Malta April 2024

What’s Malta like for a short holiday?

Well, it’s small, yes, but too big to see everything you want to!

With 2 seniors, 2 fit 40-ishers and an 8 year old we wondered if it could accommodate all our “wants”. We needn’t have worried – it did! And left plenty over for another trip.

We only had 5 days, and stayed in an air BnB at the south of the island, between Marsaxlokk ( see the picture!) and Birzebugge, just a short walk from the sea.  No, it wasn’t a tourist spot, and to be honest the beaches could have been a disappointment, but the port goings on were fascinating to watch, and we found a delightful fish restaurant not far away. Good food, great people. And we had a car, and easy access to country and town. We spent the best part of our first day coast hopping, trying out little coves, walking round bits of old defence structures, marvelling at the forests of prickly pears.

Valletta will always be the big draw in Malta, especially for culture vultures like us, and we filled a day with the cathedral,  the museums and churches ( seems like one on every corner! – all different!).

We took in The Malta Experience and La Sacra Infermeria.

This would have been the best way to start sightseeing in Valletta - we did it the wrong way round!

While the youngsters went off to find a Popeye theme attraction (the child loved it, the parents were underwhelmed!) in the north of the island, and visited some more beaches, we seniors went back to Valletta for a second day, visiting more churches, houses still furnished from times past, and the Archaeological Museum (recommended) . But the highlight was the underground hiding places of the city.

Because of its strategic position, and alliance to Britain, the Second World War saw 17,000 tonnes of bombs dropped over Malta, and to escae them the population of Valletta went underground, quite literally, , into a vast series of tunnels and passages and rooms. They'd always been there, as storage and communication aids, but now they were developed into an underground city.

It was damp down there, and claustrophobic, but it brought everything to life, and we began to understand why King George VI awarded the George Cross to the people of Malta in appreciation of their heroism under siege, when military resources and food rations were practically depleted. Fuel was heavily rationed, and the population was on the brink of starvation. The experience of visiting these these areas was quite something.  I’ll remember this for a very long time.

Of course, we also drank coffee at pavement cafes, ate ice cream (several times) and had lunch on a 45 degree slope – all streets in Valletta seem to lead downwards to the sea!

A ferry over to the Three Cities, and dinner, rounded off our day. Too much to see, and not enough time – we plan a return!

A whole day (early up and late back) was given over to Mdina, in the centre of the island.  It was the windiest day of out stay, and our little grand-daughter said she was going to fly without any magic! 

An it turned out, it was a really good day for the visit to Mdina, the medieval town also known as The Silent City.. Its tall outer walls and narrow alleys not only tell tales of centuries of history and the various rulers Malta, but also provide superb sshelter.  It was chilly, but we earmed up in unexpected pockets of sunlight.

Our grand-daughter was thrilled by the korrazin, the horses and carriages that offer tours, driving through the narrow winding streets. She counted 50, then stopped. Don’t tell her, but I’m pretty sure she counted several of them more than once! We did sometimes feel we were lost in a maze of streets, but the shops full of hand crafted lace and glass grounded us! Be warned though, many of the shops have very narrow passages – and glass and rucksacks are not obvious happy companions. We ladies could have spent much longer here (and a lot of money!), but the chaps were hungry!!

Ans there was our biggest disappointment.  We’d been told “Don’t Miss” the Fontanella tea garden. “It’s marvellous,” said our friends at home. It was “worth a visit” said our Air BnB host. Well, we didn’t miss it!  The queues were so long we couldn’t miss it! We were told we’d get a seat within an hour or so. And the chaps were too hungry for that! So we settled for a tiny eatery right back near the entrance gate and delicious sandwiches and coffee!!

We had said that a boat-trip to Gozo was a must, but a) it was a bit windy and b) we were short of time! So that’s going on the “next time” list.

We travelled at the beginning of April, in school holidays. It was, perhaps a little cool to stay on beaches, but pleasant enough to wander along quaysides and eat lunch fresh from the sea. It was ideal weather for Valetta (feet get hot quickly when you are pounding the pavements), a bit too windy perhaps. The end of the month would be a better bet, but then, with school in the mix, one can’t always be choosy!