To ask you to tell me about Malta...

[Cinderellaspumpkin]

Am just about to book 7 nights in Malta end of April with DP and DD, ( six months).

Is it a nice place for family holiday? sightseeing? What do you do there ? All advice appreciated x

Following with interest!

Oh I loved Malta! To be fair, we went for a different kind of trip - just me and my husband and we just stayed in the capital Valetta, but there were loads of things to do, especially if you like history- cathedral, museums etc. We went height of summer and streets were full of lovely restaurants and bars, not rowdy though, just nice and cosmopolitan. People were very friendly.

Although we didn't travel around the island, there are no real beaches, but lots of nice coastal hotels with swimming pools. Even if you're not staying at one, you can sometimes book a day "beach club" ticket and use the pool and get access to the sea. We did this for a day in St Julians.

Valetta = beautiful. Cobbled streets, old city, amazing restaurants, cafes, bakeries, full of history, Parisian vibes, stunning buildings etc etc! Wish we'd stayed there the whole time but only visited.

Stayed in St.Julian's as recommended by a friend. I should have dug a little deeper. St.Julian's (and I'm sorry I offend anyone here) is like Magaluf in crack!! Gentlemen's clubs EVERYWHERE. Busy bar/club/nightlife city, absolutely filthy. They hosed the streets down every morning from all the vomit outside the bars. The beach is dirty and feels a little man made. There was noise all night. If you're into a big partying/nighttime scene, St.Julian's might suit you.

The two cities are like night and day.

I recommend hiring a scooter and going exploring to some of the coastal areas.

My parents went years ago and didn't like it. They're the types to make the best of wherever they go, so I was a bit surprised. Maybe it has changed now though, OP.

Oh I loved Malta! Went during covid in place of a USA holiday, I didn't really know much about it in advance but it was open to tourists and we needed a break, but safe to say I'm not sad about losing the first holiday.

I stayed in Valletta and especially loved the evenings, so many people eating and drinking outside, it felt really cosmopolitan and safe. Valletta itself is lovely, the architecture is gorgeous. We ate so well and so reasonably too.

We travelled all around the island, saw wonderful historic sites, ancient archeology and had a lovely day trip to Gozo. We visited the fort in Valletta and learnt about the history of the island. I saw a Caravaggio up close and went across the harbour in a tiny traditional water taxi. I waited away a picturesque hour in the Upper Barraka Gardens and shared a delicious cake in the walled town of Medina.

There's so much to see, it's not the most beachy of places though if that's your thing. If the historic sites and museums are of interest there is a card you can get that allows access to various sites and saves money.

I take the worst photos you have ever seen, but even my photos of Malta look nice!

I must return soon, it was an unexpected and delightful surprise

I stayed there a couple of decades ago, and it was very interesting but I don't remember the beaches as being great. Additionallly, there was a LOT of litter, everywhere. At the time, St Julian's was the 'nice' area - I'm interested to see the comment that it's gone Magaluf! Finally, again, this may have changed, I have never seen so many stray cats in my life. Heartbreaking for a cat lover. I would do some careful research on Tripadvisor to be honest.

My parents went years ago and loved it.

Word of caution- only go of you're 150 percent sure you're not pregnant again. There was a near-Savita situation just last year with a miscarrying visitor being refused appropriate medical treatment. Sheer luck her status improved sufficiently to allow for emergency medical evacuation out of the country.

We loved it, spent time in Valetta and on Gozo.

Hypogeum, War Museum and Mdina all worth a visit.

Relaxed vibe everywhere, fabulous food, friendly people. Enjoy!

Horrible place. Valletta is ok, the rest is pretty horrible

Take a carrier for baby as pushchair not great on cobbled streets. Gozo is worth a visit.

It's very marmite. I never hear of anyone finding it fine- people either love or hate it. I hated it. Valletta was lovely, the rest was grim

Malta is beautiful. Lovely coastline, drive on the left like us. Marks and Spencer deberhams brands you will recognise. McDonald's burger king everywhere in the big resorts. Go to Gozo if you want traditional Malta or to the interior. The resorts are like Benidorm or Blackpool.

Valletta and Sliema are nice, but I agree with the comments on St Julian’s. If you hire a car, be very confident - road rules are minimal! We went in 2021 and had a really nice, relaxing holiday.

It was OK but I wouldn't go back. Holiday-wise, it's neither one thing nor the other. Valletta's nice for maybe a day's exploring but there's not enough going on for a full city break. And Malta's not really a good place for a beach holiday, the coastline is very rocky.
I liked the walled town of Mdina but again it only really takes a morning to wander round.

St Julians from Spinola Bay to Balluta Bay is fine. The area called Paceville is indeed grotty. Far too much traffic and over-development, extremely hot and humid in summer. Avoid Comino and most boat trips, apart from Blue Grotto (Which is not the same as Blue Lagoon). However, loads of great places to visit, particularly if you are interested in history. Eating and drinking is reasonably priced. Maltese are very friendly and helpful and all speak some English.

Was nice enough when I went but that was about 30 years ago. Valetta's nice, the ancient sites are nice. Our hotel was a dump but that's what we get for going with a cheap travel company.

The Maltese language is interesting from a European perspective, but 90% of people in Malta speak English anyway.

And yes, total ban on abortion, to the point that doctors are unwilling to perform medical treatments to save the mother's life.

What nobody ever tells you about Malta, is how steep everywhere is!
You need to have Mounrain goat dna. We went a year ago.
Mdina was our favourite place, beautiful and peaceful.
Wouldn’t stay in Sliema again, it was ‘ok’ although our hotel was lovely.

Valetta is nice, full of history, great museums but it’s so steep if you go off the main drag, why so many elderly Brits visit is beyond me, I struggled , I was getting over covid. Public toilets are hard to come by, the portaloo at the bus station/ city gate, is appalling.
Did I mention how steep and uneven the streets are? I wouldn’t fancy pushing a pram around, dog crap everywhere too.

Sad to read all this. I went in the 90s and loved it.

They trap songbirds.

Loved it. Went for 10 days and explored everywhere. The buses made it so easy to get everywhere. Loads of prehistoric sites and great museums. Mdina was fascinating and beautiful. Loads of forts, lovely places to wander round. Good food. And that bitter orange fizzy drink, Kinnie! DH hated it, I drank two cans daily and became obsessed.

I don't know where people where who are saying it was grim. We loved it.

We have family in Gozo. Gozo is great for beaches. Loads of history. Mdina very impressive. I love history so I got a lot out of Valleta. There are some very impressive archeology sites like Ggigantia. If you like diving it's apparently very good and swimming in the sea next to the little middle island was a lot of fun.

Huh. Didn't find it too bad and we are 61 and 76.
Loved loved loved Malta. See Hal Salflieni Hypogeum if at all possible but book well in advance or you may not get in. Avoid the seaside resorts as previously mentioned. Don't hire a car, buses with season tickets are cheap as chips and go everywhere but are often driven by non natives who won't necessarily know the right stops for sights. Check these yourself. Wonderful walking and Gozo is brilliant too but with only a week you probably won't have time.

I stay for two weeks in St Julians every year and travel all round the island.

I love it.

Blimey. We spent a fortnight and didn't see everything...

It used to be fantastic, we've got Maltese passports and used to go every year to see family but I don't rush to go back so often. So much pollution and traffic now and when we visited the beach there were rough sleepers in tents abusing the tourists. Weirdly we had clothes stolen from our hotel room. It's a meh place. If the weather is bad there isn't so much to do.