Attractions in Malta

If you’re looking for a bit of down time on your holiday - somewhere peaceful to spend a moment doing some serious relaxing - then you need to head for the quietest place in Malta. Ha ha, you think, but who’s to say where that might be?  Well, we reckon an active monastery in ‘the Silent City’ must have a decent chance of taking the...READ MORE

Stately homes kept and maintained by heritage organisations are generally very worthy and worthwhile places to visit. But there’s a problem with them! That issue being that at best, what you see is an expert’s best guess at portraying a certain period in that property’s existence.  READ MORE

Spend any time in Valletta and you can’t help but be impressed by its magnificent and historic Grand Harbour. And if you make it to the lovely Valletta Waterfront complex when there’s a cruise liner in port then you’ll no doubt feel a pang of jealousy when seeing those lucky passengers, who’ve avoided all the traffic and parking...READ MORE

Let’s start this one with a history question! Where will you find the oldest standing structures in the world? Now, you don’t have to be any sort of genius to figure out that this is a Malta travel guide so the answer is going to be Malta. And you’d be … well, wrong actually, because they’re on the sister island of Gozo and...READ MORE

“Ghar Dalam! What’s that?” you ask. Well, contrary to the appearance of its name it is not something you’d order to eat in an Indian restaurant after an onion bhaji. It’s a cave! But no ordinary cave. This is a very significant cave – the very place where the earliest evidence of human settlement on Malta was discovered...READ MORE

For visitors to Malta, the quaint sister island of Gozo is perhaps the single most enjoyable and interesting day out you could choose. And if you do make that trip then you must go and see Gozo’s number one tourist attraction – The Citadel! READ MORE

Nothing shaped the history of Malta - or arguably the history of the rest of Western Europe - like the Great Siege. It was a watershed event in this small island’s past and one we should all know more about – because without it, many more Europeans could quite feasibly be speaking Arabic and visiting a Mosque on a daily basis. READ MORE

Had you been knocking around in the times when men dressed in furs and went out to spear something tasty for their fur-bikini-clad woman to lob onto the fire back at the cave for dinner, then Malta may have surprised you. You see back in that prehistoric era, this tiny island was incredibly advanced in terms of buildings and temples and this is perhaps the most...READ MORE

There’s nothing original in the notion of travelling to Malta but that doesn’t mean it’s not it’s not worth coming. Millions of people can’t be wrong and neither can scores of generations! People have been attracted to these sun-drenched shores for thousands of years – and in case you needed any proof, head for the the Hal...READ MORE

The Inquisitor’s Palace, in Birgu, is a surviving relic of a fascinating but sinister period in Malta’s history. It charts more than two centuries from the mid 1500s – a time when the Catholic Church took extreme measures to ensure the island’s population stuck rigidly to its beliefs. It was also a time when confidential confessions and...READ MORE

It’s hard to believe that a tourist facility dedicated not to rock but to one specific type of rock is going to be able to entertain all of those who visit. And that goes double when you learn that we’re not even talking music here! No, we mean rock, as in stone – limestone, in case you were wondering … which you probably weren’t! READ MORE

There is a generation of men, especially men who were born during or just after the World War II, who go all gooey at the mere mention of the name of the famous fighter plane, the Spitfire. They also get misty eyed at the sound of its power unit – the legendary Rolls Royce Merlin engine.  READ MORE

Given the age and vintage nature of many of the cars still regularly used on Malta, the thought of paying to see a Classic Car Collection is one that usually prompts a wry smile. Prior to joining the EU, and imported cars becoming much cheaper, the entire island could have been considered a classic car collection! READ MORE

Head into a building that claims to subject you to the Malta Experience and anyone who has visited these island will be imagine what could be inside. To many, their Malta experience involves being very hot, eating and drinking too much, occasionally throwing yourself in the sea or pool to cool off and generally having a very nice time. But that’s not why...READ MORE

Aside from the spherical chocolate sweets, the best-known Maltesers of all time have to be the Knights Hospitallers of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. They were also known as the Knights of Malta, the Malta Knights, the Knights of St John or the Knights Hospitallers. This notorious bunch of nobles had a massive influence in shaping this nation – as...READ MORE

