5 Things to Do in Malta

Malta and the neighbouring island of Gozo are an enchanting mix of battle-scarred medieval fortresses and calming coastal bliss. They are home to neolithic engineering feats that predate Stonehenge and modern party precincts packed with local revellers. Malta is everything travellers love about Europe, but it is also distinctly Maltese shaped by its long history of conquerors that have forced the island nation to raise impenetrable walls to protect its soft heart.

Here are five must-do things when you visit Malta and Gozo.

Walk the streets of Valletta

The capital of Malta is a fortified city designed to look impregnable to seabound marauders, but behind all this Baroque bluster – with historic canons still pointed at the Mediterranean Sea – is a charming city centre with lanes interlocking like Jenga pieces, Gothic cathedrals filled with reminders of past battles and family homes displaying the traditional way of life.

In St John’s Co-Cathedral, visitors walk upon the marble inlaid tombs of the warrior monks of the Order of the Knights of St John. Ornate tableaux depict skeletons carrying scythes, family crests incorporating skulls and bones and the dead hauling their own coffins; it’s a wonderfully macabre reminder of Malta’s many battles throughout history.

At Casa Rocca Piccola the Piros, a Maltese noble family, has opened its 400-year-old home to the public to show how Malta’s elite live. You can admire the vintage clocks and carved cherubs, sit in the sunny private garden and chat to family’s pet parrot and visit the prayer room central to every noble home. Another reminder of the island’s tumultuous past is the underground WWII shelter carved from rock where the family sheltered from bombing raids.

Visit the famous Blue Grotto

The brilliant cobalt blue waters of Malta’s Blue Grotto have to be seen in person, as no photo, no filter or video can do them justice. Visitors can take boat tours through the caves but for a better perspective head to the viewing area above the grotto.

Here you can watch the procession of boats bobbing in the iridescent waters and admire the ragged cave entrances that look like a bird skull. Beyond the grotto you can see a smaller island that was once used by the British for target practice, but has now been rehabilitated into a shearwater sanctuary.

On neighbouring Comino, the Blue Lagoon is an equally beautiful spot beloved by the yachting community that frequent the islands of Malta.

Spend the morning in Mdina

Known as Malta’s “Silent City”, this is the oldest fortified medieval town on an island that has its fair share. Crossing the Main Gate to the clip-clop syncopation of the many horse-and-cart tours on offer, you walk past the imposing Natural History Museum and The Mdina Dungeons Museum. Mdina is so well preserved that it had a starring role in Game of Thrones, and the city glows a warm amber thanks to the creamy-white Globigerina limestone that are the building blocks of the city. You wander past almost-extinct orders or nuns in cloistered monasteries, the homes of wealthy Maltese families who have lived here for generations and see intricately carved door knockers that are a signature of the walled city. Climb up to the viewing section of the wall to get a commanding view of the surrounding countryside and finish with a famous pastizzi just outside Mdina’s walls. Is-Serkin, or the Crystal Palace Tea and Coffee Bar, is a famous, open-all-hours pastizzerija that serves up Malta’s famous baked goods with flavours like pea, ricotta and anchovy.

Explore the party spot of St. Julian’s

The Westin Dragonara Resort is located on its own peninsula and is a big, family-friendly resort with 413 rooms and just a short walk from the bustling restaurants and nightlife of the party town of St. Julian’s.

By day, St. Julian’s is an almost-sleepy village where you can take an ornate seat by the small harbour and soak up the sun while you watch traditional Maltese boats, or luzzus, bobbing in Spinola Bay tied to makeshift buoys made from bottles. Walk a little further and you come upon a super yacht marina.

The main attraction of the area is Paceville, which is where the bars and restaurants gradually change from sleepy to sleepless as young locals dance the night away and feast on streets eats in the wee small hours.

Set sail for the island of Gozo

‘Mini Malta’ may be an unfair tag for this proud island that thinks of itself as a very distinct entity but you get a lot of the main island offerings – walled cities, seaside seafood restaurants and ancient history – with fewer crowds.

Gozo may be just 5 kilometres away from Malta but feels a world away with rocky coastal landscapes, stone-walled farms and mysterious temples.

The Ggantija Archaeological Park on the Xaghra plateau is a neolithic wonder, a temple built around 3200BC that still stands today; the techniques to move the giant limestone still shrouded in mystery. The building’s purpose remains unknown, though animal remains found on site suggest communal rituals as do holes believed to be dug for communal drinking and feasting. Standing among these ancient ruins makes the Malta’s medieval cities seem modern by comparison.

Stay at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz Gozo Malta whose yellow sandstone throughout the property reflects bright tones onto the common areas. Fine diner L-Istorja offers a traditional steakhouse menu while Il-Baldakkin is a great place to soak up the sun dining on the terrace.

Images: Malta Tourism