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Visiting Valletta in November

BySunMed Guide

Visiting Valletta in November

Weather in November: Average high 20°C, 84.2mm rainfall.

# Valletta in November: What It’s Actually Like

November in Valletta sits in that interesting middle ground where summer has genuinely packed up and left, but the city hasn’t quite decided what it wants to be yet. The 20°C average sounds lovely on paper, and honestly, walking around the Upper Barrakka Gardens or along the fortification walls in that temperature is genuinely comfortable. You’re not sweating through your shirt climbing St John’s Street, which matters more than you’d think in a city built entirely on steep hills.

The 84mm of rainfall is where you need to manage your expectations. That’s not a light drizzle situation. November brings proper Mediterranean storms that arrive fast, dump seriously heavy rain for a couple of hours, then disappear. You’ll almost certainly experience at least one of these. The streets channel water dramatically when it happens, and some of the smaller alleyways become temporarily unpleasant. It passes quickly, but it’s disruptive if you’ve planned a tight schedule.

Crowds are genuinely sparse. The cruise ships thin out considerably, and the tour groups that clog St John’s Co-Cathedral through summer are largely gone. You can actually stand in front of the Caravaggio paintings and look at them properly, which feels like a privilege. Restaurants have their tables again. Staff have time to talk to you. The city breathes differently.

Everything remains open. Valletta functions year-round as Malta’s capital, so museums, the cathedral, the restaurants along Merchants Street, all operating normally. The Christmas decorations start appearing mid-month, which adds something genuinely charming rather than commercial.

Worth it? Yes, particularly if you’re interested in culture, food, and history rather than beach time. Couples, older travellers, solo visitors who want to actually absorb a place without elbowing through crowds – November suits you well. Families with young children expecting pool weather, less so.

**Practical tip:** Pack a packable rain jacket rather than an umbrella. The wind coming off the harbour makes umbrellas genuinely useless during those storms, and you’ll want both hands free on the uneven bastion steps anyway.

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