MALTA

There are three main islands here in the form of Malta proper, Gozo and Comino, and whichever one you choose to visit you can expect to be surrounded by azure seas and clear blue skies. 

The many historical sites in Malta are easily accessible.  The car services of Bolt or Uber or the Bus service which travels around the island and which you can download the bus app on your phone.

Some places to visit require a reservation such as the hypogeum https://heritagemalta.mt/last minute tickets are also available if you call.

A strategically important seaport, Valletta is the elegant capital of the Republic of Malta. The entire city is testimony to the grandeur of the Knights of Malta, the European noblemen who were granted the Maltese Islands by the King of Spain in 1530.

The knights created a capital worthy of their aristocratic stature, on par with other great European capitals. Valletta’s regular grid plan and orderly public squares reveal the knights’ logical 16th-century urban planning.

Tourists can easily navigate this small city that is bounded by two harbors: the Grand Harbor and Marsamxett Harbor. The heart of the city is Saint John’s Co-Cathedral, a 16th-century church built by the different Orders of the Knights, hailing from various countries such as France, Spain, and Italy. Visitors are surprised by the lavish interior with its opulent gilded decor.

Nearby is the immense Grandmaster’s Palace, once the residence of the Knights of Malta. This palace boasts splendid paintings, as well as an armory, that tell the story of the knights’ military victories.

For tourists who appreciate culture and historic monuments, Valletta is one of the best places to visit on the Maltese Islands. Malta’s most modernized city, Valletta is packed with tourist attractions and is a convenient location for travelers who would like to explore.

The Island of Gozo is the most idyllic destination of the Maltese Islands. With its quiet towns and pristine beaches, this little island is the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing vacation for several days or even a weeklong stay.

Although Gozo is less developed than Malta, the island has plenty of cultural attractions: a fortified medieval city, Victoria; a bustling seaside resort, Marsalforn; and the most important archaeological site of the Maltese Islands, Ggantija Temples, dating back to around 3500 BC.

UNESCO World Heritage List, Hal Saflieni Hypogeum was an underground cemetery during the Neolithic era. At this complex of catacombs, prehistoric man performed religious burial rituals and consulted oracles.

Carved from limestone using rock tools, the interconnected superimposed chambers include passages and stairways on three levels. The lowest level is the chamber known as the “Holy of Holies,” which is over 10 meters below the entrance to the first level at the top.

The site is remarkable for how old it is (4000 BC to 1500 BC)

Stone reliefs and sculptures that were found here are represented on the site by excellent reproductions; the originals are displayed in the National Museum of Archeology in Valletta.

Tourists can take a guided boat tour in one of the brightly painted Maltese fishing boats called luzzus. Boats leave frequently year-round, when the sea is calm. The 20-minute joyride speeds through the sea past six caves, including the Blue Grotto, a 30-meter-high cave with a luminous pool of cobalt-hued waters.

Sharing the UNESCO listing of the Hagar Qim site, the Mnajdra Temples are found 500 meters away from the Hagar Qim Temples in an isolated stretch with stunning sea views. This archaeological complex includes three different structures.

The oldest structure, the South Temple, dates to around 3600 to 3200 BC. The other two temples were built between 3150 BC and 2500 BC. These three structures represent a significant stage in prehistoric human development known as the Ggantija Phase (circa 3000 BC to 2200 BC), which was an important period of the Maltese Bronze Age.

In Gozo, Known simply as “The Old Prison,” it was an active jail beginning in the mid-16th century, originally run by the Crusades-era Knights of St. John. At the time it was used for knights who were a little rowdier than the others, and their 5×10-foot block cells gave them some time to cool their heels, and apparently let off a little artistic steam

At Marsaxlokk’s colourful, packed-to-the-gills Sunday Fish Market. Fun to walk around, have a drink or take a boat ride.

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are a public garden in Valletta, Malta. Along with the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the same city, they offer a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour. The gardens are located on the upper tier of St. Peter & Paul Bastion, which was built in the 1560s.

Explore St. John’s Catheral holds impressive Baroque frescos, ornate marble floors, three-dimensional statues, carved stone walls and breath-taking vaulted ceilings decorated by the well-known Italian Baroque artist, Mattia Preti.

 Is also home to one of the most internationally recognized works by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, known as ‘The Beheading of St John the Baptist’ (1608). The painting, located within the Oratory, is the largest work of art by Caravaggio and the only one to bear his signature.