toledodd

in early may, my wife and i are considering a 5-7 day stay in between a 15 day tour of morroco and a week in a small village in the south of italy. wondering if we should find one location and take day trips from there or get 2-3. we usually rent a car and wander small villages on our travels.

thanks

yorkshire

On Malta, one location is fine. If you have interest in Gozo, which I recommend, I would stay at least 2 days there.

MmePerdu

Though it's true that 1 location would do, though small, I found the island had several places I wanted to stay for longer than a day trip during the 2 weeks I was there. I stayed first in Marsaxlokk, a pretty port town. Then in Mdina/Rabat, very interesting and beautiful. And longer in Valletta. It's a wonderful town and I wouldn't let any possible accommodation that looks interesting lure you away from being in the old city. No place else compares.

I saw the island by local buses which go all over. Some people rent cars, I know, but I don't think it's necessary, unless you feel you must. If you do get a car, dispense with it if you stay part of the time in Valletta as parking would, I think, be impractical. The airport is quite close to town.

isabel

I spent 7 days based in Valetta and found it easy enough to get to Mdina/Rabat and Marsaxlokk as day trips, but the timing wasn't good enough to do a day trip to Gozo. I wish I had done 5 days Valetta and 2 Gozo - or better still kept the 7 in Valetta and added two more to have time in Gozo.

Here's my trip report - http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ta-in-july.cfm

Here's my photos - http://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p217899981

toledodd

it looks like we will have 6 days. the first will be after a flight from newark to madrid to malta so that is pretty much a shot day - arrive 4:00. thinking about:
3 nites in valletta
i day trip to mdina
1 day trip to marsaaxlokk
2 nites on gozo
bus, ferry
1 nite valletta
depart 6:35 am for casablanca

or with such a short time skip gozo and do
2 nites valletta
1 or 2 nites mdina
1 or 2 nites marsaaxlokk
1 nite valletta

MmePerdu

Staying a night or 2 in both Mdina and Marsaxlokk would be such a different experience than day trips that to me it's no contest. But it depends on the sort of place you like, doesn't it?

One suggestion, Marsaxlokk is about the same distance from the airport as Valletta so if you book a taxi in advance you wouldn't need that last move. It's a surprisingly small island.

Or, put Valletta all at the end and save a move that way.

J62

While it is a small island it does take time to get around by bus.
Having a car would add flexibility, but could also be a liability/pain when you are staying in Valletta.

You could consider something like this...

1st 2-3 nights Valletta, without a car.

Then rent a car for exploring the island. Mdina, Mosta, Blue Grotto, then stay near the northern part of the island (St Pauls's bay).

Take car on ferry to Gozo, 2 nights (car on Gozo is handy) to get around, but with the recent collapse of the Azure window there is less to explore on that island.

Return to Malta, explore some more, last night in Marxsalokk, then depart.

Tony2phones

Personally for what its worth. With only a limited time. 1 base and bus's, but you do need to decide just what you want to see and do.

toledodd

"would be such a different experience" i take it that you mean a much better experience? we LOVE smaller towns and spend little time in the larger ones. our travel mantras are WE TRAVEL TO EAT & PUT DOWN THE MAP AND GET LOST. by eat we mean traditional local food not 3*, so what would you think of only a day trip into valletta?

DaveJJ

My wife and I just returned from a week in Malta. We spent the first 3 nights at the Grand Hotel on Gozo. We arranged a transfer (30Euro)from the airport to the ferry through the hotel. We put out luggage on the ferry for the 20 minute ride. The hotel will pick you up at the terminal. We used the hop-on/hop-off bus to tour Gozo. There were 14 stops you could explore. We went to the Ggantica Temple site and Victoria. We then spent 4 nights at the Grand Excelsior Hotel in Valletta. This was our 3rd time in Valletta so we had already been to Mdina and Rabat, toured the Grand Master Palace and St. John's Cathedral. We had also been to the Hypogeum, a must see, book your tickets well in advance as entrance is limited. This time we spent one day exploring the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temple sites. We also took our time walking through most of the streets of Valletta and exploring the wonderful vistas.

yorkshire

If you travel to eat, you might be a tad disappointed in Malta. Granted my trip was quite a long time ago, but the dining was not the highlight. To me, it was the landscapes and temples, so choose what you will enjoy. Valletta did not feel like a large place at all, but because we had a few days on Gozo first, that was where we preferred to stay.
We took day trips by bus, but if I were to return I would use a car.
If you have interest in the Hypogeum, be sure to book (I just scrolled up and was reminded by DaveJJ). Visits are controlled and we missed out.

J62

Agree that food was not the highlight of our trip to Malta. Nothing bad, just not a foodie destination. Local big game (aka rabbit) stew is a specialty.

One pleasant surprise was how much awareness & availability of options for special diets, especially gluten & dairy sensitive.

We rented an apartment, so many of our meals were at home in-house. Never had an issue getting good ingredients to make at local super markets.