It’s been years that I have been dreaming about Malta. A tiny group of islands, but still a separate country with its own language, own history and culture. Its position halfway between Europe and Africa makes from Malta a curious mixture, which includes, among everything else, the remnants of one of the most ancient world’s settlements, the Maltese knight order (which exists till our days!) and the most recent influence after British domination, which was over only in the sixties.

Malta was always evoking a similar fascination to the one we used to have for Iceland, even if it is far from being that far (no pun intended!), the particularity of these islands was attracting us badly. And we were not disappointed, as Malta doesn’t look like any other country we have ever visited.

Before going to Malta, I was preoccupied by a great deal of questions. How long should we spend there? Should we stay at the same place or move according our travels? What transport should we use?

After our own experience, I’m willing to share the answers with you.

Our trip lasted five full days, and one thing is for sure: that is not enough. Everything depends on your interests and plans, but make sure you go there at least for a full week to enjoy what Malta has to offer. (If not ten, including the activities like scuba diving)

Once again, depending on what you are looking for. My friend and I visited Malta in the end of April – beginning of May, so we could avoid crowds, high-season rates, and crowded beaches, while enjoying the warm weather, long days and the swimmable sea.

Have I mentioned the British influence yet? :) So yes, they do drive on the left, but that is a thing one gets used to fast enough. What you really should keep in mind, is that their electric plugs are also British, so don’t forget to grab your adaptor if you have one. Another good point in Malta is that English is a widely spoken language even in the most remote parts of the island. And no, don’t even try to decipher the actual Maltese language.

Malta is small enough, so you can easily stay at the same place, travel to the farthest edges of the island and then come back to the point of departure in the same day. Naturally, if you intend to spend in Gozo or Comino more than one day, it is better to book something there in order to avoid taking the boat twice. We rented an Airbnb in San Ġiljan and were happy with it, even though we were constantly electrocuted by the shower. Well, a moment to remember.

During this trip we tested everything. Except for dragon riding, probably. Let’s start from the beginning:

Public transport, i.e. buses. Malta has a fairly good bus connection at a very low price (1.50-2€ for two hours including the changes), so moving around by bus is possible. But. The schedule on the bus stops is rarely respected, which means that you can’t always stick to the nice plan proposed by Google Maps (the best way to get the directions). In some spots far from Valletta the bus stops only once in an hour, which makes it difficult to enjoy without keeping an eye on the watch all the time. All this not to mention the way of driving that makes sick even strongest of us…

Hitchhiking. Works perfectly the moment you get out of Valletta with its busy roads. In my opinion, the best way to move around Gozo or to compensate a lack of buses. Get ready though, that the traffic is not that frequent either. :D It might be helpful to have something to write your destination on.

Electric Bike. And the winner of “how to move around Malta” parade, if you are a cycling type. It’s quite a hilly island, so if you are not here for the purpose of cycling, riding a regular bike might be exhausting, however, with electric bikes you get this freedom of your own transport which is perfectly adapted for the Maltese terrain. Having a GPS support (with the offline map downloaded on your phone) is a big help. There are several rental spots in Malta, but our customer experience was quite pathetic, so I wish you luck. Count around 20-25€ per day of rent. The drivers in Malta are quite respectful towards the bikes (despite their crazy way of driving), but if you get the direction for a walking route, you can avoid all this hectic traffic.

Don’t hesitate to ask the locals about the buses, as the Maltese public transport system is far from being obvious, and be ready to face rude bus drivers.

To our great surprise, we discovered that Malta, no matter how touristy it is, remains a budget friendly destination. Those enormous food platters for the most reasonable prices I’ve seen for ages were definitely a highlight of the trip.

We didn’t try the rabbit stew – the traditional dish of Malta, but I loved their pastries which stuff you for the whole day! As it was said in the previous point, the prices on Malta are very affordable, and the products were always fresh and delicious wherever we had lunch or dinner. In Sliema there is a long alley of each kind of cuisine, but in the remote places even a simple plate of salad was a true joy. Don’t forget about another British legacy gift – the omnipresent English Breakfast! Often served by Brits! Shocking!

Ironically, even if I never watched or read Games of Thrones, it’s impossible not to catch some enthusiasm about it, as Malta is known to be (one of many) setting places for this series. So yes, Games of Thrones fans, you will be fully satisfied, because even locals will be happy to indicate you the Games of Thrones places without you asking them. The Azure window is here no more though.

Don’t forget that you can open the map with all the details in a full screen by clicking on the “full screen” button.

Valletta deserves a full day of slow walking, but I’m not going to lie by saying that I found it particularly incredible. Of course, these bow windows and balconies, British telephone boxes and several spectacular panoramic points are charming, but in my list of favorites, Valletta won’t be among the first ten. Even if it’s not that big, it’s still easy to get lost and miss some of the must-see spots, so don’t hesitate to take a map with you. Fortunately, its size allows walking it up to the last street in one day, and taking some time for the museums for the following one.

My absolute favorite in Valletta was a small fishing harbor, which is a true hidden gem, but for the whole list, have a look at the separate post about Valletta.

Hate to think of how more productive this day could have been if we hadn’t had to waste so much time on waiting for the buses. But well, let’s skip the long ordeal of us trying to get to Marsaxlokk. It’s this very place where all the most iconic view of Malta comes from, with its beautiful bleu harbour and typical Maltese boats eyeing you suspiciously (literally!). However, the posters won’t tell you that there is an electric plant in the middle of this idyllic picture, which has its own charm, but not to everyone’s taste.

