Seven waysout of Malta

Typical for early October: highs around 25°C, lows around 17°C, mostly sunny with a small chance of a shower on any given day. Sea around 23°C, warm enough to swim. Sunset around 18:55.

Land 16:25 at Cagliari Elmas with cabin bags only, so no wait at the belt. A covered walkway leads to Elmas Aeroporto station in about 5 min; trains run roughly every 20 min and take about 7 min to Cagliari station on Piazza Matteotti, at the edge of the Marina quarter. A taxi takes about 15 min. On Saturday take a train from Cagliari station around 07:30 to be at the airport by 08:00; weekend trains start at 06:14.

Marina quarter, between Via Roma and the Castello walls. A flat 5 to 10 min walk from the station for the Saturday 07:30 train, both dinners and the Friday lunch are in or beside it, and Castello is a 10 min climb up the Bastione Saint Remy steps. Look for a room with a terrace or a harbour view on Via Roma.

• Trattoria LillicuVia Sardegna 78, Marina

  Seafood trattoria run by the same family since 1938: marble tables, no written menu, the day's fish read out at the table. Look for fregola with clams and burrida, the Cagliari dogfish dish. Open Thursday dinner from 20:00, closed Mondays. Book by phone on 070 652970.

• Luigi PomataViale Regina Margherita, edge of the Marina

  Chef Luigi Pomata's restaurant, known for tuna served raw and cooked and for modern takes on Sardinian fish dishes. The splurge dinner of the trip. Open Friday 20:00 to 23:00, closed Sundays. Book a day ahead on 070 672058.

• Sa PiolaVico I Santa Margherita 3, Marina

  Relaxed Sardinian cooking in a Marina side street, handy for Friday lunch between Castello and the beach. Open daily 13:00 to 15:00 for lunch and 20:00 to 22:45 for dinner.

• Caffè Libarium NostrumVia Santa Croce 33, Castello

  Drinks at a table on the Castello ramparts, facing the sunset over the lagoon. Open every day from morning until late.

Friday is the only full day, so if it rains, turn it inside out. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale and the Pinacoteca Nazionale in the Cittadella dei Musei share one ticket and are open daily 08:30 to 19:30; the Nuragic bronze figures are the reason to go. The Cattedrale di Santa Maria is open weekdays 09:00 to 20:00. Skip the Sella del Diavolo in rain, as the limestone path gets slippery. The flamingos are still there in drizzle: watch them from the paths by the Edificio Sali Scelti on Via La Palma. A long lunch at Sa Piola covers the rest.

No car needed: walk, train from the airport, taxis on Friday afternoon. Taxis: Radiotaxi Quattro Mori on 070 400101; call rather than hail. CTM buses PF and PQ from Piazza Matteotti also run to Poetto. Book Lillicu and Luigi Pomata by phone before you fly, as both are small and Friday fills up. Torre dell'Elefante lists 10:00 to 17:00 daily from 1 October, but the city tourism site has flagged temporary closures; if it is shut, climb the cathedral bell tower (Monday to Saturday 10:30 to 16:00) or use the free Bastione terraces for a similar view. Sella del Diavolo is rocky limestone with no shade and no water, so wear trainers and carry water; bikes are banned on the paths. The San Benedetto food market is in a temporary site on Piazza Nazzari during renovation, open Friday 07:00 to 14:00 if you want to see the fish stalls. Cabin bags are 10 kg each, so pack swimwear and walking shoes and buy sunscreen there, since liquids over 100 ml cannot go in the cabin. Back in Malta Saturday at 11:15, well before 13 October.

Usually around 19 to 22°C by day and 11 to 13°C at night. October is Bologna's wettest month, with rain on roughly 7 or 8 days, so pack a light waterproof layer and shoes that can handle a wet 7 km on Wednesday. The centre has close to 40 km of arcades, so an umbrella is rarely needed in town. Sunset is around 18:50.

