Malta tips please!

[Glitteryjelly]

Hello,
We've booked to go to Malta in the summer and wondered if anyone could offer any tips or info please? Things to do/what to avoid, etc.
We're staying in St Paul's Bay. We have 2 DC under 11.
Thank you

We loved Popeye world, DD had great fun having water fights with Jack Sparrow & Ariel & we were encouraged to relax & get a cocktail, beautiful setting & I'd happily go back there even without kids.

Melleiha Bay is lovely & where all the locals go for after work beach parties on certain days, great atmosphere.

Food is easy as we found it very Italian a lot of the time. There's so much to see & do there, all worth a look depending on your interests

I loved Mdina, 'the silent city'. There's a lovely restaurant just outside the walls where you can have lunch. Posh but not overpriced, and they love dch. Just like Italy, in fact.

Go to Gozo (on the fast ferry from Valletta is easiest if you don’t have a car). Ir-Rabat (the capital, with its ancient citadel), Ramla Bay and the temples all worth a look and easily accessible by taxi. The temples are older than Stone Henge, in better condition and you get to go closer.

Download and use bolt (their Uber) for taxis and takeaways.

Don't bother with the blue lagoon (Comino), it’s rammed this time of year.

Go to Medina, the old capital, it’s spectacular and nice and cool. Best cafe there is Fontanella Tea Garden.

Mooch about in Valletta. Go to Caffe Cordina and don’t miss Upper Baraka Gardens.

The Blue Grotto is good. It’s a long taxi ride but only €8 for adults and less for kids when you get there. Go as early as you can (9am) to get the full effect of the morning sun on the underwater crystals.

Try pastizzi (local pastries). Cheese and pea flavours are the traditional ones. Only about 70 cents each and make a great lunch on the beach. Also, try Hobs Biz Bejt (sometimes called tuna bread or tube fjitra). A type of tuna sandwich but much better than ours. Also, try a pack of twistees, the local crisps. And try Cisk, the local beer. And Kinnie is a kind of herbally Coca Cola that is super refreshing. For dinner, try the cheese ravioli and the baked macaroni.

Look for ‘what’s on’ in Valletta. Always some kind of outdoor theatre, jazz festival etc.

Take the sun seriously, it’s scorching!

And whatever you do, don’t use the hop on hop off buses. Baking hot and crawl along, takes hours to get anywhere and half your day is gone. Just don’t be tempted and avoid!

Thank you, sounds great! Will look into all suggestions.

There is a caravaggio in Valetta! Go to Gozo but you will need a whole day. The silent city is beautiful.

Theres an incredible restaurant in Valetta just off main street and the really smart restaurant in the main square has lovely meals!

Lots and lots of traffic accidents in Malta because they drive so fast. We were so careful crossing the roads.

Hi OP

I think Malta is a bit like marmite; some people love it, others don't.

I'm in the first category, I love the place & can't wait to go back. We always stay in St Julians, close to Spinola Bay. There are dozens of lovely places to eat around the bay and it looks so pretty at night. I'd suggest avoiding the centre of Paceville. Although it has a bowling alley & cinema, it's also full of clubs & bars for over 18's.

The pavements are pretty narrow all over the island. I don't think it's the best choice for parents with very young children, unless the plan is to stay on the sandy beach at Melleiha. Popeye's village (they built the set for the Robin Williams film in 1981 & left it there) is also in Melleiha. The public ferry terminal is also at the north end of Malta....it's much cheaper to get the ferry to Gozo from there. I'd recommend visiting Gozo for a day. Go on a jeep safari or quad bike day with a guide to show you the best spots.

Valletta is a wonderful city to visit. I'd recommend a private boat tour of the Grand Harbour. I always check that a cruise ship (or two!) isn't due on the day(s) we visit as it can get exceptionally crowded, even with just one cruise ship.

Churches are not everyone's cup of tea. Malta has over 300! If you only visited one, make it St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta. The Caravaggio is in the museum there.

Mdina (the silent city) is breathtaking. The kids would probably enjoy the Malta 5D experience, which tells the story of Malta back to the days of the Knights of St John. Rabat is very close by, definitely worth visiting St Paul's catacombs. IMVHO, Crystal Palace (Is-Serkin) in Rabat make the best pastizzi.

Every village & town in Malta has at least one patron saint. There is a 'festa' in the village/town to mark the feast day. The towns are decorated with huge banners & the church will be lit up. There are marching bands and LOTS of fireworks! They are great fun to watch but can be a bit rowdy. The festas run mostly between May-September.

Depending on the age of your children, you might like to spend a few hours at the Ta’ Qali craft village. You can watch glass being blown as well as see other craftspeople at work (lace, ceramics, jewellery etc.). I love walking round the Mdina Glass shop, but I wouldn't take a young child in there if you paid me!

There is a water park on the island which is also a bit marmite. To be fair some of the older chutes are showing their age. It had an injection of investment in 2019 and some brand new chutes/attractions were added. The place is a tad worn, but perfectly pleasant for a visit. I'm not a chute fan myself, I'm more of a lazy river kind of person. My son recommends wearing a rash vest or t-shirt.

The National Aquarium is good, but would only take a couple of hours at the very most.

I can see the taxi app has also been mentioned (I agree, it's really good). The public bus service on Malta is also super cheap and very frequent, since it's the only kind of public transport on the island (not the hop on/hop off buses). I'd recommend either getting a taxi or bus over hiring a car, the roads can be a bit crazy!

I just love the hot, sunny weather in Malta during the summer. The prickly pears growing at the side of the road always make me smile. They look like how a child would draw a cactus plant, it's hard to believe they grow like that!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Lovely place and people. Only problem was the timeshare touts.

A few of the houses have a staircase down to a cave, absolutely fascinating

If u like cats, there are plenty that just lounge around looking very cute >..<

Otherwise, Mdina and relax by the sea.

I love Malta and find it a really easy place to holiday. The buses are cheap and frequent and there is lots to do.

Agree with everyone over places to visit but also if you are down Valletta way then also visit the Maritime Museum and St Angelo fort in the Three Cities (across the bay from Valletta). We got a boat from the museum over to the fort.

Heritage Malta is a good website to have a look at what’s available and book tickets. The Hypogeum is amazing and older than Stonehenge.

If you hire a car make sure you turn your headlights on if you go through a tunnel as they have cameras on them. We had a fine come through the post a few weeks after our return because we forgot on one of the tunnels!

Whatever you do, make extra sure you're not pregnant. You may have read they almost killed off a miscarrying American tourist just a few days ago out of bonkers ideology.

Second for Medina but if you're brave enough go by bus or taxi rather than an official trip. My nicest memory of the holiday is sitting in the shade in a square with a great view drinking bottled water and eating oranges and every 5 minutes a new tour group came stood in full sun for a minute and moved on.

Oh, and firing of the canons at midday in Valetta.

Hi, Many thanks. Sounds great, it will be a busy week with so much to see and do. It does seem like a fascinating place and can't wait to go and explore! Thank you all

.