The time difference, country by country
One hour ahead of the UK and Ireland: when it is 9 pm in London it is 10 pm in Valletta. The same time as France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. Two hours behind Dubai, six ahead of New York in winter. Malta changes clocks on the same dates as the rest of the European Union, the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October, so the gap with the UK stays constant all year.
What it changes on arrival
Almost nothing physically: one hour is not jet lag. What it does change is the first evening. British visitors landing at 8 pm local have effectively lost an hour of their day, and the restaurants are already into service. Set your phone to local time the moment you land rather than doing the mental arithmetic all evening, and book dinner for later than feels natural.
Late nights and the clock
Nightlife in Malta runs late by northern European standards. Bars fill around 11 pm, Paceville clubs are not busy before 1 am, and most run until 4. A night that starts at 10 pm in your head is an evening that starts at 11 pm locally. Plan dinner accordingly: eating at 7 pm leaves five hours to fill before anything interesting happens.
Flights, checkout and the trip home
The one that genuinely catches people out. A 7 am flight from Malta means leaving the hotel around 5 am local, which is 4 am in your body if you flew in from the UK the day before. Add the fact that you will have been out until four, and the last night of a Malta trip is the one to be sensible about. Check whether your departure time on the ticket is local, which it always is, and work backwards from there.