Please recommend an excursion to do in Malta

[Gardenbumblebee]

Off for a week in Malta in a fortnight. It will be me and 2 dc. Youngest is autistic so most of the holiday will be playing in the pool or at the beach. We're staying close to the bird sanctuary and the aquarium so will be visiting those. I want to do one big excursion while we are there but can't decide what to do. A boat trip to Gozo or the Blue lagoon looks amazing but my youngest can't swim and I'm not the most confident in the water, so anything that involves jumping off a boat and swimming ashore is out. Is there a boat tour that simply takes you around then back again? Wandering around towns or busy places is out, but they do love parks/nature. Popeye village is a definite no! Any recommendations of places to eat also very much appreciated.

I loved the silent city medina. It truly is silent.

No shops. Just beautiful medieval buildings. It's was like stepping into game of thrones It was very peaceful and quiet when I went but that was early July early evening.

Boat trips tend to be packed to the brim too so maybe get a taxi to a nice spot.

Gozo is a good shout but I honestly don't know how busy that will be getting there.

The silent city sounds perfect! I might just set up camp there 😂

The open top buses are really good - there two different routes and they take you all over the island (including Mdina) and you can just hop on and off. I think you can also buy a ticket that includes the Harbour Cruise - this takes about an hour and takes you round the main Valletta harbour. You’ll see the fancy yachts and the working docks. You don’t get off or swim, just sightseeing. We did the Blue Lagoon trip last October and is was absolutely RAMMED. I can’t imagine what it would be like in August. Enjoy!

By the way, most of the beaches are rock so not great for playing on. We spent a day at Golden Bay which is sandy and that was great. You can get a bus there.

We went to the Blue Lagoon and my friend swam but I didn't. To be honest there isn't much else to do there apart from have a quick wander round the island so I wouldn't really recommend it.

I'd consider a trip to the Neolithic temples. There wasn't too much to read so it was mainly just wandering around being amazed that such massive structures had been built so long ago.

heritagemalta.mt/explore/hagar-qim-and-mnajdra-archaeological-park/

Yes this, the temples were really interesting. The Tarxien temples near the Hypogeum, also heritage Malta run, are more accessible in that too they have walkways with ramps and stuff rather than just walking on uneven ground. The Hypogeum itself is breathtaking, but the kids are too young, minimum age is at least 6. I wouldn't go to the Blue lagoon, nothing to do except swimming.

We did a round the island boat trip with Hera Cruises: https://heracruises.com

There was one stop for swimming in a quiet bay and then another at the Blue Lagoon. You didn’t have to swim (my husband didn’t) and neither stop was overly long - the first stop also included the lunch on the boat.

It was good seeing the whole of the island but did make for a long day.

The blue lagoon is horrendously crowded, full of burger vans and deck chairs balanced on rocks - avoid !