Things to Do With Friends in Malta: 20 Plans With Costs (2026)

Short answer: the best things to do with friends in Malta are cheap and close together: a sunset at Dingli Cliffs, a Sunday walk, a ferry hop from Sliema to Valletta (€3.00), a day in Gozo (€4.65 return on foot), bowling at The Eden (€9.95 each), bouldering in Qormi, a padel game split four ways, or a historical re-enactment at Fort St Elmo (€10). Below are 20 worked-out plans, each with where it is, what it costs, who usually pays, how long it takes and how to get there, plus three invite messages you can copy.

Every price here was checked on the operator’s own page in October 2026. Where an operator doesn’t publish a fixed price, I say so instead of guessing. One honest note before we start: in Malta, the plan itself is rarely the hard part. Getting five people to agree on a time, a meeting point and how to split the bill is. That’s what the “who pays” line on each card is for.

How the plan cards work

Each plan has the same six lines:

• What and where: the plan and the place.
• Cost: per person, in euros, checked October 2026.
• Who pays: a suggestion. Free, split (one bill divided equally), pay your own, or host pays (whoever organises covers something small, like snacks).
• How long: realistic time, including getting there.
• Getting there: bus, ferry or walking. A single day-route bus ticket is €2.00 in winter and €2.50 in summer, per Malta Public Transport.

Free and nearly free plans

1. Sunset at Dingli Cliffs

• What and where: watch the sun go down from the dramatic cliffs on the west coast near Dingli.
• Cost: free, plus your bus fare.
• Who pays: free; host pays for snacks if you want to be generous.
• How long: 2–3 hours with travel.
• Getting there: bus to Dingli, then a walk to the cliff edge. Check the last bus back in the tallinja app.

Bring a jacket outside summer: it’s windy up there. Stay back from the edge, which has no railings in many places.

2. Sliema promenade walk and the ferry to Valletta

• What and where: walk the seafront from St Julian’s to the Sliema ferry landing, then cross to Valletta by boat.
• Cost: €3.00 adult single by day, €3.50 at night (from 19:30), per Valletta Ferry Services.
• Who pays: pay your own.
• How long: 1–2 hours.
• Getting there: buses run along the coast road. The summer ferry timetable runs to 31 October; from 1 November, last sailings are much earlier.

3. A Valletta evening wander

• What and where: Upper Barrakka Gardens for the harbour view, down through the side streets, Strait Street, then a drink.
• Cost: free to walk; drinks extra.
• Who pays: pay your own, or one round each.
• How long: 2–3 hours.
• Getting there: Valletta is the bus hub, so this is the easiest plan for a group coming from different towns.

4. A Sunday group walk

• What and where: join a walk organised by the Ramblers’ Association of Malta. Its October 2026 programme includes Miżieb (Sunday 18 October, 09:30, from the Simar Nature Reserve) and Żabbar and Cottonera (Sunday 25 October, 09:00).
• Cost: guests can try a walk; regulars join as members (see the walks programme).
• Who pays: pay your own (coffee after).
• How long: 2–3 hours of walking.
• Getting there: meeting points are often car parks. Share lifts and split fuel.

5. Watch a race or a regatta

• What and where: the Rolex Middle Sea Race starts from the Grand Harbour on Saturday 17 October 2026, first start at 11:00. Watch from Upper Barrakka Gardens or the Birgu waterfront.
• Cost: free.
• Who pays: free; split brunch afterwards.
• How long: a morning.
• Getting there: bus to Valletta and walk.

6. A beach afternoon out of season

• What and where: Għajn Tuffieħa or Golden Bay on the north-west coast. In October the sea is still warm and the crowds are gone.
• Cost: free (sunbed hire extra where available).
• Who pays: host pays for the picnic, or everyone brings something.
• How long: half a day.
• Getting there: buses run towards Golden Bay; Għajn Tuffieħa is down a long flight of steps.

