Guide to traveling to Malta and Gozo

I had been meaning for a long time to travel to Malta, especially when several friends did it in recent years and recommended it to me.

References to his long history and its great cultural heritage They were a good argument to travel to that country of the Mediterranean coast.

And that beyond the great attractions that fans of the scuba diving.

Or also that Malta has become a popular destination among young people, either for learn English or to do the Erasmus course.

I finally had the chance to travel tourism to Malta on a couple of occasions, and to have a good approximation to the knowledge of this country thanks to the fact that my daughter has worked in it for some years.

Curiosities of the history of Malta

La maltese history It goes back a long way in time and on your trip you will be able to see vestiges of numerous cultures who have passed through the island.

In fact, you can even see remains of megalithic temples with 4.000 years old of which are preserved until 27 complexes on the island, built with stones and without the use of metal.

You can also see remains of the presence of the Romans, and the arrival of the Christians It occurred from the year 60 of our It was When San Pablo shipwrecked on the shores of the island.

En Malta they were also the Arabs, who arrived in the year 870, until the Mediterranean island was occupied by the aragonesesIn 1281.

But one of the most notable historical milestones was the arrival of the Knights Hospitaller, military order which was sent by Crown of Aragon in 1570 after his expulsion by the Ottomans from the Rhodes island.

Much of the monuments and corners that you will see in Malta are the result of the presence of what is known as Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Also known as Knights of the Order of Malta.

The construction of large fortifications on the seashore to protect the island from Ottoman attacks marks the current appearance of Valletta.

You should also know that Valletta is part of the list of World Heritage for the Unesco for his great cultural heritage, a result of the historical presence of all the cultures that have crossed the Mediterranean.

Napoleon was also in Malta, and he was the one who expelled the Knights Hospitaller of the island.

But his presence in Malta was short, as he was expelled by Englishmen, who left the islands not too long ago, in 1979, when the country's independence was declared.

Best time to travel to Malta

Malta It is a really small country, since the main island is barely 35 kilometers in the longest distance.

Located in the central area of ​​the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, in summer it is really hot, while in the rest of the year the temperature is always very pleasant.

Therefore, it is an ideal destination to make a tourism getaway outside the summer season.

It is a country where you can travel with very different tourist interests and which in recent times has become a regular stopover for the big cities. cruise ships who make routes through the Mediterranean coast.

Its historical and heritage baggage is such that precisely the cultural tourism is the principal reason for tourists to travel to Malta.

Of course, due to the high summer temperatures, you should avoid that time if above all what you are looking for is to know the aforementioned maltese cultural heritage.

But, instead, the summer is an ideal time to enjoy various nautical activities like the one mentioned scuba diving.

In this regard, Malta It is an enclave that stands out for the great cleanliness of its waters, where you can dive among wrecks real.

Of course in Malta There are also beaches, most small coves, but that is not its main attraction.

Cultural festivals in Malta

Another attraction worth highlighting in Malta are the numerous cultural festivals of various themes that take place in that country.

This facet achieved special value last year on the occasion of the celebrations of Valletta as Capital European Culture 2018, with more than 400 cultural shows programmed.

Also noteworthy is the International Fireworks Festival which can be seen at the end of April.

Or the Valletta Baroque Festival which every year takes place in the second half of January in the Manoel Theater.

How to fly to Malta

For fly to Malta, throughout the year you can do it with Ryanair, and in summer, also with Vueling from Madrid and Barcelona.

When you land on the island of Malta you will be very close to the capital of this small country, the aforementioned Valletta.

The first impressions that Malta transmits to you take you to those of a typical southern Mediterranean country, and the physiognomy of the Maltese will be very familiar to you.

They also have the characteristic of being friendly and welcoming people, although, compared to what is usual in other European countries, you will see that they hardly have a black or Muslim immigrant population.

What to eat in Malta

This Mediterranean character is also shown in the gastronomy, where there are plenty of Fresh fish and seafoodAs well as dishes made with pasta, and where the National dish is stewed rabbit.

The most common way to start a food in Malta It is with the traditional sharing plate that combines cold cuts, tomatoes and cheeses.

In addition to the dishes made with the aforementioned rabbit, typical gastronomic specialties in Malta are bragioli, made with beef and olives, and the Lampuki cake, a fish pie.

As for desserts, the typical thing is to have sweets made with almonds that will remind you of the Arabian sweets.

El Maltese standard of living It is also similar to the areas of southern Europe, so in general during your stay you will notice that it is somewhat cheaper than the big cities in Spain.

What languages ​​do they speak in Malta

I have already commented that Malta It is one of the destinations that has become popular in recent times for travel to learn english, since this is official language after the historic presence of the British on the island.

