Malta DIY on a Sunday - is this itinerary doable?

[benel204]

Hello and thanks in advance for advise about our port stop in Malta.

 

We will be in port 7 am - 3 pm on a Sunday in May.

Our plan is to use a taxi service (either book in advance or at the port).  (How much would a taxi cost from port?)

We have tickets for the Hypogeum for 10 AM.

 

Is this ~5 hour itinerary doable (assuming the ship arrives on time):

• 8:00 get taxi and head to Mdina, visit for an hour (8:30 - 9:30)
• 10:00 AM Hypogeum (1 hour visit)
• Valetta 11:15 - 1:45 -- Walk around, visit the Barrakka gardens -- what's a priority to see given the cathedral will not be open to visitors? 
• Is a trip to Birgu possible to tray and squeeze in?
• We will Walk or taxi back to the port by 2.

 

I wish we could visit longer as I have so been looking forward to seeing Malta.  But focusing on 3 main sites seems enough

We plan to be outside early as the ship arrives to take in the view of the harbor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Instead of returning to Valletta you could get the taxi to Birgu for a short visit and then get the ferry back to Valletta. There are great views of Valletta from Birgu and the ferry. You could then get the lift or walk up to Valletta and visit the Upper Barrakka Gardens which also have great views of the harbour and Birgu. If you have time you go also visit Fort St Elmo, Lower Barrakka Gardens and Siege Bell Memorial. The old city of Valletta is lovely to walk around. Have a great visit and cruise.

 

[Over from NZ]

17 hours ago, benel204 said:

Hello and thanks in advance for advise about our port stop in Malta.

 

We will be in port 7 am - 3 pm on a Sunday in May.

Our plan is to use a taxi service (either book in advance or at the port).  (How much would a taxi cost from port?)

We have tickets for the Hypogeum for 10 AM.

 

Is this ~5 hour itinerary doable (assuming the ship arrives on time):

• 8:00 get taxi and head to Mdina, visit for an hour (8:30 - 9:30)
• 10:00 AM Hypogeum (1 hour visit)
• Valetta 11:15 - 1:45 -- Walk around, visit the Barrakka gardens -- what's a priority to see given the cathedral will not be open to visitors? 
• Is a trip to Birgu possible to tray and squeeze in?
• We will Walk or taxi back to the port by 2.

 

I wish we could visit longer as I have so been looking forward to seeing Malta.  But focusing on 3 main sites seems enough

We plan to be outside early as the ship arrives to take in the view of the harbor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah nah. Technically you could do it.. realistically you've made it too tight. 

[MeHeartCruising]

When I was in Malta, taxis were available at the port that could be booked by the number hours you wanted them.  I think we paid 65 euros or so for 3 hours, but that was many years ago.  You paid for this at a tent that was set up along the walk toward the taxis.  You paid and the person discussed with you where you wanted to go.  They wrote it all on a slip of paper and you handed the slip to the first driver in the taxi line and off you went.   
 

We went to Mdina and Rabbat and Moste.  Our driver waited for us as we walked around seeing what we wanted.  Mdina was the longest stop.  Probably 45-60 minutes.  He then took us back to Valletta where we tipped him a little (he was very personable, spoke English, and talked freely with us — he did not have to as we had not purchased a tour guide).  We then explored Valletta on foot before heading back to the ship on foot.  
 

I can’t help with Birgu.  Based on how we were treated, I would think a driver would wait for you while in the Hypogeum. 
 

It was a great day.   Enjoy Malta.  I’d love to go back and explore more.  

[benel204]

9 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

It was a great day.   Enjoy Malta.  I’d love to go back and explore more.  

Thanks for the information. I'm curious if it was a long wait to get your taxi at the port?  That is, were there a lot of passengers trying to do the same thing? 

I have also found drivers online (Viator) who charge about $250 for about 5 hours.

[cruisemom42]

Be careful to allow yourself enough time to get from Mdina to the Hypogeum. I seem to recall they are very strict on timing and wanted people there 15 minutes in advance of their scheduled time.

 

In Malta itself, the archaeological museum and the Palace of the Grand Master are also worth considering.

 

[benel204]

3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Be careful to allow yourself enough time to get from Mdina to the Hypogeum. I

Thanks cruisemom42, good to know.  I had assumed they would let us in if we got there at 10, so long as we left by 11.  I will read the Hypogeum visit instructions again.

[cruisemom42]

5 minutes ago, benel204 said:

Thanks cruisemom42, good to know.  I had assumed they would let us in if we got there at 10, so long as we left by 11.  I will read the Hypogeum visit instructions again.

 

You enter the Hypogeum in a group. They want everyone there and checked in ahead of time. At least, this is how they handled it pre-Covid...

 

[Over from NZ]

We had 4 nights in Valetta at the end of our cruise. Did a trip to Mdina for half a day. Would probably get through it in a couple of hours.. but an hour is really pushing it. https://theknightsofmalta.com/ - that was a short, compact, but very good display in Mdina. 

 

Fort St Elmo in Valetta was excellent. But probably a couple of hours to do that on top of the time spent in Valetta. Barrakka Gardens they do the gun salute daily.. but I don't think they do it on Sundays? Was interesting to watch. 

 

You're not going to get to Birgu in your time-frame. 

 

Personally I would cut it back to 2 of the 3 given the very short time-frame you've got there. It's a real pity when the cruise-ships do that!! 

 

 

[benel204]

9 minutes ago, Over from NZ said:

 

Personally I would cut it back to 2 of the 3 given the very short time-frame you've got there. It's a real pity when the cruise-ships do that!! 

Thanks, NZ.... 

Ok so Birgu is out (I think I already figured that out).

