Long Weekend in Malta
My friend and I finally decided on Malta. A three hour flight from Gatwick with flight times that would maximise our short time away. There is an abundance of history to become acquainted with (in fact about 7,000 years of it!) should the sun decide not to shine on us at the beginning of April.
Malta is a Southern European island country comprising of a few islands in the Mediterranean Sea around 80 km south of Italy. It covers just over 316 square km, with a population of around 450,000, making it one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries. The capital, Valletta, is the smallest national capital in the European Union at just 0.8 square km. Valletta has also been recently named as European Capital of Culture for 2018. Malta has two official languages, Maltese and English and driving is on the left, making it very easy to hire a car and explore.
Our pre-arranged taxi was at arrivals to meet us and within an hour of landing on Maltese soil, we were checking in to our sea view room at the Preluna Hotel and Spa in Sliema, our home for the next few nights. We were soon out walking, enjoying lunch by the beach and then afternoon tea on the terrace of the Fortina Hotel with the stunning backdrop of the Valletta skyline before returning to our hotel for dinner and then an early night to prepare for our exploration of the island the next day.
We took an open top bus tour of Malta. You are provided with a set of earphones to tune in to the sightseeing commentary in your preferred language and the hop on/hop off service allows you to explore Malta at your own pace. As always, on arriving in a previously unknown destination, this type of tour is a really good introduction to a country. There are many stops such as Tarxien Temples, Mosta, Mdina and the Blue Grotto as well as the three UNESCO World Heritage sites to be found in Malta, the City of Valletta, the Megalithic Temples and the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum.
We stopped for lunch at the traditional fishing village of Marsaxlokk, one of the prettiest in Malta with its harbour full of the very colourful, traditional fishing boats.
The following day, to explore Valletta in greater detail, we decided to try the local buses. A short, interesting ride around the coast and we were at the entrance to Valletta. A fortress city, a city ‘built by gentlemen for gentlemen’, Valletta is named after its founder, the respected Grand Master of the Order of St. John, Jean Parisot de la Valette.
St John’s Co-Cathedral is a must to visit and there are also many museums and visitor attractions and of course, the narrow side streets are full of statues, fountains and coats of arms, high up on parapets, with quaint shops and cafes whilst the main streets and a new shopping complex are home to many international brands. The Upper Barrakka Gardens are also well worth a visit, built on the highest point of Valletta, they date back to 1661 when they were private gardens of the Knights of Malta. Not only do the gardens offer fantastic view of the Grand Harbourt but also of the three cities of Senglea, Vittoriosa and Kalkara. It is here that every day at noon, members of the Malta Heritage Society, dressed in British Artillery uniforms, fire a salute. After dinner at our hotel, we returned to see Valletta by night on our bargain bus ticket. 1.5 Euro buys a day’s bus travel, however if staying for a week, it is even better at 6.5 Euros!!
A visit to the Maltese Islands would not be complete without a visit to one of the other islands. Again, we made use of the local buses which took us to the ferry port at Cirkewwa and then a 20 minute ferry crossing for 4.65 Euros and we had arrived at Mgarr, on Gozo. It is also easy to take your hire car across on the ferry for around 15 Euros. Gozo is around a third of the size of Malta with a more rural and laid back feel. Victoria, also known as Rabat, the capital, is worth a visit to see the citadel and cathedral. Lunch was found in the beautiful bay of Xlendi.
Unfortunately, our few days on the island of Malta were soon over. However, with it's very agreeable year round climate it is a good place to visit at any time for outdoor activities such as walking and golf in addition to the history and beaches. The calmness and clarity of the sea together with an abundance of reefs, caves and wrecks also provides some of the most interesting diving experiences in the Mediterranean.
If I can assist you with planning your relaxing break to Malta, please get in touch!