Malta Malta Malta what to do?

[Weroff2rome]

We have two stops in Malta one is overnight. I saw on shore trips a very indepth excursion but they wanted like $800 which would give my husband a heart attack. We would like to see the blue grotto ( I am assuming having never been to Malta) and love ruins but what is a not miss and what is a "don't bother"? Thanks.

ps- we overnight in Valletta and spend one day in Mgarr.

[Judyumcer@aol.com]

Malta is very charming. If you are there overnight; get a private guide. It won't be $800.

[drewlin]

Getting around Malta is easy, can be quite charming and inexpensive if you use the local buses. You can get anywhere on the island from the bus terminus in Valetta and the cheapest way is to buy a day ticket for about $5 per person. There are many wonderful places to see, including Valetta itself, like Mdina (the original capital and the silent city), Mosta church where a world war II bomb crashed through the dome (3rd largest dome in Europe) where lots of people were sheltering and didn't hit anyone or explode! The catacombs at Rabat within walking distance from Mdina. There are lots of lovely churches to see as Malta has 365 of them - one for each day of the year! Can recommend having a coffee and cake on the walls of Mdina overlooking the countryside to the coast at Cafe Fontenela (I think that's how it's spelt).

There are plenty of tour companies offering daily excursions to the main sites including the blue grotto for around $20-$25 although not too sure how many leave from Valetta as we usually stay around Bugibba.

Whatever happens make sure you're on deck when you sail into the Grand Harbour but then we're biased as we love Malta and the Maltese.

[Hlitner]

On our first visit to Malta we were on a back to back to back cruise where Malta was on the third leg. On the first leg of the cruise we met two couples from Malta who were getting off the ship a week before we got to Malta. One of those couples met us when we arrived at Malta and gave us a full day tour. So what did they do with us? We first walked from the port into town and went to see a free movie at the main tourist office that told the history of Malta (very interesting). We than spent some time walking around town and then drove over the Mdna where we enjoyed coffee at a cafe that overlooked the countryside from on-top of the walls. We then went to an excellent restaurant for a nice lunch and than drove around a lot of the coast line before returning to the ship. I only post this because we thought it was interesting that our Maltese friends thought this was the best thing for a tourist to do during a port stop.

 

Hank

[CintiPam]

We spent a day in Malta last June, and it was wonderful.

 

As others posted, a highlight is the sail-in, one of the best anywhere, so be on deck or your balcony for that.

 

The do-not-miss highlight on land in my view is the Co-Cathedral of St. John in Old Valletta, with great artwork and decoration, including a fantastic Caravaggio. Your admission includes an excellent acoustiguide.

 

We are archaelogy fans, so visited the Archaelogical Museum in the walled old city before proceeding to the Hypogeum to see the incredible neolithic underground burial chambers, about 10 minutes from Valletta. We then walked over to the Tarxien temples (worth a visit only if you already are going to the Hypogeum). Only 10 people allowed per hour at the Hypogeum, for an hour guided tour, so you must book in advance. It sells out, so book a few months early.

 

Lastly, we enjoyed the views of the harbour from the Upper Barracca Gardens in the old city.

 

The visit malta website is very good, and can provide a lot of helpful information, as well as a link for booking the Hypogeum if you have any interest.

 

Enjoy your time in unique Malta!

[Dunmore2]

In our opinion, St. John's Co-Cathedral is second only to St. Peter's in Vatican City. The marble and gold work is spectacular. No flash photography. The volunteers who make sure you stay on the "path" and don't use "flash' are very proud of their city and were pleased to point out various items in the church that were not discussed on the audio guide. Mdina and the Upper Barracca garden views are also worth seeing.

[hat776]

The ship docks at the Valletta Waterfront. There are bars and restaurants so you could have a drink there in the evening.

You say Mgarr - is it Mgarr, Malta or Mgarr, Gozo ? I imagine it's on the small island of Gozo.

Have a look at Trip Advisor Malta Forum, there are Top Questions which are about cruising

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g190311-i348-Malta.html

 

There have been recommendations regarding tourist guides - try and put 'guide' in the search box on top on the Malta Forum or get back here and I'll try and post you the links.

 

What month are you coming ?