Land at BLQ at 11:10. With cabin bags only you can be out of Arrivals in about 20 min. Follow the walkway to the Marconi Express monorail: 7.5 min to Bologna Centrale, departures every 7 to 15 min from 05:40 to 24:00. Tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard at the gate and use the same card to exit, or buy at the machines. From Centrale it is a 15 to 20 min walk under the arcades of Via dell'Indipendenza to Piazza Maggiore, or a short taxi from the rank outside. For Modena, regional trains leave Bologna Centrale several times an hour and take 20 to 35 min. Going home on Thursday: be on a Marconi Express by 20:15 to reach the airport around 20:30, inside the two hour mark for the 22:55 flight.

Old centre between Piazza Maggiore and the Quadrilatero market lanes (Via Clavature, Via Drapperie, Via de' Pignattari). Every Bologna stop in this plan is a short walk from here: the market lanes, Osteria del Sole, the Archiginnasio and Via Santo Stefano. Centrale, for the Modena train and the Marconi Express, is 15 to 20 min on foot. Art Hotel Commercianti, a long running 4 star in a medieval building beside San Petronio, is a good example of what to look for. Ask for luggage storage on Thursday, since you check out in the morning and leave for the airport in the evening. The lanes are pedestrian, so taxis drop you at the edge.

• Trattoria Anna MariaUniversity quarter, Via Belle Arti 17/a

  Tortellini in brodo and tagliatelle al ragù, the Bolognese classics done straight. Open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Monday.

• All'Osteria BottegaSaragozza, Via Santa Caterina 51

  Culatello, mortadella and hand rolled pasta from an osteria that takes its cured meats very seriously. Lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday, book ahead.

• Trattoria di Via SerraBolognina, Via Luigi Serra 9/b, just north of the station

  Seasonal fresh pasta in a small neighbourhood trattoria listed in the Michelin Guide. Booking by phone or email only.

• Trattoria AldinaModena, Via Albinelli 40

  Modenese lunch opposite the covered market: homemade pasta and roast pork shank. Lunch Monday to Saturday, no bookings.

Light rain barely changes the plan: the centre is almost entirely arcaded and the San Luca portico is roofed the whole way up. If it pours on Wednesday, take bus 20 then bus 58 (or a taxi) up to the sanctuary and walk only the lower, flatter part of the portico. Indoor swaps in Bologna: the Pinacoteca Nazionale (Via Belle Arti 56, open Tuesday to Sunday 09:00 to 19:00, with the Carracci and Raphael's Saint Cecilia), a long grazing lunch at Mercato di Mezzo (Via Clavature 12, open until midnight Monday to Saturday), or a two hour fresh pasta class, which several schools run in English on weekdays. In Modena, the Museo Enzo Ferrari near the station is fully indoors and open 09:30 to 19:00.

Book now: Trattoria Anna Maria (Tuesday dinner), All'Osteria Bottega (Wednesday lunch), Trattoria di Via Serra (Wednesday dinner, phone or email only), the Archiginnasio anatomical theatre (online), and the Ghirlandina slot and Acetaia Giusti visit (both online). No bookings taken at Osteria dell'Orsa or at Trattoria Aldina for lunch. Trade fairs: SAIE and Asphaltica run 7 to 10 Oct and E Tech Europe 7 to 9 Oct at BolognaFiere, so central hotels fill up and rates rise for Wednesday night. Book the hotel first. Closures on these dates: Trattoria di Via Serra has no Tuesday dinner, Cremeria Santo Stefano is closed Monday and Tuesday, Hosteria Giusti serves lunch only, and Salumeria Simoni closes 13:30 to 16:30 on weekdays. The Torre degli Asinelli has been closed to climbers since 2023 while the Garisenda tower is made safe, and the San Petronio rooftop terrace is permanently closed, so San Michele in Bosco and San Luca are your views. No car needed: walking, two train rides and two short taxis in Modena. Cabin bags: security at BLQ has scanners that allow liquids up to 2 litres per container (since July 2025), so a bottle of balsamic or wine can fly home in the cabin bag. The 10 kg limit still applies, and vacuum packed Parmigiano travels well. Carry some cash for market stalls. You are back in Malta at 00:45 on Friday 9 Oct, well before the 13th.

