what to do in Malta

[wineandbeach]

We will be in Malta on a Sunday in July from 8 -6. We plan on attending Mass at St John's and are hoping for the 9:15 Mass, then heading back to the ship to change. We will probably start the next part of our day around 11:30. Any suggestions as to what we should do for the rest of the day. Should we just explore Valetta or head to Mdina. How far is it from Valetta to Mdina. Any suggestions for eating or places to explore in either place. Are there any nice places just to stick our feet in the water? We think going to Blue Grotto after such a late start will be pushing it but we are open for any thoughts or suggestions. Thank you!

[Bentleg]

Valletta is a walk and a lift ride up from the cruise terminal. Very nice to walk around, delightful old buildings, shopping, coffee etc. There is also a "toy" train that tours the extended city. You can easily fill in a day this way without going further afield. I think smart casual would be fine for mass and also suitable for walking around, but that is of course your call. I think Mdina is a bit far with the limited time you will have.

 

 

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[cruisemom42]

Mdina is about 30 minutes by local bus, probably a bit faster by taxi. I think Mdina is a charming spot to visit and doesn't take that long, so you may want to just play it by ear and see how your day goes.

 

In Valletta, I have enjoyed visits to the Archaeological Museum and the Grandmaster's Palace especially. The Barrakka Gardens are worth a look, especially if you time yourself to be there at noon when they fire a cannon.

 

(And don't forget to go see the Caravaggio painting of the beheading of John the Baptist when you are in the co-Cathedral, if they let you do that on Sundays.....It's outstanding!)

 

Stop and have coffee and a pastry (or a light lunch) at Caffe Cordina, a wonderful old traditional bakery. Go inside to look at everything, then sit outside on the square and people watch. http://www.caffecordina.com/

[Cindy]

When we were in Valletta we took a wonderful walking photography tour. Our guide and instructor took us by ferry over to the little towns of Birgu, Bormla, and Fgura. It was much less crowded over there and the streets were picturesque.

 

We ate dinner in a restaurant called Trabuxu in Valletta...it was wonderful, but I'm not sure if they're open for lunch.

 

Here's a link to my blog post from the day so you can see if any of the places we visited would interest you: http://theworldthroughmylens.blog/2017/05/02/whats-behind-door-number-1

 

 

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[wineandbeach]

I love your pictures. I keep saying I am going to learn some basic photography but never take the time and my pictures show it.

[Cindy]

I love your pictures. I keep saying I am going to learn some basic photography but never take the time and my pictures show it.

 

 

I took some courses on-line. They really helped!

 

 

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[irvington]

Gorgeous pictures!

[senorbanda]

I took some courses on-line. They really helped!

 

 

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Cindy, excellent photos of your trip to Valletta! They brought back memories of our trip there in 2014. I was wondering if you could mention what type of camera you used. Once again many thanks from one Texan to another. :)

[N 2 Sun]

Hello wineandbeach,

 

My husband and I are big Malta fans. I hope you will be as well.

 

To me the two must dos on Malta are the co-cathedral and Mdina.

 

Based upon four or five cruise visits since 2013, I firmly believe you have time to attend church (lucky, lucky you for being there on a Sunday so that you can do this!), eat at an outdoor cafe then go up to Mdina for two or so hours. Alternatively, you can also eat lunch in Mdina.

 

To save precious port time, we always take a taxi up to Mdina. Last fall the cost for a round trip journey staying in Mdina for two hours was 50 euros. Often we've found others from the ship willing to share the ride and split the cost. If you are going to eat in Mdina, you might want to have the driver do a 3 hour visit.

 

Simply walking through the main gates of Mdina and continuing to the overlook on the opposite side of the town is a treat. The elegance of the architecture, the pop of colors, the panoramic views and the sheer beauty of the town are all incredible. You can really feel as if you are in another time when here.

 

One last suggestion is to visit the Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck while in Valletta. It is just around the corner and down a block from the Co-Cathederal. With Paul's history on the island, I find this church to be quite fascinating.

