Pilgrimage to Malta — the island of St Paul
This is where the ship carrying Paul to Rome ran aground, and where he spent three months. Malta has been Christian since the first century — and the whole island fits inside an hour’s drive.
Around the year 60 the ship carrying the prisoner Paul to Rome struck a Maltese sandbank. The survivors wintered on the island, Paul healed the father of Publius, and the island took the faith and never let it go. For a group that means something rare: a pilgrimage in the footsteps of the Apostle that needs no long transfers, because Malta is forty kilometres end to end.
The day begins with Mass and ends with a view of the sea. We arrange Masses in the pilgrimage churches — the church and the hour are confirmed with your quotation, because Maltese parishes keep a crowded calendar of their own. The priest travelling with the group has a room and everything needed to celebrate.
Where we take pilgrimage groups
All within reach of one coach and one week.
The Grotto of St Paul
The cave beneath St Paul’s church where tradition holds the Apostle lived during his stay. Popes have prayed here — John Paul II in 1990.
St Paul’s Catacombs
The largest complex of early Christian catacombs in Malta — evidence of a community already living here in the third century.
The Rotunda and the 1942 miracle
On 9 April 1942 a German bomb pierced the dome and fell into a church full of people — and did not explode. A replica lies in the sacristy today.
Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary
Malta’s national Marian shrine and the site of the 1883 apparition. The walls of the side chapel are covered with votive offerings for prayers answered.
Sanctuary of Our Lady
One of the oldest places of Marian devotion on the island, with a fresco ascribed by tradition to St Luke.
St John’s Co-Cathedral
The baroque interior of the Knights of Malta and Caravaggio’s Beheading of Saint John the Baptist — the only painting the artist signed.
Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck
The church that houses relics of the Apostle — one of the most important pilgrimage places on the island.
St Paul’s Islands
Traditionally identified as the point of the shipwreck, with a statue of the Apostle visible from the shore — minutes from our hotel.
Feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck
A national holiday and a procession through Valletta. A date for groups who want to share it with the Maltese — and, incidentally, out of season and cheaper.
The pilgrimage programme — eight days
Our established pilgrimage itinerary. Dates and times are set around your flights, and days can be re-ordered or swapped to suit the parish calendar and the group’s stamina.
POLAND – MALTA
Meeting at the airport, Holy Mass, check-in and baggage drop-off. Flight to Malta, transfer to the hotel and check-in. Free time if the arrival hour allows. Dinner and overnight stay.
THE THREE CITIES – SOUTHERN MALTA
After breakfast we visit the famous Three Cities. We begin at Senglea and its panoramic terrace over the Grand Harbour — a great harbour already in use in Phoenician and Roman times.
Then we walk through Birgu, also known as Vittoriosa. Once a fishing village at the foot of the Castell’a Mare, it became the fortified capital of the Knights Hospitaller in the 16th century. Along the old streets we see the Inquisitor’s Palace and St Lawrence Church.
Through the third city, Cospicua, we drive to the southern coast for the panorama of the Blue Grotto — a system of six caves, of which the Blue Grotto is the largest. The water there is exceptionally clear and shines with the blue reflection of the sky.
Free time in Marsaxlokk, Malta’s largest fishing village. Return to the hotel in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay.
VALLETTA
After breakfast we travel to Valletta. We start at the Upper Barrakka Gardens on the bastion of St Peter and St Paul, part of the city’s first fortifications.
Next the Auberge de Castille, former residence of the Knights of Malta, and St John’s Co-Cathedral with the chapel holding Caravaggio’s masterpiece, The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist — the first church of the Knights Hospitaller.
Walking on through the capital we reach the Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck, which houses relics of the Apostle, and the Grand Master’s Palace. Free time. Return to the hotel in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay.
ST PAUL’S BAY
After breakfast we travel to St Paul’s Bay and visit the local Church of St Paul. There is an opportunity for a boat trip around the bay, from which we see the small, rocky and uninhabited St Paul’s Islands — where the Apostle came ashore (boat trip subject to sea conditions).
Return to the hotel in the afternoon. Free time. Dinner and overnight stay.
GOZO
After breakfast, a full day on Gozo — an exceptionally beautiful island of unique landscapes. Legend has it that Odysseus, rescued by the nymph Calypso, spent seven years here.
We reach the island by ferry, admiring Comino during the crossing. On arrival we drive to Xewkija to visit the Church of St John, known as the Rotunda — the largest church on Gozo, visible from almost anywhere on the island.
A panoramic route follows: a viewpoint above Calypso’s Cave, then the beautiful Ramla Bay beach, then the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu, one of the most important places for the Maltese. Many testimonies and miracles are associated with it, and inside you can see the votive plaques left by witnesses of the Marian apparitions.
In the afternoon we also visit Victoria, the capital of Gozo, with its impressive Cittadella — once a refuge from invaders, today a museum and the island’s main attraction.
We end the day with a short rest in Xlendi, a charming town on a turquoise, fjord-shaped bay. Return by ferry to Malta. Dinner and overnight stay.
MDINA – RABAT – MOSTA
After breakfast we travel to Mdina, the former capital known as the Silent City, where sandstone walls and narrow streets create a unique atmosphere. We visit St Paul’s Cathedral and take in the views from the city walls.
Next, neighbouring Rabat. The main point here is the Church and Grotto of St Paul, where the Apostle sheltered after the shipwreck in the year 60.
On the way we also see Mosta, with a church carrying one of the largest domes in the world. Return to the hotel in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay.
A DAY TO REST
Breakfast and Holy Mass. The rest of the day depends on the season.
In summer — Golden Bay. Malta’s finest sandy beach on the north-west coast, framed by high cliffs. Time to swim, rest and walk along the bay, with an optional scenic path over to neighbouring Għajn Tuffieħa.
In winter — San Anton and Ta’ Qali. A visit to the San Anton Presidential Palace and its gardens, the official residence of the President of Malta, then Ta’ Qali Crafts Village. A former airfield turned village of craftsmen, where Maltese glass, silver filigree and ceramics are made on site — and a good moment to buy souvenirs straight from the maker.
Return to the hotel in the afternoon and free time. Dinner and overnight stay.
MALTA – POLAND
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport, check-in and baggage drop-off. Return flight. End of the pilgrimage.
What pilgrimage organisers ask us
Holy Mass
We arrange Mass in the pilgrimage churches on the itinerary. Church and hour are confirmed with the quotation — Maltese parishes keep a crowded calendar of their own.
The priest with the group
A room for the priest and the conditions to celebrate are settled at quotation stage. Just tell us how many clergy travel with the group.
Older pilgrims
The Catacombs and the Cittadella involve steps. For anyone who finds walking difficult we build a version of the day without the climbs, rather than cutting it.
Out of season
A Maltese winter is in the mid-teens and the churches are empty. For a pilgrimage that is often a better time than July — and noticeably cheaper.
Meals
Breakfast and dinner in our own hotel, lunch on the road or a packed lunch when the day is long. Tell us about fasting and diets at booking.
Accommodation
Il-Palazzin Hotel 4★ in Qawra, 79 rooms, 8.6/10 on Booking.com — our own, so rooms and programme come in one offer.
Send us your next Malta group
Give us the dates, the pax count and the flight numbers and we will send back a net quotation with a day-by-day programme. No account to open, no minimum volume, no commitment on the first group.
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