Typical for early October: highs around 20 to 21°C, lows around 12°C, with roughly one day in four wet. The lagoon is around 20°C, and there is no swimming on this plan. Sunset about 18:40. October is the start of acqua alta season: the MOSE barriers usually hold high tides back, but check the city tide forecast the evening before and pack shoes that cope with wet paving.

Land at Treviso at 14:25 with cabin bags only and walk straight out to the ATVO stop. On Tuesdays ATVO buses leave the airport at 14:50 and 15:00 and reach Venice Piazzale Roma 40 min later (timetable updated 29 September 2026; departures shift with flight delays). Buy tickets at the ATVO desk, the machines or on the ATVO app. At Piazzale Roma buy a 48 hour ACTV vaporetto pass each: it runs from first validation, so it covers Burano, the Grand Canal and any other boat until about the same time on Thursday. From Piazzale Roma it is a 20 min walk into Cannaregio, or line 1 to San Marcuola. Going home on Thursday, take the 12:00 ATVO from Piazzale Roma, at the airport at 12:40; the 12:30 (arriving 13:10) is the backup, and the 13:30 is too late.

Cannaregio, between the Strada Nova and Fondamenta della Misericordia. About 20 min on foot from the Piazzale Roma bus, 20 min to the Rialto market and 10 min to Fondamente Nove for the Burano boat, with Tuesday's bacari on the doorstep. It is a lived in part of Venice and much quieter at night than San Marco. With two small cabin bags the bridges between the bus and the hotel are no trouble.

• Cantina Do MoriCalle dei Do Mori 429, San Polo

  Standing only wine bar beside the Rialto market, pouring since the 15th century: francobolli (tiny tramezzini), polpette and an ombra of house wine. Open Monday to Saturday 08:00 to 19:30, so fine on Wednesday morning.

• Trattoria Al Gatto NeroVia Giudecca 88, Burano

  Family run lagoon fish trattoria: risotto di gò (goby risotto), grilled and fried lagoon fish. Lunch Tuesday to Sunday 12:30 to 17:00, last booking 14:45; dinner only Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Book online.

• Antiche CarampaneRio Terà de le Carampane 1911, San Polo

  Long running Venetian seafood trattoria down a back alley near Campo San Polo: fritto misto, spaghetti with lagoon shellfish, the day's fish. Tuesday to Saturday lunch and dinner, closed Sunday and Monday. Book the 19:30 seating, which must free the table by 21:30.

• Vino VeroFondamenta della Misericordia 2497, Cannaregio

  Natural wine bar on the canal with cicchetti on bread: baccalà mantecato, sarde in saor, cured meats. Open Tuesday 11:00 to midnight.

Wednesday is the day to protect. Light rain is fine: the Pescheria is covered, the Burano boat has a cabin and lunch is indoors. If it pours, keep the Rialto market and Cantina Do Mori, then swap Burano for the Biennale Arte at the Arsenale and Giardini, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00 until 22 November; the Arsenale halls are all indoors. Scuola Grande di San Rocco, with its Tintoretto ceilings, is open daily 09:30 to 17:30 and is ten minutes from Antiche Carampane, so it fits before dinner. The Doge's Palace is open daily too. On Tuesday evening the bacari are indoors anyway.

No car needed: everything is on foot, by vaporetto or on the ATVO bus. Book ahead: Al Gatto Nero for Wednesday lunch (online, around 13:00) and Antiche Carampane for Wednesday dinner (phone +39 041 524 0165, email or online). Closures that shaped the plan: the Rialto fish market is closed Sunday and Monday and winds down around 12:00; All'Arco near the market is closed on Wednesdays, so Cantina Do Mori takes the market morning; Al Gatto Nero serves dinner only on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, so Burano is a lunch; the Biennale is closed on Mondays. The Venice day tripper access fee only ran on set dates from April to July 2026 and overnight guests are exempt anyway, so there is nothing to register. High water mostly floods San Marco first, which this route avoids. Expect bridges with steps between the bus and the hotel, which is where two 10 kg cabin bags beat a suitcase. You are home on Thursday 8 October, well before the 13th.