[hat776]

Apart from the reviews in the Reviews section, there are alot of reviews of Ports of Call in the individual Cruise Line Boards.

On the MSC board there are numerous posts about Malta. I suggest you go to that board, put 'Splendida' or 'Malta' in the search box on top. Remember that the Splendida doesn't come to Malta in winter.

On this board , put 'Malta' in the search box.

Some good threads are -

re Mgarr

By Beauseant http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1046600&highlight

By Minty

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1047880

Mgarr is the port of the small island of Gozo (part of Malta)

The capital is Victoria /Rabat

[rsquare]

We are big on understanding how people in different parts of the world, or in different social classes live, so we enjoyed touring the Casa Rocca Piccolo in Valletta. It is a 16th century palazzo which is still occupied by a noble Maltese family; in fact, we were shown around by a teenage member of the family. It is on Republic Street, about three blocks past Republic square.

[jpver]

Malta is indeed a very nice destination. Most of the intersting places have been given by others above.

 

- La Valetta is of course very nice with the mentionned cathedrals

- Mdina and Rabat also worth the visit

- With regard to the hypogeum, reservation is a must and another must being in time otherwise you loose your money! Have a look to the excellent site of http://www.visitmalta.com/main?l=1

- The Bleu grotto is nice, however a bit overdone (Perhaps because we have seen others such as in Corsica)

- Marsaloxx is a fishing port. Beautifull painted fishing boats

- Mosta basilica is impressive

 

- For Gozo you will need the ferry. You will need a full day up and down.

 

In fact the isle is rather small roughly 35 km, but there is so much to see!

 

Alternative is renting a car. Malta is easy to visit that way. HOWEVER, don't forget you drive on the left... and most cars are not automatic but manual gear.

[samavarcruiser]

The landscape of Malta is very nice :)

 

101 things to do when on holiday in Malta

 

http://www.choosemalta.com/en/about-malta/101-things-to-do-in-malta.php

 

 

Malta Travel Guide

 

http://www.101malta.com/

[m steve]

and have a malta with a float of ice cream.:D

[Weroff2rome]

the itinerary says Mgarr (Victoria) Malta for the second stop. I am quite excited about this Hypogeum and am going to book tickets on line, how does one get there? what is a good time to pick we are in Valletta from 8am to 7am the next day. I can't belive I never heard of this Hypogeum as we love ancient sites, been to pompeii etc. quite excited about this one!

[CintiPam]

the itinerary says Mgarr (Victoria) Malta for the second stop. I am quite excited about this Hypogeum and am going to book tickets on line, how does one get there? what is a good time to pick we are in Valletta from 8am to 7am the next day. I can't belive I never heard of this Hypogeum as we love ancient sites, been to pompeii etc. quite excited about this one!

 

Well, we wanted to visit the Co-Cathedral and Archaelogy Museum first, so we booked for an afternoon time. From Old Valletta, it is a 10-minute taxi ride from the main gate at a fixed rate (about 15 Euros) or a one Euro bus ride from the same place. To be sure to arrive on time, we took a taxi there, then walked over to visit the Tarxien temples, about a five-minute walk away (not worth a special trip, but if seeing the Hypogeum, a good stop), then took the cheap bus back from there.

[Weroff2rome]

how far in advance would be a safe bet to book the hypogeum? I wish I could find a native guide that would take me to all the sites without having to navigate busses etc. Ok another stupid question what language do they speak in Malta and do they take Euros or what for currency? Thanks

[Sauer-kraut]

I vacationed in Malta for a week last October. If you want to go to the Hypogeum go online now and book! I had to book about 3 months in adavance. We took the bus from Valletta to the town where the Hypogeum is as well as a small ruins museum. They are very well marked for tourists and you can walk from one to the other. If you are doing the bus it will take about half day to see everything and return to Valletta. Take the bus to Mdina, a great old walled city nice walking around (the nicest maltese silver-work I found on the island was there, unfortunately didn't get any). There is also the Roman House just outside the walls of Mdina, interesting if you like to see excavations I can't tell you how long the trip was because we caught the bus by our hotel and didn't go through Valletta. There is also an Arts & Crafts village on the way to Mdina which we didnt stop at but its on the same bus route.

