For visitors to Europe, the flight home is covered by the delay rules more often than the flight out

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  Europe's air passenger rights rules on delayed and cancelled flights have a quirk that surprises many travellers from outside Europe. What matters is not your nationality, where you bought the ticket or even which airline you flew, but the direction of travel. A flight leaving an airport in the European Union is covered whatever airline operates it. A flight arriving in the European Union from outside is covered only if a European airline operates it. The same holiday can therefore produce a claim on the way home and nothing on the way out, simply because of whose aircraft you were on. The quickest way to see where a disrupted flight stands is a free calculator for EU flight delay compensation . It asks five things: whether the flight left an EU airport or arrived on an EU airline, the distance band, what happened, how late you reached your final destination and the reason the airline gave. It then shows the flight compensation you may be entitled to per passenger, and links ...
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Most of Malta's coast is rock, which is why a family holiday belongs in the north

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The coastline is mostly low cliff and flat rock, striking to swim off and useless for building a sandcastle, so the handful of proper sandy beaches at the top of the island end up carrying the whole family holiday. That is the argument for basing yourself around Mellieha rather than Valletta, however much the capital deserves a morning of its own. Mellieha Bay, the one locals call Ghadira, is the longest sandy beach in the country, shallow and gently sloping, so small children can wade a long way out before the water deepens. Golden Bay suits slightly older children ready for a paddleboard or a snorkel, with Ghajn Tuffieha next door down a long flight of steps that rules it out with a pushchair. English is an official language, the country is small enough that nothing is ever far, and the pace suits toddlers and teenagers about equally well.

Flights land at Malta International Airport in the south, and because the island is so compact, almost nowhere is a long transfer: Sliema, Saint Julian's and even Mellieha in the north sit within a reasonably short drive of arrivals, so choosing the wrong base costs far less here than it would on a larger island. Malta is in the Schengen area and uses the euro, so visitors from outside the European Union are held to a short-stay limit of ninety days within any rolling period of half a year, the passport stamp has gone, and the Entry and Exit System now records fingerprints and a facial image at the first crossing instead. A separate online travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors has been announced and postponed more than once, so check the official European Union page. It is worth a moment to compare flights and hotels for a Malta family trip and to settle the coast before the hotel.

Where you settle shapes the rhythm of the trip. In Sliema, family apartments line the seafront promenade near the ferry crossing to Valletta. In Saint Julian's, family hotels cluster near Saint George's Bay for an easy swim without a drive, though the nightlife quarter next door argues against it with small children. Up in Mellieha, family-run guesthouses sit a short walk from the sand at Ghadira, which is the whole point of coming north. Over on Gozo, family villas wait near the old Citadel above Victoria, suited to a quieter half of the trip.

This is a destination built on ferries and boat trips rather than a hire car, and families who skip the driving lose very little: a short crossing reaches Gozo, an organised boat trip covers Comino, and buses reach most of the sandy beaches, although they fill up on summer afternoons. If you do drive, Malta drives on the left, the roads are narrow, and parking near the popular beaches disappears early. The one booking that needs attention is the Blue Lagoon. A free timed pass is required to step ashore there, booked in advance online for one of three daily slots, with a visitor cap protecting the nature site and a wristband issued against your emailed code at the landing point, and turning up without one risks a fine. Four details save families a lot of trouble. The pass is needed only if you land, so anyone swimming from an anchored boat needs nothing. Very young children are exempt. The pass covers the lagoon shore alone, not Santa Marija Bay or the walking trails on the rest of the island. And it is not a boat ticket, so no ferry operator arranges it for you unless the tour says so explicitly. You can check ferry and boat trip options for a Malta family holiday and let the water handle most of the transport.

Season decides more here than the size of the country suggests. The public boats to Comino are essentially a summer service, running daily through the warm months and thinning to charters and the occasional year-round tour outside them, so a winter trip built around the Blue Lagoon does not work. High summer is very hot and the sandy beaches fill by mid-morning, while late spring and early autumn keep the sea warm with a fraction of the crowd, which is the sweet spot for families. Winter is mild, green and easy on a budget, and turns into a walking and history holiday rather than a beach one. Personally, I would give at least one full day to Gozo rather than treating it as a rushed side trip, and save Valletta for a calm morning near the end, once everyone has had their fill of sand.

Q: Do you need a pass for the Blue Lagoon on Comino?

A: Only to step ashore. The pass is free, booked online in advance for one of three daily slots and exchanged for a wristband at the landing point, with fines for landing without one. Swimming from an anchored boat needs no pass, very young children are exempt, and the pass covers the lagoon shore rather than the whole island.

Q: Do families need to hire a car in Malta?

A: Not necessarily. Buses reach most beaches, a ferry covers Gozo and boat trips cover Comino. If you do drive, the island drives on the left and beach parking fills early.

Q: What is the best beach in Malta for young children?

A: Mellieha Bay, known locally as Ghadira, for its long sandy shoreline and shallow, gently sloping water.

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