such an agreeable climate, there are a wide variety of land and sea sport facilities available on the Island. Malta’s largest sports centre (The Marsa Sports Club) is about 4 km (2.5 miles) south of Valletta and lists among its numerous features an 18-hole golf course, miniature golf, 18 tennis courts, 5 squash courts, cricket grounds and a swimming pool. Tourists can join the club on a weekly basis while they vacation in Malta. For golf, non-members are welcome and clubs can be rented at the facility.

Many of the hotel facilities often include tennis courts, squash courts, weight rooms and saunas. Most hotels also offer water sport facilities, including scuba diving, water skiing, windsurfing and sailing.

Horseback riding is a well-liked activity by the locals and horse racing is Malta’s prime spectator sport, with races held every Sunday, between October and May.

Maltese lawn bowling and tenpin bowling are very popular at the local level and one can play lawn bowling in most villages. Clay pigeon/skeet shooting is common, with competitive/practice shootings taking place on Sunday mornings.

The Malta Marathon is held at the end of February and attracts several long distance runners from around the world and the Malta Amateur Athletics Association also organises a great number of events such as road races, cross country races and track and field events.

Of course, water sports play a big role in the activity range on the Islands and equipment is available to rent at almost every major sandy beach or beach club.

Paragliding, windsurfing, wakeboarding, water skiing and scuba diving are all enjoyed by locals and tourists. Sailing regattas are held regularly between April and November, including the Comino Regatta in June, the Malta-Syracuse race for keelboats in July and the Rimini-Malta-Rimini Yacht race in August. Good facilities for boat rentals and yacht charters exist throughout the Island.

In addition, Malta boasts a wide selection of other sporting events sponsored by national associations, including judo, basketball, cycling, table tennis, hockey, water polo, wrestling, fencing and more.

Land Sports

Malta offers almost any sport under the sun. Choose from the high-energy to the low-octane; There is sports for experts and novices, so why not try something new?

For the spirit of adventure, there’s rock climbing, caving and paragliding.  For some family fun, try go-karting.  Organised clubs as well as more informal activity groups are there to welcome you whichever activity you choose.

Apart from regular outdoor activities like golf, tennis and horse riding, we’ve plenty of indoor options.  Pamper yourself in a deluxe health spa, get fit in the gym or challenge friends to an evening of snooker or bowling.

The climate, terrain and scenery are made for walking, cycling or touring by car.  Enjoy a leisurely ramble or join a jeep safari for a wilder, off-road view.  In Malta, a walk is never just a walk.  It’s a discovery of restless sea, unusual landscapes and timeless Mediterranean life.

Whatever you’re up to, the Islands are a stage set for your activities.  Baroque cities, medieval towns, rugged cliffs and prehistoric temples are memorable backdrops to your stay.

What to do & Where

Our interactive map shows you where to try a sport and who can help.

Want to compete? Or watch some sport?

Almost anything you could want to compete in, or for that matter watch, happens here.  We’ve a full calendar of sports from triathlons, marathons and cycling to archery and bridge. The Islands run annual and one-off events. There are regulars like the football and horse racing seasons as well as tennis competitions and world-class snooker championships.  Check our Events Calendar for events during your stay.

Sea Sports

The sea has coloured our history and it colours any visit to the Islands.  It is sensuous in summer and restless in winter, and always great to be by, in or on.  Here are a few ideas on enjoying some of the clearest, warmest waters in the Mediterranean.

The simplest is to relax on the beach. Explore a little from the main resorts and discover sandy coves and rocky inlets almost deserted, even in high summer.  Malta and Gozo’s beaches are largely untouched by development.  Many beaches offer watersports from windsurfing to sea-kayaking and jet ski hire.  The more adventurous can try water skiing, wakeboarding, or paragliding.

Use our interactive map to see where the beaches and bays in the Maltese Islands are.

The Islands are also a paradise for divers . The sea is warm all year and offer excellent visibility.  Seek out unusual underwater inhabitants in the sunken wrecks of Malta’s maritime past.  But you only need a snorkel to enter some secrets of the water world.

The Islands are superb for sailing.  Come in October and see the exciting Middle Sea Race.  Schools offer lessons for the active while harbour cruises are ideal for those who prefer to relax on board.

The winter season is also perfect for enjoying the sea.  Stroll along beaches or hike along cliff tops, and for some of the best vistas and winter wave drama, visit the coast at Dwerja , Gozo.

Want to compete?  Want to watch?

You can never predict the sea, so it makes for some tough competition and thrilling spectator sports.  There are plenty of opportunities to test yourself against elements and other competitors.  Check our events calendar for some sports highlights.

Winter Training

Malta’s climate lends itself to all-year-round water sports. The Islands host teams seeking a dedicated, but relaxed, training location.  Swimmers can train at the Olympic size National Pool.  For info on who can help and where to train, use our interactive map.

Diving

The Maltese Islands’ clear blue Mediterranean sea is ideal for scuba diving and is highly accessible by relatively every area of the Islands. All three Islands offer excellently unique diving experiences with reefs, caves and wrecks to make the dive one of the most interesting ones in the Mediterranean.

The calmness of the sea makes for excellent visibility and the wildlife danger risk is extremely low, creating an ultimate location for first time divers and beginners. For the more experienced divers, there are various sites that include archaeological artefacts, some from WWII, some even dating back to the Roman era.

The depths of the dives vary, from the very shallow 12-metre Ghar Lapsi dive to Lantern Point, which takes divers to an underwater tunnel that leads down well over 50 metres.

There are several types of scuba diving courses & scuba diving activities offered by locally licensed diving schools. Divers need to complete a medical statement form prior to any diving indicating fitness to dive. All schools provide the service of a doctor and the price for such a service rarely exceeds €5. Medicals from other countries are acceptable, provided the diving centre is presented with a copy.

Divers who wish to dive without accompaniment are required to have a buddy as well as to present a PADI Advanced Open Water or equivalent certification by other agencies (e.g. CMAS Two Star Diver, BSAC Sport Diver, SSI Advanced Open Water, etc). It is always recommended to check with the diving centre as to where would be suitable to dive, depending on weather conditions and experience.

Depending on the school, rates for initial open water courses vary from €280 - €360. Single dives arranged by the school for experienced divers range from €23 – €35. Gear for a single dive ranges from €8 - €12.

Cycling

Cycling is considered as one of the best mode of transport in environmental, economical, and health terms. It also provides the freedom and hassle free elements to enjoy one's holiday wherever that might happen to be. The islands of Malta and Gozo, both relatively small islands can be easily enjoyed by bicycle. The landscape offers spectacular views seen for spots that are more easily reached by bike than by a car.

What better way to experience the tranquilly and serene feeling of the narrow village streets! Cycling through the Maltese narrow countryside lanes between rubble walls makes one really and truly feel in synchronisation with nature. Combine it with stops at historical and cultural places of interest on the route, and you have the best combination of a healthy, sporty and relaxed holiday. Distances between towns and villages are very short, and are reached with no effort at all.

The islands of both Malta and Gozo offer unique opportunities to experience a days out cycling with a difference. The landscapes changes with every twist and turn, cycling through the undulation gentle slopes, often with country views and sea views on both side of the cycling route.

Cycling in the Maltese islands as leisurely or sporty activity is on the increase for both the young and the not so young. Shops catering for the needs of cyclist can be found in main towns. They offer rentals and repair service, as well as organised tours for groups.