Malta: 29th December 2022
WHERE IS MALTA? Malta can be found in the Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and the North African coast. Its capital city is Valletta and the island's just 17 miles wide.
WHAT LANGUAGES ARE SPOKEN THERE AND WHAT'S THE CURRENCY? The official languages are Maltese and English, and the Euro is the currency.
3 INTERESTING FACTS: 1) Due to having been under British rule, cars are driven on the lefthand side of the road. 2) You'll find submerged WW2 ships and planes around the coast. 3) Islanders enjoy more than 3,000 hours of sunshine each year.
HOW TO GET THERE? The journey from Malta Airport to the capital city Valletta takes around 30 minutes by bus costing just 2-4 Euros. I found it very challenging to find the right bus back to the airport (very confusing signs despite asking for help) so I took a taxi back.
WHAT DID I DO AND WHAT DID I THINK? This was another day trip taking an early morning flight from London Gatwick and the last flight home. I wanted to end in Valletta so, knowing I was short of time, I took a taxi from the airport to Mdina which is famous for many reasons including a filming location for Game of Thrones. Mdina is a cobble-stoned area with charming alleyways and restaurants, and it's a short walk to Rabat which has many restaurants, etc. I got the bus from Rabat to Valletta costing just 2.20 Euros and I headed straight for Upper Barraka Gardens. According to maps, there's meant to be an elevator (which I couldn't find) but otherwise there're steps to your right as you pass through the city gates. The views from the gardens across the waterfront are just lovely and, already being high up, you can then easily access the busy streets slowing descending down towards the seafront. Somewhere I can very highly recommend is St. Paul's Co-Cathedral. It's breath-taking (you're allowed to take photos inside). I'd also heard about St. Lucia's Street which is meant to make for beautiful photos but I completely forgot! Being there between Christmas and the New Year, it was wonderfully Christmassy and there was a small funfair plus lots of food stalls outside the side gates.
Would I go again? Yes, I think I would. I'm very much a palm tree, beach, grassy hills kind of person so I don't think I found the parts of Malta that really appealed to me but I'm all up for giving it another go and spending 2-3 days to really discover why it's such a popular holiday destination.
