MAGIC MALTA
Republic of Malta 35°54’N 14°31’E Total land mass 316 km2 population of 538.200 (est 2023). Malta comprises of 5 islands; Malta, Gozo, Comino, islets Kemmunett and Filfla. Malta lies 93km south of Sicily, 290km north of Libya and 290km east of Tunisia. Separated by the Mediterranean Sea.
Valletta, the capital is home to approx. 6,444 people. Valletta was named after Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette who founded the city in 1566. Malta is rich in Baroque architecture with some buildings dating back to the 16th Century.
Malta achieved its independence as the State of Malta (Independence Day) (from the UK) in September 1964 and declared itself a Republic in December 1974 (Republic Day) and joined the EU in May 2004. The major resource is limestone and the economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing and tourism. With approximately 1.6 million tourists a year tourism contributes to around 11.6% of their GDP. They need tourists so with no further a do, let’s get moving with your visit to Malta! (get ready for being spammed with loads of pics, so much to see and do on such small islands)
Day 1:
Start your Maltese adventure by exploring Malta’s capital city Valletta and the neighbouring 3 cities Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua.
Valletta was built in the 16th century by the knights of St John, on a tiny peninsular with 2 natural harbours – the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour – and is only 1km x 600m – and at just .55km2 Valletta is the smallest capital in Europe. In 1980 it was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO and was described as one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world. Visit Saint John’s Cathedral the Grand Master’s Palace and the Upper Barrakka Gardens for stunning views of the Grand Harbour then head over to three cities to explore the historic streets and stunning waterfront. You can walk from Valletta to the other side of the water, but it’s going to be approx. 20km round trip so you could drive round to the other side and park up, or jump on a ferry, it’s only a 10min ride, and it takes you straight into Birgu.
Day 2:
Mdina and Rabat
Drive to Mdina the “silent city” (and explore its winding streets and stunning views. Visit the Mdina Cathedral, the old city fortress, the Archbishops Palace and the Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum
Then head to Rabat to visit St Paul’s Catacombs and Domus Romana, a restored Roman villa. The Catacombs form a complex of interconnected underground passages and tombs use as Roman cemeteries. It is easy to spend a day in Mdina and Rabat, whiling away your time, getting lost walking the streets and finding yourself again and also finding different artifacts as you go.
Day 3:
Blue Grotto and Marsaxlokk
We would recommend you drive to the Blue Grotto early in the morning to really see the amazing colours from the position of the sun, and visit Marsaxlokk in the afternoon. The Blue Grotto is a complex series of 7 sea caves and natural rock formations – jump on a hire boat hire boat so you can get inside the caves. The water is crystal clear (hence the name) and great for swimming and snorkelling if you stay around where the boats leave from, don’t go into the caves.
From here head over to Marsaxlokk for lunch and a visit, it’s the largest fishing village in Malta and home to some of the finest fish restaurants on the island! Along the harbour, you will see all the brightly coloured fishing boats all lined up. On Sundays you will find the locals there having their lunch and buying their fish at the Sunday market, and you know what it means when the locals eat somewhere…!
We also recommend you wrap your day up over at St Peter’s Pool where you can walk along the rocks into the beautiful crystal clear water, or dive or jump off the rocks, your choice, but an absolutely stunning and refreshing way to finish your day. credit: Malta.com
Day 4 & 5:
Gozo – definitely worth an overnight stay
Head west to Cirkewwa and take the car on the ferry to MGarr in Gozo. 25 mins later you arrive on Malta’s sister island and forget all your troubles – take your overnight kit and stay overnight in one of the gorgeous hotels on the island (Kempinski just being one of them)! Voila! You’ve just turned your trip to Malta into a 2 centre holiday 😊 Gozo is 26 square miles of R&R!
A quick and easy 25 min ferry ride and you are in Gozo, ready to start your 2 centre holiday! You could leave your car on the main island and travel as a foot passenger but we’d advise taking your car so you have the freedom to explore Gozo on your own 4 wheels.
Get on a boat and visit the turquoise blue waters of the Blue Lagoon. Visit the Citadel in Victoria and the megalithic Ggantija Temples, recognised by UNESCO as the oldest freestanding structures in the world dating back over 5,500 years, over 1,000 years older than the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge!
Nothing is too far away so you can spend as little or much time as you would like, there is seriously no shortage of things to see and do.
Do go and visit the salt pans … not the most obvious thing to do on a holiday but their natural patterns and structures are amazing, you won’t regret the detour.
Or just laze and swim at Ramla Beach, one of the most famous beaches on Gozo/Malta. OR, do all of these things if you over night and stay 2 days! You are on holiday after all and have car will travel.
Day 6:
Mosta and Ta’ Qali Crafts Village
Visit the town of Mosta and see the Mosta Dome, a church, is ranked 9th largest unsupported dome in the world. Designed by Giorgio Grognet and completed in the 1860’s the spectacular dome has an external height of 61 metres and diameter of 56 metres. In 2018 it was elevated by the Vatican to the status of a minor basilica and is officially known now as The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady. There are a lot of events held there so do check before you go, also check for mass times if you would like to attend mass.
The Basilica, the Rotunda, the Dome, the Church … it goes by several names and how magnificent is it! It survived 3 bombs in WWII – one actually went straight through the roof during an evening mass, no one was injured and it did not explode and had to be defused and removed by the Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal unit who then dropped it in the sea to the west of the island.
photo credit: maltalovers
The interior is also stunning, painted blue, gold, and white and decorated with rich colours and stunning statues, stucco mouldings, and gilded and decorative elements.
There are also eight niches and a bay containing the main entrance and a deep apse which includes the main altar. Definitely not a sight to miss if you enjoy viewing beautiful art and architecture!
Then head to Ta’ Qali Craft Village to see local artisans at work and to buy your souvenir traditional Maltese crafts. the Dingli Cliffs for breathtaking views of the Mediterranean and just chill and watch the sun go down.
Day 7:
Valletta and the Marsovin Experience
End your trip back where you started because we only allowed your first day there and there really is so much to do and see in Valletta. Finish off your sightseeing, enjoy a leisurely breakfast on the harbour, take a tour boat, or join a walking tour – if you are game enough, do a segway tour.
Just outside of Valletta in Paola you will find the Marsovin Winery where you can immerse yourself in the Marsovin experience for an hour, learn their traditional methods, walk through their 400yr old cellar. They have over 55 acres of land and 5 estates on Malta and Gozo. If you are are lucky you might be there for one of their famous grape harvesting festivals!
And what a great way to wrap your tour of Malta, stocking up on some delicious wines! 😉 As usual, we have not recommended any places to stay or accommodations, everyone has their own budget and wants different things from a holiday, and that includes places to stay.
Credits:
maltauncovered.com
Britannica.com
Wikipedia
Wikicommons
