The country of Malta has been independent since 1964. In the past, the Maltese were repeatedly conquered and ruled by other rulers. In addition to Malta itself, the Malta archipelago also includes Gozo and Comino and other very small islands. As part of our Malta tour, we visited all three large islands.
Malta is predestined for a tour with a rental car. Little traffic, the highlights are close together and the roads are well maintained.
ARRIVAL, VISA AND EXIT - MALTA TRAVEL TIPS
Malta Luqa Airport is served directly by many German airports as well as Vienna and Zurich. But you come from most of the German airports with a maximum of one stop on the sunny Mediterranean island.
A visa is not necessary for EU citizens since Malta is also an EU country.
HEALTH PRECAUTIONS - MALTA TRAVEL TIPS
The standard vaccinations, which are also important in Germany, are recommended for Malta.
SIM CARD - MALTA TRAVEL TIPS
In Malta you can confidently use the German or Austrian SIM card since roaming fees were abolished. You don't need to buy a SIM card on site. If you have a SIM card from a non-EU country as standard, you should better inform your provider about any costs that may arise.
ON THE GO - MALTA TRAVEL TIPS
Public transport in Malta and Gozo
The bus system on Malta and Gozo is very well developed and perfect for a Malta tour.
Our Malta travel tip: You can reach most destinations on the islands really easily by bus.
Malta Public Transport even offers travelers 7-day tickets and other offers at affordable prices. If you don't have a rental car, the bus is certainly the first choice for a tour of Malta and Gozo.
Car ferry between Malta and Gozo
Every 45 minutes there is a large car ferry between Malta and Gozo and in the opposite direction. Of course you can also use the ferry without a car.
The fee is only paid on the way back from Gozo to Malta, although we have already heard that this should change. The crossing takes about 25 minutes.
Various shops for food, magazines, toys, food and drinks are on board the ferry.
There are also rumors about a planned bridge between the islands.
Driving a car during the Malta and Gozo tour
Luqa Airport is very manageable. The booths of the rental car companies are located inside the reception building. The car is picked up at the airport parking lot and the Malta round trip starts.
Driving is generally only possible on the islands of Malta and Gozo. You cannot drive a car on Comino. Because of the small size and mountainous and rocky nature of Comino, it wouldn't make sense either. Left-hand traffic prevails on both islands due to the English colonial past. The distances on Gozo are very short and they are also limited in Malta. So you can confidently plan several sights per day during the Malta tour. This is also the next of our Malta travel tips. The archipelago is not large and the individual sights are breathtaking but mostly not very extensive, so that you can see a lot in just a few days.
Passenger ferry between Valletta and Sliema
If you want to visit Sliema or the other places on the opposite side of the main bay in addition to Valletta, we have another Malta travel tip for you. Do not take the bus, but the passenger ferry to Sliema. You have a free sightseeing tour through the natural harbor of Valletta. The boat runs from one city to another every 30 minutes. Both return tickets and one-way tickets are sold. The journey to / from Sliema to / from Valletta takes about 10 minutes. There are no official ticket offices, you just queue up and pay when you get in. Everything very straightforward and proven for decades.
MONEY AND TOOLS - MALTA TRAVEL TIPS
Malta has been paying with the euro since 2008. Credit cards are accepted in almost all locations and ATMS is relatively easy to find. The supply of cash is relatively easy. Tips are handled in a similar way to Germany.
FOOD - MALTA TRAVEL TIPS
The dishes of a typical Maltese restaurant are similar to those of an Italian restaurant. Fantastic pasta, fresh seafood and good quality meat. But what is typically Maltese and can be found on every menu is rabbit. But every culture that has ever been to Malta has left its culinary traces. You can really find any kind of restaurant here. Our restaurant recommendations are an essential part of our Malta travel tips. We all visited during our Malta tour:
Malta/Valletta
♦ Margos: Exceptional and delicious pizza with great ingredients
♦ Cafe Cordina: Beautifully situated on one of Valletta's main squares and a Malta travel tip for Aperol lovers with happy hour from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
♦ Is-Suq tal-Belt: The food market in Valetta impresses with a variety of excellent restaurants with great dishes
♦ Amorino: Serves delicious ice cream that is served beautifully in the shape of a flower
♦ Venchi Chocolate & Ice Cream: The best ice cream in Malta
Gozo
♦ L-Iskoll: The best Mediterranean food we ate during our Malta tour and thus the number 1 of our Gozo & Malta vacation tips.The restaurant is really fantastic.
