Malta

You said country and not island. Are you asking about Malta, Gozo, and Comino or just the island of Malta. An idea of interests would also help - - if it's prehistory and archaeology, a couple of months might get you going.

Ed, have you been there?

Yep. I don't talk about what don't know.

I was in Malta (on the island of Malta, that is) for 2 weeks about 7 years ago. We stayed in Sliema at the Preluna hotel, which was beginning then to look a bit shabby so unless it has been refurbished I won't recommend it. It is well situated, though, on the waterfront with bus stop at the door. As Ed said if archeology is of interest, Malta is the place. It has had a long and interesting history, and went through hell during WWII. We did a day trip to Gozo, so I know nothing about Gozo, really, except that I didn't like it upon first inspection. I think there is surfing there. Valletta is bustling, lots of shops and restaurants, churches and chapels (population is about 90% Catholic, which you will believe when you note all the religious icons on many of the buildings) and a nice little Museum of Archeology. We found a nice cafe up on a hill in Valletta which overlooked the splendid harbour, if I remember the name I'll get back to you. The view from there was spectacular. I think the name was something like St. George's. There is a good network of buses from the terminus just outside the Valletta city gates, which will take you all over the island, each bus driver being more eccentric than than the one before. You will find lots of information on the web, particularly about the Knights Templar. Have fun with your research.

Ed, Malta facinates me as well. There is a direct flight which makes it very obtainable for me. So help us out. When were you last there? For how long? What was most interesting for you? Did you stay long enough for your interests? Will you go back? Where did you stay? How did you get there? Do you think it pairs well with another location?

Now the sorry truth comes out.

Maybe eight or ten years ago. Almost two weeks. Arrived on a broken sailboat which wasn't mine but needed yard work and a wait for parts which was the owner's problem. I'm an archaeology nut and went everywhere by borrowed bike and ferry.

The only shops I went in were for food and incidentals, so I'm a dud there.

Didn't get to see all I wanted, but have never been back. Thought about it on a couple of Sicily trips (there's a ferry from Pozzallo) but it never happened.

Todd,

My husband and I were there recently (October) and stayed from a Saturday to Wednesday. That was about 3, no, maybe 4 days too many for us but, as you said, it's subjective.

That said, since you are going to go through the travel and expense to get there, I'd say at least 2 full days, maybe three will get you a good overview. Add another day if you are interested in Gozo and even more depending on how many sights you want to see (and what your interests are?). While Malta is a small island, getting to and fro is slooooooooow going (the Arriva bus, the public transportation company, is a bit of a disaster; a local we spoke with on the bus said she starts running errands at 4:00am to get anything done) and you may not be able to fit in more than 2 or 3 sights per day (outside Valletta). The main transportation hub is in Valletta, so keep that in mind when deciding where to stay. If you stay too far away from the main hub you will find yourselves spending a lot of time on the bus just getting there in order to transfer to another bus.

Something you might consider for one or two days is taking a Hop On/Hop Off bus tour. There are 2 companies who run them, City Sightseeing and Malta Sightseeing. We were so frustrated with Arriva after a couple days that we bought a one-day HOHO pass and were able to get around a little faster.

For lodging, we stayed at the Sogdiana Guest House on Triq Ross in St. Julian's. I don't believe their website it set up yet but we booked through Booking.com. The hotel was recently renovated, it's not fancy by any stretch but it was clean and the room was quiet. The wi-fi did not work in the room but does downstairs, where you can sit in the breakfast room to use it. The neighborhood was decent and lively, but if we were ever to go to Malta again (we aren't) I'd probably stay in Sliema or Valletta just to not have to spend as much time on the bus.

Hope this helps.

Malta has always been on my list (interest in archeology), but I've not been there yet.

I've been to Sicily a couple of times and it's on my wish list to go back to Sicily and combine it with Malta.

James, these two would pair well, logistically.

I spent 10 days on the main island several years ago. Five would be adequate. I had no interest in spending beach time on the small islands. But history, ancient and modern, surrounds the visitor to Valletta in a splendid setting much used by film-makers. Mostly I was there to relax. I like islands and the small ones are easy. One sidelight, slightly ghoulish, is the tiny pub where Oliver Reed gulped his last beer during the filming of Gladiator. When he collapsed, he allegedly owed a bar tab of over $300. That cannot be confirmed, but would certainly be in tune with his history. http://olliereed.co.uk/pub/
Ah, yes, the stories you can find on islands.

Keith, thanks for the update on the Arriva bus situation, as I had not heard the government had (finally) taken them over. What we experienced in October was abysmal and I hope the next company will manage to run things a little more smoothly for locals and tourists alike. And now that the bus situation is getting under control I wonder if they can next turn their attention toward cleaning up the garbage that is strewn everywhere.

Ed, thanks. You are a price. Doesn't sound like the place that's going to top my list just yet. Oddly enough there are some non-stops out of Budapest. I need someplace for New Year or orthodox Christmas in January with easy connections to Budapest.

Explore all of mainland Europe before considering Malta is the advice from our son who lived in Malta. Buzzkill.

Actually, most people DO explore all of mainland Europe before considering Malta. Non-buzzkill.