Early October in Rome runs to highs around 23°C and lows around 15°C. Sunset on Wednesday is around 18:43. October brings some showers, but early in the month is usually dry for days at a time. Bring a light layer for the 07:00 start on Thursday and for the Gianicolo after dark, plus shoes that handle cobbles.

Ryanair uses Terminal 1 at Fiumicino. With cabin bags only you skip the carousel and can be at the taxi rank by about 22:35. At that hour take a white Roma Capitale taxi from the official rank: about 35 minutes to Trastevere, straight to the door. Ignore anyone offering rides inside the arrivals hall, and skip cabs marked Comune di Fiumicino, which charge more. The backup is the FL1 regional train to Roma Trastevere station, 27 minutes, running until about 23:40, then tram 8 or a 15 minute walk. In town you walk almost everywhere; tram 8 links Trastevere with Largo Argentina and the station. Pay for trams by tapping a contactless card on board. No car needed.

Trastevere, on the quieter lanes around Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere or up on Via Garibaldi at the foot of the Gianicolo. A late Tuesday arrival means one taxi straight to the door. Everything on the plan is walkable from here: Campo de' Fiori and the Ghetto are ten minutes over Ponte Sisto, the Gianicolo is right above you, St Peter's is about 25 minutes on foot, and Roma Trastevere station puts the airport 27 minutes away on Thursday. Two long running places worth checking: Hotel Santa Maria on Vicolo del Piede, set in a converted 16th century cloister with breakfast included, and Donna Camilla Savelli on Via Garibaldi, a 17th century convent with a garden and a 24 hour desk. Whatever you pick, make sure someone is on the desk for a 23:15 check in.

• Da Enzo al 29Trastevere, Via dei Vascellari 29

  Small family trattoria and the Wednesday lunch. Carciofi alla giudia, cacio e pepe or amatriciana, then the tiramisu. No bookings, first come first served, so join the queue before the 12:00 opening. Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

• Antico ArcoGianicolo, Piazzale Aurelio 7

  The Wednesday dinner, five minutes from the Gianicolo terrace. Modern Roman cooking and a wine list of more than a thousand labels, running since 1996. Book ahead.

• Roscioli Salumeria con CucinaNear Campo de' Fiori, Via dei Giubbonari 21

  Deli counter with a dining room behind it: carbonara, burrata, cured meats and a serious wine list. Open daily for lunch and dinner. The fallback if the Da Enzo queue is too long, or the rain day lunch. Book ahead.

• Supplì RomaTrastevere, Via di San Francesco a Ripa 137

  Fried rice supplì with a molten mozzarella centre, plus pizza by the slice. Counter only, open Monday to Saturday from 10:30. The Thursday snack for the train.

If Wednesday is wet, start in Trastevere at Villa Farnesina on Via della Lungara for Raphael's Galatea and the Cupid and Psyche loggia (Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 14:00, book a slot online). Keep the Da Enzo lunch, then do the Pantheon anyway: rain falling straight through the oculus is worth seeing. Spend the rest of the afternoon in the Capitoline Museums on Piazza del Campidoglio (daily 09:30 to 19:30), with the Marcus Aurelius statue and the view over the Forum. Swap the Gianicolo sunset for an early drink at Freni e Frizioni on Via del Politeama (open from 18:30), then taxi up to Antico Arco as booked. Skip Palazzo Doria Pamphilj: it is closed on Wednesdays.

