The Camino Maltés runs 3,600 kilometres by land and sea. Here is how the first 35 of them work, and what comes after.
Most pilgrims reach Santiago from the north or the east, walking out of France, Portugal, or the Spanish interior. Since January 2023 there has been another option, and it starts a long way south of all of them: on a limestone hilltop in the middle of the Mediterranean, at the mouth of a cave in Rabat.
The Camino Maltés is the newest route in the Camino de Santiago network and the only one that begins on an island in the central Mediterranean. It totals roughly 3,600 kilometres and it cannot be walked end to end, because a substantial part of it is sea. That is not a defect. It is the point. The route reconstructs how Mediterranean pilgrims actually reached Galicia in the age of the Knights: by ship to the mainland, and on foot from there.
The Maltese segment: 35 kilometres, one or two days
The Malta section runs approximately 35 kilometres and is designed to be walked comfortably in one long day or, better, in two.
It begins at St Paul’s Grotto in Rabat, the site associated with the Apostle’s three-month stay after the shipwreck described in Acts 27 and 28, and the address from which the 17th-century hermit Don Juan Benegas de Córdoba received the safe-conduct that gave the route its documentary foundation. From Rabat the path climbs the short distance into Mdina, where it joins the Universal Peace Walk 1543AD, a historic Maltese route relaunched by XirCammini in 2023 on its 480th anniversary.
The two walks then run together for roughly 28 kilometres, threading through the villages of the island’s southern half: Żebbuġ, Siġġiewi, Qrendi, Żurrieq, Gudja, Għaxaq. This is the quiet Malta, a landscape of rubble walls, terraced fields, and parish churches disproportionate to the settlements they serve. Among the waypoints are the medieval chapel of the Annunciation and St John the Evangelist at Ħal Millieri, whose frescoes include an image of Saint James, the parish church of St Catherine of Alexandria at Żurrieq, and the Xarolla windmill.
At St Gregory’s Church in Żejtun the Camino Maltés separates from the Peace Walk and turns towards the harbour, passing through Żabbar and Bormla into Birgu, the Order’s first capital. The Maltese segment ends at Fort St Angelo, where a hito pointing towards Galicia marks the last stop on land. From there pilgrims cross the Grand Harbour to Valletta and the ferry.
If you split the walk over two days, Żurrieq is the customary overnight stop.
Credencial, stamps, and the Testimonium
- Getting your credencial. The Camino Maltés credencial can be ordered online and posted to you, or collected in person from a Tourist Information Office in Malta. XirCammini handles bulk orders for groups; contact them directly.
- Getting it stamped. Stamps are available along the route at Heritage Malta museums, church museums, local councils, and some police stations. The route passes several Heritage Malta sites, including the Inquisitor’s Palace and the Malta Maritime Museum in Birgu, so the collecting is straightforward if you plan your hours around opening times.
- Certification. XirCammini issues a Testimonium, a certificate of completion, for the Malta segment, with equivalent documentation available for the Sicilian and Sardinian sections. Enquire through the contact form on the Camino Maltés site.
- One honest note. Completing the Maltese segment does not by itself earn you the Compostela in Santiago, which requires the final 100 kilometres into the city on foot. Malta is where your Camino begins, not where it is credited.
Waymarking and navigation
Waymarks are in place across the Maltese segment and along parts of Sicily, with work continuing elsewhere. XirCammini is candid that the route remains a work in progress, and is developing an app to cover the full itinerary. Route maps for each segment are published on the Camino Maltés website and distributed through the Spanish Federation of Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago.
For now, download the Maltese track before you set out rather than relying on finding a shell at every junction.
Accommodation and season
Malta’s size and its public transport network mean accommodation is rarely a constraint. Buses serve the villages along the route, and many pilgrims simply base themselves in one place and rejoin the path where they left it. Hotels, apartments, and short-let flats are plentiful. For something closer to the spirit of the thing, retreat houses and monasteries also take guests; XirCammini can advise.
On timing, be realistic about the climate. Malta in July and August is hot, exposed, and largely shadeless once you leave the towns. Autumn through spring is far better walking, and the winter light on the limestone is one of the pleasures of the route. Whenever you go, carry more water than you think you need and wear shoes you trust on rock, because much of the surface underfoot is bare stone or loose rubble path rather than graded trail.
What comes after Valletta
The onward route is a chain of established caminos linked by ferries.
From Malta there are daily sea crossings to Pozzallo in Sicily, where the Cammino di San Giacomo in Sicilia takes over. Sicily connects to Sardinia by sea from Palermo to Cagliari, and the island is crossed on the Cammino di Santu Jacu. From Porto Torres regular sailings run to Barcelona.
The Spanish stretch begins at Barcelona with the climb to Montserrat on a segment of the Camí de Sant Jaume, continuing on the Camino Catalán through Lleida and Zaragoza to Logroño or Santo Domingo de la Calzada. There the route merges with the Camino Francés for the final approach to Santiago.
Ferry schedules change seasonally and should be confirmed close to your departure rather than months ahead.
Walking it with others
XirCammini organises group walks on the Malta, Sicily, Sardinia and Spain segments, and will help independent groups plan their own itineraries. A registered voluntary organisation (VO1646), it is Malta’s official association within the International Federation of the Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago, and it is the body that researched and advocated the route into existence.
Contact XirCammini through the Camino Maltés website, or by WhatsApp on +356 7904 6942, to plan your departure from the Grotto.
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