astein12

I had to burn off some frequent flier miles from a canceled reservation with United... and on a bit of a whim (and having heard good things) managed to get a couple of cheap seats from the US to Malta in September of 2014. The trip is basically 8 nights in Malta and then a 2 night stopover in Frankfurt on the return.

I'd love to hear your itinerary suggestions. I'm not adverse to renting a car (or taking the bus). We love to walk and hike... and plan on seeing many of the historical/heritage sites. We love small hotels and B&Bs. Enjoying boating, snorkeling, swimming and beaches... and love to eat.

I'm guessing that we'll split time between Gozo and Malta, but have not idea on specifics yet.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

DaveJJ

Malta is a very interesting destination. My wife and I were there a few years ago and absolutely loved it.

We took a boat tour on the Grand Harbour/Canal which was quite good. We toured the Grand Master Palace in Valletta.

There is lots to see and do but the most important would be a visit to the Hypogeum. It is best to get your tickets in advance as they only permit 8 persons per hour. When we were there the tours for the next 3 weeks were already sold out.


Here is a useful link.

http://www.mydestination.com/malta/s...lieni-hypogeum

wanderful

astein12:

I recalled that the NY Times had a major travel article on Malta a few weeks ago.

Maybe it will help:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/08/tr...l?pagewanted=1

adrienne

The best beaches are in the NE part of the island. Valetta is the transportation hub. The area around St. Julians is good for nightlife. Malta does not have everything in one place so you need to decide your priorities. In terms of eating...the food is not very good so don't go there expecting great meals.

No need to rent a car as the bus system is very good.

My favorites were the Hypogeum, aviation museum, craft village, Marsaxlokk market (Sundays are best), co-cathedral, grandmaster's palace. The churches on Malta are stunning.

astein12

Thanks for all of the info and links...

astein12

Thanks all... opinions on bus/taxi/walking vs. renting a car?

Magster2005

My husband and I visited Malta a few years ago and loved it --wonderful history with much to see and do. We did 2 nights in Valletta (lots of history and great public transportation to easily access all of the island), 2 nights on Gozo (laidback & fun), and 2 nights in Sliema.

My favorites: Hypogeum (best site!), St. John's Co-Cathedral and the Archaeology Museum (both in Valletta), prehistoric temples at Hagar Qim & Mnajdra, and the Folklore Museum on Gozo.

We did not rent a car. The buses on Malta are excellent -- all leave and return to Valletta. We also did a day on the hop-on-hop-off bus. On Gozo, we hired a cab driver for a day and he took us all over the island.

Here is the link to my trip report if you want to read more: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-and-malta.cfm

astein12

Thanks Magster...

ESW

We spent a week on Gozo followed by 5 days on Malta in May 2012. I wrote detailed reports of both trips here:
http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=2011
http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=2012

We hired a car for Gozo but used the buses on Malta. We stopped at Hotel Phoenicia in Valetta which is next to the bus station and found this worked well. Driving in rush hour traffic in Valetta is not recommended. If you are wanting to get to some of the more out of the way places in the north of Malta then this might be a bit more difficult (and time consumming) by bus.

Although you can see all the high spots of Gozo in a day, it is worth spending at least a couple of full days on the island to really appeciate it. There is some excellent walking on Gozo, so you may want to extend your stay for longer if you are intending to walk.

fiontain

If you like real relaxation, then Gozo is the place to be. Stroll around Victoria. Helmets left on motorbikes, cars left open and children are safe. Very few places like Gozo in the World.

And pizza like you've never tasted before.

Beautiful churches and squares. Citadel & St Georges in Victoria. Churches in Nadur and Xaghra are also very beautiful.

And Ta Pinu church where letters have been sent in by people over the years who have prayed for miracle recoveries for a friend of family member who has been sick or injured. Worth a visit.

Plenty of terrific swimming on Gozo. San Blas Bay, Ramla, Marsalform, Hondoq bay to name a few.

And you may still catch a Festa in Gozo in September. Or in Malta either.

astein12

Thanks for the info... doing a lot of research at the moment and all very helpful!

Still having the car vs. bus/taxi/walking debate as well!

yorkshire

Car vs bus will depend on what you want to do and how much time you need to do it. You can traverse Gozo on foot, so I chose no car there, but if you want ease of exploring then maybe you will need a car. OTOH, on Malta the bus system is pretty good, but it may be more convenient to have a car and go at your own pace. A lot will depend on where you stay.
Make sure you book the Hypogeum--we were unable to see it because we neglected to!
Malta tourism website is good:
http://www.visitmalta.com/
I think this is who I rented my apartment in Xlendi from:
http://www.gozo-malta.eu/
(can't remember for sure as it has been many years)

astein12

Thanks again for all of the suggestions.

We're thinking of dividing the time up as follows:

- 3 nights in Valetta
- Pick up a rental car and spent 3 nights on Gozo (love to hear your suggestions as to where to base ourselves).
- 2 nights back on Malta (not in Valetta... we'll keep the car to do some more exploring. Again, love suggestions as to where).

Does this make sense?

Thanks in advance!

Magster2005

We stayed at Hotel San Andrea on Gozo and liked it a lot -- very pretty location overlooking the bay with several nice restaurants nearby.
http://www.hotelsanandrea.com

astein12

Thanks Magster.

Anyone have any opinions on the Malta Heritage Pass or the Malta Pass?

adrienne

I would say stay near St. Julians for the last 2 days. You do understand how small Malta is and how it doesn't much matter where you stay.

astein12

Thanks Adrienne... I do understand the size. I was considering St. Julians (I can get free hotel rooms) or a small hotel or B&B somewhere else on the island.

adrienne

I would choose a location based on the restaurant availability; someplace where you could have a couple of drinks and didn't need to get back in the car to drive home. St. Julians has a lot of restaurants and evening activity.

astein12

Thanks all... managed to get a cheap car rental with AutoEurope (70GBP for 5 days), so good to go there. Also, got 'free' hotel rooms theru Starwood in Frankfurt for the layover on our return (le Meridian).

Starting to come together.

Nepheline

Keep in mind they drive "British style" in Malta, challenging enough in an automatic, but most rental cars are manual transmission. Picture trying to stay on the left side of the road, change gears with your right hand, and enter rotaries to the left not the right.
I've been to Malta twice. The drivers are fully caffeinated on ultra-high-test coffee and, in my humble opinion, drive like maniacs. I would never try to drive there.
Good luck.