Valletta Malta Info Needed

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

I'm very independent and would like to figure out how best to get to the main bus area (Malta Public Transport) from where cruise ships dock.  I understand that most ships dock at the Valletta waterfront, and that to get up to the city you walk down the waterfront and take the Upper Barrakka Gardens lift (elevator).  But there also looks to be another way, using a bit of climbing, which is probably NOT my first choice, even though it appears to be more direct. 

 

If anyone has done this, preferably using the lift and then walking to the bus station, was it difficult?  With city walls, a moat, and a large bus area with major streets nearby, it looks a little daunting!

[MeHeartCruising]

It’s definitely walkable.  My parents (age 70-75 at the time) and I did the walk in reverse without using the elevator.   And it wasn’t difficult.   We had taken a 3 or 4 hour taxi tour of the island in the morning.  The taxi dropped us off at the bus station circle at the end of our tour around noon.  We then explored Valleta on foot for a few more hours.  Then we started walking thru the gardens, gradually going down hill using steps and streets.  I couldn’t tell the exact path we took since we winged it.  We just kept going downhill and toward the ship.  It was a pleasant walk.  I’m sure that if you use the elevator, once up top, you’ll find the walk to the bus station to be pleasant.   
 

Edited to add: Have a look at Google Streetview and Satellite view.  The elevator lift is labeled (Barraka Lift) and you can pretty much walk your chosen path. 

Edited October 16, 2021 by MeHeartCruising

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Thanks for the information. I've been snooping around with Google Earth and stuff, and feel that I now have a better idea of what's where and how to get there.  Maybe I'll take the Lift up and then walk down. 

 

I wanted to ask you about the taxi tour.  Did you go down (south) to Marsaxlokk and around there, or up into the 3 Cities, to Mdina, or Silema or what?  I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out just what I want to do and how.  When we were there before we just walked around the city, on our own, plus I took a public bus to Marsaxlokk.  I'd like to go to Marsaxlokk again, but can't decide what else.  If you don't mind asking, about how much did the taxi tour cost, how long was it, where did you go that you especially liked, and did you book a tour in advance or just find a cab for touring?  I love photography, and getting a little off the beaten path.

Thanks.

[MeHeartCruising]

13 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Thanks for the information. I've been snooping around with Google Earth and stuff, and feel that I now have a better idea of what's where and how to get there.  Maybe I'll take the Lift up and then walk down. 

 

I wanted to ask you about the taxi tour.  Did you go down (south) to Marsaxlokk and around there, or up into the 3 Cities, to Mdina, or Silema or what?  I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out just what I want to do and how.  When we were there before we just walked around the city, on our own, plus I took a public bus to Marsaxlokk.  I'd like to go to Marsaxlokk again, but can't decide what else.  If you don't mind asking, about how much did the taxi tour cost, how long was it, where did you go that you especially liked, and did you book a tour in advance or just find a cab for touring?  I love photography, and getting a little off the beaten path.

Thanks.

 

@IWantToLiveOverTheSea  My trip was in 2009, so a lot could have changed since then.  But our experience was that when you walked off the ship, there were a few tents set up with various port information.  One of those tents coordinated taxis.  We stopped at that tent and told the person what/where we wanted to go.  They helped us figure out how long it would take to get to and experience those sights.  We then paid that person for a fixed number of hours of taxi time.  I think we paid €60 for 3 or 4 hours.  Somewhere in that ballpark.  That person wrote this up on a slip of paper and then he pointed out where the taxis were located.  We took the slip of paper and gave it to the first taxi in line.  The driver read the paper and off we went.  He told us we also had time to stop at the Presidential Gardens if we wanted.  So we added that in.  It wasn't all that memorable of a stop, so I wouldn't necessarily go there.  

