Rent a quad bike

If you’re not keen on heights or depths but are OK with widths then you could do worse than rent a quad bike. Then again, it’s a blast even if you don’t have issues with any kind of dimensions because this is an activity ideally suited to the Maltese Islands.

These remarkable machines are a brilliant way of getting around, touring the beaches, exploring the island and joining in the general traffic without feeling confined to the restricted suffocating insides of a car. This is great in the hot summer months. Quads are also much safer than bikes and much more difficult to fall off. Although, from personal experience I can tell you that if you’re exceptionally stupid and generally fanny around on them enough then you can manage to turn them over. But if you’re quick then the rest of the group don’t see you putting it back on its wheels and you get away with it!

Renting a quad bike in Malta is easy and makes a lot of sense - especially considering the way some of the roads are stuffed full of traffic and smattered with pot-holes. Additionally, the freedom offered by a quad bike allows you to visit some of those nicely tucked away places that are not accessible to bigger vehicles or tour buses. They’re also much easier to park than a car.

Quad bikes can be rented at very cheap rates from all the major holiday areas in Malta and Gozo, and people seem to have grown used to their drilling sound as they politely, sometimes wryly, make way for you to go through. Just don't forget your safety helmet because unlike some countries, this is a legal requirement in Malta.

If you fancy some real off-road quad action then the Malta Quad Bike Association operates various tours and excursions in Gozo that take advantage of the vehicles’ all-terrain capabilities. Riders must be over 25 years old with a valid driving licence. A one-hour quad tour costs €43 for a driver or €25 for a passenger. There are also half-day and full-day excursions which cost €65 and €90 respectively. All trips include loan of crash helmets and fully comprehensive insurance cover. The all-day trip includes lunch too.

Jeep tours run by the same club or why not try their combination tours, which involve a jeep tour of Gozo and a powerboat ride around Comino?

The club also hires quads by the hour or day for you to make up your own routes and this costs from €45 for three hours. If you want a bike for the duration of your stay, then hire is €55 per day for a minimum of two days.