Sicily and Malta is honestly somewhere I never thought I would visit… that is until EF Ultimate Break released their Sicily & Malta Getaway trip, dropped a great sale, and here I am.
I really enjoyed exploring this region of Europe, the food here is incredible, and you can’t beat all the wine and aperol spritz.
However, there are a few things I hope EF improves for future tours to make it better, specifically for Malta.
This EF Ultimate Break review has everything you need to know about the Sicily & Malta Getaway trip, including where you’ll stay, what activities you’ll do, and the itinerary.
(EF Ultimate Break trips are for anyone between 18 and 35!)
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Published: May 21, 2025
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My Trip to Sicily and Malta With EF Ultimate Break
Here are some quick facts about my trip, including when I went, my flight info, and how much I paid!
When: April 30 to May 9, 2025
Trip type: Essential
Flights: Not included (booked my own)
Price: $2,389 trip fee (no flights) + $280 optional activities + $179 travel protection
Savings: $1,000 sale discount + $300 REPEAT discount (Read more about EF Ultimate Promo Codes)
Total price: $1,548
Group size: 21 people (ages 18-35)
Sicily and Malta Getaway Itinerary
I thought the itinerary for Sicily and Malta had the perfect balance of scheduled activities, free time, and moving between cities. I think the Malta portion of the trip has room for improvement, and I HIGHLY recommend visiting Hagar Qim temples during your free time on day 8.
Below are the highlights from each day of my time on the Sicily & Malta Getaway trip.
This itinerary can change anytime, and the activities below were just what we did on my specific trip run.
*optional activities provided by EF Ultimate Break
Day 1: Fly to Italy
- Depart North America for an overnight flight
If you book your own flights, make sure you land on the right day, as EF’s itineraries have the flight days included. For this trip, you will land on Day 2.
Day 2: Arrive in Palermo, Sicily
- Land in Palermo (PMO)
- Welcome dinner w/ traditional Sicilian & Italian food
Day 3: Walking & Street Food Tour in Palermo + Optional Sicilian Farm Visit
- Walking/street food tour in Palermo
- Free afternoon
- Optional farm visit and wine tasting – Augustali Farm
Day 4: Travel to Taormina via Cefalu
- Check out of Palermo hostel
- Travel to Cefalu
- Four hours free time in Cefalu
- Travel to Taormina
- Check in to new hotel
- Free evening
Day 5: Free Day or Optional Mt. Etna Excursion
- Free morning
- Optional Mt. Etna excursion and wine tasting
- Free evening
Day 6: Tour and Explore Taormina
- Four hours free in Taormina
- Included cooking class – making arancino
- Guided tour of Taormina
- Free evening
Day 7: Travel to Malta via Syracuse
- Check out of hotel
- Travel to Syracuse
- Four hours free in Siracusa
- Travel to ferry port
- 7:00-8:45 pm ferry to Malta
- Check in to hostel in St. Julian’s
Day 8: Tour Mdina and Valletta, Malta
- Guided tours of Mdina and Valletta
- Free afternoon/evening
Day 9: Free Day or Optional Lagoon Cruise
- Optional cruise to Gozo and Comino
- Farewell dinner
Day 10: Leave Malta
- Fly out from MLA
- Land home in North America
EF Sicily & Malta Hotels
I thought the hotels/hostels on the essential run of the trip were all decent. I’ve stayed in (so many) hostels all over the world and EF puts you in nicer ones. Plus, having a hotel in the middle city helped to break up the hostels.
Hotels on my specific trip
- Ostello Bello Palermo – Palermo (Nights 2-3)
- Hotel Antares – Letojanni (Nights 4-6)
- Follow the Sun Boutique Hostel – St. Julian (Nights 7-9)
*Night 1 was an overnight flight from the US to Italy
Food in Sicily & Malta
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The food in Sicily includes all the Italian classics: pizza, pasta, gelato, wine, and spritzes. However, there are also some Sicilian foods like Aranchini, granita, and more that you will only find on the island! It’s all so good, so be sure to try a variety while you’re here 🙂
On the other hand, food in Malta is quite different. There is a HUGE variety of food here, but nothing too special. Rabbit is their national dish, and while it’s worth trying, it just tastes like chicken.
I wasn’t a fan of most of the Maltese food I tried. They cook all the meat here to be VERY well done. The best things imo are the Maltese pizza and pasta, which is unique enough from the food in Sicily to give you a taste of something new(ish).
Vegetarians + vegans: Vegetarian food and vegan food is quite easy to find in the two countries, and my tour director was even vegan. There was also someone with a dairy-restriction on my trip and she was always accommodated during meals and activities (like the cooking class).
Optional Add-on Activities
There are some optional activities that you can add on at checkout or before you depart at an additional cost:
- Sicilian Farm Visit, Wine Tasting & Picnic
- Mt Etna: Volcanos & Wine Tasting
- Lagoon Cruise & Snorkel in Malta
These activities cost extra and you can book them when you book the trip, or add them on in your account after you book.
Everyone on my tour did all three of the excursions. Personally, I loved the Sicilian Farm visit and the Lagoon Cruise the most, but I recommend booking all three of them!