St Peter's Basilica is closed to visitors on Wednesday mornings for the papal general audience and reopens around 12:30, so the plan puts it at 07:00 on Thursday instead. Bags go through security at St Peter's, so leave the cabin bags at the hotel, and dress with shoulders and knees covered. Book Antico Arco a week or more ahead, plus Roscioli Salumeria if you want the fallback; Da Enzo takes no bookings, so arrive before it opens. Buy Pantheon tickets online for a timed slot. Pasticceria Boccione closes Saturdays and Friday afternoons, Supplì Roma and Bar San Calisto close Sundays, and Palazzo Doria Pamphilj closes Wednesdays; none of that clashes with these dates. No car: the centre is a limited traffic zone and everything here is walking, tram 8 or a taxi. Two 10 kg cabin bags are plenty for two nights, so check in online and go straight to security both ways. Keep phones zipped away on tram 8 and in the crowds around the Vatican.

Mid October in Zagreb: days around 16 to 18 C, nights around 7 to 9 C, rain on about one day in four. Sunset is about 18:20. Plitvice sits higher and runs a few degrees colder, with mornings near 5 C. The beech forests there start turning gold and red in early October and peak later in the month.

Zagreb airport is 17 km south of the centre. At 00:20 take a taxi from the rank outside arrivals, or a Bolt or Uber: about 25 min to the Lower Town at that hour. The Pleso airport shuttle times its late runs to Croatia Airlines arrivals, so don't count on it after a Ryanair landing. In town you walk: the Lower Town, Upper Town and Dolac are all within 15 min of each other, and trams cover Maksimir and the bus station. Going home on Monday, a taxi from the hotel takes 25 to 35 min in evening traffic, or the Pleso shuttle leaves the main bus station about every 30 min and takes 35 to 40 min.

Lower Town, between the main station and Zrinjevac park. Flat and central: 15 min on foot to Ban Jelačić Square through the Green Horseshoe parks, 5 min by tram to the bus station for Sunday's 08:00 Plitvice bus, and a quick taxi run to the airport. The Esplanade Zagreb Hotel (1925, Art Deco, beside the main station) is the treat. Smaller hotels around Zrinjevac and Strossmayer Square work just as well for location.

• Dubravkin PutDubravkin put 2, below the Upper Town

  Seafood and raw fish at the edge of the Tuškanac woods: squid ink risotto with langoustine carpaccio, over 500 wine labels. Closed Sundays, so it is the Saturday dinner.

• VinodolTeslina 10, Lower Town

  Long running Zagreb dining room for veal or lamb baked with potatoes under the peka (iron bell), plus Croatian wines. Open daily 12:00 to 24:00.

• La ŠtrukSkalinska 5, off Tkalčićeva

  Štrukli only: the Zagorje pastry filled with fresh cheese, baked or boiled, sweet or savoury. Open daily from 11:00.

• Lička kućaEntrance 1, Plitvice Lakes

  Park restaurant since 1972: lamb, Lika potatoes, grilled trout, homemade bread and plum strudel. Open daily 11:00 to 23:00.

Zagreb handles a wet day well. The Museum of Broken Relationships is open daily 09:00 to 21:00, the reopened cathedral daily 08:00 to 19:00, and the Grič Tunnel, a free WWII tunnel under the Upper Town, is open daily from 09:00. On Monday, when most state museums close, the Croatian Museum of Naive Art on Ćirilometodska stays open. Plitvice is walkable in light rain on the boardwalks with a waterproof and shoes that grip, but if Sunday looks like steady rain, swap: stay in town for museums and a long lunch, and buy the bus and park tickets only once the forecast is clear.

Book the hotel from Friday 9 Oct: you land at 00:20 on Saturday, so the room has to be held from the Friday night. Book Dubravkin Put for Saturday, since it is closed Sundays; Vinodol, Stari Fijaker 900 and Lička kuća open every day. Sunday FlixBus times for 11 Oct: 08:00 out arriving 10:22, back at 16:15 arriving 18:37 or 17:15 arriving 19:05; book seats ahead. Buy Plitvice park tickets on the official park webshop a day or two before and keep them on your phone. Mondays: most Zagreb state museums close, but the Museum of Broken Relationships, the cathedral, Mirogoj and Maksimir stay open; Vincek is closed Sundays. No car needed anywhere on this plan. Cabin bags only, 10 kg each: pack layers for 7 to 18 C, a rain jacket and shoes with grip for the wet boardwalks. Liquids over 100 ml cannot go in cabin bags, so skip large bottles of wine, rakija or pumpkin seed oil. Home in Malta Monday 12 Oct at 22:20, before the 13th.

