Malta

How to get to Malta?

Well, I am sure this was not the first question came up in your mind when you heard/read about Malta; how to get to Malta? The first question was more likely something like this; Malta? What exactly is Malta?

Okay. Hold tight! You are just few minutes away of one the most interesting discoveries of your life as a traveller. Malta is a rock nation (yeah, literally it is) in the middle of Mediterranean, around 50 miles of Sicily (Italy) and consists of three big rocks called Malta, Comino, and Gozo.

Malta is the mainland and where the great majority of population is concentrated. With its nice climate, Italian-like friendly people 😉 and exotic blend of Arabic and European architecture and culture, I have no doubt to say that Malta is one of the most underrated countries in Europe.

People of Malta speak Maltese which is an old dialect of Arabic. However, you don’t see mosques there but churches instead with Middle Eastern architecture. So it is no false to dub Malta, the Middle East in Europe in some way. This was what shocked me on my way from airport to Valletta city center. It looks like Middle East, it feels like Middle East, it is dry like Middle East but I see churches instead of mosques and European Union license plates. By the way, Malta is a European Union member, they use euro as currency and Valletta is its capital city.

So now you know the very basics about Malta and let’s get back to our main question; how to get to Malta? There are two ways to get to Malta. First and the one that I used is to fly through Malta International Airport. Once you landed in the airport, you can take a shuttle, bus or cab to Valletta city center. Bus runs in about every 30 minutes and stops by different districts across the city. The ride is very comfortable and takes between 15 to 30 minutes depending on which part of the city you are going to. It costs around 5 euro per person. Click to see how much it would cost to take a cab from airport to your particular destination in Valletta.

The second way to get to Malta is through ferry from Sicily. Ferries take off from two different ports in Sicily to Malta and it takes around two hours if you hop on the ferry from the closest one of two which is Pozzallo. Please go to Virtu Ferries web site for the prices.

Quick Q&As

• How did I go to Malta?

Through Malta International Airport

• How did I go to Valletta?

By shuttle bus

• How long did it take?

15 to 30 minutes

• How much did the shuttle cost?

€5

• Overall Satisfaction

10 stars out of 10

Where to stay in Malta?

I stayed in Sliema Marina Hotel. The hotel is located in Sliema district and just next to marina with a fantastic Valletta and Mediterranean view. It is in a busy area but surprisingly, not so loud. Restaurants, bars and supermarkets are in few minutes walking distance. I really enjoyed the breakfast at the terrace with awesome sea view.

You can wake up in the morning to take a walk in the marina and enjoy fresh sea air. There is a nearby dock where you can take boats from Sliema to Il-Belt area. Location is great, staff was very friendly, room was big enough with a nice balcony and breakfast was good. So nothing negative I can say and this is a hotel I can sincerely recommend.

Quick Q&As

• Where did I stay in Malta?

Sliema Marina Hotel

• How did I book the hotel?

Booking.com

• How much did I pay?

$106 per night

• Overall Satisfaction

8 stars out of 10.

What to do in Malta?

You know those hop-on hop-off buses that take you around the city and let you stop by the major landmarks and attractions. In Malta, those buses literally take you around the whole country. Like I said at the beginning, it is a small rock nation and here is an interesting fact; the longest distance in Malta is about 27 km from North West to South East and with 14.5 km width from East to West direction.

So hop-on hop-off buses come very handy for the transportation. You can visit any attraction in the country with those buses and it is not very expensive. As far as I remember, there are two different routes. So you can take each of them every other day and I strongly recommend you to do that. Super convenient.

Mdina – The old capital of Malta. This medieval town is surrounded by walls with restaurants, shops, cafes, churches and museums inside. Some scenes of Kings Landing in Game of Thrones series were shot there. You will regret if you miss this place. I was lucky to visit there by the end of April coinciding with the annual Mdina Medieval Festival. The festival takes you on a trip back in time to the medieval period of the island with re-enactments and other similar events. You can spend a whole day in Mdina just walking around, visiting museums, sipping coffee at the cafes and eating at the restaurants.

Marina Boat Tour – Great way to see Valletta from the sea. I took the short tour and no complaints about the length.

Il-Belt District – This is historic part of Valletta. Fortified with walls, this district is like the downtown of the city. St. Johns Co-Cathedral is located in this district and it is one of the most visited landmarks on the entire island.

Hagar Qim Temples – An archeological site with megalithic temples located in the South of the island. It is listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites and considered as one of the most ancient temples in Europe.

Hop-On Hop-Off Bus – There is public transportation in the island however Hop-On Hop-Off buses are running all around the island as well and will take you to almost all of the touristy attractions.  Malta is one of the rare places where I used Hop-On Hop-Off buses. You can get off the bus wherever you wish and catch another one later. Great mean for transportation for tourists in the island in my humble opinion.

Quick Q&As

• What to do in Malta?

Mdina

Boat Tour

Il-Belt District

St. Johns Co-Cathedral

Hagar Qim Temples

Hop-On Hop-Off Bus

• What not to miss in Malta?

Mdina

• How much does it cost?

Entering to Mdina Historic Town is free of charge however if you like to visit museums within the walls, the ticket prices range from €5 to €20. Tickets for short boat tour, hop-on hop-off bus ticket, Hagar Qim costs around €10, €20 and €10 respectively.

• Overall Satisfaction

9 stars out of 10. It is a small island but you are going to be astonished by the variety of the places to see and things to do. In addition to all those historical and cultural landmarks, Malta has beautiful sandy beaches in case this is what you want to do.

Where/what to eat/drink in Malta?

Malta is not void of options in terms of food. It is a small island however you won’t get frustrated to find eats for your own taste. One thing drew my attention when I was walking around the streets in Valletta was that restaurants were proudly advertising to have the best rabbit meat. Yes, Maltese people love rabbit and they have some funky rabbit dishes.

Stuffat tal fenek (Rabbit Stew) is the most popular of those and served at restaurants all around the island. It is considered as the national dish of Malta and cooked very slowly with tomato, potato, garlic sauce and red wine. The meat gets so tender that it literally falls off the bone. Exceptionally delicious.

Maletese Kapunata is another popular dish in the island made from onion, tomato, eggplant, celery and green pepper. Perfect dish for vegans and vegaterians even though it could be cooked with meat by your request as well.

Hobz biz-zejt (still no idea how to pronounce it though) is the snack equivalent of Maltese cuisine. Basically, it is crusty bread marinated with olive oil and topped with tomato, cheese and tuna. I loved eating it with wine.

Quick Q&As

• Where/what did I eat/drink in Malta?
  I think you should definitely try the Rabbit Stew. Not very hard to find since it is served in many restaurants all around the country. This is a Mediterranean country so you are going to find other items of Mediterranean cuisine in addition to traditional Maltese food. It might not be known for its wines however this island has plenty to offer if you are a wine fanatic.
• How much did it cost?
  Malta is member of European Monetary System which means the country’s national currency is Euro. Prices are not far from what you would see in its counterparts such as Italy or Spain in overall.
• Overall Satisfaction
  9 out of 10 for Rabbit Stew