While travelers rave about Spain's Balearic Islands, Malta—a cheaper, less crowded, architecturally stunning Mediterranean destination—gets dismissed as "meh" by travel forums. A repeat visitor is making the case for why Malta deserves a second look.
"I've searched a couple of threads on here and the amount of 'meh' comments about Malta as well as general dislike is shocking to me??" wrote a frustrated traveler on r/travel after their fourth visit to the island nation. "I feel like I'm in some parallel universe for real."
Their confusion is understandable. Malta offers many of the same appeals as more popular Mediterranean destinations—historic architecture, pleasant weather, beach access, affordable prices—without the overwhelming crowds and inflated costs.
The case for Malta:
It's not actually that dirty: Critics often call Malta "dirty and rundown," but the repeat visitor pushes back: "I've been all across Europe and I really, REALLY don't think Malta would make top 20 dirtiest places even. Compare Malta to some of the bigger Italian cities and it's not dirty at all."
Fair point. Anyone who's spent time in Naples or parts of Rome will recognize that Malta's cleanliness is actually above average for Mediterranean destinations.
Crowds are manageable: Yes, Valletta's main street gets packed. "It is like an ocean of people," the visitor admits. "But if you move anywhere outside of it, the crowd disperses. It's not even remotely close to the crowds in Spain and Italy."