 

To get a bus guide go to the City of Valletta, just inside the city gate to the LEFT is the tourist information place. You can't miss it. Then you can walk around the old town, and have a coffee at a sidewalk cafe, near the Co-Cathedral. Pay the fee to get in and have a look, those Knights of St. John's were something.

 

BRING EUROS, the busses don't like big bills, so just hang on and use the Euro coins. They busses are fantastic and cheap and go just about everywhere. That is the only transportation we used for the week.

 

If you need more information on Malta there is a great message board on TripAdvisor and everyone there was so helpful. I hope you have a wonderful time there. I enjoyed every day we were there!

[Sauer-kraut]

Forgot to mention the Blue Grotto, it was nice but..... once you get on the boat you're on the water for about 45 mins. There isn't much else to do there at all, we then walked about 3 KM to another ruins that are very famous. That was something (I think it was longer than 3KM but I was travelling with a very fit European guy who thought it was a lot less!) Be sure that you are at the bus stop early enough, they don't run very often in the afternoon from the ruins, I think we got the last one for the day and we waited an hour for it.

[Weroff2rome]

Thanks I think I will head over to trip advisor to see what they have to say on Malta

[KirkNC]

Sounds like you might be on the same cruise we are in July as we are also overnight in Valletta and than a short day in Gozo. Our plan is to catch the bus (#11 from the traffic circle from up above the cruise ship) and go to the Hypogeum. We have 10.00 reservation which I made in January. After that we are walking a few blocks to the Tarxien Temples. Than back on the bus to Valletta for some lunch. After that we are doing the full walking tour of Valletta (the town is pretty small). The one thing that I am dissapointed in is that the cathedral is closed the day we are there since it is Sunday. The Lonely Planet has a pretty good walking tour that covers all of the sights in the city, theatres, museums, gardens etc. We will probably eat dinner on the ship and than go have a drink at some of the pier side resturants afterward. Than to bed as I think we will be tired.

 

I am really looking forward to this stop as I am a big history buff and have read alot about the century long battles between the Ottomans and Malta (knights of St. John), Spain and the Papal States. Malta played a huge part in those struggles.

 

Kirk

[Reb808]

We are looking to spend the day relaxing on a beach, are there any that anyone recommends? I would love to do the Blue Lagoon on Comino, but not sure about how to get to the ferry terminal, how much the ferry costs, etc.

[binky&jane]

First of all, I agree with the other posts which state that you MUST be on deck or your balcony to see the sail into the port. It was by far the most beautiful. Malta is a beautiful island and we found that there is soooo much more there than we thought. we did research Malta just like our other ports of call, but for some reason none of our research prepared us for Malta.

 

Do NOT. I repeat DO NOT attempt to ride the Hop on Hop off bus if there are a large number of people waiting. My family and i were on the NCL Jade and when we docked there was another similarly sized ship already in port. we were approached by a taxi (offered to drive our family of four around the island for 53 Euros) we declined in favor of the Ho Ho bus. The bus was slightly cheaper for us, but........ the company was very unorganized. The crowd pushed and shoved to get onto the sporadic buses. Several people became frustrated and demanded their money back while waiting at the first stop (at the port). Being a large man (6' 5" & 275 lbs.), we did not get crushed and made our way onto the 2nd bus. While the company cannot control the behavior of patrons, they did contribute by not having enough staff and not enough buses to accomodate the customers. They said that buses would arrive every 15 minutes, but in reality, the second bus didn't arrive for about 45 minutes. The initial experience ruined our view of the Ho Ho buses in Malta. we have used Ho Ho buses in several cities and prefer them for transportation in new places. While we plan to return to Malta, we will NOT use the HO HO buses.

 

The hand blown glass is beautiful and there are numerous harbours that looked as though they would provide an excellent place to replax and enjoy the day. Our day was cut short due to the time wasted by waiting on the HO HO bus, so we didn't have time to enjoy the harbours. We did experience Mdina. it was beautiful and ecclectic. the co-cathedral is amazing. We saw the outside but didn't visit inside. Our friends from teh ship told us later that we really missed out. according to our cruise mates, the co-cathedral is more amazing than St. Peter's in Rome. As they explain it to us, the inside is just as beautiful but everything is on a smaller scale, so they are more visible. We will see the inside next time.