Would hate to miss Mdina.  Would a "rushed" hour be better than nothing?

 

[cruisemom42]

2 minutes ago, benel204 said:

Thanks, NZ.... 

Ok so Birgu is out (I think I already figured that out).

Would hate to miss Mdina.  Would a "rushed" hour be better than nothing?

 

 

I think it would be. It will be very quiet on a Sunday morning (I've been there at that time), so you'll mostly be walking through and looking at the architecture and the buildings. Shops won't be open. Don't miss the amazing and highly individual door knockers on the houses.

 

[benel204]

3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I think it would be. It will be very quiet on a Sunday morning (I've been there at that time), so you'll mostly be walking through and looking at the architecture and the buildings.

Thanks -- yes that's what we were thinking. Being there on a Sunday changes things.

I wonder now if Mdina + Valetta, and skip the Hypogeum would be a best option.  (Even though I already bought our tickets, I don't want to feel obligated.)  Perhaps we can decide in the moment, since we'll have a taxi or driver. 

[cruisemom42]

Just now, benel204 said:

Thanks -- yes that's what we were thinking. Being there on a Sunday changes things.

I wonder now if Mdina + Valetta, and skip the Hypogeum would be a best option.  (Even though I already bought our tickets, I don't want to feel obligated.)  Perhaps we can decide in the moment, since we'll have a taxi or driver. 

 

Mdina and Malta are more similar than different. The Hypogeum is a very unique experience. I would pick either Mdina or Malta + the Hypogeum, rather than miss the latter. But that's just MHO.

 

[MeHeartCruising]

52 minutes ago, benel204 said:

Thanks for the information. I'm curious if it was a long wait to get your taxi at the port?  That is, were there a lot of passengers trying to do the same thing? 

I have also found drivers online (Viator) who charge about $250 for about 5 hours.

Very minimal wait. Minutes.  No real line anywhere in the process.  HOWEVER, I was with my senior citizen parents at the time.  We likely were not in the initial rush off the ship.  But there was still a line of taxis waiting too.  I don’t recall if you could skip the tent and just approach the taxis yourself and zoom off more quickly.  I rather liked getting payment negotiated and paid up front.  

Edited January 17 by MeHeartCruising

[MeHeartCruising]

22 minutes ago, benel204 said:

Thanks -- yes that's what we were thinking. Being there on a Sunday changes things.

I wonder now if Mdina + Valetta, and skip the Hypogeum would be a best option.  (Even though I already bought our tickets, I don't want to feel obligated.)  Perhaps we can decide in the moment, since we'll have a taxi or driver. 

My visit was also on a Sunday.  Nothing was open in Mdina that morning, so it really was just a walk thru the streets to a nice viewpoint and then head back to the taxi.  I believe we went in the local cathedral there, but I can’t be sure.  I have pictures of the outside, but not the inside.  So either we did not go in, mass may have been going on, or they just didn’t allow photos.  I can’t recall.  So one hour was about right. We would have taken longer if more was open. 
 

I will add that I regret not going to the Hypogeum.  I would try to fit it in if you can. 

Edited January 17 by MeHeartCruising

[Over from NZ]

51 minutes ago, benel204 said:

Thanks -- yes that's what we were thinking. Being there on a Sunday changes things.

I wonder now if Mdina + Valetta, and skip the Hypogeum would be a best option.  (Even though I already bought our tickets, I don't want to feel obligated.)  Perhaps we can decide in the moment, since we'll have a taxi or driver. 

That's exactly what I would do (although sure, a rushed hour is better than no hour).  

 

 

[benel204]

48 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

Very minimal wait. Minutes.  No real line anywhere in the process.  HOWEVER, I was with my senior citizen parents at the time.  We likely were not in the initial rush off the ship.  But there was still a line of taxis waiting too.  I don’t recall if you could skip the tent and just approach the taxis yourself and zoom off more quickly.  I rather liked getting payment negotiated and paid up front.  

Thanks --- good to know about no lines.  I am in email conversation with a couple of driver services so in the interest of being efficient with our time  we just may go with them.

[Hlitner]

On 1/16/2024 at 7:37 PM, benel204 said:

Thanks cruisemom42, good to know.  I had assumed they would let us in if we got there at 10, so long as we left by 11.  I will read the Hypogeum visit instructions again.

As I recall, the Hypogeum was a very structured group tour.  Everyone met near the entrance lobby and a guide took the entire group downstairs to see the site.  If you are not there on time, you would likely miss your tour and be out of luck.  No way would we go Mdina at 8:30 on a Sunday.  Just about everything would still be closed (other than some of the coffee shops) and you would not really have enough time to walk through and enjoy the streets.  Keep in mind that it does take some time to get from the Port (or Mdina) over to the Hypogeum (we actually took a local bus from the station near the port).  Perhaps a visit to Mdina after the Hypogeum would be a better option.  

 

The reality is that with such a short port visit you are going to find yourself looking forward to a longer future visit :).

 

Hank

[benel204]

11 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

The reality is that with such a short port visit you are going to find yourself looking forward to a longer future visit :).

I know (sigh)... we chose this itinerary because it included Malta (so few cruises do). So it's trying to pick only 2 chocolates from the box for this visit.

The Hypogeum requires us to arrive 15 minutes in advance and we will do that if we end up making it a priority.

Edited January 19 by benel204

[Over from NZ]

7 hours ago, benel204 said:

I know (sigh)... we chose this itinerary because it included Malta (so few cruises do). So it's trying to pick only 2 chocolates from the box for this visit.

The Hypogeum requires us to arrive 15 minutes in advance and we will do that if we end up making it a priority.

Fly to Malta for a few days after the cruise. It's easy to get to from a number of Mediterranean ports. Bingo. 🙂