7. A free dance social

• What and where: Barrio Latino in Sliema runs a bachata night on Tuesdays and a salsa night on Thursdays, from about 20:30 (per SalsaVida listings, checked October 2026).
• Cost: free entry; buy a drink.
• Who pays: pay your own.
• How long: 2–3 hours.
• Getting there: buses along the Sliema front; taxi home if you stay late.

8. A festa or a public event

• What and where: the festa season runs from late April to early October, and Carnival returns on 5–9 February 2027. In between, there’s the Malta Book Festival (4–8 November 2026, MFCC Ta’ Qali) and Christmas markets.
• Cost: mostly free; some events ticketed.
• Who pays: free or pay your own.
• How long: an evening.
• Getting there: see the Valletta cultural agenda for 2026–27 for winter dates, and check transport before you go.

Paid plans under €20

9. Bowling at The Eden

• What and where: SuperBowl at The Eden, St George’s Bay, St Julian’s. Fridays have “Disco Bowling”.
• Cost: €9.95 per adult, per The Eden’s bowling page.
• Who pays: pay your own, or loser buys the first round.
• How long: 1–2 hours.
• Getting there: buses to St Julian’s / Paceville. Its winter hours run until midnight or 01:00 depending on the day.

10. Cinema night

• What and where: Eden Cinemas, St George’s Bay, St Julian’s, then food nearby.
• Cost: check the cinema’s site for current prices and offers (it runs youth and special offers).
• Who pays: pay your own.
• How long: 3 hours with food.
• Getting there: same as bowling. It’s an easy combo on a rainy evening.

11. A historical re-enactment at Fort St Elmo

• What and where: Heritage Malta’s In Guardia, a military re-enactment in the Piazza d’Armi of Fort St Elmo, Valletta. 2026 Sundays: 18 and 25 October, 1 and 15 November, 6 and 13 December, at 11:00 (entrance from 10:00).
• Cost: €10 adults for the show, or €17 with Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum; €7.50 / €13 for seniors and students, per Heritage Malta.
• Who pays: pay your own.
• How long: 1 hour for the show; half a day with the museum.
• Getting there: walk from the Valletta bus terminus to the tip of the peninsula, about 15 minutes.

12. Bouldering for beginners

• What and where: Crashpad Climbing Centre, Qormi. Book the one-hour “Fresh Start” intro if nobody in the group has climbed before.
• Cost: day pass and class prices on crashpad.com.mt; it ran a first-visit three-for-two day-pass code when checked.
• Who pays: pay your own.
• How long: 2 hours.
• Getting there: bus to Qormi or share a car. Open weekdays 10:00–23:00, weekends 10:00–20:00.

13. A padel game

• What and where: book a court through Playtomic. Clubs listed there include 1Padel in Mosta (07:00–23:00), IK Padel in Gżira and Salini, and Padair in Luqa.
• Cost: court price varies by club and time slot; divide by four.
• Who pays: split, always. Padel is the most naturally “split” plan on this list.
• How long: 60–90 minutes of play.
• Getting there: depends on the club; most have parking.

14. La Sociale on a Saturday

• What and where: a Latin dance social at the Barceló Fortina, Sliema, with a workshop at 20:30 first.
• Cost: €10 (SalsaVida listing, checked October 2026).
• Who pays: pay your own.
• How long: an evening.
• Getting there: bus along the Sliema front, taxi home.

15. A language exchange as a group

• What and where: go together to English Café Malta’s Talk Time, an English conversation evening on Tuesdays in the Sliema and St Julian’s area, listed on Meetup.
• Cost: €7.00 at the door (Meetup listing, checked October 2026).
• Who pays: pay your own.
• How long: 2 hours.
• Getting there: central venues near bus routes; check the venue on the event listing.