By the way, before coming to Marsaxlokk (because yes, thanks to the buses, we had an opportunity to discover more for less :D) we passed by a similar harbor in Birżebbuġa, which had zero tourists, but the same beauty without a power plant. Just saying.

Birżebbuġa

3 kilometers of walk from Marsaxlokk, and we arrived to the St. Peter’s Pool, a beautiful bay with deep blue water, peculiar cliffs and… lots of tourists. Which didn’t stop us from having fun in the water (in the beginning of May, yes!). I let my imagination portrait how gorgeous it must be during the golden hours of sunrise and sunset. By the way, in Marsaxlokk they might try to talk you into taking a boat or a bus to get to St. Peter’s Pool, but the price they ask isn’t really justified for such a short distance.

Years after, we caught a bus to the Bleu Grotto, which is a famous group of caves on the coast. Don’t hesitate to take a boat tour to see them from the sea, otherwise it won’t make too much sense from the land. Looking back, I think it would have been better to be there during the morning hours for the photos sake.

1.5 km walk and here we are at Ħaġar Qim. I mean in front of the closed door of Hagar Qim. One of “Malta specialties” is its archaeological sites, of a huge historic value, and Hagar Qim is among them, together with Hal Saflieni currently closed for the renovation works, as of 2018. Even if when we missed the opening hours, it was still possible to get a glimpse of the remnants of the temples from 3000 years B.C. through the grill. Though I’m not going to lie claiming that without a proper visit it made much sense.

Our final stop was in Ghar Lapsi. It’s a tiny fishing harbour, which was surprisingly authentic. A long walk downhill and then back uphill, followed by hitchhiking was justified!

Day, when we decided to say “no” to the public transport and rented two electric bikes, which allowed us to cross the island from North to South and come back to Valletta without any bus issues. We did take a bus though to get to Qawra to fetch the bikes, but it doesn’t count. The first stop was in Mosta, whose main point of interest is Rotunda – a church with the world’s largest unsupported dome. Mosta’s streets appeared to be tourist-free and pleasant to discover too before moving on to Mdina.

I must confess, that Mdina and Rabat, didn’t impress us much, and why? Because of the high expectations, as always. Mdina is one of the most visited place of Malta, and of course, what we found was an overcrowded place, even if the town is beautiful. Same old story.

On our way to the Dingli cliffs, we made a short pause in Malta’s only “forest” – Buskett Gardens – a large tree garden surrounding the presidential palace. The last one is closed to the visitors. If you have time to chill there – do it, but we just hurried to see the sunset on the Dingli cliffs.

While cycling back to San Ġiljan, we stopped at Siggiewi for a dinner, fresh homemade strawberry smoothie and a beautiful view on yet another beautiful church. Crossing by bike the towns close to Valletta was a true pleasure – a small touch of authentic semi-urban life in the places rarely gratified with the presence of tourists.

The morning started from bringing our bicycles back to Qawra, taking a bus and then a ferry from Cirkewwa till Gozo. 10€ the return ticket, 35 minutes on the ferry and here we are, the second most famous island of the country. Even if everybody says that Gozo is very different from Malta, the only differences I could note were even smaller population and even worse bus system. Which means that this day was more like a survival quest involving endless walking, endless bus waiting and hitchhiking on the empty roads. In a separate article I give some more details about Gozo, but if you have an opportunity (and especially if you are luckier with the weather), please take at least two days to explore Gozo and Comino.

As I said, the Azure window doesn’t exist anymore, but fortunately it’s not the only thing to see on Gozo.

We came back to our Airbnb late but safe (if we forget that bus turn, which knocked a woman with a pram from her feet so that the kid fell on the floor – have I mentioned that buses on Malta are kind of a nightmare? Yes, I have.)

The rain for the first half of the day was a sad farewell gift, but it had its positive sides. Such as empty streets in a touristy place, a good pretext for a coffee and a proper depressed mood for the departure. The drawback was, well, the rain and CRAZY wind.

This day was devoted to the Three Cities facing Valletta: Birgu, Isla and Bormla. Wait, – will you say, but in the title you put different names!

Yes, I know, a tiny bit confusing, isn’t it? Actually, each of these cities have even more than just two names – a true historical twist. In fact, these three cities are a living history of Malta – fortresses, knights, palaces, cathedrals, etc. It was one of the rare cases when I wouldn’t mind taking a guided tour to understand better the majesty of these cities. They are glued to each other, so it’s perfectly possible (and even compulsory!) to explore them on foot.

Traditionally, I put a short list of things I wish we had done, but couldn’t due to the lack of time/money/circumstances/other please specify.

Scuba diving! Yes! Malta is one of the best spots for scuba diving in Europe. Which is understandable with its numerous caves and cliffs, and fantastic colors of water. Therefore, I wish we could take at least a day to practice this wonderful activity.

Visiting the St. John’s Cathedral in Valletta.

Taking some time just to relax on the beach, goddammit :D

If you plan a trip to Malta, absolutely check the articles on Malta by Daniela from the blog Grumpy Camel, who gives a detailed info about all the hidden gems and things to know before going to Malta. Which is even more precious, considering that these tips come from a local.

I do hope your trip to Malta won’t look so much like a round of “Hunger Games”, because that’s exactly what we feel about our adventure. An excellent adventure, by the way.