♦ Ottavo Senso: very tasty pizzas
VALLETTA - MALTA TRAVEL TIPS
Culture
Valletta is the European Capital of Culture. It impresses with its historical history and the time-honored and impressive buildings.
The buildings on St. Pauls Street used to be the aristocratic residences. They are quite narrow but tall. Many of the houses now serve as boutique hotels and impress with their fantastic courtyards.
Here you can find our hotels in Malta.
If the people of Malta like one thing, it's fireworks and cannon shots. They even fire rockets into the sky during the day. But especially in the evening it is really wonderful to watch the colorful fireworks.
Parking
The parking lots on the streets are marked with colored markings.
Yellow: hotel zone, the zone is only used for short parking (unloading and loading)
Blue: residents
White: Everyone can park here, provided you find a parking space.
We didn't see a single free white parking space during our Malta tour.
At the bus station there is the large MCP Floriana car park, where you can safely leave your car.
Shops and restaurants
Most shops are closed on Sundays, as are cafés, bistros, etc. Every shop and pub is open only on the lively main pedestrian zone.
What to see
The alleys of Valletta are the absolute highlights for us and one of our Malta travel tips. Just stroll around, here an Aperol Spritz, there a delicious ice cream: pure lifestyle.
At the beginning of the trip, a visit to the Malta Experience is recommended. Every hour from 11:00 a.m. you can get a great overview of the history of Malta through this film screening.
To get a great overview of the sensational natural harbor of Valetta, head to the Upper Barakka Gardens.
THINGS TO SEE AND KNOW IN MALTA
Here we introduce you to the famous sights of the islands.
Malta is particularly crowded in the summer months. Therefore, count on overcrowded highlights. However, we looked at the well-known highlights and tell you our opinion here. We have also put together our own not so crowded highlights for you.
Below you will find the well-known but crowded highlights and here you will find our cool highlights of Malta and thus an integral part of our Malta travel tips.
St. Peters Pool
The St. Peters Pool is a rocky bay with crystal clear water. There was a lot going on with us and so we didn't spend too much time there. Overall nice, but you don't have to see it. A little uphill there is a bar selling cold drinks. Because of the danger that something could break off the cliffs, a lying area is already closed off. There is a larger car park right at the end of the street. Don't be confused if the other people park a few hundred meters in advance.
Mdina
Mdina's old city center used to be the capital of Malta. Overall, certainly worth a visit, but relatively small and not much on offer. The outer part of the city doesn't have much to offer. One could still look at the catacombs of St. Paul. But we decided against it on our Malta tour.
Sliema
On the harbor promenade you can buy tickets for hop on hop off buses, Gozo boat tours, Comino boat tours and harbor cruises. Mass tourism in its purest form and therefore Sliema is not one of our travel tips for Malta.
ATTRACTIONS AND GOOD TO KNOW ON GOZO
Azure Window
By mid-2017, a huge, naturally-shaped rock arch protruded into the sea. Now you can see nothing of it, because the Azure Window could no longer withstand a storm and collapsed. The highlight and thus the most famous of all Malta travel tips has disappeared forever. The remains of the Azur Windows can be viewed during a dive.
Inland Sea
This is a beach located inland and connected to the open sea by a natural tunnel in the rock. The Inland Sea is completely full of boats and is actually no longer a pretty sight. Here the locals meant a little too well with the number of diving schools and the number of boats. Too bad about such a great natural phenomenon.
Salt Pans
The salt pans are small vats carved into the soft rocks of the coast. These are filled with salt water and exposed to wind and sun. After the water has evaporated from the basin, all that remains is sea salt, which is mined and sold.
Xweijni Bay
Here you can find cool rock formations. The beach is not a hit.
Xlendji Bay
The place and the associated bay are really picturesque, but totally overbuilt. You can find some nice restaurants in the first row on the small beach. There is also a large free car park. On the right side of the bay (if you look at the sea) there is a small path up the cliffs that ends in a small cave with a great view of the bay.
COMINO - MALTA TRAVEL TIPS
Blue Lagoon
The blue lagoon is the most crowded place we saw on our Malta tour. Of course, the lagoon would also be the most beautiful place in the archipelago if there weren't thousands of tourists there. If you want to see the lagoon, try to arrange an early morning private transfer to get away from the mass tourism boats. It is probably not that bad in autumn or spring.
OUR COSTS - MALTA TRAVEL IN JULY 2018
Our costs for a week in Malta were relatively high. But we also really let it go. A rental car, great hotels and delicious food. The Malta costs can certainly be kept a bit lower, but that's our way of traveling. We are not the classic backpackers. We work hard for our money and sometimes afford something.