Malta

Wikivoyage is a good start: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Malta

Type "Malta" in the search field and you'll find several threads on it. I would recommend Lonely Planet, the Bradt Travel Guide, and the tourism websites for Malta (and Gozo) for the best information.

As others have mentioned, you should definitely get the Bradt Guide for Malta & Gozo by Juliet Rix.

It's a wonderful destination for anyone even remotely interested in history. I find it sad that so many visitors only think of Malta as just a warm weather destination when it really has so much more to offer. As others have mentioned, don't miss Malta's prehistoric Neolithic temples (the Archaeological Museum in Valletta is excellent as well). Valletta itself is an open air museum - the bastion walls, fortifications and watch towers built by the Knights of Malta are absolutely incredible and best seen from the water, so taking a water taxi or ferry back and forth to the 3 cities is a must. I also recommend visiting the private Casa Rocca Piccola in Valletta - a lovely aristocratic home with underground air raid shelter from WWII. Also recommend visiting the island of Gozo - much more rural and less crowded.

This won’t provide complete information, but RS recently came out with a PBS pledge TV episode on five islands, and Malta was one of them. He shows several minutes of footage, and it could help with some inspiration if you can catch it on PBS.

Here’s a 25 second promotional video link off of his Website:
https://www.ricksteves.com/tv-programmers/island-hopping-europe

And one Monday night a couple of months ago, he held an Online virtual travel session, highlighting that program. Malta’s about 8 minutes into this video:
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/travel-classes/monday-night-travel/island-hopping

Susanne,

I have the Lonely Planet guidebook for Malta, and have found that it contains a lot of good information. I haven't looked at any others yet.

I'm glad that Carolyn from near San Francisco has posted (3 posts up) - she has previously said that she has quite a lot of knowledge of Malta. Ask her more questions - I'm sure she'll help.

Hi! Thanks for all the great feedback. We are not interested in nightlife and I love to see historical sites etc. I did get the lonely planet book yesterday and try to find some time to read it. In regards to rentals we like small apartments as we are just 2 people. Overlooking water, a balcony a must as we like to sit outside and take in the views. I don't mind cooking at all but we also like to take in a local good meal. I rather not rent a car since we are renting a car in germany as well and it will add the cost to our 2nd trip. I think I like Gozo but without a car I think this if iffy? Taking a week over Christmas I am sure many things are closed? Thanks for additional feedback

I would stay in either Valetta or The Three Cities. They have lovely local apartments and hotels (the only thing is that the stone construction will feel cold and damp, probably, at that time of the year). I think you can do Gozo without a car but just be prepared for slower travel since their bus routes are less extensive and frequent in Gozo. I think a lot of the draw of Gozo are the farmhouses with pools which are best for the summer heat (not sure how they are used in winter). Yes, as a very Catholic country, you should expect closures around Christmas in Malta.

Do keep an eye on this website: https://mt.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/

Are U.S. Citizens permitted to enter? No

U.S. citizens residing in the United States are banned from entering Malta for non-essential travel, which includes tourism, unless they have an EU passport or meet the very narrow exceptions detailed here. The EU Commission determines who may enter the EU based on epidemiological data. At this time, there is no projected date when travellers from the United States will be permitted to enter Malta directly.

This means, a U.S. resident may not travel to Malta from a non-corridor country through a corridor country, unless they remain in the safe-corridor country for 14-days prior to entering Malta; have no symptoms of COVID-19; and have not come into contact with a person who is positive within the 14-days prior to travel to Malta.
Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that the Malta International Airport and ports reopening on July 1, 2020. The “safe corridor” destinations that have been reopened for travel include:

Corridor Countries (updated on March 29, 2021) In accordance with L.N 290 of 2020 there is no travel ban for the following countries. As of March 29, 2021 until April 11, 2021- travelers from all countries (including safe corridor countries) are required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test no earlier than 72 hours prior to arrival in Malta.

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vatican City. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are also considered as within Malta’s travel corridor countries (included with China). Quarantine on arrival to Malta will not be applicable to those travelling from these countries, but suspected persons will be requested to have a swab test. For more information please visit the Maltese Ministry of Health website here.

I am a dual citizen and have two passports German and USA..I can pretty much travel anywhere. But thanks for the reminder . Its always good to check what is open and closed. I would think in december they have gotten their act together ?

If you are coming from the US, I think that will establish the entry standard. But could be wrong. December? Who knows?

No need for a rental car on either Malta or Gozo, but if I were to rent a car, I'd only do it on Gozo since it's much less crowded and drivers aren't as aggressive there. Keep in mind, they drive on the left in Malta so there's that to consider as well.

In May 2019, my DH and I stayed in Valletta, but visited other parts of the island using both the official taxis and a Maltese start-up that's similar to (but better than) Uber called "ecabs Malta" ... the website is: https://www.ecabs.com.mt

Taxis & "Ecabs" worked great for getting to/from Mdina, the Blue Grotto and the ferry terminal to Gozo. We also used local buses on occasion and found them to be a good option as well. Regardless of which you choose, be prepared to wait - traffic can be horrendous at certain times of day. We liked staying in Valletta since there's so much history, and you can easily get around on foot. Don't forget to take advantage of the ferry to/from the Three Cities - lots of historic areas over there to explore as well, and the view from the water is impressive.