 

Marilyn

[Cindy]

Cindy, excellent photos of your trip to Valletta! They brought back memories of our trip there in 2014. I was wondering if you could mention what type of camera you used. Once again many thanks from one Texan to another. :)

 

 

All those were taken with a Fuji XT-1 with an XF 18-135mm lens. It's a fairly new camera for me. I purchased it for this trip knowing I wouldn't want to carry my heavier, bulkier Canon everywhere, and it was a smart decision because we walked 113 miles and climbed the equivalent of 203 flights of stairs![emoji15] I'm pretty happy with the camera. I think the image quality is very good, and the camera seems very familiar and intuitive to me because it's a bit old school.

 

 

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[wineandbeach]

Thank you for all the replies. Our Plan A puts everyones suggestions together. We are going to go to Mass at St Johns at 9:15, go for a pastry at Caffe Cordina, Stop at St Paul's hopefully when Mass isn't going on (coincidentally we will be in Rome and attending the Pallium Mass with Pope Francis on June 29 which is the Feast of St Peter and St Paul). We decided not to go back to change to save time so we can try to hire a driver to bring us to Mdina for a couple hours and then back to explore Valletta. Plan B is whatever happens, happens.

[N 2 Sun]

Plan A sounds awesome....I love how CC folks share the best ideas. And even if you end up with Plan B, how can it be bad.....you will be in Malta!

[Turtles06]

OP: I imagine you already know this, but do get up early and don't miss any of the sail-in to Valletta, it's one of the most beautiful harbors in the world.

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[cruisemom42]

OP: I imagine you already know this, but do get up early and don't miss any of the sail-in to Valletta, it's one of the most beautiful harbors in the world.

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

 

You take awesome photos, btw. I was just in Malta a few weeks ago and had that same view.

[ab21au]

We dock at 6pm on a Saturday and plan to go to the 7:45am mass at St Johns. We are then going to Mdina etc.

 

My question, I will have my camera with me for the tour, will I be able to have it with me during the mass, or will I have to go back to the ship before the tour?

[senorbanda]

You should not have any problems with your camera during mass if you follow the rules. Photos are allowed before and after mass. Not during the mass. You'd be surprised how many people try to ignore this rule. Have a wonderful time in Valletta.

[ab21au]

Thanks Senorbanda, that puts my mind at ease.

 

 

Anyone used a Prestige Cabs in Valletta? I used there online form and received an automated response but nothing else and it's been a couple of days. I would have hoped for follow up by now.

[Aimee192]

Thanks Senorbanda, that puts my mind at ease.

 

 

Anyone used a Prestige Cabs in Valletta? I used there online form and received an automated response but nothing else and it's been a couple of days. I would have hoped for follow up by now.

 

I would suggest you make use of eCABS. They're one of the most reliable taxi services on the island :) Fast responses and fair prices IMO.

[wineandbeach]

We are back from Malta and loved it there. Went to a High Mass at St Johns (Mass in Latin and Maltese). Beautiful church and Mass, but the commercialism shows. We couldn't see the famous Beheading of St John picture because it was Sunday and The Church was closed except for Mass. We did get a quick glance at other paintings but they were quick to kick everyone out after Mass.

After Mass, we headed over to see The Church of St Paul's Shipwreck. Thank you Marilyn for suggesting this - it is now one of my favorite churches. We were lucky enough to go when they were putting the statue of St Paul back to his room in the church. This is definitely an event. It is a very large statue and is done slowly and methodically with ropes and boards. The townspeople sing and clap as the men are working. No idea what they were singing since it was in Maltese but we were asked to join in and had a great time. Love this church and the people and although some parts are being renovated, it is still amazing and beautiful. Then we went to Caffe Cordina to have pastries and people watch.

We explored Valletta and took a cab to M'dina. For those looking for Cabs, you just go to the cab stand and you could pick how many hours you want a cab and they will take you where you want to go. I think it was $55 for 2 hours and $70 for 3. There were 4 of us so we just split it.

Loved this Island and hope to be back one day.