10+2 THINGS TO DO IN MALTA

MALTA! One of the smallest countries in the world and yet soooo charming! I was really impressed and the reason I initially chose to visit Malta is because for the summer 2021, the Maltese goverment in coordination with the local hotels in an effort to attract more tourists, started an initiative  for that summer offering discount in the accomodation. And yes I made use of it and paid 200 euros less per person in a 5* hotel. Details here. 

 

ADVICE: Rent a car in order to discover the whole country and be careful on the roads especially if you are not used to driving in left hand traffic (British system). Driver here sits on the right. Angel’s tip: Rent an automatic car and as small as it can be, since roads are too narrow and parking not always easy. 

CURRENCY: EURO

BEST MONTH to visit:  from May till October.

DURATION: I stayed for 1 week during summer and I would suggest at least 5 days if you want to visit the smaller Maltese islands as well and enjoy the beaches.

ACCOMODATION: I would recommend to stay in Valletta or in Sliema. I chose the 2nd one in a hotel with beautiful roof top and swimming pool, AX The palace and I didn’t regret it.

PLUG:  The plug type is G, which is the plug that three rectangular pins in a triangular pattern like in UK. If you visit a high end hotel they may have usb port but in any case have with you an adaptor or ask the reception of your hotel for one.

Malta can charm you and its medieval style is absolutely unique! Below you can find a list of my personal recommendations during your stay in Malta!

1.Stroll around Valletta! Loved this city, the vibes, the alleys, the people, the views, the food…

• Walk through the Siege bell war memorial, the upper and the lower Barrakka gardens to enjoy the harbour amazing view.
• Get lost in the streets and pass by the Bridge bar to take a photo.
• Walk from the Triton fountain till the St George’s square.
• Rent a traditional wooden gondol and have a 35 minutes tour in the Valetta waterfront. You can start from Lascaris location.

2. Visit the 3 cities known as Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua. These are the amazing fortified cities you can see opposite Valletta Grand harbour in the heart of Malta’s historic center. I was impressed with the colourful buildings and the beautiful entrance doors. 3 ways to go:

• You can take your car and drive till there. This is the best way if you want to discover all the cities, you can leave the car in each area and walk.
• You can take the gondol-the traditional wooden water taxi from Lascaris station on the Valletta side (just across the road from the Barrakka lift at the end of the cruise terminal) and with 2 euros it takes you quickly just opposite Valetta, to the 3 cities.  Water taxi for 3 cities. You can find them in the opposite side as well, in the Birgu harbour near the Freedom Monument and St Lawrence’s Church.
• You can take the ferry from Valetta grand harbour for 2 euros that leaves you in Vittoriosa. I did that but although the ferry ride was great, I got tired walking to all the 3 cities (long distance) and I had to come back to the ferry terminal. Consequently, I didn’t get to see all the neighbourhoods of the 3 cities. Angel’s tip: if you don’t have your own car I recommend having a tour of the Three Cities in an electric powered car equipped with a pre-programmed GPS showing you where to go. Especially if you visit during summer, weather is too hot to walk everywhere.  Tel: +356 79950695, +356 21805339 // Email: info@rolling-geeks.com

3.Visit Popeye village. Have you watched the 1980’s Popeye musical with Robin Williams? This village was created for the needs of the filming set and was then preserved after that! Today it is one of the major tourist attractions in Malta. I loved to walk in the houses the movie had been filmed, see the bakery, the dentist or the mayor’s office. They have some souvenir shops, games, mini golf, a restaurant as well, a beach that you can swim with sunbeds and even animation shows. Opening hrs 10.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. and entrance fee  for Adults : € 15.00 / Children (3-12yrs) : € 12.50 . You can check the location here: Popeye village. Angel’s tip: Don’t forget to go on the cliff, just opposite the village and take a photo of the village from above.

4.Swim in the wonderful waters of Malta. Golden Bay, Mellieha Bay, Ghajn Tuffieha and Gnejna Bay. If you like jumping in the sea from the rocks and enjoying nice blue waters, visit Blue Grotto with the impressive underwater caves and  St Peter’s Pool.

5.Visit amazing blue lagoon in Comino island. Oh yes, I loved Comino. It is not the typical sandy beach with conveniently put sunbeds but these waters are out of this planet. OMG take meee back! You can take the speedboat from North Malta in Marfa to Comino for 13 euros and duration is 25 minutes. More details here : Comino ferry  Tel  (+356) 9983 5766 //(+356) 9947 4142 //(+356) 9940 8294 . Angel’s tip: don’t forget to buy a pineapple cocktail for 10 euros (if you keep the pineapple and want a refill you pay 5 euros) and take a gorgeous photo with these waters!

