I've been reading past posts on Malta trying to get an idea as to what i could do for 5 hours while i am in the port of Valletta..

I guess 5 hours would be enough to walk around Valletta and possibly take a bus to another town, but WHICH ones?

How far exactly would Mdina be? I've also read about St. Julien's...

Can anyone recommend some other towns to visit?

With five hours There is a lot of things to do in Valletta. But I would spend most of the time in Silma . Great little port for lunch and boat tours of the island . Its A great area to have lunch Around the port. From the Valletta bus Station Take it to the Silma bus station very easy and cheap and an experience riding the Malta bus system plus you get an inexpensive tour of the island .You go from bus station to bus station you don't have to worry about the right stop get on and off when it starts and off when it stops .

Sorry about the Spelling the town/city/port is Sliema

Mdina,the Silent City is an interesting place to visit,about half an hour bus ride from the bus terminal outside Valletta's city gate.

I am afraid St.Julian and Sliema are just some faceless seaside resorts to me.

An article about Malta in the Washington Post, carried in one of our local papers this past Sunday...

"Isolated Malta is ideal for tourists seeking a safe haven"

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsourc...ortex/display?
slug=malta20&date=20030720&query=malta

An excerpt...

Relatively few Americans go there, and for no good reason. English (along with Maltese) is the official language, getting around is simple and cheap, there's little crime, and everything you'll want to do ? from snorkeling and museum-hopping to touring ruins and tchotchke-hunting ? is in close proximity.

Need more? Fine hotels are less than $100 a night, even in peak summer months, and off-season packages are inexpensive. If you don't get too fancy, dinner for two is about $30, and lunch can be had for less than a buck by grabbing a few pastizzis (pastry crammed with cheese or mashed peas) from street vendors. Museum and church admissions are usually a lira (about $2.50) or two.

Things may be about to change. After a divisive referendum was narrowly passed in April, Malta stands poised to join the European Union next May, opening the door to more industry ... and possibly more tourists.

I was also a few hours in Malta. I spent most of my time in Valetta, and tok a cab to go to the Mdina. It's about a 15 mins ride from both, Valetta or the port. If I were you, for the sake of logistics, I'd go firstly to Mdina, would then go to Valetta, and would walk back to the port, as it's very close.

I enjoyed both, Valetta and Mdina, the latter being more picturesque. Nevertheless, Valetta architecture mix is also very interesting.

Beware, Malta does have its own currency, and you'll need to exchange a few Dollars for transport, soda, etc.

Capo - I can't get the story. Malta is my next destination, after Italy this Fall. Is the link correct?

Thanks, adrienne

Hi Adrienne. Yes, the link is correct. I break those Seattle Times URLS up after the "display?"; otherwise they tend to screw up the width of these threads.

When you copy and paste the URL, make sure you have the entire thing, ending with "malta." That should work but if it doesn't, for some reason, please let me know.