travellovers2 Posted July 15, 2019 #1 Share Posted July 15, 2019 We are thinking of taking a transfer to Mdina where they leave us for 3.5 hours and bring us back. Then do Valetta on our own. Is this a good idea or do we need a tour for Valetta? From the photos we have seen of Valetta, it seems that everything is within walking distance from where the ship docks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailco Posted July 15, 2019 #2 Share Posted July 15, 2019 Mdina is lovely but 3.5 hours would be a very long time. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobal Posted July 15, 2019 #3 Share Posted July 15, 2019 (edited) Agree with sailco. It's a really lovely place but can't imagine spending that length of time there. You could take a local bus to Mdina from Valletta or splash out on a taxi which would probably still be cheaper than a ship's excursion, if that's what you were planning. Valletta is then very easy to do on your own, if you have time take a 3 harbour tour. Also just a heads up that Valletta isn't in Greece so this may get moved to the 'other' ports of call forum https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/149-other-mediterranean-ports/ Edited July 15, 2019 by Bobal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travellovers2 Posted July 15, 2019 Author #4 Share Posted July 15, 2019 I apologize if I chose the wrong one. Thank you for your replies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashland Posted July 15, 2019 #5 Share Posted July 15, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, travellovers2 said: I apologize if I chose the wrong one. Thank you for your replies! No worries about posting here.....Are you a Game Of Thrones Fan at all? We just returned from an amazing private group tour that went "all over" Valletta even out to the cliff's...We saw more of Valletta than we ever imagined possible on this port stop....even things that had nothing to do with GOT. Edited July 15, 2019 by Ashland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sauer-kraut Posted July 16, 2019 #6 Share Posted July 16, 2019 Mdina is really small....if you are stuck there, there is a lovely ROMAN VILLA excavation just outside the city walls. I recommend it highly. (Villa Romana) And yes, Valetta is a very easy walk around city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted July 18, 2019 #7 Share Posted July 18, 2019 No reason to buy a special transfer to Medina. You could simply take the public bus for about 2.60 Euros. Those buses run about every 10 min from the bus station located not far from the port after you use the elevator to get to the top of the hill that overlooks the port. Some get their fill of Medina in about an hour and others want more time. Hank n simply 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blebreton14 Posted July 19, 2019 #8 Share Posted July 19, 2019 On 7/15/2019 at 12:54 PM, Ashland said: No worries about posting here.....Are you a Game Of Thrones Fan at all? We just returned from an amazing private group tour that went "all over" Valletta even out to the cliff's...We saw more of Valletta than we ever imagined possible on this port stop....even things that had nothing to do with GOT. My wife is a GOT fan and we will be in Valletta in August- would you share who you used for the tour? I dind't realize that's where it was filmed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashland Posted July 19, 2019 #9 Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, blebreton14 said: My wife is a GOT fan and we will be in Valletta in August- would you share who you used for the tour? I dind't realize that's where it was filmed We toured with Malcolm Ellul .... owner/operator of "Malta Film Tours" Malcolm was a cast member when they filmed season's 1 & 2 in Malta. He is amazing and gave us and the small group with us a wonderful in-depth tour of all the locations and inside stories and pictures corresponding with the locations we were at. One of the best tours we've been on including a similar GOT tour we did in Ireland. Enjoy...you won't regret it !! Google his website..he will quickly respond...I hope he isn't booked already. https://www.maltafilmtours.com Edited July 19, 2019 by Ashland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travellovers2 Posted August 12, 2019 Author #10 Share Posted August 12, 2019 We have never watched GOT, but we love history and architecture, so Valetta will definitely be a wonderful stop for us on this cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyTheSaint Posted August 12, 2019 #11 Share Posted August 12, 2019 We took a taxi from Valetta to Mdina from outside the port gates. There was a queue of taxis sitting waiting so we jumped in and got to Mdina long before the bus tours and local busses. We had a good walk around Mdina and were leaving as the bus loads started arriving. I think it only cost 20 Euros for the taxi. We got the local bus from just outside the Mdina entrance gates to Valetta. It gave us a good few hours in Valetta which is a very compact city. I'd recommend you take the taxi to Mdina and get the bus back to Valetta rather than bus and then taxi return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Mom 2 Posted August 13, 2019 #12 Share Posted August 13, 2019 Valetta is very easy to do on your own. It is a beautiful city and we had a delightful time exploring on our own. Found a fun bar, cute shops, and a delicious restaurant for lunch. I would love to return and explore more. Our departure was a bit hairy. The waves were crazy and going out was interesting to say the least! But the sunset was one of the most spectacular we have ever seen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raynvic Posted August 14, 2019 #13 Share Posted August 14, 2019 We were in Valetta last week. I booked a tour with Amy Pace. It was a good tour, but others are correct, you can do this on your own. As were only in port for a half day, this is somewhere I would love to return to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashland Posted August 14, 2019 #14 Share Posted August 14, 2019 28 minutes ago, raynvic said: We were in Valetta last week. I booked a tour with Amy Pace. It was a good tour, but others are correct, you can do this on your own. As were only in port for a half day, this is somewhere I would love to return to. You can certainly do it on your own if you are limiting it to a certain area. We however went way out beyond Valletta and why our full day tour with Malta Film Tours was an amazing option for those that have the time and interest in this type of private group tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted August 26, 2019 #15 Share Posted August 26, 2019 We jumped on the HOHO. First stop was Medina. We were there for about an hour, then dd more touring. The HOHO ticket included an free optional harbour water tour. We did that as well. We enjoyed our day in Malta so much that we went back the following year for 10 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsbadguy Posted August 30, 2019 #16 Share Posted August 30, 2019 Which HOHO tour have people used. Have read some reviews and one seemed better than the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted September 1, 2019 #17 Share Posted September 1, 2019 (edited) As I recall it was a red one. It was parked near the ship as we disembarked. Very clever. It was spontaneous. We spoke to the operator, got the details, and climbed aboard. Edited September 1, 2019 by iancal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ninjacat123 Posted October 19, 2019 #18 Share Posted October 19, 2019 On 8/13/2019 at 4:52 PM, Ski Mom 2 said: Valetta is very easy to do on your own. It is a beautiful city and we had a delightful time exploring on our own. Found a fun bar, cute shops, and a delicious restaurant for lunch. I would love to return and explore more. Our departure was a bit hairy. The waves were crazy and going out was interesting to say the least! But the sunset was one of the most spectacular we have ever seen! If you happen to remember the name of the fun bar and delicious restaurant, please share! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Mom 2 Posted October 19, 2019 #19 Share Posted October 19, 2019 As we wandered down one of the streets of Valetta we stopped in front of The Pub where all of these people were waiting for it to open at noon. They were a lovely bunch so we waited with them. At noon the bar opened and we all got in and ordered a pint. Turns out The Pub is where actor Oliver Reed ordered his last drink during the filming of The Gladiator. We were surrounded by lovely English folks come to pay their respects to Oliver Reed. We had a rip-roaring time! The restaurants name was Salvino’s and we made it right before they were closing for lunch. We were the only tourists in the place and the owners were wonderful and set us up with a delicious lunch and a fantastic wine. We had a lovely time in Valetta! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybear Posted October 20, 2019 #20 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Don’t miss the Co cathedral, it is spectacular. We did a half day tour this time to Hagar Qim which was astonishing. Older than Stonehenge! Highly recommend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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