 

I don't know our exact route.  We visited Mdina.  The taxi driver dropped us at the gate and pointed the way and told us where he'd be waiting when we were done.  So we explored Mdina on foot for as long as we wanted -- probably an hour or so.   Next we stopped in nearby Rabat where we wanted to visit the Catacombs, however they were closed that day.  So we walked around a little but didn't see much.  From there, we went to see the Mosta Dome church.  By that time, it was coming up on lunch time, so we headed back to Valletta, where the driver dropped us off at the bus circle.  We gave him a cash tip, but we didn't owe any money since we had paid earlier in the day at the booth.  We then walked into central Valleta on foot and explored for a few more hours.

 

Our spoke English well and was talkative with us.  We mostly discussed life on Malta and not so much history or sightseeing.  Of course, you may or may not get a talkative driver.  You aren't paying for a guided tour, just a driver. 

 

If you have the same opportunity, I think you can pretty much pick any itinerary that you wish to do.  They certainly didn't limit us in any way.  Of course, we were asking to see some of the more common sights. 

 

I hope you can figure our your plan.  I certainly enjoyed our day on Malta and would love to go back.  I would probably try a similar tactic, but explore other areas outside Malta.  I also would like to visit the Hypogeum.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I can offer two suggestions:

•  I didn't find much coverage of Malta in guidebooks, until I found this local resource:

https://www.maltauncovered.com/

I bought both books and found them very helpful in planning.

•  If you want a local guide, I booked with:

Amy Pace [www.guidedtoursmalta.com]

Unfortunately Malta wouldn't let us tour independently, so we had to cancel so I don't know how she would have been as a guide, but she was delightful to work with in planning our day and very understanding when I had to cancel.

[cruisemom42]

Malta is quite easy to get around on your own. In addition to the lift up to the upper level of the city, you can also walk out through the main port gate and find taxis waiting if you want to head somewhere other than just Valletta.

 

I can highly recommend Mdina if you are into photography. Lots of beautiful architectural details (the door knockers are highly individual and works of art.....).  Lots of beautiful golden stone. If you get there early before the crowds come on shore excursions it's kind of otherwordly and very quiet.  You can easily get to Mdina on one of the local buses also.

 

If you are into pre-history, Malta also has several great sites worth reading about to see if you're interested. Two are relatively close together -- one is actually a hypogeum that was discovered underneath a house -- you have to get tickets to see it; they only allow a few people at a time to avoid damaging the stone via too much humidity.

 

Malta’s Hypogeum, One of the World’s Best Preserved Prehistoric Sites, Reopens to the Public | Travel | Smithsonian Magazine

 

Megalithic Temples of Malta - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

 

 

 

 

[bennybear]

Make sure to visit Mdina and the Cocathedral of 

St. John,  absolutely stunning.  We used Malta tours  and they picked us up right at the dock.  
We also highly recommend the Neolithic  Hagar Qim.

 

 

[iancal]

On our port stop we disembarked and there was hop on hop off bus parked right near the ship.  We jumped on.  The fare included a boat tour.   We had a full day of ending with the boat tour.  We went to Mdina first, then the town, then boat tour.  

 

It was very worthwhile.  So much so that we decided to return to Malta for ten days or so the following year while on an extended land tour.

[WESTEAST]

We chose this port as a DIY day and chose to walk from the ship and wander the old town, stop for coffee and visit the Cathedral of St. John. Very enjoyable and enjoyed a relaxing day wandering the beautiful old town before heading back to the ship. With port intensive itineraries, we often mix up in-depth touring with a DIY walking/browsing day.

[BklynBorn47]

 

On 10/16/2021 at 3:05 PM, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

I understand that most ships dock at the Valletta waterfront, and that to get up to the city you walk down the waterfront and take the Upper Barrakka Gardens lift (elevator).  But there also looks to be another way, using a bit of climbing, which is probably NOT my first choice, even though it appears to be more direct. 

Midway down this page on my website you can see my 75 year old husband on the stairs up to the gardens.  One goal of our travels is to walk in my Dad's footsteps as written in his WWII diary and recreate the photos he took. So we spent 4 days in Malta on our own.

