Top 10: Best Places to Visit in Malta — Part I
Malta is a small country in Southern Europe with a lot to see. We spent 5 whole days in this archipelago of three islands a few years ago, and we were totally amazed with what there is to see and to do there!
Malta has a unique and rich history, which is the result of its unique geostrategic position: between North and South, East and West.
Numerous peoples have passed through this region (which once was not isolated from the neighbouring continents), giving it enough reason for history and culture lovers to be dazzled by the streets of Valletta, its capital, or Mdina, the setting of Game of Thrones, or even the Citadel of Gozo, on the island of Gozo, in the North of Malta.
But don’t forget that this archipelago is located in Southern Europe, which means…
Beach, Sun and Good Weather!
“Gentlemen you had my curiosity … but now you have my attention.” , Quentin Tarantino in Django Unchained
At least, that’s what we hope by now: for you to stay with us to take a look at the first part of the Top 10 — Best Places to Visit in Malta!
1. Valletta
Valletta is a unique city, surrounded by thick and imponent walls built by the Knights Templar to defend the city…
Yes, you read that right…
The one and only Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, well known for its long, warrior history of defending Christianity.
A walk through the ancient and well-preserved streets of Valletta begins at the City Gates and ends at the Fort of St. Elmo. In the middle of that walk, your path will pass by St. John’s Co-Cathedral (which deserves to be highlighted in the next point) and walking in the joyful, busy and cosmopolitan Triq Ir-Repubblika.
Valeta has a very special charm and, in our opinion, it is due only and exclusively to having been a meeting point of such diverse and rich cultures for centuries. For us, the 5 days we spent in Malta, Valletta was really one of the highlights of the visit.
We strongly recommend it!
2. St. John’s Cathedral, in Valletta
St. John’s Cathedral — or, more correctly, St. John’s Co-Cathedral — is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Malta. It is dedicated to John the Baptist and is located in the central area of Valletta.
After so many churches we had visited, and even though we had done some prior research before traveling to Malta, we never thought we would come across such a wonder! St. John’s Co-Cathedral is beautiful and wonderful!
We considered it one of the most beautiful churches in the world. Look at the pictures below and tell us if you agree.
The church has much to see — the ceilings of the nave, the paintings, the portraits of the Grand Masters, the chapels of the various Langs — and, adjacent to it, there is also a museum with works of art and artifacts of relief of the Order of Malta.
3. Mdina
Well… time doesn’t stretch, does it? Sometimes it seems to want to slip through our fingers. Invariably, we return from vacation thinking “it’s gone so fast”, isn’t it? That’s what happened to us in Malta. Although we had spent 5 days on the islands, after coming from Italy, this time was clearly insufficient.
Obviously, as all travellers know, there are always things to see, no matter how long you stay in a certain destination, but in Malta we really felt that two more days would have made the visit perfect.
One of the places we would visit would be Mdina. The old Maltese capital is a walled city, located about 30 minutes by car from Valletta, to the west. The strong medieval atmosphere made some of the corners (and even the gates of the city) appear in the famous TV series Game of Thrones.
If you are planning to go to Malta soon, don’t skip this city!
And don’t forget to take a tour of Rabbat, the city that was once the suburb of Mdina has grown, but it keeps places that are well worth a visit.
4. Blue Lagoon
If there are images that are indeed worth more than a thousand words, this is one of them.
The Blue Lagoon is a real Paradise on Earth!
Located in Comino, an island with no houses and only one hotel, to get there you need to take a boat — at Iċ-Ċirkewwa, on Malta Island, or at Mġarr, on Gozo Island.
The trip takes about 15 minutes and is assured by several operators.
Here we will not go into great detail, because we will write a longer article on the subject, but our advice is to go as soon as possible to Comino, to enjoy the Blue Lagoon with peace of mind.
As it is easy to see from the photos we took, the hot season and the unique beauty of the place attract many tourists to the place, which can make the experience a little less paradisiacal. So, if visiting this destination is in your plans at summer time (we went there in September), try to get there as soon as possible!
5. Blue Grotto
The Blue Grotto in Malta is a set of sea caves whose water background has several shades of deep and bright blue.
The place is only accessible by sea and to get there it’s necessary to buy a ticket in a small natural port in the west of the island. This port is composed of some support buildings (it even has a restaurant) and it’s there that small boats of local fishermen transport tourists to the caves during the high season.
It’s also possible to enjoy a good dive and some hours of sunshine, since the area where the boats pass by is delimited, the rest being reserved for bathers.
So…
This is the end of the first part of our Top 10 — Best Places to Visit in Malta, where we’ve covered the 5 Best Places.
Drop a comment below and, if you enjoyed, stay tunned for the second part!