 

I hope that this has been helpful. I am sure that you will enjoy your time in Malta and other ports in the Med.

 

Corey

[CanadaDeb]

Lived there for 5 years.

 

All buses leave from Valletta....you can ak at the fountain in the main square which numbers to take and it's fairly easy.

 

Blue Grotto is one of my fav spots....it' soooooo beautiful! The boat ride round the grotto is worth it and not too expensive. You'll see signs at the top where the bus will stop on where to buy the tickets. There are a few little cafes there, too, where you can eat and have something to drink. There are some shops, too.

 

Mdina is the first capital of Malta and is pedestrian only. Nice place to wander, see the cathedral and feel the history. Walking through the main gate all the way down ( 5-10 min walk ) you'll have a nice view of Malta and on the right is the Fontinella Cafe....best chocolate cake on the island!

 

Valletta is the shopping place in Malta. The shops are arranged mostly in bunches, such as 'shoe street', 'jewellery street' and so on. The shops open early and close at noon till 4 on Mon, Tues, Thurs and Friday and only open in the morning on Wed and Sat. Closed on Sunday.

 

Sliema is a very fashionable spot with lots of shops and cafes along a boardwalk....one bus only from Valleta.

 

Mosta Dome in Mosta is worth seeing....a bomb dropped on it during the second WW and didn't explode....it was even during a mass. You can now see the bomb in the basement. The dome itself is beautiful.

 

Great beach at Marsaxlokk with nice sand and clear water.

 

Enjoy!

[debldp]

We have two stops in Malta one is overnight. I saw on shore trips a very indepth excursion but they wanted like $800 which would give my husband a heart attack. We would like to see the blue grotto ( I am assuming having never been to Malta) and love ruins but what is a not miss and what is a "don't bother"? Thanks.

ps- we overnight in Valletta and spend one day in Mgarr.

@Weroff2rome

 

We are on the Noordam and will be in Malta August 8th and 9th doing a private tour and will have room on august 8th if you are interested in joining us.

[hat776]

Regarding Blue Grotto. It's in Zurrieq and don't mix it up with Blue Lagoon which is on the island of Comino off Malta.

It will take about 35 min by bus from Valletta. If you do decide to go it's best early as effect of the sun is better and it won't be crowded. Be careful getting out of the boat, accept any help.

Valletta to Hagar Qim and Wied iz-Zurrieq (for the Blue Grotto) For the Hagar Qim neolithic temples and boat trips to the Blue Grotto

Route 38 (clockwise circular) from Valletta MON-FRI 0920, 1015, 1115, 1210, 1310, 1415, 1515, 1610. SAT 0920, 1015, 1115, 1215, 1315, 1420,

1520, 1620. SUN 0920, 1015, 1115, 1220, 1320, 1415, 1520, 1615. Runs Valletta - Zurrieq - Wied iz Zurrieq - Hagar Qim - Qrendi - Valletta (a

change at Qrendi may be necessary). Fare €1.16. Calls at Wied iz-Zurrieq and Hagar Qim approx 30 minutes after leaving Valletta.

Route 138 (anti-clockwise circular) from Valletta hourly 0945-1545 (on Sundays the 1445 runs 5 minutes earlier). Runs Valletta - Qrendi - Hagar Qim

- Wied iz Zurrieq - Zurrieq - Valletta (a change at Zurrieq may be necessary). Fare €1.16. Calls at Hagar Qim and Wied iz-Zurrieq approx 30 minutes

after leaving Valletta. Note: unlike the open-top tours, bus 38 and 138 does not go down the hill to Wied iz Zurrieq but calls on the main road at the top of the hill.

Maltabybus.com is a very user friendly site.

 

The last time I went people were swimming there.

 

If you google blue grotto malta you'll find video clips and lots of info.

 

Trip Advisor is also useful - just put Blue Grotto in the search box. There are also Top Questions about cruising

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g190311-i348-Malta.html

[williegirlcat]

We are going to be docked in Valletta on a Sunday. Do you know if there will be taxis around and/or if there is a special Sun. bus schedule? We would like to get to Mdina and then back to Valletta. Also, how would we get a bus schedule online? We have six hours to work with.