Photo Guide to Malta

My husband Demetrius and I visited Malta in May 2011 on a budget DIY holiday. This cost under £200 per person for half board in the 4 star Soreda Hotel in Qawra booked through sunshine.co.uk and return flights with Ryanair from Edinburgh. Here is my photo guide to Malta to give you ideas for things to do in Malta during your trip.

Birzebbuga

We ended up in Birzebbuga by accident. We were heading for Marsaxlokk, missed the turning and drove further down the road to find a safe place to turn. As soon as we spotted Pretty Bay (aptly named, provided you look away from the cranes at the large port located just behind Birzebbuga) we knew it'd been a fortuitous mistake.

Pretty Bay in Birzebbuga

We also had a walk along the prom in Birzebbuga.

Birzebugga prom

Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk is a pretty fishing village on the south east cost of the island. There were several restaurants with seating all the seafront offering set lunch menus for 6.5 Euro for three courses including a glass of wine. There's a tourist market along the waterfront most days.

Fisherman and dog on the quayside at Marsaxlokk

Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Marsaxlokk

Sculpture of St Andrew, patron saint of fishermen, in Marsaxlokk

Mdina

We spent a couple of very enjoyable hours wandering around the beautiful walled town of Mdina, which was the capital of the island before it was superseded by Valletta.

One the arches into Mdina

You can buy a combined ticket to visit St Paul's Cathedral and the Cathedral museum. There's also a Natural History Museum.

St Paul's Cathedral in Mdina

Qawra

We stayed at the Soreda Hotel in Qawra. I wasn't too bothered about where we stayed in Malta. The Soreda was chosen as it cost £18 per night per person for half board on the sunshine.co.uk site, had reasonable guest reviews and free wifi in the lobby.

Soreda Hotel in Qawra

I wouldn't rave about Qawra but it was ideal as a base. We were close to the sea and could walk along the prom.

Looking towards the salt pans from Qawra

Sliema

Sliema is just across the bay from Valletta. There are many boat trips available from here. We took the ferry over to Valletta which only cost 1.5 Euro per person.

Sliema seafront

There's a trendy shopping centre, the Point, in Sliema.

The Point shopping centre in Sliema

St Julian's Bay

We spent a couple of hours wandering along the prom in St Julian's Bay, which lies just north of Valletta

.

Waterfront at St Julian's Bay

The outdoor swimming pool at St Julian's Bay

Be careful where you park in St Julian's

St Paul's Bay

St Paul's Bay is in the north east of Malta, next to Qawra and Buggiba.

St Paul's Bay prom

St Paul's Tower looks our over bay. It's one of the Wingnacourt watch towers built in the early 17th century by the Knights of Malta.

View from side of St Paul's  Tower

Valletta

Visiting the Maltese capital of Valletta was one of the highlights of our trip. Some of the best views over the bay in Valletta are from the Upper and Lower Barrakka Gardens.

Me in Lower Barrakka Gardens in Valletta

We had lunch at the grand La Valette restaurant, in Triq Ir Repubblica, the main street leading up to the bus station. We paid 5 Euro each for burger and chips with salad and a coffee, the burger was so large that I couldn't eat it all.

La Valette Restaurant in Valletta

Beaches & Swimming in Malta

There are some lovely sandy beaches in Malta and my favourite was Mellieha.

Mellieha Beach

However there are plenty of opportunities for swimming off the rocks in Malta; Demetrius did some snorkelling in Qawra.

Demetrius snorkelling in Qawra, Malta

Getting Around in Malta

Many people, including Kimberly of the Europe a la Carte blogging team, are fans of the colourful, old Maltese buses. I hated them, labelling them noisy, uncomfortable, belching boneshakers. The plastic upholstery was all ripped and dirty and once you sat on it, you almost became attached in the heat. The bus fleet is due to be renewed in July 2011, not a minute too soon. However even super new buses won't overcome the problem of traffic congestion in Malta, where travelling a few miles can take up an hour in the heavy traffic.

Old Style Maltese bus

We had a hire car, booked through ecomonycarhire, which cost £125 for the week including a 2nd driver and no insurance excess. The air conditioned car was much more comfortable than the buses but journeys still took much longer than anticipated and it was hard to find parking spaces in some towns.

Find a Cheap Holiday to Malta

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