If You're NearbyCitiesCapitalsMarkets

Malé

The Maldives' tiny, crowded island capital, with a coral-stone mosque, a fish market and boats and seaplanes out to the atolls.

Photo: Shahee Ilyas · CC BY-SA 3.0
Best Time to Go
Nov–Apr
Our full guide to Malé is being written. It's on the Maldives list as If You're Nearby.

Go Next

1–3 of 18
Must-See
Beaches · Diving

Maldives Atolls

About 0.6 miles away

Turquoise lagoons, private-island resorts and manta rays.

Guide Coming Soon
Worth a Detour
Nature · UNESCO

Baa Atoll

About 76 miles away

Hanifaru Bay's feeding mantas and whale sharks.

Guide Coming Soon
Must-See
Nature · Cruises

Kerala Backwaters

About 439 miles away

Quiet houseboats through palm-lined canals, with Munnar's tea hills nearby.

Full Guide

The Full Short List

Maldives

Overwater villas on coral atolls.

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