Regarding transport on Gozo: there are multiple garages / car hire / rental car companies based there; if you call or email ahead, they'll meet you at the ferry terminal. You can also arrange 1/2 day and full day tours of the island.

I recommend spitting your time between the two islands. In 2016, we spent a full week in Valletta + 3 nights in Xagħra, Gozo. We emailed several companies to get prices for pick-up & drop-off services. They'll also meet you at the airport in Malta and take you straight to Gozo, or vise-versa (take you to the airport for a flight home from Gozo). Our B&B in Xagħra had a lovely private terrace with sea-view, and was within walking distance to several restaurants, as well as the Ġgantija temple complex. When we wanted to see other parts of the island, we called one of the local garages and arranged transport - again, be patient. We formed a great relationship with one driver, Mary Grace, who lived in the next village over; after dropping us off at our destination (the Citadel), she told us we could text her when we needed a ride back to our B&B - it worked out great (but keep in mind - that was in May. I wouldn't expect that sort of service in December). Since Gozo is so tiny, it doesn't take long to get from one side to the other; I don't think a single ride was more than 15 minutes and about 10-15 Euros each. You can find reviews for the car hire companies / garages in Gozo on Trip Advisor. The two Gozo based companies we used were Mayjo and Eagle Garage (Mary Grace was wonderful; if you contact her, tell her Carolyn from California says hello). The garage websites are:

https://www.mayjocarhire.com/airport-transfers

http://gozo.com/eaglegarage/airport-transfers.html

Again, be sure to inquire about heating as December can be rather cold and damp. Also, as others have stated, Malta is a primarily Catholic country; people will be spending time with family at Christmas so expect reduced hours and closures. Hope this helps.

Hi Carolyn! I dont know how to directly reply to you on here. Thank you so much for all the great info! We will be flying in from germany . Could you send me a link to the B&B please? I rather stay in one place since we only have a week and its between Christmas. I switched places on a previous trip to Italy we had many more days but it was a hassle. But we got to see so much lol ! Malta is so small I think we can explore with one place and thank you for suggesting no car. Yes while in London the driving on the left side certainly was very different lol

To reply directly to somebody, when you are logged in click on their name (in blue) next to the post. That will take you to their profile, just the same place as yours is, and below that is a link to their posting history, and just below that is a link to send a private message.

They will get an email notifying them if they set that up, and a notification just below their "signed in as..." name on the messages...

Easier than it sounds....

If you plan on using just one base, I would highly recommend Valetta above any other location because that is where all the buses throughout the island converge. There really is no better location, although I love the feel of the more local, less touristy feel of Three Cities. But if staying in Gozo, I would probably pick Victoria (capital city) or Mdina (a larger town/ village) especially if you're not relying on a car.

Hi Susanne,
I sent you a private message.
Cheers,
Carolyn

Update: from March 11 - April 11, 2021, travel between Malta and Gozo was restricted to only those employed on the neighboring island, those visiting family members who are hospitalized and those needing medical care. No other travel between the two island was permitted due to the rise of Covid-19 variants. During that same time period, the Superintendent of Public Health also ordered the closure of all museums, cinemas, theaters, exhibitions, gyms, open air markets, restaurants (room-service only), casinos, bingo-halls and all non-residential swimming pools. You can read the details of the public order here:

https://legislation.mt/eli/ln/2021/86/eng

Sadly, we've also just learned that our favorite B&B in Xagħra, Gozo has permanently closed - citing Covid-19 as the cause (most likely due to loss of revenue due to travel restrictions).

Anyone considering a trip to Malta should check frequently for latest updates.
I've provided links to two excellent Maltese website below:

https://deputyprimeminister.gov.mt/en/health-promotion/covid-19/Pages/travel.aspx

https://www.visitmalta.com/en/covid-19#U1

Here are two other Malta forum threads that are very helpful and informative:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/malta-travel-incentive-some-money-back-if-you-book-direct-with-hotels

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/malta-sicily

Hope this helps

Decided to stay in Valletta ,pre booked a small apartment by the water. Also bought our flights from Frankfurt to Malta on Lufthansa. Ryan Air is to me too stingy with everything they charge you extra for many things. In December it should be fine to travel. Malta is now offering cash rewards for tourist to return if they stay a minimum of 3 days and the higher category the Hotel the more money they give tourists. I am not sure if this applies to us since we are not traveling until December anyways.

has anyone been to Birgu Malta? It looks like a less busy place? Thank you

Yes, Birgu is one of the "Three Cities" I mentioned earlier. It has a more local feel and is smaller than Valetta but still very dense.

you do not need to rent a car, a very cheap way to travel is https://www.cool.mt/