Trip Length: 2 weeks
Trip Budget: €60 per day for a couple ( Accommodation per night €30, Care Hire per day €10, Food and others per day €20 )
GENERAL INFORMATION
We had a day in Valetta as a stop-over 10 years ago and I remember how stunning the city was. I love old walled cities and the Crusader period, so was destined to love Malta which was at the crossroads for all that stuff. Yet, I was completely unprepared for how truly stunning the country was outside Valetta.
Malta is made up of 3 main islands, each unique in their own way:
Malta- with Valetta and Rabat to main cities and some great tourist areas along the stunning coast.
Gozo- a short ferry ride and stunning with cliffs and hilltop villages.
Comino- the small island with the famous Blue Lagoon and sea caves.
Malta has some of the world's most ancient standing buildings (the Neolithic temples), and its strategic location and good harbours in the middle of the Mediterranean have attracted Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Crusaders, the French and finally the British, with the colonial period lasting until 1964. It oozes charm with its historical buildings beautifully restored and maintained. It also has stunning scenery with bay after bay with cliffs and rocky headlands dropping into the aqua sea.
As a member of the European union and a former British colony, Malta is easy for western travellers. Roads drive on the British side, supermarkets have western food and everyone speaks English. There are a large number of British expats who make Malta their home and many tourists are British.
PRACTICAL MATTERS
Money-Maybe it’s because we had just left Israel but we found Malta refreshingly inexpensive. We rented a car for $15 AUD a day and with such short distances- drove all over Gozo and Malta and only used half a tank of fuel. There are ATM’s everywhere, tipping isn’t expected but is welcomed, all tax is included in prices.
Communication-Wifi is readily available. Malta is a Go Roam in Europe destination which means you can use your data here at no extra cost. Getting a European sim card is a great idea if you are there for any period of time. They are readily available ( we use 3 and Vodaphone as top up are easy on line).
Electricity-Malta has a mix of English (3 prong) and European (2 round prongs) so best to have both.
Shopping- Lidl supermarkets make food shopping easy and there are some great tourist shopping centres.
Eating- A range of western fast food, great Italian restaurants and overall a great tourist selection.
Places to Stay- Many package tourists stay in the beach resorts along the coast. Just a little bit inland (often with sea views) and a few minutes drive to the coast are all the small guest houses and hotels. We used Booking.com and found two guest houses , one on Gozo and one outside Valetta on Malta, both with cooking facilities and lounges (one had a beautiful pool) for $50 AUD a night
Getting In and Out/Moving about
The cruise terminal is right in the heart of Valetta. The airport is 10 mins from town and whilst it is small, it is modern and efficient with a range of car rental companies. We used Surprise Car rentals and despite awful reviews as a whole company- for $15 AUD a day for a new Fiesta, we have no complaints about the Malta branch.
Roads are narrow and outside the cities lined with high yellow stone walls and pot holes. Many are steep and you can easily find your self on a cliff top path or driving through someone farm. Traffic can back up around Valetta but is generally good through-out the rest of the country- with good dual carriage ways leading out of the city. Fuel reasonable at €1.40 a Litre.
There is a ferry to Gozo leaving about every 30 mins most of the day. You only pay at the Gozo side at a drive through ticket booth as you go to drive onto the ferry (€20 for a car with 2 passengers for the return trip).
Most people go to Comino on a day trip where you circle the island and spend some time (2-4 hrs) at the Blue Lagoon. Tours range from €15-30 a day.
Parking is mostly free in well designated white lined bays even in the old city areas.
ITINERARY
Gozo (4 days)
The legendary Calypso's Isle described in Homer's Odyssey, Gozo is an idyllic Mediterranean island of quaint fishing villages and peaceful bays. To get to Gozo, you take a ferry from Cirkewwa on Malta to Mgarr.We headed to Gozo directly after we collected our car from the airport. The ferry trip on dusk was magical (from Cirkewwa on the island of Malta to the seaport of Mgarr on the island of Gozo).
Nowhere is far on Gozo. You look at the map and then realise its only 2km to the next point of interest. I suggest the following places that we enjoyed. There are SO many walking trails that even those people who are not great walkers will find something to work for them.
We based ourselves in Xangra (pronounced Shagra) as it is central, with great views across the island and close to Victoria (the main town). We did some day trips but simply I have divided it into North and west of Victoria and Victoria and south:
North and west of Victoria:
Ggantija Temples- One of the best-preserved and most impressive archaeological sites on the Maltese Islands. This UNESCO-listed prehistoric site dates from 3600 BC and the temples are believed to be the oldest freestanding monuments in the world, predating Stonehenge in England and the Pyramids in Egypt.
Marsalform- This is the main tourist strip on the island but not built out by any means. Follow the beautiful coast road along the coast to Xwejni Bay. There are stunning cliffs, salt pans cut into the rocks, aqua bays and dives sites. You can also walk most of the way.
