The islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino bask in sunshine at the heart of the Mediterranean. They lie between Europe and Africa, between the Christian and Muslim worlds.

After an initial week-long exploratory visit, a month was spent checking 33 walks around the islands. This was more than enough, allowing one free day towards the end, which was used for a day-trip to the neighbouring island of Sicily.

Although the Maltese Islands are small, very built-up and densely populated, there are some open spaces and stunning cliff coastlines well worth exploring. The islands have been attacked, invaded and colonised for over 2000 years, so that fortifications abound, and the most substantial structures were those erected by the Knights of St John and the British military.

Walkers can enjoy plenty of history and heritage while exploring the islands, as well as marvelling at the flowers that bloom each spring. The Maltese Islands form a popular package destination and almost everyone speaks English.

The walks on Malta take in much of the coast, as well as the valleys and uplands, including several towns and villages. The walks on Gozo offer almost a complete coastal tour, as well as a gentle walk over the hills. The delightful little island of Comino comes last. The book includes 1:25,000 scale Maltese Government Maps of the islands, with the routes highlighted.

The second edition includes details of all the new bus routes around Malta and Gozo, and recent changes to routes and facilities. The third edition has been completely overhauled, with all the routes re-walked and all recent changes to bus routes mentioned.

GPX tracks are available for all the routes in this guidebook. They can be downloaded from the Cicerone website.