In May 2018 we will be taking a Mediterranean cruise and we will have stops for one day in Sicily (Messina) and in Malta (Valletta). I bought the Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports book for guidance, but it does not have anything in it regarding Sicily and Malta. The cruise ship offers a number of different excursions for these two ports. Does anyone have recommendations for what we should see if we only have one day in each port?
Posted by
11679 posts
Taormina is the usual excursion from Messina. What choices are you given by your ship?
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8045 posts
Funny, I had the same experience with Rick's Cruise Ports book. Valetta has plenty to so without a ship tour. It's a good place to eat out if your ship is overnight. But I'd mention the very special UNESCO WHS Hypogeum nearby, requiring months in advance to reserve. I'd skip a few churches to have seen that. The outdoor stone temples are a distant second for WHS fans like me. The Hypogeum seemed closed for our trip time.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Two options that include Taormina are "Taste of Sicily: Mt. Etna & Taormina" and "Taormina, Lava River, Wine & Jewels." Another option is "Castelmola, Wine Tasting & Cannoli."
Posted by
Atlanta
5280 posts
We did a ship excursion to Mt. Etna from Taormina. Both are well worth a visit. The streets and Greek theater in Taormina are really neat. Mt Etna is quite impressive. In Malta, right in the middle of town is a church that is over the top ornate!! Definitely worth a visit but I just can't remember the name. The Rick Steves blog about his recent cruise stop there has a video of the church and the name.
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
You can definitely do Valletta on your own just using your feet (and a ferry if you have the time). It's compact but has a lot of sites and nooks and crannies. The only downside is that there are a lot of lovely places outside of Valletta (like Mdina and Rabat) but with only one day, you really don't have time to do it all...so just stick to Valletta to maximize your time.
- St. John's Co-Cathedral (really, really ornate and has Caravaggio pieces)
- Grand Master's Palace
- State Armory
- Lascaris War Rooms
- Upper and Lower Barrakka Gardens
- Saluting Battery (find the times when they shoot the cannons - it's a treat!)
- Walk around the entire fortification and see it from every angle
- Take a local ferry across the bay to the "Three Cities" (Birgu, Senglea, and Conspicua). There you can see the Inquisitor's Palace and walk around some wonderful narrow streets, which is part of the fun.
The best book for Malta is the Bradt Travel Guide and Lonely Planet...you should be able to find them in your local library or on Amazon.
Also, see:
http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/valletta-m-m-vall.htm
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g190328-Activities-Valletta_Island_of_Malta.html
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8045 posts
We had a week on Sicily at the end of the year in 2012, and other than a 15-year old TV show on Sicily, Rick Steves had precious little information on Sicily. It sounds like he has more video and/or written content coming in the future. Our best resource 5 years ago was the Lonely Planet guidebook for Sicily, so if your library has a copy, or if you get it, that would provide further details on options for your visit.
Haven't been to Malta (yet), or the neighboring island of Gozo.
Posted by
Washington DC
28453 posts
I'm on the record as not being a huge fan of Taormina because is it so intensely touristy, but it is lovely and has the Greek theatre. I think it would be my top choice in your situation. For me, seeing Mt. Etna from a distance was sufficient, but others disagree. Messina isn't particularly well positioned for visiting other parts of Sicily, so I don't think you have a lot of great alternatives unless you want to spend much of your time on the road.