Activities, Trips and Excursions During a Study Holiday in Malta

Extracurricular activities are a very important part of inMalta study holidays. Students attend their English course for part of the day and spend the rest of their time taking part in excursions, days by the sea, sports and water activities, cultural visits, organised evenings and opportunities to socialise. However, the programme changes significantly depending on the option chosen.

Summer Camp inMalta, designed for students aged 13 to 15, offers a very structured and activity-rich programme, with Group Leader supervision and very little completely free time. Summer Club inMalta, designed for students aged 16 to 18, keeps many of the Summer Camp experiences but allows greater independence, with free afternoons, evenings and one free day. The included activities are optional, and the programme can also be expanded with Club Plus. Experience inMalta, with accommodation at the Salini Resort, combines the international leisure programme of the European School of English with exclusive inMalta trips and activities. With host family accommodation and an English course at the European School of English, students take part in organised activities together with other international students and under the supervision of international leaders. There is therefore no single inMalta activity programme: each option is organised differently according to the age and level of independence of the participants.

Summer Camp inMalta: a very rich and structured programme

Summer Camp inMalta is designed for students aged 13 to 15 and offers one of the richest extracurricular programmes among our proposals. During a two-week stay, around 20 activities and excursions are included, in addition to two free afternoons. Participation in activities is an integral part of the Summer Camp, and students are accompanied and supervised by Group Leaders. Each afternoon is normally dedicated to a trip, excursion, activity or organised relaxation time. The programme also continues on many evenings. The days are planned by alternating very different experiences: sea, swimming pool, water sports, boat trips, visits to Maltese towns, group activities and moments dedicated to the development of personal skills. Summer Camp is therefore not organised simply to fill the free time after lessons. Activities are a central part of the programme and are also designed to bring students together, help them socialise and allow them to enjoy different experiences during the two weeks.

Sea and beaches in Summer Camp

Malta is a Mediterranean island and the sea naturally plays an important role in the programme. One of the destinations included is Golden Bay, one of the island’s best-known sandy beaches. It can be reached from Campus inMalta in around 25 minutes and gives students the opportunity to spend several hours swimming, relaxing and playing on the beach. On the hottest days, Group Leaders bring parasols so the whole group can alternate time in the water with time in the shade. The programme also includes Comino and the Blue Lagoon, one of the most iconic experiences of a holiday in Malta. The excursion allows students to reach the small island of Comino by boat and spend time in the waters of the Blue Lagoon. Sea and wind conditions naturally play an important role in organising this type of day, so the schedule may be changed during the stay.

Water sports and more adventurous experiences

One of the features that most clearly distinguishes Summer Camp and Summer Club from our other programmes is the presence of water activities and more dynamic experiences. The programme includes JetSki with an instructor, parasailing, kayaking, SUP, snorkelling, Banana Ride and Sofa Ride. These experiences allow students to enjoy the Maltese sea in a different way from a normal day at the beach. Activities are organised according to the age of the participants, weather and sea conditions, and supplier availability. Not all activities are necessarily carried out on the same day or in the same place: over the two weeks they are distributed throughout the programme together with other trips and beach days.

Swimming pool and life on Campus

Not every activity requires students to leave the Campus. Students have access to the Campus swimming pool, which becomes one of the main meeting points during the stay. Some afternoons may be dedicated to the pool, music, relaxation and socialising with other students staying at the Campus. The swimming pool, available until 11:00 pm, can also be used during other free periods compatible with the programme. The Campus hosts students of different nationalities, so the common areas also become part of the international experience: students do not need to be on an excursion to meet new people and use English.

Team games, competitions and personal development

Summer Camp also includes activities that are not purely recreational. We organise role-play games, competitions and team activities designed to develop personal skills, cooperation, organisation and leadership. Some take place outdoors, including in Maltese parks and natural areas. Students have to work together, make decisions, organise themselves within the team and achieve a common goal. These experiences complement the language-learning side of the study holiday with activities focused on practical skills and personal development.

Malta by night: Valletta, Mdina and the historic cities

During the summer, we generally prefer to dedicate the hottest hours of the day to sea-related activities and organise cultural visits in the late afternoon or evening. This allows students to discover some of Malta’s most important historic locations in more pleasant conditions. Valletta is one of the main stops. During the visit, students can walk along Republic Street, reach the Barrakka Gardens and see Triton Fountain, St. George’s Square, the Royal Theatre and the exterior of St. John’s Co-Cathedral. Mdina, Malta’s ancient fortified capital known as The Silent City, may also be included in the evening programme. Its narrow streets, bastions and views offer a completely different perspective on the island. Other visits may include the Three Cities: Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua. Cultural activities are designed to be complete without being excessively long: during a summer study holiday, we want students to discover Malta without turning every visit into a long history lesson.

Summer Club inMalta: activities and greater independence

Summer Club inMalta is designed for students aged 16 to 18. The programme keeps the same dynamic approach as Summer Camp, but the balance between organised activities and free time is different. At this age, we believe it is important to give students the opportunity to experience greater independence. Over the two weeks, there are therefore four free afternoons, normally two per week, one completely free Sunday and several evenings without a compulsory organised activity. Students can use this time to relax on Campus, go to the swimming pool, go out with new friends or organise part of their day independently, always respecting the rules and return times. Activities and excursions included in Summer Club are optional. Group Leaders take part in the excursions and accompany students who choose to join, but a student may decide not to participate and use their free time differently.