Typical for mid October: highs around 24°C, lows around 18°C, and the sea still near 23°C, so swimming works. Expect the odd shower or a windy day. Erice sits at 750 m, runs about 5°C cooler and often wears a cloud cap, so pack a light layer. Sunset is around 18:40.

You land at Trapani Birgi at 07:35 with cabin bags only, so you are out in minutes. A taxi to the old town takes 20 to 25 min. The cheaper option is the AST bus to Trapani port, about 40 min, timed around morning arrivals. Going home on Monday, take a taxi from the old town at 16:00 (or the AST bus from the port around 15:30) to be at the airport by 16:40 for the 18:40 flight.

Trapani old town, between Via Garibaldi and the Mura di Tramontana. Everything on this plan starts here: the hydrofoil quay, the airport bus stop at the port and the best trattorias are all within a 10 min walk, and the evening stroll along Via Garibaldi and Corso Vittorio Emanuele is on your doorstep. No car needed. Ask for a room facing the north sea wall for the sound of the water.

• Cantina SicilianaVia Giudecca, Trapani old town

  Couscous di pesce and busiate al pesto trapanese in a small trattoria running since 1958. Closed Wednesdays.

• Trattoria del SaleSalina Culcasi, Nubia

  Sunset aperitivo right on the salt pans, then a fish dinner. Closed Mondays outside July and August.

• Monte San GiulianoVicolo San Rocco, Erice

  Long running Erice kitchen: sarde a beccafico, busiate, grilled fish and Sicilian desserts. Closed Mondays.

• Pasticceria ColicchiaVia delle Arti, Trapani old town

  Almond or mulberry granita with a warm brioche, and cannoli. An old town institution.

Wind matters more than rain here: strong wind stops both the hydrofoils and the cable car. If Sunday's boats are cancelled, stay in Trapani: Museo Pepoli (Sunday 09:00 to 13:30) for Trapani coral and silver work, a long lunch at Cantina Siciliana, and the Chiesa del Purgatorio, home of the Misteri, the wooden groups carried in the Easter procession. If the cable car is stopped on Saturday, AST buses climb to Erice from the port in about 40 min, or move Erice to Sunday evening, when the cable car runs until midnight. The Museo del Sale at Nubia works in drizzle too.

Cable car: runs 09:00 to 24:00 on Saturday and Sunday but only 14:00 to 20:00 on Mondays, so Erice goes on Saturday. It was shut for cabin works on 5 October; your dates are clear. Hydrofoils: Sunday runs to Favignana at 07:50, 08:45 and 09:40, and back at 15:25, 17:45 and 20:20; strong wind can cancel sailings, so recheck the evening before. Closures: Trattoria del Sale and Monte San Giuliano close on Mondays, Cantina Siciliana and Ai Lumi on Wednesdays, Museo Pepoli on Mondays. Book ahead: Saturday lunch at Monte San Giuliano, Saturday dinner at Trattoria del Sale, Sunday dinner at Ai Lumi. No car needed: taxis, the cable car and the hydrofoil cover everything; taxis are scarce at the salt pans, so book the return when you arrive. Two 10 kg cabin bags are plenty, and the hotel can hold them on Monday until the airport taxi. If Saturday's sunset is clouded out, the airport taxi on Monday can stop at Nubia on the way (Museo del Sale open daily 09:30 to 19:00).

Mid October in Chania usually means highs around 24°C and lows around 17°C, with the sea near 22°C, which is fine for an afternoon swim. Expect mostly sun, but October averages five or six rain days, usually short showers. Sunset on Sunday 11 Oct is about 18:55. Bring a light layer for dinner outside.