Day trips and bigger plans

16. A day in Gozo

• What and where: ferry from Ċirkewwa to Mġarr, then buses or a hired car around Gozo: the Citadel in Victoria, Xlendi, Ramla Bay, Dwejra.
• Cost: €4.65 standard foot passenger fare, per Gozo Channel. Tickets are validated at the Gozo terminal on the way back, so you effectively pay once for the round trip. From November to March, a night fare of €4.05 applies leaving Mġarr after 20:00.
• Who pays: pay your own fare; split a car or taxi on the island.
• How long: a full day.
• Getting there: buses run to Ċirkewwa, but the trip from the south takes well over an hour. Leave early.

17. Comino and the Blue Lagoon

• What and where: a boat from Ċirkewwa or Marfa to Comino for the Blue Lagoon and a walk around the island.
• Cost: return boat tickets are sold by several operators at Ċirkewwa and online; prices vary by operator, so check before you go.
• Who pays: pay your own.
• How long: half a day to a full day.
• Getting there: bus to Ċirkewwa. Go outside July and August if you can: in peak summer the lagoon is packed.

18. A long group dinner

• What and where: a long table at Spinola Bay, in Sliema or in Valletta.
• Cost: depends on the restaurant; agree a rough budget in the invite.
• Who pays: split evenly, or pay your own if drinks vary a lot. Say which in the invite, not when the bill arrives.
• How long: 2–3 hours.
• Getting there: book a place on a bus route, and plan the night after with the Valletta nightlife guide.

19. A baroque concert in January

• What and where: the Valletta Baroque Festival, listed by Festivals Malta for 7–24 January 2027, in churches and palaces around Valletta.
• Cost: ticketed per concert.
• Who pays: pay your own, or host pays as a birthday present.
• How long: an evening with dinner.
• Getting there: walk from the Valletta terminus.

20. A group activity you’ve never tried

• What and where: pick something new, like a climbing intro, a walk or a dance class, and do it together for the first time.
• Cost: €0–€20 for most first sessions.
• Who pays: pay your own.
• How long: 2 hours.
• Getting there: varies.

Prices last checked October 2026 on the operators’ pages linked above.

How to organise a group plan in Malta

Keep the group the right size

Four to six people is the sweet spot. Padel needs exactly four; most restaurants can seat six without a fuss; and anything above eight needs a booking and a clear organiser.

Book what needs booking

Padel courts, popular restaurants at weekends, climbing intros, and In Guardia shows all fill up. Walks, beaches and the ferry don’t need booking.

Sort transport first

Distances in Malta are short, but buses can be slow and traffic is bad at rush hour. Pick a meeting point on a main bus route (Valletta terminus, Sliema ferry landing, St Julian’s), and check the last bus home before you set the start time. If someone drives, agree how fuel and parking are split.

Agree who pays before, not after

There are four honest options, and saying which one in the invite saves every awkward moment at the end:

• Free: walks, sunsets, beaches, festas.
• Split: one bill, divided equally. Good for padel, shared taxis, a picnic.
• Pay your own: everyone covers themselves. Best for dinners where some people drink and others don’t.
• Host pays: whoever organises covers something small, like snacks or the first round.

These four options happen to be the same ones a host picks when posting a plan on MeetNow, which is why we use them on every plan card on this site.

Copy-paste invite messages

For a free plan

“Sunset at Dingli Cliffs on Saturday? Meeting at the Dingli bus stop at 17:30, back by 20:00. It’s free, I’ll bring some snacks. Bring a jacket, it gets windy. Who’s in?”

For a split plan

“Padel on Thursday at 19:00, 1Padel Mosta. I’ll book the court and we split it four ways (I’ll send the exact amount once it’s booked). Need two more players, beginners welcome.”

For a pay-your-own plan

“Dinner at Spinola Bay on Friday, 20:00, table for six. Everyone pays their own. After that, whoever wants can go on to Paceville. Check your last bus before you come, so you know how you are getting home.”

Meeting new people on a plan

Group plans are also the easiest way to bring new people into your circle: a colleague, a flatmate’s friend, someone from your language class. If anyone in the group is meeting others for the first time, keep it simple:

Make the plan happen

The plan that happens is the one with a time, a meeting point and a clear answer to “who pays?”. Pick one card above, send one of the invites, and see who turns up.