Malta for Christmas 2017

In May my wife and I were looking at going somewhere for Christmas, which would be warmer than the UK, so we decided on Malta. I had been many years ago, but my wife hadn’t been, so we thought it would be a good opportunity to try this destination out. As a travel agent I send lots of people to Malta.

We booked our flights with EasyJet from London Gatwick. The flight was busy in both directions with many families going to Malta, which surprised me. Once we arrived at Malta airport the airport seemed to be very modern. We took the local bus to our apartment, which took some time but was a great way to see Malta.

We stayed at Sunny Coast apartments for three nights in room number 507 on a room only basis. We were greeted by friendly reception staff, who explained all the facilities at the apartments and leisure centre. We had to pay a local tax of €3 when we checked in.

We had booked a one-bedroom apartment with a sea view and balcony which was nice and spacious with good kitchen facilities. Nearby there was a supermarket, shops, bars and restaurants all within 10 minutes walking distance, with a bus service to other parts of the island outside the apartments.

We had some lovely meals whilst in Malta at great prices. I loved the location of the apartment as it was near to the promenade.

On Christmas Eve we took a local bus and thought we might visit the tourist attraction at Popeye village, but we missed the bus stop! Instead, we decided to go to Gozo which was lovely. We took the ferry from Cirkewwa-Mgarr which runs regularly during the day and less frequently at night. The ferry is modern with a cafeteria and toilets and the journey time is only 25 minutes between Malta and Gozo. The price is from €4.65 per adult and €1.15 per child. We got on a Gozo sightseeing hop on and off bus taking in some great sights, and as we arrived late into Gozo, we only paid half the normal cost of €20 per adult and €13 per child. The bus was an open-air double decker and is Gozo’s only hop-on and hop-off sightseeing bus, allowing you to explore the island at leisure. Audio commentary is available on board in 16 languages, and drivers are English speaking. We caught the tour bus from Gozo Channel Ferry at Mgarr Harbour and stopped at the following places en route:

• Maritime Museum • Ramla Bay • Savina Creativity Centre • Ggantija Temples & Ta’ Kola Windmill • Calypso Cave (10-minute photo stop) • Marsalforn Bay • Victoria Bus Station • Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary • Ta’ Dbiegi Crafts Village • Azure Window (Dwejra) • Xlendi Bay • Fontana

Buses run every 45 minutes from 09:40 until 15:00, allowing for great flexibility throughout your day.

The highlights for us were: • Great views of Gozo from an open-top sightseeing bus • Ability to get off at all the important landmarks and attractions, such as Ta’ Dbiegi Crafts Village, and Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary • Stopped at sandy beaches and rugged bays, such as Xlendi Bay and Marsalforn Bay • Visited the Savina Creativity Centre • Toured Gozo's capital city of Victoria • Beautiful seaside village of Xlendi

After Gozo we went to a lovely Italian restaurant in Qawra for our dinner. On Christmas Day we went to Valetta for the day by local bus. It was packed with locals and tourists for the Christmas day service. We went past some beautiful churches en route and we were told that Malta has 365 churches!

Valetta is a nice city with lots of history. On the way back, we went another route via Silema and St Julian. Both looked busy and great places to visit for our next time to Malta.

We had dinner at a restaurant opposite Qawra bus station. The prices were very reasonable and great service for our Christmas dinner. Qawra has lots of shops, bars and restaurants with a lovely seaside promenade. On Boxing Day we took the airport bus back to the airport and I would recommend the bus to and from the airport if you have plenty of time as it’s much cheaper than a taxi.

Bus price

Tickets can be purchased from the bus driver on all the buses using cash to buy single journey tickets that can be used to get to any destination within two hours, including interchanging. Rates vary between summer rates, €2 between mid-June to mid-October, and winter months €1.50. Night rates are €3 per person.

Airport Services

They operate a number of routes which link the airport to various localities around Malta. Most of these routes are express routes meaning that they have limited stops to get to their destination quicker. These airport routes are denoted by an “X” followed by the route number and operate to many localities around the island, catch them just outside the terminal, across the road from the departures hall.

Next time, we would like to stay in Malta for longer, as there is a lot to explore. Perhaps hire a car, as they drive on the left so it’s very easy.

We had a great Christmas, everyone was so friendly, and we can imagine both islands get very busy in the summer months.