 

http://www.brigs.us/2019-Munich-Venice-Malta/index-Malta-Valletta.htm

 

We never had any problem walking anywhere except for the night we arrived from the airport by bus and realized our hotel was 1/4 mile away but all UPHILL stairs.  Dragging our luggage was not fun.  Since you will be unencumbered, it will not be a problem.

[edinburgher]

 We have done this.  There is a steep road you can walk up opposite the port gates, but we usually exit the port gates, head along to the right then cross over and take the lift up.  Last time it was E1 to go up, free to come down.    Once in the gardens, head forward  out to the street then walk in the left direction to reach the bus station. It isn't difficult to find, nor is it a long walk. The worst part is getting to the upper level especially if it is summer as Malta can be super hot.so the lift is a godsend.

 

We researched our bus each time before we went and you should be able to find the stance number for the bus going to your destination online .  We then walk down to the pier.

[yogini06]

Did this port in 2018.  Took the ho/ho bus right off the ship.  Got off at the glass factory, the city of Mdina for lunch.  Returned to Valetta and walked around the city.  Really enjoyed this port

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 3/1/2022 at 11:24 AM, edinburgher said:

 We have done this.  There is a steep road you can walk up opposite the port gates, but we usually exit the port gates, head along to the right then cross over and take the lift up.  Last time it was E1 to go up, free to come down.    Once in the gardens, head forward  out to the street then walk in the left direction to reach the bus station. It isn't difficult to find, nor is it a long walk. The worst part is getting to the upper level especially if it is summer as Malta can be super hot.so the lift is a godsend.

 

We researched our bus each time before we went and you should be able to find the stance number for the bus going to your destination online .  We then walk down to the pier.

Thanks.  That's helpful.  I'll probably just do the lift.

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 2/27/2022 at 8:07 AM, BklynBorn47 said:

 

Midway down this page on my website you can see my 75 year old husband on the stairs up to the gardens.  One goal of our travels is to walk in my Dad's footsteps as written in his WWII diary and recreate the photos he took. So we spent 4 days in Malta on our own.

 

http://www.brigs.us/2019-Munich-Venice-Malta/index-Malta-Valletta.htm

 

We never had any problem walking anywhere except for the night we arrived from the airport by bus and realized our hotel was 1/4 mile away but all UPHILL stairs.  Dragging our luggage was not fun.  Since you will be unencumbered, it will not be a problem.

Thank you; great pictures and blog!  There's so much I want to do in Valletta, and so little time....

 

[mnpurple]

@IWantToLiveOverTheSea Have you gone yet? Just wondering what you ended up with. We will be going in a few weeks.

 

I'm leaning on it being a casual day for us, but considering hiring a cab.  We have a group of 6, so wondering if there are cabs to accommodate larger groups.

 

[barbuda]

@mnpurple Have you gone to Malta yet and returned?  I'm having the same questions on what/how to get around and see some sights.  We too are a group of 6 and would like to venture out together.

[mnpurple]

@barbuda Yes, we were there two weeks ago. Malta is wonderful! We had six in our group also. We hired two cabs, $100/each for four hours.  We were out a bit late, so they have larger cabs, but none were left. We visited the fishing town of Marsaxlokk. They had a small market where we picked up some souveniers and we also got some Pastizzi, a deal at .50/each! Then they brought us to Blue Grotto where we hopped on one of the boats and were able to see the caves by water, which was quite an experience! It's a pretty quick trip, about 30 mins.  We ended up eating at the restaurant there, so when we went to Mdina, we didn't have much time left. Our driver was helpful pointing things out. We had kids (older) in the second cab and their driver didn't talk much. 

 

I felt it was a good value and a great way to see a few different things on the Island!

[barbuda]

Thank you for the insight - much appreciated.  One other question, did you also have to provide a neg covid test there, or did you just submit covid vax card on the Verifly app?  When I submitted my card (as I thought that was all I had to do), it came in with another question about having a neg test.

