Malta - who knew?

Chani, Thanks for the post! Malta is one of the places I've long been interested in visiting (partially because of the WW-II history), but so far it just hasn't "fit" any of my Itineraries. You've renewed my interest, so maybe I can make it happen next year. If only Rick had a Malta Guidebook..... Cheers!

Thanks for this post! I had no idea, either. It would never - ever - had occurred to me to check out Malta. Now, I probably will!

I almost took the kids there on vacation once, but we ended up going to Agadir in Morocco instead. It looks beautiful. My daughter and 4 of her friends went there a couple of summers ago for a weeks vacation. She also said it was pretty and they enjoyed it a lot. Will have to get down there sometime!

Look out, Jo. I am going to put my Malta photos on my notepad and show them to you tomorrow (all 850 of them).

Ha, Ok, but then I have to show you my 5000 photos of Frankfurt!

Well, I'd like to see the city too, but of course your photos are more of a priority !

I have to admit I'd never even heard of Malta until we'd booked a cruise that stopped there. The history of the place is fascinating and I would love to return there one day. Glad you enjoyed your time there!

Malta has always intrigued me a lot, although I have not made it there yet. With such a strategic location, which surely has resulted in a very rich history and plenty of interesting cultural influences, I have no doubt that it's a fascinating place. However, I had always assumed that it was a very expensive place to travel (not sure why - I believe a friend may have said this to me). Just curious - when you describe it as "not expensive", how does its cost compare to other places around the region? Also - some Mediterranean islands/beach spots are pretty "touristy" and over-developed, which for some of us are a real turn-off (e.g. Spain's Costa del Sol and lots of other places). To what extent did you find Malta "touristy" and overbuilt? Thanks for sharing your impressions.

I was there from Monday, June 7 to Saturday June 11. No, it didn't feel touristy or kitschy. We ate lunches out (hotel was half-board), not heavy ones, for €10-15, with beverages. Cold drinks from kiosks were priced about like anywhere in Europe. Coffee or hot chocolate at a cafe was less than €2. Public transportation is good and cheap. The prices I saw listed for guided tours were 1/2 of what I would have paid in Italy or Budapest, etc. I was with a group, so I didn't notice what the entrance fees were or the hotel prices, but based on what I paid for a single supplement (€90 for 4 nights) the room couldn't have been all that much. Souvenirs were definitely less than "European" prices and there were very good prices on local products, Phoenician glassware, lace, woolen knits, packaged foods. I believe the scheduled flights are fairly expensive, but there are charter flights that aren't. My group flew on Air Malta, the plane was comfortable and the service was good.

We spent ten days in Malta last year and it was one of the best trips we have ever been on. We rented an apartment with a great harbor view: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/valletta/83305 Getting around by bus was easy and the restaurants were good. Neil

Malta has been on my list for awhile. The biggest surprise here, "not expensive". I expected everything to be pretty pricey. Yes the history is amazing. Just the history of the Maltese cross was interesting for me.

I guess pricey is relative. It certainly seemed less than Paris or London or Venice, though not any less than, say, Budapest.

Hi Chani, spent five days in Malta last Jan. Flew in/out on inexpensive Easyjet, stayed at the wonderful Phoenician just outside the walled city. Took the tired buses everywhere. Fun time! Niced people, good food. The TI at the airport has lots of brochures and gives terrific advice. Temperature was in the mid fifties. I agree, Malta is a treat. Now everyboday knows - BUMMER. Susan

Malta - (digression) Ever since I read Haruki Murakami's The Wind-up Bird Chronicle I have been intrigued by Malta. The novel has an interesting character whose name is Malta Kano. And her sister is called Crete Kano.

One thing I would disagree with is the public transportation, it is very poor with infrequent buses and the inavailability to get to many places. Beyond that Malta and Gozo are great. The other alternatives are the hop on/off type buses that hit the major tourist spots or renting a car. However the thing with cars is they drive on the same side as the UK and are as crazy as the Italians. Avoid driving in the cities as much as you can.

It's true that the city buses are old but all the talk around Malta was that an Italian company was taking over the bus system. They are bringing in all new equipment but the down side is that the extremely cheap fare is going to triple. Still a bargin by European standards. Enjoy your trip! Susan

Wanted to add my two cents. I am a Malta fan as well. I don't even remember how I first "discovered" it but my friend and I were planning a trip, Greece and Croatia already on the itinerary, friend always flexible on destinations, I mention Malta, she says sure, so we added 5 days in Malta to our agenda. I loved it there. Didn't meet one other American the entire time in Malta. Found the people among the friendliest I have met on my travels. So much history there. Quaint harbors and towns. Beautiful medieval city of Mdina. GORGEOUS beaches. Day trip to Gozo. Lively nightlife. And unlike another poster mentioned, I actually found the buses easily got us to the places we wanted to go. Two thumbs up to Malta!!!!!

I am sorry to read in Susan's (Derry) post that the wonderful Malta buses will be replaced with new, modern equipment. I LOVED those buses. The drivers personalized their spaces with family pictures, religious icons, wise sayings, etc., making the bus an extension of their personalities and their own homes. The drivers themselves tended to be cranky, not unlike their buses. One I particularly remember when we asked "Is this the end of the route?", he shouted "Yes! Yes! Get off the bus!" Probably in need of a pee. We laughed and called him the Bus Nazi. Malta is just a very interesting place .... go before the rest of the world discovers this.

I had not really though of going to Malta until I was looking at tours of Sicily and one company has a post tour of Malta. Seems like this may be a good combination 2 week tour.

I liked being at Mediteranean Sea islands. I did not go to Malta. Those of you who were at Malta, please describe the people who are residents at Malta. (Edit)
Can they talk in the English language fluently ? What is their native language ?

"It's true that the city buses are old but all the talk around Malta was that an Italian (italics mine) company was taking over the bus system." OH NO!!! I hope Malta is walkable; now we're gonna be waiting a looong time for the bus to show...;-)

Ron, Malta was originally settled by people from Sicily, which is the closest land to Malta, about 7,000 years ago. Malta's nearest African neighbors are Tunisia and Libya. Any African ancestry would undoubtedly be from those areas, either during Roman times, or during the couple of centuries that Malta was under Muslim domination, not from Negro African areas. The Maltese believe that St. Peter was shipwrecked on Malta and their ancestors converted to Christianity at that time and have been staunch defenders of the faith ever since. The language origins are a bit of a mystery. It is characterized as a Semitic language (probably descended from Arabic) while about 40% of the vocabulary is from Italian. English is the second official language of Malta - from the many years it was a British colony.