Since Malta is located in the middle of the amazing Mediterranean, it is blessed with Subtropical-Mediterranean climate. That translates to mild winter temperatures and warm to hot summers, meaning that travellers to beautiful Malta are welcomed with nice weather, whatever season they choose for their stay.
Summers are dry and warm, and your chances of “dancing in the rain” are therefore almost nonexistent. When it does rain, however, the Mediterranean occasionally witnesses sudden and even violent outpours. That is often the result of a thunder storm. As the normal Maltese July has 0 – 1 rainy days, umbrella is not a necessity here. As for the temperature, July and August have the hottest days, when the average temperature climbs to 31 – 32 °C (88 – 90 °F), and even the nights pamper you with soft warmth of about 23 °C (73 °F). As you probably have guessed by now, Malta has one of the highest amounts of sunshine in Europe with a total of 3,000 hours per year. That means round 5 hours of sun shine per day in the midst of the darkest winter and over 12 hours in July. And plenty of sun means that besides being able to get that beautiful tan on the beach, the sea is wonderfully warm as well. By August you can swim in 26 °C (79 °F) waves.
Winter in Malta is the warmest in Europe, as Valletta has an average temperature of 16 °C (61 °F) during the day, and even at night it seldom drops below 10 °C (50 °F). Most of the yearly rain drops fall between November and February, with December being the wettest. But even then you do not need to feel the sun has deserted you, as it smiles on the sky on average 5 hours a day. Relatively warm temperatures together with some rain mean Malta’s green areas maintain their beautiful colour even during the winter.
For those of you wishing to avoid hot days and burning sun, spring and autumn are the best seasons to enjoy Malta. The spring greets you with colours, and temperatures allow you to spend most of your days wandering around the Maltese islands. On the other hand, if you are anxious to spend most of your time with or under the waves, autumn is the best choice.
I don’t really know about a beautiful tan but I’d advise to wear a lot of sunscreen or your skin’s going to wrinkle like a mummy and eventually peel off… Been there done that, just do it. From personal experience though I would probably just avoid the hottest season altogether, but maybe that’s just me.
To avoid getting wrinkled, you could always try Malta in the winter! I traveled in December, mainly to avoid the tourist herds and the summer heat, and felt like a royal! There were no lines on the major sights, accommodation was really easy to find, and a lot cheaper, and locals just seemed to have more time and energy to deal with my needs in restaurants and shops. The nature remained beautifully lust and green and I even went swimming, although the sea was a bit on the cooler side.
And whoever said, you have to stay on the beach all day getting sunburns? Malta has so much to offer besides it’s great sea that it shouldn’t be too difficult to spend the hottest hours away from the sun, say in the museums. Or then choose either spring or autumn, when the lines are shorter and number of tourists a bit smaller, prices lower and sun less dangerous.
Since I am a great fan of the Maltese culture and basically go there to explore the historical sites, I have come to the conclusion that the best time to travel is during the winter months. The sun won’t be burning hot, nor will it rain excessively, so walking around, say, the Valletta old town is really pleasant. And no need to stress the fact, that during the winter the attractions are not crowded either!
So, Malta is the warmest spot in Europe but is there any risk of seeing snow flakes fall from the sky during the winter months, or is that a completely impossible scenario? Ierapetra is Crete is the southernmost town of Europe and thus closets to Africa,so it’s supposed to be warm all year around, but it got its share of cold weather and even snow this winter. It would be awkward having just clothing for warm days, and then get a freezing breeze on your body, wouldn’t like to risk catching a cold or something even worse.