Summer Club experiences

The programme includes days and afternoons by the sea, Golden Bay, Comino and the Blue Lagoon, the Campus swimming pool and various water activities. Experiences include JetSki, parasailing, kayaking, SUP, snorkelling, Banana Ride and Sofa Ride. For Summer Club too, the activities actually carried out depend on the weekly schedule, the number of participants and, above all, sea and wind conditions. The aim is to offer a programme rich enough for students to enjoy themselves with the group, without necessarily filling every moment of the day.

Club Plus: for those who want even more

Summer Club students who want an even more intensive programme can add Club Plus before arriving in Malta. Club Plus allows them to take part, on an optional basis, in the trips, excursions, walks and activities included in the Summer Camp programme, adding up to 12 experiences to the standard Summer Club programme. It is a particularly interesting option for students who prefer to have almost every day organised, while still keeping the freedom to decide whether or not to participate. Those who prefer a study holiday with greater independence can instead keep the standard Summer Club programme and use their free afternoons and evenings according to their own interests.

Experience inMalta: more than just the European School of English international programme

Experience inMalta uses the leisure programme organised by the European School of English and enhances it with exclusive trips and activities for inMalta students. Activities are therefore shared with international students from the school and are coordinated with lesson times. When the English course takes place in the morning, activities are normally organised in the afternoon and evening. When lessons are scheduled in the afternoon, excursions may instead be organised in the morning and evening. Transport included in the programme is provided by coach. The schedule is communicated during the stay and may be changed depending on weather conditions, wind, sea conditions and organisational requirements. The Experience inMalta programme is less focused on adrenaline-based activities than Summer Camp and Summer Club, but offers a very rich combination of sea, visits, parks, evening activities and opportunities for international socialising.

Optional activities and independence in Experience inMalta

For older students, Experience inMalta also leaves room for personal choice. For students aged 14 and 15, the programme is more structured, while from 16 to 17 the level of independence increases. Activities and excursions are included, but for the relevant age groups they may be optional according to the programme rules and any parental authorisations. Older students may therefore choose, at certain times, not to take part in an activity and instead spend time by the pool or use their free time independently, always respecting return times and informing the Group Leaders. The schedule also includes days or half-days specifically indicated as free time.

Homestay: activities with the European School of English

Students aged 14 to 17 who choose host family accommodation and attend the European School of English take part in the organised extracurricular programme. The academic and leisure structure is very similar to that offered to ESE students staying at the Salini Resort. If lessons take place in the morning, activities are normally scheduled in the afternoon and evening. If the course is organised in the afternoon, activities may instead take place in the morning and evening. Transport organised by the school is included and provided by coach. Activities take place in international groups and are supervised by leaders.

Meeting points for students staying with host families

An important difference between Experience inMalta and Homestay concerns logistics. Experience students leave for activities directly from the Salini Resort, where they stay together with the other students and Group Leaders. Students living with host families must instead reach the designated meeting points. After lessons or after dinner, students go to the indicated meeting point, meet the leaders and the other participants, and from there leave together for the activity or excursion. At the end, they return to their host family. This is another reason why Homestay is more suitable for students who already have a good level of independence.

The programme may change

All programmes presented represent the planned organisation, but sea-related activities cannot be managed according to a completely fixed schedule. Wind, sea conditions, temperature, boat availability and other operational requirements may make it necessary to change an excursion or move it to another day. For this reason, the detailed programme is normally confirmed during the stay. In some cases, lesson times may also be changed, while keeping the total number of booked course hours unchanged, in order to make it possible to carry out an activity that depends on favourable weather conditions.

Different activities for different ages

The difference between the programmes is not simply the number of excursions. Summer Camp inMalta is designed for students aged 13 to 15 and offers more structured days: students take part in activities together with the group and are supervised by Group Leaders. Summer Club inMalta is designed for students aged 16 to 18 and still offers a very rich programme, but allows greater freedom. Activities are optional, there are free afternoons and evenings and one Sunday to manage independently; those who want to do more can add Club Plus. Experience inMalta combines the European School of English international programme with the convenience of the Salini Resort and exclusive inMalta activities. Sea, water parks, historic towns, parties and other activities are shared with students from other countries. Homestay, finally, uses the school’s programme, with meeting points and international leaders, and requires students to be more independent when travelling between the host family, school and activity locations. These are four different ways of experiencing time outside the classroom, designed to suit different ages and different levels of independence.

Not just free time

During a study holiday, lessons take up only part of the day. Activities and excursions therefore play an equally important role in the experience. It is during a bus journey, a day at Golden Bay, a boat trip, an international evening or a few hours spent by the pool that some of the most important friendships of the stay are often formed. And it is precisely in these moments that English stops being simply the language of the lesson. It becomes the language needed to get to know a student from another country, make plans with friends, take part in a game, understand a leader’s instructions or simply talk about what happened during the day. This is why, in inMalta programmes, activities, excursions and social life are not a secondary part of the study holiday. They are an essential part of the experience.