[mnpurple]

@barbudaNo, we didn't have to show anything.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

I was also there mid-May on Oceania.  I don't think we had to actually show anything once we got off in Malta, and I don't remember having to enter anything on Verifly except the vaccine data.  But Oceania told us in advance what was needed; hopefully your cruise line will too.  Fo anyone who hasn't yet used Verifly for Malta, I'd suggest doing it before you leave home if you have time.  I had a little trouble doing it on the ship with app on my phone for spouse and I for Malta.  Wifi was good but one of us has a CDC card with shots listed back and front and the other person has 2 separate cards. If you do the app and get rejected by Malta, make sure that the card you photograph shows the person's name and also that you enter the last vaccine date shown on that card.  In our case, I had to photograph the front of the card (which had name and date and birth) and then enter shot #2 so shot dates would agree, and so it was clear who's card I had photographed.  (Name & date of birth are not on back of card.)

 

I don't remember anything which asked about test results, but we had to use Verifly for another country, and that country DID ask for test results.  Going through the port terminal in and getting back in to go to the ship were easy. 

 

I just took a copy of my CDC card, plus a printout from our state Health Dept's immunization records, and figured if someone asked to see an original (for example, museum, restaurant, port official), I'd go back and get it.  Nobody ever asked, though I went in very few indoor buildings during the cruise. 

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

And I also went on a taxi tour, but there were only 2 of us, and we only wanted a 3 hour tour.  I wanted to go to Marsaxlokk to take photos of the boats, and also Mdina.  What was proposed, and we accepted, was a 3 hour tour to those places and a quick stop to Anton Gardens on the way back.  I could have used a little more time at Marsaxlokk, given I like to take pictures, which takes a bit of time.  And I could have passed on the Anton Gardens, but overall it was absolutely fine.  The charge was 75 euros and I gave the driver (Tristan) a tip.  I found him right on the main street as you walk down toward the Barrakka Lift (with water & cruise ships on your right). 

 

We were planning to go to Marsaxlokk on the city bus, but really, the taxi made much more sense.  One thing I didn't realize when we were at the port in Valletta is that there  is a small area a little past (north perhaps?) of where Oceania docked (in between 2 cruise ships) where sometimes vendors have booths.  I don't know if they were operating or not, however, as I only saw the booths later in the afternoon.  Also, I've read that there is a place where you can ask about taxi tours, get a slip with price & planned trip, and then go to a line of taxis with the agreed price/route.  However, when we were there, I didn't see a long line of taxis, just a few along the main road there.  But if you're looking for one, a rep will likely find you.  Or you may want to ask at the tourist info booth that we found after exiting the port terminal (past the jewelry shop on right).  I believe taxi rates are set, mostly by the number of hours, but I'm not positive.  

 

Make sure that even if you do a taxi tour, you take the Barrakka Lift (1 euro to get up; free back) up to the top of the city - wonderful views, though you may get similar ones when your ship comes in/goes out.  If you arrive at sunrise, all the better. 

 

As for Mdina, by then we were pretty hot and tired, and just walked around a bit and were fine with what we saw.  But there was a great view of the whitish city of Mdina in front of us on top of the hill that I wish I had asked to be able to photograph.  I don't know what street we were on, but I'm sure a cab driver would know. 

 

If you're in Malta soon, ask if Tristan (driver) and his dad (man with photos of Malta and prices) are available.  We enjoyed Tristan.  He did NOT, however, accompany us at Marsaxlokk and Mdina.  He just suggested times to stay, and showed us where to meet him.  (We didn't really want him to go with us.....we're fine just touring on our own..but he may have been able to do that if we had wanted.  And yes, he spoke great English (as most people in Valletta do) and was very personable & knowledgeable.)

 

There are, from what I hear, also other things available in Valletta - Twizzy Car rental, regular car rentals, etc.  We had been to Valletta and seen the city before, so decided to go outside the city this time.  There are tons of cool places to go and things to see.....enjoy whatever you do!

 

If you want to view my photos, go here, and look for the "Valletta" gallery five or six galleries from the first one listed: www.pbase.com/roothy123 

 

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea