Ever been to Valletta, Malta?

[missty]

So, we booked a July 2008 Med. Cruise on the Gem. When I first booked, I thought the first port was Sicily, Italy. Last night while I was doing some research I noticed we would not be going to Sicily to my disappointment, but to Valletta, Malta. So, has anyone been there? Things to do? see? not misses?

 

 

Missty

[dbh62ark]

Missty, I visited there a few years ago and loved it. The sail in and out is spectacular. I would love to stay there on a ground trip but must say that I wish more ship's passengers would venture outside Valletta like we did. We took a taxi tour to Mosta, Mdina, and some gardens. The scenery driving around the island was very nice, and then we had a few hours in Valletta too to tour the palace and walk the lovely streets there. But Mosta and Mdina are not to be missed in my opinion.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[itsjb1]

We will be there on the Royal Princess in July 2007. We have booked an all day private tour of the island .

[joandbun]

Valetta can get very very busy & very very hot. Take lots of water. It is a fascinating place with lots to see & do in a day, but if you can, try to get out to Mdina as well.

Sailing in & out is rather special. Get up early & wathc the way the sun colours the stone of the buildings.

jo

[nonrev1]

We were there a few years ago and thought it was a great port. Loads to see and do. There are resorts on one side of the island and most of the sights on theother. Our driver took us to one of stores where they make the hand blown glass - worth the visit. We had a driver take us around for the day. We did not pre-arrange the driver, but many taxi's were waiting and available at the pier. I agree with the response above....bring water....it is hot! We were there in late August and it was terribly hot. Probably the hottest port we visited. Even with the heat, we had a great time.

[MVPinBoynton]

missty,

Malta is a wonderful port. You will have a great time. I agree with Jo's recommendations. You can see pictures we took on our 2003 Brilliance of the Seas cruise on our website www.thepreismans.com . Malta was substituted for Ephesus on this cruise and we were pleasantly surprised at this lovely island.

[Hlitner]

Given the choice between Malta and Sicily for a cruise port (we have been to both places several times) we would choose Malta everytime. Its a delightful island, has an interesting old quarter called the Mdna, decent cafes, friendly people, etc. You can walk into the center of town from the pier, but its a pretty steep climb up the steps (or up the hilly road) into the town center. Many of the cruise lines provide a shuttle bus service to get you up the hill for those that do not like to walk.

 

Hank

[missty]

Thank you for the replies! I feel better about the port change. Should be a fun time.

 

Missty

[Queenk2]

We loved Malta. Valetta and Mdina. It was a wonderful day. There is alot of history there. It almost reminds me of Rhodes.The sail in and the departure are not to be missed!

Karen

[Debbierpof]

We will be there in July and planned on having a hired driver. Should we just hire a cab at the port instead? What is the usual cost of for a taxi in Malta? Thanks and can't wait for this port!

[ger_77]

We stopped at Malta a couple of years ago and took the ship's tour to Marsaxxlok, a picturesque fishing village. It was a beautiful tour - we took one of our very best photos there ... the place is a little smelly(from the fish), but so beautiful with the multicoloured fishing boats. The leather goods are very inexpensive and the people are friendly, not pushy. I think you'll enjoy the stop.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Andym]

If you go to Mdina, you must visit the Fontanella Tea Gardens. Probably the best view you will ever have whilst having a coffee. The Chocolate cake is the best you will ever have. The view is simply outstanding.

 

You can get to Mdina on the local bus from outside the gate in Valetta.

[newfarmers]

Hi there

 

we've booked a private tour with Touring Malta (Chris Sheridan) on the recommendation of another post on the boards. We've said what we want to see and the itinerary has been planned around that. Compared to the HAL full day private tours it was a bargain, compared to getting a cab it's expensive (Euro 212.50 for two), but if you can arrange four (280) or more (?) people it works out much cheaper per person

 

pete and al

[2DesertRats!]

Hello, Missty,

 

Malta (including Gozo) is one of our favorite destinations -- we visited twice, on our own, and had a great time! There is a lot to see, especially if you're interested in history, and you can do a lot in a short time by hiring a car and driver. Wouldn't recommend driving yourself. Feel free to contact us at kmtravel06@yahoo.com! Mark & Kyra

[Nitram]

We will be there in July and planned on having a hired driver. Should we just hire a cab at the port instead? What is the usual cost of for a taxi in Malta? Thanks and can't wait for this port!

 

Hi Debbierpof, I'll be in Malta in Sept. I'm wondering what you ended up doing while you were there last month...

[piper28]

My wife and I actually ended up using the bus system to get around, and had pretty good luck with it. An all day ticket cost 3.50 euro each. Now, the busses aren't really anything to write home about (generally no a/c, and not really much in the way of shocks), but it worked pretty well. Doing this we visited the Mosta dome, the craft market (sorry, can't remember the name of it), Mdina, and then came back to Valletta and wandered around there some. The bus company actually had someone at the bus stop near the port to help answer questions, which was a real plus because he could give advice on routes to use.

 

Some of our tablemates got together and did basically the same thing using a cab, which ran them 100 euros for the 4 of them. After we compared notes at dinner, at least one of them thought that it might have been better to do the bus.

 

We actually had someone in our CC roll call that had lived on Malta, so he'd been able to give some advice on places to visit. (And for the record, his recommendation was to hire a cab once you got off the ship). Based on what I saw, it wouldn't be hard to hire one once you got there, we certainly had several drivers come up to us trying to convince us to go with them.

[Nitram]

My wife and I actually ended up using the bus system to get around, and had pretty good luck with it. An all day ticket cost 3.50 euro each.

 

piper28, thanks for the info! Sounds like this work for us. Do you get the all day pass when boarding the bus or is there a certain place to get these? What did you think of Mdina? Anything you suggest to see there?

[piper28]

piper28, thanks for the info! Sounds like this work for us. Do you get the all day pass when boarding the bus or is there a certain place to get these? What did you think of Mdina? Anything you suggest to see there?

 

You buy the bus pass from the driver. He then prints out a little ticket that you need to hold on to. You show it when you get on other buses, and also may have to show it if one of their inspectors gets on, so keep it handy.

 

Mdina was an interesting place to visit, but all we really did was wander around it some. Some of our tablemates visited some catacombs in Rabat, which is the city right outside Mdina, they seemed to enjoy that.

 

We used the Loney planet guidebook for "Malta & Gozo", and found it wasn't too bad. (Among other things, it has some info about where some of the bus routes go in the back, and a map of where each bus leaves from in the Valetta station.) It seemed like a reasonable guide book, although some of the prices they list for places were out of date. We actually borrowed our copy from the local library, so you might check that.

[taxare]

I just got back from our med cruise. I agree with newfarmers. Touring Malta did a great job. There is much history on this small island, and I personally think learning about it from a guide is very interesting. Make sure you reserve tickets for the Hypogeum. This is a burial ground from 5000 BC that is protected and operated by UNESCO. You must book a reservation as the tours are only ten people at a time. If you use Chris Sheridan they will reserve the tickets for you. This was one of our favorite stops.

[Nitram]

Thank you for the info everyone!

[TITISSA]

We went to Valetta this Summer with the Voyager of the Seas and visited Valetta, Mdina and Blue Grotto. Beautiful port. Make sure you are outside or near a window upon arrival because the view is breathtaking. Another tip is to wear a bathing suit if you are doing the Blue Grotto boat tour. The water is gorgeous. I liked Malta very much despite the heat.

[corkpopr]

It was boiling even in May! We loved it on the Galaxy a few yrs. ago. As we sailed out of the harbor we passed all the other cruise ships and the CD fired up opera full blast on the outdoor speakers. people were coming out to their balconies in the city and on the other ships because the music echoed back from the ancient city. It was magnifique!!!!!!

[Nitram]

We went to Valetta this Summer with the Voyager of the Seas and visited Valetta, Mdina and Blue Grotto. Beautiful port. Make sure you are outside or near a window upon arrival because the view is breathtaking. Another tip is to wear a bathing suit if you are doing the Blue Grotto boat tour. The water is gorgeous. I liked Malta very much despite the heat.

 

TITISSA- what time of day did you visit the Blue Grotto? I've heard that depending on the time of day (afternoon with the sun) it's hard to see... I wanted to do this boat tour, but wasn't sure if this was true. Also, did you book this through RC excursion or on your own when you got there?