Colour my Travel

Colour my Travel is a walking tour company that has led visitors through Malta's historic towns since 2013. Its licensed local guides, easily spotted in yellow, take small groups through Valletta, Mdina and Rabat and the Three Cities, with a menu that runs from a tip-based introduction to the capital to food tours, ghost tours, film location walks and fully private days. It holds a Malta Tourism Authority licence.

For a UK visitor the appeal is the choice of depth. You can spend ninety minutes getting your bearings on a pay-what-you-feel walk, or a full three hours on the Complete Valletta tour, or book a private guide for a day. All of the tours run in English, and the company was the first in Malta to offer scheduled free and paid tours side by side. If you want background before you go, our Valletta guide is a useful companion.

The Original Valletta Free Walking Tour

The free tour is the company's signature, running since 2013. It lasts about ninety minutes and covers around 2 km at a relaxed pace, with frequent stops. The route takes in City Gate, the new Parliament building, the ruins of the Royal Opera House, the Church of Our Lady of Victory, the Upper Barrakka Gardens, the auberges of the Knights, St John's Co-Cathedral from the outside, the Grand Master's Palace, the Main Guard and the national library, ending at St George's Square.

The tour works on a pay-what-you-feel basis: there is no ticket price, and you tip your guide at the end according to what you thought of it. Booking ahead is strongly advised because places are limited and cruise season fills quickly. The guides blend history, architecture, humour and practical local tips on where to eat and drink afterwards, which makes it a good first stop whether you are in Malta for a few hours or a few days. The site shows departures on Saturdays at 10:00 and Wednesdays at 17:00. Children join free of charge with an adult, comfortable shoes are recommended for cobbles and gentle slopes, and most of the route is accessible although there is some uneven paving. Itineraries can change when events take place in the city. You can read more about the Upper Barrakka Gardens before you go.

The Complete Valletta Walking Tour

For more depth, the Complete Valletta Walking Tour lasts three hours for €22 per person, with a short comfort break roughly halfway. It is a small group walk led by a licensed guide through Republic Street, Merchant Street, the auberges of the Knights, St George's Square, the outside of the Grand Master's Palace, the new Parliament building, historic churches, hidden alleys and viewpoints over the Grand Harbour. It covers 2 to 3 km and is rated easy to moderate. The difference from the free tour is mainly depth: the paid tour has a fixed price, more historical detail and smaller groups, and it explores quieter districts and viewpoints that the shorter walk does not reach.

The tour is outdoors and does not include entry to St John's Co-Cathedral, though the guide explains its history and suggests how to visit afterwards. If you want to go inside, see our guide to St John's Co-Cathedral. The walk goes ahead in most weather, so dress for the forecast, and bring a hat and water in summer or a jacket between November and March, when the coastal wind can feel cold. Our Malta weather guide explains the seasons in more detail. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before the start.

Mdina, Rabat and the Three Cities

The Mdina and Rabat Walking Tour lasts about two and a half hours for €25 and includes entry to St Paul's Catacombs, the Second World War shelters and St Paul's Grotto. The guide takes you through the old capital's lanes, past its palaces, cathedral, fortifications and Greeks Gate, then into Rabat for the underground sites. Expect stairs and some narrow passages below ground, so the tour is not fully wheelchair accessible. Mdina is inland, so cruise guests need a taxi, bus or private transfer from Valletta. Read more in our Mdina guide.

The storyline behind the walk spans about 4,000 years. Mdina has been known as the Notable City and the Silent City, hosted the Apostle Paul, and outlasted invasions and earthquakes as Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Turks, Knights and the British each left their mark. Very few people live within its walls and traffic is restricted, which is why the lanes feel so peaceful. The guide aims to take you through the major milestones in order, with stories that rarely make it into guidebooks and suggestions for exploring the surrounding area afterwards.

The Three Cities Walking Tour includes entrance to the Inquisitor's Palace in Birgu and explores the oldest of the cities across the Grand Harbour from Valletta. You can read about the area in our Three Cities guide and the Vittoriosa guide. For something with a different flavour there is also the Mdina Film Tour, a 1.5 hour walk through filming locations from Game of Thrones.

Food tours and ghost tours

The Valletta Food Tour, priced at €50, is billed as eating like a local. It samples traditional Maltese foods and visits local eateries and markets, with pastizzi among the specialities, and works well in place of a lunch.

After dark, the ghost tours explore Birgu, Mdina and Valletta through lamplit alleys, telling stories of executions, plagues and disappearances at the places where they happened. Some is documented history and some is folklore. The Birgu Ghost Tour lasts two hours and costs €18, and there are also Mdina and South Valletta ghost tours, the latter the second instalment of the Ghosts of Valletta series. A light jacket is useful on cool evenings.

Private tours and team building

A private tour puts the day in your hands, with your own licensed guide, no fixed schedule and a route shaped around your interests and pace. Options include private Valletta, Mdina and Rabat, food, ghost and Second World War tours, a private Birgu and Three Cities walk, a four hour custom half day suited to cruise shore excursions, and an eight hour custom full day. There is also an adults only private gossip tour for ages 16 and over, which tells the scandalous history of the Knights.

Companies can book team building versions of the gossip, food and ghost tours, designed for expats and locals alike and shaped around group size and goals. These suit welcome days for new starters or a reward for a team. The Knights of Malta history page gives some background to the stories you will hear.

The guides and planning your visit

The tours are led by licensed local guides, and the site introduces several of them. Dylan is a full-time history teacher with a Masters in Maltese Studies who has guided with the company for seven years. Matthew is a former British Army soldier who has worked full time with the company for ten years. Giulia is an art history graduate and editor, Alizea has a particular interest in dark tourism, and Matteo has a background in history and gaming commentary.

Arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the start, as tours begin promptly and cannot wait, and refunds are not available for late arrivals. Look for the yellow umbrella and the guide in the yellow shirt. If you are choosing where to sleep, browse hotels in Valletta, or see our pages on things to do in Malta to build the rest of your trip. You can also compare other operators in the directory of tour operators in Malta.

To ask about dates, a private tour or a team event, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Colour my Travel.