Ir- Ramla- Nestled along a protected bay surrounded by steep cliffs, Ir-Ramla il-Hamra (Ramla Bay) is the largest beach on the Island of Gozo. Ramla Bay has a wide shore covered in fine reddish sand. In the middle of the beach is a large statue devoted to the Virgin Mary known as Our Lady of Hope.
The Basilica of Ta' Pinu- is an important pilgrimage church devoted to the Virgin Mary. Several miraculous events occurred here that inspired the building of the Basilica of Ta' Pinu in the 20th century on the site of a 16th-century chapel.
Dwerja- The famous Azure Window, a huge natural arch along the coastline, collapsed during a storm in 2017. Although the Azure Window was previously the main tourist draw of Dwerja Bay, the area is still worth visiting to appreciate the dramatic coastal scenery and deep blue waters. The bay begins with the Inland Sea (Il-Qawra), a natural lagoon of shallow water in a recess along the coastline. An inlet connects the Inland Sea to a premier diving spot in the Mediterranean, the Blue Hole, a 10-meter-wide sea pool.
Victoria and the south and east:
Victoria: Gozo's capital city, Victoria (also known as Ir-Rabat) has an historic center on a hilltop enclosed within a Citadel (Cittadella), constructed by the Knights of Saint John after the medieval walls were destroyed by the Turks in 1551. From the three bastions (semicircular battlements) of the Citadel, you panoramic views of the Gozo countryside dotted with villages in the hills and valleys all the way to the sea. Within the Citadel is a maze of winding streets and narrow alleyways. At the heart of the Citadel is the Cathedral of the Assumption.
XLENDI: On a narrow bay along Gozo's beautiful southwest coast, Xlendi is an old fishing village that has become one of the island's most popular seaside resorts.
XEWKIJIA: Xewkija is a historic village (the oldest on the island) best known for its church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. This remarkable church at the center of the village is Gozo's largest religious monument; its dome is a distinctive landmark visible across much of the island. Built in the 20th century, the Xewkija Rotunda is the third largest dome in the world after Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.
SANNAT: Gozo is well known for its handcrafted lace, and the village of Sannat was the traditional center of the island's lace-making cottage industry.
The Ta'Cenc Cliffs- The highest cliffs in Gozo at 130 meters high. These spectacular cliffs were important to the Knights of Malta because they provided breeding grounds for their Peregrine Hunting Falcons (Maltese Falcons), although the species is now extinct on the Maltese Islands. The sheer precipice of white limestone cliffs looks like a slice of layer cake, with hundreds of layers dropping off into the sea below. It's possible to hike to the cliffs from Sannat, which takes about 30 minutes and affords sensational views along the way.
Mgarr ix-Xini- Is a narrow inlet of a secluded bay, surrounded by steep-sided cliffs and a valley. The beach at Mgarr ix-Xini is tiny and pebbly but is popular with swimmers because of the calm waters.
Malta (4 days)
Most of the sites to see are clustered in the finger of land that is the old city of Valetta. There are stunning views on both sides of the Grand Harbour.
Fort Saint Angelo- is symbolical for Malta- it dominates the harbour as you look across from the old city. It was built to protect the island back in the 11th century. Despite the hundreds of battles that the fort had to endure, it was perfectly preserved and is now a museum.
The Old Town- The building of Valetta started in 1566. It is surrounded by thick walls and is like one massive museum with history on every corner.
The Great Master’s Palace- is one of the oldest buildings in Valetta. It was built in the 16th century. In the halls of the palace you can see amazing frescos featuring the knights of the Maltese Order and can see a priceless collection of armour and weapons.
St John Cathedral- The façade is rather plain but the inside is overwhelmingly rich and refined.
The National Military Museum- was founded in 1488 and was used as a protective facility. Once the siege of the city was stopped, the building was damaged severely, but knights restored it.
The main street of Valletta is Republic street. At the end of the street is the beautiful Villa Casa Rocca Piccola.
Upper Barrakka Gardens- has several spacious observation decks with great views. At noon every day a ceremonial volley is fired from the cannons.
Zakaria St-This small historic street starts at the main square and leads to the port area. It’s only 50 meters long but is lovely.
St. Julian's- is a small resort town with an historic centre which was built around St. Julian Church and Spinola Palace.
Ir – Rabat (Mdina)- The sight of Mdina as you are driving up to Rabat is a view that does not fail to amaze every time. It looks like a medieval walled city straight out of a fairy tale. Once past the deep moat, now a lovely garden, and inside the city’s walls, cobbled streets are lined with immaculately preserved noble houses, private chapels, palazzi, and cathedrals.
Comino (1 day)
We finished off in Malta and left from the airport. Unfortunately we did not get to Comino. We made the mistake of leaving it until our last day and the boat was cancelled due to thunder storms- so I’ll have to let you explore this little paradise on your own. There are lots of day trips out of Malta , which leave you for a few hours at the more populare swimming nd snorkling bays.
Malta is certainly a place where you could take a house for a few months and wander around Gozo’s streets and numerous walking trails along the cliffs…….mmmm maybe that should go on the plan for next time. There is one thing certain about Malta, there has to be a next time.
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