What a wonderful island to visit. I really got to experience the best of this magical island in September. Not a lot of people know much about the Maltese islands (Malta, Gozo and Comino) and therefore, I thought I'd put together the Ultimate Malta Travel Guide so that you can learn more about the island and that if you wish to travel to Malta, you'll be able to stop at these locations that I have recommended.
Even though the island is only 27 kilometers long and 14 kilometers wide, Malta has so much to offer! A fun fact about Malta is that season one of Game of Thrones was filmed on the island and you can go on a guided full day tour to all the locations where the series was filmed!
BEACHES TO VISIT IN MALTA:
1.) Paradise Bay - This beautiful blue bay is located near the PopEye Village in the Mellieha area. The name of this bay speaks for itself and if you are looking for a location to take beautiful photos on the cliff's edge of Malta, then I highly recommend visiting Paradise Bay.
2.) Blue Lagoon - Located on Comino Island (the smallest island I have ever been on, which separates main land Malta and the island of Gozo). The Blue Lagoon is amazingly beautiful. I have never seen such clear sea water in my life. I really did feel like I was in the Maldives. The Blue Lagoon is a gorgeous location for swimming and snorkelling as well as taking amazing photos. My only criticism about this location is that is is completely over crowded and there is no actual beach, so you end up having to sit on rocks and "try" enjoy the scenery. Luckily I did not visit the Blue Lagoon in the middle of summer, as I can only imagine how much more crowded this Lagoon must be in peak season. Despite my criticism, I still highly recommend taking a chartered boat to the Lagoon and spending a couple hours there.
3.) Mellieha Bay - One of my favourite swimming beaches in Malta. Although Malta is very rocky and most of the Bays do not have much space to lay on the beach, as there is no sand but only rock, Mellieha Bay is the exception to the rest. This Bay is the largest sandy beach in Malta and is perfect for swimming as the water is crystal clear, shallow and warm. Personally I preferred this beach over the Blue Lagoon because it is not so crowded and you can at least lay on the sand comfortably and enjoy the day out at the beach.
SIGHTSEEING IN MALTA
1.) Gozo - Gozo forms part of the Maltese islands and it takes about 30 to 45 minutes to travel via ferry from Malta to Gozo. Gozo, just like Malta, is rich with history! Although you can visit the island in one day, it is still worth spending a couple days on the island itself to really appreciate it's beauty. Fun fact, although Game of Thrones was filmed on mainland Malta, most of season one was filmed on Gozo island. A must see when on Gozo is the Azure Window (also where a major Game of Thrones scene was filmed)! Although Azure Window is no longer there, as a storm last year destroyed it, it is still worth going to the location and viewing the beautiful Mediterranean Sea from the high cliffs edge.
2.) Valletta Waterfront - The waterfront has only recently been completed and is a beautiful location to enjoy a romantic night out. There are plenty of restaurants and bars to enjoy and a perfect place to overlook the city of Valletta. As you walk along the waterfront there are traditional doors which are painted in red, blue, yellow and green. Each colour symbolises the Maltese culture. Red symbolises wine, blue symbolises fish, yellow symbolises wheat and green symbolises fresh produce.
3.) Popeye Village - not far from the beautiful beach of Paradise Bay is where PopEye Village is located. The PopEye Village was built specifically for the 1980's musical "PopEye" starring Robin Williams. The Film set is now a popular tourist attraction, which has turned into a small but fun theme park with restaurants and fun activities to enjoy!
THINGS TO DO IN MALTA:
1.) Laguna Marina - A charter company located at the Valetta Waterfront, Laguna Marina is a great company to take you out on a chartered boat around Malta and enjoy all the sites while sipping on some champagne, of course. The team and I enjoyed a boat cruise with Captain William from Laguna Marina, who took us around the different bays on the north eastern side of the island. It was a fun filled day and highly recommendable to those who enjoy boat cruises.
2.) Mdina - The Silent city of Malta and previously the old capital city of Malta, Mdina is absolutely breathtaking. This city traces back more than 4000 years ago and is filled with medieval history. If you are interested in history then this is most definitely a place to visit. Not far from Mdina, is the town of Rabat where the St Paul's catacombs are located. This for me was super fascinating and really worth the visit, despite the heat underground.
3.) Upper Barrakka Gardens - The beautiful public garden overlooks the Grand Harbour in Valletta. Everyday at noon the cannons go off saluting the traveling navel vessels. This happens daily and is a great place for taking photos and enjoying the view of the three cities.
RESTAURANTS TO EAT AT IN MALTA:
Before I begin naming my favourite restaurants in Malta, you can read about each of them in depth by clicking on the links below.
1.) Paranga - If you love fish and good quality seafood then I suggest visiting Paranga, which you can read all about here.
2.) Water Biscuit - Located inside the Intercontinental, this modern restaurant serves the best Salmon Ceasar Salad I have ever tasted. Click here to read all about it.
3.) Cibo - I love authentic Italian food and I found the perfect restaurant in Malta that serves this. Read all about it here.
4.) Harbour Club - MORE Fish and GREAT fish! The Harbour Club, which is located on the water's edge in Valletta is a beautiful and romantic dinner spot to enjoy the freshest seafood in the city! You can read all about my experience on my blog post about this restaurant.
One more fact about Malta, is that the Maltese people love fireworks. I have never been to a country where fireworks are displayed on a daily basis. Whether is be in broad daylight or in the evening, the Maltese people are always celebrating something!
As you may have noticed fro my photos, every spot in Malta is very Instagram worthy, so if you decide to travel to Malta you can't miss the opportunity to capture the moment for the gram!
TC
xoxo