6.Visit Gozo island. First, you can take the ferry from North Malta in the Gozo ferry Terminal and arrive in Gozo in 30 minutes. You pay the ticket on the way back (don’t lose time searching for tickets when you arrive at the port) and hopefully you will be lucky enough to get on the ferry right away. Angel’s tip: Go to Gozo by car to explore the island easily and devote one whole day. The main attractions I did are below: 

• Walk in the main city – Victoria or Rabat(for locals) with the beautiful shops, restaurants & lovely buildings. Angel’s tip: When I passed around noon it was great but I preferred to visit some other places first and when I returned around 17:00 everything was closed! So make a stop before that, to enjoy the small shops and market.
• Visit Dwejra Tower which is the most well-known tower in Gozo due to its architecture and view of the Mediterranean sea. Close to that it is the former Azure Window (natural arch that collapsed in 2017 due to storm) that remains one of the most famous spots on the island. You can take a boat here for 4 euros pp to discover the caves around. Scuba diving is well known here as well.
• Search the cave Tal-Mixta to enjoy the excellent view. You park your car and walk for 3-4 minutes. Angel’s tip: Don’t visit the Calypso cave since it is closed due to geological movement.
• Swim in beautiful waters like the sandy organized Ramla Bay, the rocky with great colours Wied il-Ghasri , the rocky scenery Fungus Rock close to Dweira Bay, the Xlendi beach or the pebbly small bay with a restaurant  in Mgarr ix-Xini.
  

  Ramla Bay

• Have a quick visit in the beautiful churches : Ta’ Pinu Church and  St. John the Baptist: my favorite one. Really impressive exterior and interior.
• Visit Citadella castle, a beautiful renovated Castle located in Victoria open all day. Views from above are wonderful, a visit in the old prison & the cathedral is nice and the shops are great for getting  something back to your countryas a souvenir.
• Did you know that Gozo is in the list with the 10 most ancient monuments of the world? The Ggantija Temples:  gigantic stone complex from the Neolithic , older than pyramids of Egypt. Angel’s tip: I don’t doubt that their history is impressive but with only few hours to visit so many places in Gozo, I wouldn’t visit again. Entrance: 10 euros pp
• In Żebbuġ you will find the popular Salt Pans of Gozo.

7.Visit the pretty villages Malta has. One of them is Marsaxlokk. A fishing Maltese village with the unique colorful fishing boats where every Sunday morning a local market takes place. In this market you can find from fresh fish to souvenirs, clothes, shoes etc

8.Eat delicious food!

• For more premium dining, I tried:

-the “Harbour club” in Valetta harbour

-the “Susurrus restaurant” in St. Julians with a tasting menu of 7 courses for 65 euros pp with desert (Opening hours from October till June: Tuesday to Sunday: 18:30 to 23:00)and

-the “ION the harbour” with the excquisite view (in case you want to try a Michelin star restaurant). Make a reservation for all of them and ask for a table with a view outside.

• There are so many wonderful restaurants to taste some of Malta’s local specialties. I tried traditional food in TA KRIS Restaurant in Sliema. Good prices, big portions and tasty food.
  

  Rabbit (tal-fenek)

• If you want to taste fresh fish visit Marsaxlokk village.

9.Have a relaxing day in the amazing CAFE DEL MAR in St Paul’s bay. Glad it was not so crowded & I found a sunbed, since I didn’t know they do mainly reservations. Pool rates: here. Music is so relaxing, view is stunning and the sushi was sooo delicious. Angel’s tip: Try their cocktails! I had the “Cafe del Mar” and a “Margarita”.

10.Walk at night and have a drink in St Julian’s and Sliema, 2 beautiful areas in Malta with many bars & great views of the port. There is even a casino in St. Julians! Wonderful streets, shops, restaurants in Sliema…. 

11.Visit the first capital of the island, Mdina. Do you know “Game of Thrones”? Some of the scenes in season 1 had been filmed in that city. In Mdina, you feel like the time has stopped. You can park outside the city since only permanent residents can park inside, have a coffee, a drink or a nice lunch, enjoy the wonderful churches, views from above and the cute little shops.

12. Visit the Upper Barrakka Gardens for the Saluting battery. Entrance fee 3 euros for the event. Every day, except for Sunday, at noontime & 16:00,  canons fire blank shots towards the sea. From this point you can enjoy the view of the Grand Harbour or take the lift for 1 euro to the Valletta Waterfront.

 

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