Sicily & Malta Trip Types
Here are the options EF Ultimate offers for the Sicily & Malta trip (descriptions from efultimatebreak.com):
- EF Ultimate Plus: Stay in hotel-style accommodations, room with just one other person, and enjoy more included meals. Designed for friends, couples, or anyone that just values their me time, Plus combines an immersive itinerary with more space to unwind.
- Essential: The budget-friendliest way to explore the world. Bunk up with your travel BFFs in handpicked, shared accommodations with sweet common areas. Perfect for solo travelers and social butterflies.
I took the Essential trip, where I had 2-7 roommates each night. We had rooms of 5–6 in dorms in Palermo, rooms of 2-3 in Taormina, and dorms of 8 in St. Julian’s.
Overall Rating: 4/5
I really enjoyed exploring Sicily and Malta on this tour with EF Ultimate Break. Sicily has amazing food, drinks, coffee beaches, and vibes. Malta, a party hub with tons of different cuisines, is the perfect spot to end this trip.
If you are looking for a trip with a good itinerary and a decent amount of free time for beaches, shopping, and exploring Sicilian towns, this is the perfect trip for you. There is a good flow and number of places visited on this trip, but lots of free time as well.
I gave it a 4/5 because I think this is easily a trip you can plan on your own with a group of friends and save some money. I booked the essential trip, and if you don’t book during a sale or use any discount codes, it’s an expensive trip for eight nights in mostly hostels. (You could argue that you can do any group trip cheaper, but I think this one in particular seemed more than usual)
I also think they can greatly improve the Malta portion of the trip. I stayed four extra nights after the trip, and there are some much better places EF can visit on day 8 other than rushing through Valletta and Mdina. The arrival in Malta on day 7 is also way too late, and by the time we got off the ferry, got on a bus, and got to the hotel, it was hard to find anywhere open for dinner.
I also wasn’t a fan of a few of the tours, as they were either rushed or the scheduling wasn’t great, like in Taormina when we had pitchers of unlimited wine at the cooking class then had a 1.5 hour city tour.
However, I was on the first run of the trip, and I think EF will only improve it as more feedback comes in from this summer.
Packing Essentials for Sicily and Malta with EF Ultimate Break
In addition to your standard travel items (clothes, bathroom essentials, good shoes), here are some things I wouldn’t go back to Sicily and Malta without:
- Sunscreen**
- Handheld fan**
- Sunglasses**
- A light jacket for night time
- Motion sickness relief (pills, wristbands, etc.)
- A sarong or scarf to cover your knees and shoulders in churches
- Cash (Euros) – it’s easier to use cash at smaller restaurants and when paying the check at group meals since some places won’t split the check
- Sandals – great for beaches and showers at the hostels if you are on the essential trip
- Microfiber towel – bring to the beach and pools and it will dry super fast!
**Sicily and Malta were HOT at the beginning of May, and I can only imagine how bad it can get in July and August. Bring all the hot weather essentials!
For more of my travel must-haves, check out my Amazon page!
Frequently Asked Questions about Sicily & Malta
Leave a comment below or DM me on social media if you have any questions that aren’t answered below.
How is the water for swimming?
In early May, the water was cold, but if you just jump in, it’s tolerable! The best time to go swimming is in August or September, although it will be more crowded then too.
EF Ultimate Break Discount
For first-time EF Ultimate travelers, you can save $100 off any trip by booking here!
(or any of the links in this article. Code & discount are automatically applied at checkout. Reach out with questions or issues!)
If you’ve traveled with EF Ultimate before, use code REPEAT for up to $300 off your next trip.
EF also frequently runs sales throughout the year, with their biggest being in November for Black Friday.
Send me a DM on Instagram (or any other social media!) if you want details on their next sale!
Trips Similar to Sicily & Malta
If this trip sounds fun, check out some similar options that EF Ultimate offers:
- Ultimate Italy
- Southern Italy: Naples, Sorrento & Rome
- Taste of Italy: Tuscany & Umbria
- Rome, the Amalfi Coast & Greece
- Venice, Florence & Rome
- Rome: City Experience
- Florence: City Experience
- Italy, France & Spain
- Italy & the Greek Islands
Other Mediterranean trips with EF Ultimate Break:
- European Summer
- Ultimate Greek Islands
- Barcelona, Ibiza & Valencia
- The Greek Islands
- Greek Island Getaway: Ios & Santorini
- Greek Island Getaway: Crete & Santorini
- Mykonos: Island Escape
- Barcelona: City Experience
EF Ultimate Sicily and Malta Getaway Verdict
I really loved exploring Sicily and Malta with EF Ultimate Break, although I think the Malta portion of the trip can be improved, especially day 8. Overall, if you want a good mix of activities and free time in some of the cutest Mediterranean towns, filled with shopping, wine, and good food, this is the perfect trip for you.
Remember, you can save $100 off your first EF trip by booking here!
If you have any questions about traveling with EF, check out my FAQs which also includes EF Ultimate Break discounts.
Check out all my EF Ultimate Break trip reviews and guides here:
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