Marvellous Malta

In early February I escaped the British winter and visited Valletta, the capital of Malta, for a short break. This small Mediterranean island had been on my radar for several years due to its winning combination of history, culture, food & wine and climate, and this was my first visit.

I spent four nights at Palais Le Brun in Valletta. My room had a fabulous enclosed wooden balcony which is very typical of the city. The hotel was in a great location being only a few minutes’ walk away from the sights and restaurants (and never more than about 15 minutes’ walk due to the compact size of the old city).

Valletta is Europe's southern-most capital city and a fascinating combination of Maltese, Italian, Arabic and British influence. Built by the Knights of St John in the 16th century, it retains much of its time-worn charm. Its history has been shaped by its geography and seafaring importance - especially the Grand Harbour. You get fantastic views from the Upper and Lower Barrakka Gardens in Valletta. Plus, I would recommend taking the ferry across the Grand Harbour to visit Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua, known as the Three Cities of Malta – you get a fabulous view from here back to Valletta. To save your legs, take the panaromic Upper Barrakka Lift down to the Waterfront.

I loved the new Parliament House, built as part of the City Gate redevelopment project. Its brutalist architectural style is not one everyone seems to like.

St John’s Co-Cathedral, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, is one of the top sights to visit in Valletta.

MUZA (National Community Art Museum) is housed in a 1760 knight’s palace and showcases rich and diverse artworks from different ages, from Medieval to contemporary art to Baroque. I enjoyed my time spent here looking at all the galleries and pieces of art on display.

It’s also great to just mooch around the narrow streets including the infamous Straight Street – only 4m wide and 660m long it was built by the Knights and was the only place where duelling was permitted. Later nicknamed ‘the Gut’ by the British, being the notorious haunt of sailors on shore leave. Since then it declined, and more recently, it has been regenerated.

My time in Malta coincided with the preparations for the first fiesta of the year – The Feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck on 10 February. We saw all the streets surrounding the church being decorated ready for the celebrations. There were also band marches, lots of music, services and fireworks planned.

I took a short, 30-minute bus ride to visit to former capital city of Mdina – the Silent City. It’s a world away from modern day life on Malta and a great place to explore the quiet narrow streets. Built on top of a hill, you also get fabulous views from here across the Maltese countryside and over to the coast.

I enjoyed lots of delicious Maltese food and wine during my time in Valletta. I always like to try local specialities when I visit different countries – amongst my favourites were pastizz, pudina, imqaret, bragioli and ftira.

Malta is a short (ish) flight from the UK (3 hours 30 mins), English is widely spoken and there is plenty to see and do. I think Valletta is perfect for a long weekend. All the sights are walkable and there is history and culture on every street corner. The food and wine is delicious. Plus, the island also lays claim to over 300 days of sunshine a year!