Hello Travellers! My husband and I are travelling to Malta for the first time this May.
It would be great to hear from anyone who has been there on their favourite things to do, things to give a miss etc. We are staying three nights in Asti Guesthouse in Valletta and on our wish list are a bike tour and snorkelling but have not figured out where is best to do those things. Any tips at all would be awesome!! thank you!
Posted by
Sammamish, WA
403 posts
We enjoyed visiting the Knights of St. John Grand Master's Palace and Armory. As I recall, they have wax figures recreating scenes from history. Views from the bastion walls are great. The temple at Hagar Qim is very coolone of the most ancient religious sites in the world from 3600 BC. The Co-cathedral with its museum of Caravaggios is worth a visit. Another cool ancient site is the Tarxien Temples. I really wanted to visit the Hypogeum but it was closed for restoration when we were there. You can hire a cab to take you out to the cart ruts, a weird and unusual thing to see. The town of Valetta is nice for wandering and finding cute places to eat. If you have kids, the Playmobil factory is a fun stop!
Posted by
Midwest
12 posts
Malta is fantastic! I Valleta is nice and I would recommend a boat tour of the grand harbour. As said, Tarxien Temples are nice as is the Hypogeum. You need advanced reservations for a tour and they fill up fast. We hired a local tour guide, Amy, who with her driver showed us the west coast which is harder to get to by bus. Gozo is a must trip, we used hop on - hop off bus which picked us up from our hotel. The citadel city of Mdina is very nice. Snorkeling is so-so in Malta and the sea will be a little cold I suspect. I looked into bike tours and Malta is not a bike-friendly island. Hills can be steep, roads in the country side are full of pot holes. I found a company that does some and on Gozo as well. I'd make sure they are guided, though. Have a great trip.
Posted by
OP
Burnaby, BC, Canada
4 posts
Hello TIm and Angela! You two are the first people I have 'talked' to who have been to Malta! It sounds even better than I imagined! I just checked on the Hypogeum and you are right it is all booked, drat, but it sounds like there is lots more to see.
Your tips are really helping me put together my travel plans, thank you!
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15798 posts
Loved Malta!! Mdina and Rabat - great day out. Harbor tour - excellent idea. The Malta Experience audio-visual show is less than an hour and gives a good overview of the 5000-year-plus amazing history. http://www.themaltaexperience.com/ It's a good way to start because it helps put everything in perspective. I was the for an intense 5-day tour-seminar, and the only thing I would give a miss to is a folklore/dinner evening - kitsch. The local wines are nothing to write home about, but the food - fresh vegetables and seafood - is excellent.