You land at 00:45 on Sunday, Crete time (one hour ahead of Malta). No buses run at that hour, so take a taxi from the rank outside arrivals to the old town, about 25 min and 15 km. Cars cannot get into most old town lanes, so the taxi drops you at the nearest gate or square and you walk the last few minutes; ask the hotel for the best drop point before you fly. Going back on Monday, a taxi from the old town to CHQ takes about 25 min. The cheaper option is the KTEL airport bus from the main bus station on Kydonias street, about 30 min. Check the October timetable on the KTEL Chania website first.

Old town, Topanas quarter behind the Venetian harbour (or Splantzia for quieter nights). Everything in this plan is a walk from here: the harbour, the lighthouse, Iordanis, Chrisostomos, Fagotto, and Nea Chora beach 15 min along the seafront. Topanas is the old Venetian quarter with small boutique hotels in restored mansions. Splantzia, on the east side, is quieter at night. You check in around 01:30, so book somewhere with 24 hour reception or a confirmed late self check in. If you sleep light, ask for a room away from the harbour front bars.

• Bougatsa IordanisApokoronou 24, a few minutes south of the old town near the covered market

  Chania's bougatsa shop, run by the same family since 1924. Warm hand rolled filo pie filled with local soft sheep and goat cheese, dusted with sugar, with a Greek coffee. Open daily from 06:00, until 13:30 on Sunday and 14:30 on Monday.

• AkrogialiAkti Papanikoli 17, Nea Chora beach, 15 min walk west of the harbour

  Fish taverna with tables on the sand: grilled catch of the day, sea urchin salad, fried calamari, house wine. Open daily from 11:00 to late. Fish is sold by the kilo, so ask the weight before it goes on the grill.

• ChrisostomosCorner of Defkalionos and Ikarou, just outside the old town's eastern walls, a few minutes from the harbour

  Sfakian cooking from a wood fired oven: lamb with stamnagathi (wild greens), staka with eggs, goat and lamb from the owner's farm. Open 13:00 to 23:45 every day except Tuesday. Book for Sunday dinner.

• TamamZambeliou 49, Topanas

  Cretan and eastern Mediterranean plates in the vaulted rooms of an old Turkish bath, open since 1982. Open daily 12:00 to 00:00. The indoor fallback if Sunday turns wet.

If Sunday is wet, swap the beach afternoon for the Archaeological Museum of Chania in Chalepa: about 4,100 finds from prehistoric to Roman Chania in a new building, 5 min by taxi or 30 min on foot along the seafront. It is open Sunday 08:00 to 20:00 through October and closed on Tuesdays. Closer in, the Maritime Museum of Crete inside the Firkas fortress at the harbour mouth is open Sunday 10:00 to 18:00 and takes about an hour. Move lunch indoors to Tamam, in the old Turkish bath on Zambeliou, open daily from 12:00. Showers here are usually short, so save the lighthouse walk for the first dry hour, and skip the breakwater if waves are washing over it: the stones get slippery.

Closures: the covered Municipal Market (Agora) is still shut for restoration, with reopening planned for December 2026, so skip it. Etz Hayyim synagogue is closed at weekends and opens at 10:00 on Monday, too late for this plan. To Maridaki in Splantzia is closed on Sundays. Chrisostomos closes only on Tuesdays, so Sunday is fine. No car needed: everything is on foot, plus the two airport taxis. Balos and the south coast do not fit in one day. Book ahead: Chrisostomos for Sunday 20:30, and tell the hotel you arrive around 01:30. Prebook the airport transfer if you want a driver waiting at 00:45. Bags: a 10 kg cabin bag each is plenty for two nights. Pack swimwear and a light towel, and keep sunscreen at 100 ml or less or buy it in town. Timing: Crete is one hour ahead of Malta, and you are back in Malta at 13:25 on Monday 12 Oct, before the 13th.