Malta

Was there about 2 years ago. We had 5 days there and enjoyed every minute of it. We stayed in Sliema which was well-located for site seeing and getting around. Since you only have one day, I suggest either Sliema or Valletta. Actually, maybe Valletta is better since it seems all transportation routes through there. SOOO much history in this country. Fascinating. General observation: some of the friendliest people I have met on my travels. Didn't care for the food too much except i did like one local dish...some type of meatball/loaf thing. But what i saw everywhere and wasn't for me...lots of rabbit on the menu and seafood. One day and what are the must do's?? That is tough! But if I must come up with something.......go to the walled, medieval city of Mdina. Known as the "Silent City", over 3000 years old, former capital city. St Pauls cathedral worth a look, some palazzo houses, and just the hauntingly beautiful small ancient streets and buildings that almost look like movie-set facades. i think nearby mdina is where we saw catacombs of st agatha. Valletta - st johns catherdal, shopping, grand master palace. and you MUST visit Hypogeum. FASCINATING. i think we bought tickets in advance online for this b/c very limited people per day and you MUST go with tour group. that's a full day but if possible - hagar qim and tarxien too. ENJOY!

Are you there for a cruise stop? We had a day there when our cruise stopped there in February. I'll tell you what we did and how it wored and you can decide what's good for you. We had already been to (Ancient) Rome, (Ancient) Greece and Ephesus (were supposed to have gone to Egypt, but it got changed). We were tired of old stuff and my kids really wanted to see something newer. We knew people who saw the Hypogeum and they liked it, but it took most of their time. We: 1) Took the bus from the port to the Bus Depot. Gave a nice little tour around Valetta. 2) Took one of the public buses out to see the Ta Q'ali craft village. Took forever to get there and find someone actually crafting. What a waste of time. Ended up hiring a car to get us to Mdina 3) Explored Mdina. Took in the Mdina experience movie (for the kids) and learned what a fascinating history the city/island has. 4) Visited the cathedral and museum in Mdina 5)Took public bus back to Valetta 6)Went to the co-cathedral in Valetta (neat) 7) Went on a long, boring tour of Castle Rocca Piccolo. 8) Kicked ourselves for not having enough time to see the Grand Masters Palace
9)Consoled ourselves with ice cream and local pastries.

My favourite place in Malta was the airport departure lounge.
Roger

The Malta Experience (audio-visual presentation) is short, well done, and gives an excellent overview. The Upper Barrakka Gardens for an amazing view. Then go down, down, down to the Lascaris War Rooms for a fascinating look at the WWII Allied HQ - similar to the Churchill War Rooms in London in their use and importance. There is a film and guided tour every hour. Mdina . . . but I would skip the (somewhat) nearby catacombs - it's a long walk to see a cave. Next to the Grandmaster's Palace (worth a visit) is the "Great Siege of Malta" - a self-guided tour that takes about half an hour and gives a very good presentation of this important historic event that truly saved Western Europe from the Ottomans. St. John's Co-Cathedral, including the two Caravaggios. If you are interested in military history, the National War Museum is very good. If you are interested in archeology, the National Museum of Archeology has some really wonderful exhibits. If you are interested in art, the Museum of Fine Arts has a good collection of 17th-19th centurty works.

Just curious - does Malta get a large number of cruise ships?

Of the 5 days I was there, one day there were 2, another day 1 or 2, the rest of the days, none. My guide said there are about 1 million tourists a year, probably many, many, if not most, of them are day trippers from cruise ships. I was there 2 weeks ago. Now tell me why I am writing about Malta while I am having a wonderful time with Jo in Frankfurt?