Honestly, I hadn’t heard of Malta or knew anything about the country prior to visiting. It was not my choice destination and now after experiencing it I am so glad that I have. It is truly a beautiful country with such history.
Interesting fact: If you speak Arabic you will find a lot of similarities in the Maltese language. That is because the Maltese descended from Siculo-Arabic.
Malta is made up of three islands. The main being Malta, the other is a small island called Comino (home to the the famous Blue Lagoon), and the third is Gozo. Malta and Gozo have many interesting points to visit and amazing hikes. Comino can be seen in half a day. It is a small island with a nice trek that takes around two hours and a beautiful crystal clear water lagoon.
I believe five days is sufficient to see the best of Malta.
First off Malta is a great place for trekking adventures. Also you don’t need any help planning out your treks in Malta. They have detailed guided books of all trails throughout all of the islands. Just ask for the free trail books at the information desk at the airport, or at your hotel, or at any information desk throughout the city. The books are amazing and tell you everything to which buses to take, to which sites to see, the duration, everything. Our trip was in June and it was a bit hot on the trails. I think if I would have a chance to replan I would have chosen a cooler month. We ended up trekking a bit, then hopping on buses, trekking, then back on the bus. So it’s still doable just with adjustments here and there.
Also I didn’t opt for a simcard. There is wifi almost everywhere on the island, even on the buses. So I wouldn’t splurge on the sim. At the airport pick up the 7 day unlimited 21€ bus pas. Even though I only stayed for 5 days it was totally worth the purchase.
I stayed in a cheap airbnb in Birkirkara. Honestly I was worried about where to stay but truly anywhere in Malta is good. Remember that most airbnbs will not have air conditioners. The Maltese are very simply natural people and for them a nice fan does the trick, even in the strongest of the summer heat. Contrary to other bloggers I found Malta public transport to be really good 🙂 You can really get anywhere. I spent two days in the main island of Malta and two days in Gozo so staying in either place would have been fine. I was happy with my location. Lots of people like to stay in Slimena, its really hip and modern. But actually I fell in love with Gozo. I would probably opt to stay in Gozo for my next visit.
Here is a shortened breakdown of my itinerary:
Day 1: Valletta.
Day2: First half of the day go to Comino island and blue lagoon (round trip ferry is 10 €, take the bus to Cirrewkawa and then take the ferry.)
Then headed to Gozo for the second half of the day- Marsalforn, Salt Pans, and Wied il-Għasri.
Day 3: Ferry to Gozo took the bus to Sannat and walked to Ten Cenc cliffs. Then took the bus the Dwerja saw the crocodile and fungus rocks. Saw the Azure window (or where it used to be) and climbed above cliffs to watch the waves. At night we went to the medieval silent city of Mdina.
Day 4: Bus to Dlingi cliffs then to the Hagar Qim temple and then to the Blue Grotto. We swam in the blue grotto and then headed to Mdina for a day stroll of the city. At night we walked around Slimena
Day 5: Slimena during the day and stroll along the promenade and St Julian, then off to the airport.
Ok so let me go into greater detail about your 5 day trip to Malta for those that are interested.
Day 1:We arrived at 4pm at our Airbnb, and our Airbnb host actually forgot about us. He said he wouldn’t be home until 7pm so we left our bags at a local shop and took a stroll around Valletta until 9pm. Valletta is gorgeous. After living in Dubai, a completely newly developed city, it was nice to stroll through old unique streets that you knew held so much history. We went to the upper Barrakat gardens and strolled around the interior and perimeter of the city. You really don’t need an agenda in Valletta, wander get lost and enjoy every minute.
Day 2:Comino Island is beautiful. First ferry to Comino starts at 9 am. So don’t get too excited and show up at 7 am like we did, or you will just be sitting there waiting. When we arrived at the Blue Lagoon it was empty, perfection! I didn’t end up swimming because the cold water was just not something I was used to. Plus I really wanted to see the island, so I set off on the Comino Hike. I really enjoyed the hike and the island is beautiful. On our way back we hit blue lagoon around 1pm and it was PACKED! So my advice to you is if you really want to enjoy a nice swim there go early. After Comino island I headed to Gozo for the second half of the day. The ferry will take you from Comino to Gozo.
Blue Lagoon
Once you land in Gozo take the bus to Marsalforn then walk along the coast to get to the salt pans. Eat in Marsalforn bay there will be many delicious seafood restaurants on the water. As you walk do not get fooled by small salt pans. We almost turned around thinking we had seen them. NO! you have only seen some of them. Keep going and if you are not sure ask a local for assistance. The actual salt pans are an incredible hike and a MUSTSEE. You will be surrounded by huge limestone walls and the deep blue ocean. I can’t explain to you how beautiful it is. I would walk that path everyday if I lived there. Beyond words. You can even walk down to the salt pans at the end of the hike and experience the roaring waves crash into the rocks. I never felt so small.
Once you’ve had your fill, continue your trek past the salt pans which will lead you straight to Wied il-Għasri, a beautiful valley. Walk along the valley and find the path down to the small rocky beach. Head back by bus to the ferry terminal and then back to Malta. We got back around 10 pm at night.
Day 3: This was our full day in Gozo. Again wake up early catch the bus to the ferry. The main bus hub in Gozo is Victoria. I was set on seeing the Ten Cenc Cliffs, but honestly it was really hard to get to and not all that impressive compared to other parts of Gozo I saw. If I had to do it again I would say don’t go out of your way to see them. There are amazing cliffs all over Gozo and Malta. After, we headed to the MAIN ATTRACTION Dwerja! This is where the Azure window once stood. This is my second MUST SEE sight. I could have spent the whole day at Dwerja. I loved the area. There were beautiful places to swim and go inside a cave, there were tons of magnificent cliffs, and there was the sight where the Azure window once stood. At night we took the bus to Mdina. WOW WOW WOW. Mdina is where Game of Thrones season one was filmed. It is a preserved medieval city. It truly took my breathaway. You really feel that you took a step back in time. It is really peaceful and quiet, hence the “Silent City”. Wander around Mdina at night for a few hours for at least one day of your trip.
Day 4: The next day I explored the main island of Malta. There is a bus that will take you to the Dlingi Cliffs, which were just beautiful cliffs along the water side. The coastal road continues along to Hagar Qim temple, you can catch the bus or just enjoy the walk. It costs 10 Euro to see the temple. There is a short video played about the temple and then you get to actually go in and take an up close look. First excavated in 1839, the remains suggest a date between 3600 – 3200 BC, a period known as the Ġgantija phase in Maltese prehistory. After that you can continue again on the coastal road by bus or walking to the Blue Grotto. I finally gave into the cold water and took a dip! It was a very popular place for the youths of Malta to hangout and play in the water. There are some cute restaurants on the water here to grab some lunch before heading back.
Hagar Qim Temple
I decided to check out Mdina again on the way back, because I truly fell in love with Mdina and I wanted the experience of seeing it in the day light. It is magical in both lights. After washing up I headed to Slimena at night. Slimena is hip and modern and cool. There is a nice boardwalk along the water that is very popular. Tons of restaurants and cool places to grab a drink or shisha.
Day5: I only had the early morning to take a look around Slimena during the day before heading off to the airport. If you walk far enough down the promenade you will see St Julians. There are many buses that take you to the airport from Slimena. That bus card will take you a long way and you will be happy you purchased it.
All in all Malta is magical, I am so glad someone forced me to go 😉
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