Experience Malta

A Village Festa

Nothing illustrates the colour, energy and exuberance of the Maltese people like a village festa. This is the centre of the annual calendar for most villages in Malta when they celebrate the feast of the Patron Saint. Maltese truly celebrate their feasts, painting their doors, decorating the streets, and practising in their band clubs. Malta boasts some of the very best aerial fireworks in the world and, if you can stay up late, you’ll be rewarded with unique ground fireworks. Check out the dates for Malta’s village feasts here.

Experience Malta

Step into the Medieval Walled City of Mdina

In the centre of the island, towering over lush countryside is Malta’s very own Mdina, a fortified walled city originally founded in early history by Phoenician settlers but significantly remodelled in the middle ages by the Byzantines and the Arabs. The city served as the island’s capital until 1530 when the Knights of St. John moved the administrative centre of the island to Birgu, in the three cities. Mdina retained its role as the centre for religious authorities and the nobility and became known as the “Silent City”.

Experience Malta

The Capital City that La Valette Built

With its recently embellished and magnificent entrance, Valletta is truly a city of awesome beauty. Built by the Grand Master Jean Parisot de La Valette after the Knights of Saint John successfully repelled the mighty Ottoman siege of 1565, the fortified city is a magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a must-visit. Wander down the busy Republic Street and stop into a cafe to take in the hustle and bustle of everyday Maltese life, or go to Strait Street in the evening, a mecca of bars and funky restaurants. You might even catch a concert or show at the Manoel Theater, Europe’s oldest theatre. No matter what month of the year, there is always something going on in Valletta.

Experience Malta

The Grand Harbour

While in Valletta, pop into the Upper Barrakka Gardens and have a good look across the Grand Harbour, the real reason the Knights of Saint John chose Malta as their home in 1530. Serving as the centre of the British Fleet in the Mediterranean during the Second World War and home to the knights galleons in the 1500’s, the Grand Harbour is one of the largest natural harbours in the world and has provided shelter to naval vessels throughout history.

Experience Malta

Go to Gozo

Visiting Gozo is relatively easy through the Fast Ferry from Valletta which travels directly from Valletta to the harbour in Mgarr Gozo. If you prefer to take your own car, drive up to Cirkewwa, at the Northern tip of Malta and take the normal Gozo Channel ferries. Gozo is definitely worth a visit with its relatively lush countryside and beautiful hillsides as well as village squares. It is a much smaller and more peaceful version of Malta, where time has stood still, where the village goat herder still walks down the street with his sheep and goats. Gozo is a hiking paradise in winter with green fields full of wild flowers.

Experience Malta

Megalithic Anyone ?

If you’ve seen Ancient Apocalypse and are fascinated by the cultures of prehistory, then Malta’s the right place for you! Identified as some of the oldest structures in the world, Malta’s Ggantija temples on the island of Gozo steps you back in time to a completely different era, where animal skins were the fashion of the day. And, if you book well in advance, you will get the chance to visit the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, a masterpiece of ancient architecture and the holy-of-holies of our ancestral gods.

Experience Malta

Sun, Sand and Sea

Malta has some lovely beaches, mostly in the North of the island and in Gozo. Our absolute favourite is a sunset swim at Ghajn Tuffieha or Riviera Bay. If you like shallow water [and I mean really shallow] Ghadira Bay in Mellieha is Malta’s largest sandy beach on the island. On Gozo, our favourite sandy beach is Ramla Bay in Xaghra. There are some wonderful rocky places to swim that you can also enjoy. Kalanka Bay and St. Peter’s Pool, in the South of the island are lovely – we prefer Kalanka as its quieter and less busy. Closer to our location, you can swim in St. George’s Bay in Paceville, Ballutta Bay in St. Julian’s, or off the rocks at Exiles.