But I will tell you that, in reality, the Maltese speak their own maltese language.

It is a language whose root is Arabic, but with a curious mixture of Italian words, which are also combined with English in the conversation.

You will see that all signs in cities and roads are indicated in Maltese and English.

Despite that Arabic tone when speaking, you will find a very catholic population, expressed externally in the numerous churches that you can see.

In fact I will tell you that in Malta there is even 580 churches, many of which are also of disproportionate dimensions, with enormous domes, highlighting in this regard the Mosta church, in the center of the island.

And you will also see a constant presence of images of virgins and saints in all corners of the island, and even as a curiosity, in Rabat You will be able to see images that represent purgatory.

How to get around by transport in Malta

The area near the capital Valletta It is a conurbation where on the shores of a sinuous and steep coast a series of small cities are grouped together that make up an urban environment that is really complicated to manage.

You will see that it is a country with a high population density, with 450.000 inhabitants on its very small islands, but with a capital that barely has 8.000 inhabitants.

In this most populated area of ​​the island you will not find large avenues.

Due to the special configuration of Valletta and the cities that surround it, from one place to another you can go along very different paths, always through a labyrinth of narrow streets that go up and down, and trying to avoid the usual traffic jams.

If you are visiting the main island or the nearby one island of gozo, the ideal is use a rental car Well, although there is public buses, it is slow and inefficient to travel with this means of transportation.

Or it is also advisable to use the tourist bus, which makes a circular route through the main tourist enclaves, and it is much more practical than getting around on regular buses.

And if you arrive on a cruise, you can sign up for the Malta excursion for cruise passengers that in four hours allows you to give a walk through Valletta and Mdina CitadelWithout a doubt, the essential visits in this country.

The best things to see and visit for tourism in Malta

In your Malta visit, if you only have one day during the cruise stopover, the essential thing would be walk through Valletta, a walled city on a hill at the foot of which is the dock where the boat will drop you off.

In addition to walking through its streets, you cannot leave Valletta without entering inside the St. John's Co-Cathedral, where you will be impressed by its sumptuous baroque decoration.

In this church you can see The Beheading of John the Baptist, considered the masterpiece of Caravaggio, .

You should also look out at the viewpoint of the Upper Barakka Gardens, from where you have the best views of the three walled cities that are located on the other side of the bay, Birgu (Vittoriosa), Senglea y Conpiscua.

There you also find the famous cannon battery Saluting Battery that every day, at 12 in the morning, it performs a thunderous salvo.

But it is in the very close walled city de Mdina, former capital of Malta also known as the City of Silence, where on your walk through its narrow streets you will find the most charming corners of the island.

For its part, in the annexed city of Rabat you will be able to see important vestiges of the presence of various civilizations in Malta, As the mosaics of the Roman domus.

Or also the catacombs who already used the Phoenicians, Romans y Muslims, and which extend through four kilometers of tunnels, or the St. Paul's Grotto.

But if you are going to spend more time in Malta, you will have the opportunity to visit other interesting places.

Of the three small cities mentioned above, it is very worth it walk through Birgu to enjoy the charm of its streets, a place where you can visit the curious Inquisitor's Palace.

And you can also get closer to the famous Senglea viewpoint, where the observation point known as Il-Gardjola, one of the iconic images of the country.

In front of Valletta is also located Sliema, another small city where you will find the most modern shopping areas of the island, as well as streets with numerous restaurants and an area with natural pools.

The most touristic area of ​​Malta, with the hotels and resorts more modern, and Places of leisureit's St Julian's.

And on the contrary, in the south of the island you can see some of the most outstanding megalithic complexes of those currently preserved in Malta, those of Hagar Quim y Mnajdra.

What to see and do on the island of Gozo

On a vacation stay you must cross to the very nearby island of gozo, where you can see the beautiful area of Dwejra cliffs where the famous rock formation known as the Blue window, recently fallen.

En Gozo you can also visit the Ggantija megalithic complex, one of the most important in the world, and see the salinas that the Romans built on the seashore.

And, of course, you have to go up to the medina Of the old Vitoria citadel and walk along its walls from where you have the best panoramic views of Gozo.

Of course, I will tell you that one of the great curiosities that had always encouraged me to travel to Malta, was to see and climb their very typical and ancient multicolored buses.

One of the most striking aspects was that next to the windshield there used to be a small altar (I remind you that this is a very Catholic country), but they have now completely disappeared after a necessary renewal of their fleet.

Of course, there will always be the small ones. traditional colorful boats which can be done in some ports on the island, such as Birgu.