# Day trips from Malta

> Day-trip range from Malta means Sicily only, via Virtu Ferries' fast catamaran Malta-Pozzallo (~1h45, multiple sailings/day, first ~07:00-07:30, last return from Pozzallo typically ~19:30-20:00) with a rental car for onward driving, or the Ryanair/KM Malta Airlines MLA-Catania flight (~50 min, several times daily in summer, last CTA-MLA departures run as late as ~22:00-23:50). Virtu Ferries no longer runs a direct boat to Catania - it's Pozzallo ferry plus their own organised coach transfer, so flying is the realistic route into Catania/Taormina/central Sicily. Crucial trap: because the last Pozzallo-Malta sailing is only ~19:30-20:00, the ferry route cannot get you home the same night from any evening concert or festival anywhere in Sicily - it only works for daytime outings (sailing starts, sand-art festivals, historic pageants) where you're back on the quay by early evening. Evening events (nearly everything at Teatro Antico di Taormina, Villa Bellini in Catania, or Piazza Duomo in Noto) require flying MLA-CTA and back, and even then it's tight for anywhere beyond Catania itself. Gozo and Comino are part of Malta and excluded.

Canonical: https://rockhopping.com/malta/day-trips  
Source: Rockhopping (rockhopping.com) — a what’s-on guide for 55 island and low-tax jurisdictions.

- **Regata Velica Internazionale Siracusa-Malta (start)** — Porto Grande, Siracusa (Ortigia), Sicily, IT · 2026-07-10 to 2026-07-12 · ~2h40 via ferry+drive, or ~1h50 via flight+drive each way
  One of the Mediterranean's oldest offshore races (110nm Siracusa-Malta) - a nice full-circle day trip for Malta residents to watch the fleet that finishes on their own doorstep set off from Sicily
  Getting there: Ferry Malta-Pozzallo (~1h45), then ~55 min drive/taxi to Siracusa; or MLA-CTA flight (~50 min) plus ~1h drive to Siracusa
  https://www.regatasiracusamalta.it/
- **Insabbiata - Ispica sand-art & food festival** — Piazza Sant'Antonio Abate, Ispica, Sicily, IT · 2026-07-15 to 2026-07-19 · ~2h10 each way
  The piazza in front of Sant'Antonio Abate is turned into a giant coloured sand-petal 'carpet' by local artists, with food stalls, exhibitions and live shows around it - a low-key, easy-access Baroque-town day out
  Getting there: Ferry Malta-Pozzallo (~1h45), then a short ~20-25 min drive/taxi to Ispica
  https://www.enjoysicilia.it/it/events/insabbiata-ispica/
- **Catania Summer Fest - Giorgia at Villa Bellini** — Villa Bellini (Piazzale delle Carrozze), Catania, Sicily, IT · 2026-07-28 · ~1h15 each way
  Catania's Villa Bellini becomes an 8,000-seat open-air arena all summer (Loredana Berte, Moda, Tommaso Paradiso, Emma, Blanco, Caparezza, Salmo and Negramaro also feature across July-August) - Giorgia on 28 July is one of the strongest single dates for an evening out in Sicily's biggest eastern city
  Getting there: MLA-CTA flight (~50 min), then ~20-25 min taxi/bus into central Catania (Villa Bellini is close to the airport side of town)
  https://catania.liveuniversity.it/2026/06/24/concerti-villa-bellini-catania-2026-calendario/
- **Ortigia Sound System festival** — Arena Maniace, Ortigia, Siracusa, Sicily, IT · 2026-07-31 to 2026-08-01 · ~2h40 via ferry, ~1h50 via flight each way
  One of Sicily's best-regarded electronic/world-music festivals, set on the small island of Ortigia with a strong international line-up each summer - worth the overnight if you like a proper night out, honestly flagged here as not a same-day option
  Getting there: Ferry Malta-Pozzallo (~1h45) plus ~55 min drive to Siracusa, or MLA-CTA flight plus ~1h drive
  https://www.instagram.com/p/DMxEQOmt3Vx/
- **Taormina Arte Sicilia - Pooh at Teatro Antico** — Teatro Antico di Taormina, Sicily, IT · 2026-08-24 to 2026-08-25 · ~2h05-2h10 each way
  A Roman-Greek theatre with Etna as a backdrop is one of the most spectacular concert settings in Europe; the reunited Pooh over two nights is a strong, nostalgia-driven anchor for the 2026 season
  Getting there: MLA-CTA flight (~50 min) then ~1h15-1h20 drive/transfer up to Taormina
  https://www.vaitaormina.com/eventi/
- **Noto Estate - Ermal Meta at Piazza Municipio** — Piazza Municipio (Scalinata della Cattedrale), Noto, Sicily, IT · 2026-08-08 · ~2h20 via ferry, ~2h via flight each way
  One of Sicily's most beautiful Baroque piazzas as a concert backdrop, plus a chance to explore Noto's honey-coloured old town by day
  Getting there: Ferry Malta-Pozzallo (~1h45) then a short ~35-40 min drive to Noto; or MLA-CTA flight plus ~1h10 drive
  https://siracusapress.it/spettacolo/noto-piazza-municipio-diventa-palcoscenico-deccezione-da-ermal-meta-a-paolo-crepet/
- **Palio dei Normanni** — Piano Sant'Ippolito, Piazza Armerina, Sicily, IT · 2026-08-12 to 2026-08-14 · ~3h45 via ferry, ~2h via flight each way
  A genuine medieval joust between costumed knights representing the city's four historic quarters, in a town best known for the Villa Romana del Casale mosaics - a very different flavour of day out from the coastal/concert options
  Getting there: Ferry Malta-Pozzallo (~1h45) then ~2h drive to Piazza Armerina (central Sicily); or MLA-CTA flight (~50 min) plus ~1h10 drive
  https://www.piazzaarmerina.org/agenda-eventi/palio-dei-normanni