History plays a big part on the make-up of Malta. There are many things on the island that have been around for centuries and the national theatre is no exception. Not only is it reputedly the third oldest working theatre in Europe but it also has a fair bit of class and elegance about it. For the Manoel Theatre was created in Valletta by the legendary...READ MORE

Until you’ve been to Mdina you’ll never truly understand what all the fuss is about. But you should go to Mdina! After all, prior to Valletta being built in the 16 th century this was the island’s capital. It is a place of some stature and immense history and its fascinating story is recounted at an attraction called the Mdina Experience. READ MORE

Who doesn't love a church with a miracle story attached? Most 'miracle' churches are created to mark the spot where the amazing evet took place. But the miracle in Mosta happened long after the church had been built and was one that led to destruction not construction …  though this episode was not nearly as catastrophic as it might have...READ MORE

You’ll find some brilliant art galleries in some stunning buildings throughout Europe. Some – like the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre in Paris, the Prado in Madrid, Florence’s Uffizi and London’s National Gallery - are worth visiting just to get to see inside. Malta’s equivalent is the Museum of Fine Arts, which...READ MORE

The history of Malta has been incredibly well documented but the episodes that are widely known are all of a human perspective. There’s another aspect to this island’s past, however, that is just as fascinating – the history of its geology, plant and animal life – for an insight into that head for the National Museum of Natural History...READ MORE

There is much about the Maltese as a nation for which they can be justifiably proud. They are friendly, passionate and unfalteringly loyal. But, you rub them up the wrong way and get on the wrong side of them and they will kick your ass! If you have any doubts about how bloody-minded and resilientthey can be when someone threatens their island then visit the...READ MORE

A glance in any souvenir shop or history book will tell you that knights have played a major role in the history of Malta. The knight connection is all down to  a group of fighting men known as the Knights of Malta. They saw off an invasion from the Islamic Ottoman Empire in 1565 and secured the island’s future as a Christian nation.   READ MORE

So who wouldn’t want to be filthy rich given the choice? And if you can’t achieve that goal, then who isn’t interested in seeing how the filthy rich live their lives and decorate their homes? Of course, the answer is that most of us are obsessed with ‘how the other half lives’ and, if we can’t join them, we can at least have...READ MORE

Playmobil toys are magic! Not only are they exceptionally well designed and made but they also keep kids amused for hours. And they’re also magic because they have loads of very small parts, many of which see, to disappear! What most parents don’t realise, though, is those magical toys could well have been produced right here in Malta! READ MORE

Disneyland is a massive tourist theme park powered by an immense back catalogue of globally renowned multi-million dollar films. By contrast, Popeye Village is the ramshackle former set of one not particularly successful film made by the very same Disney Corporation more than 30 year ago. It really should be rubbish. Oddly, it’s not! And we love it! READ MORE

Never discount a Sightseeing Bus Tour! Even though you may consider yourself a ‘traveller’ not a ‘tourist’, someone keen to immerse yourself in the culture of a new nation, these vehicles still have their place and provide an excellent and valuable service – especially on Malta! READ MORE

There are scores of things to do and see on Malta but If you sat us down and pressed us for the top three day trips on Malta then we’d probably say – Valletta , Gozo and the island’s former capital city, Mdina . This beautiful and charming hill-top fortress is a must-see - and one of the best ways to get acquainted with it is to climb...READ MORE

There are two things that we find are most striking once you’ve visited the magnificent St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta . Firstly, it’s probably the first and only co-cathedral you have ever been in and secondly, it has one of the most jaw-droppingly stunning interiors of almost any building you’ll see … created using a very...READ MORE

People like being scared! Otherwise, why would spooky places thrive as tourist attractions? There are plenty of them across Europe. Most – like the ones that go by the name of ‘dungeon’ - are fake spooky. But Malta has one that is spookily real -  the St Paul’s Catacombs in Rabat! READ MORE

When it comes to reputations, Gozo is very much viewed as the much quieter, more relaxed, smaller sibling of Malta. And yet, here in the middle of this tiny tranquil island in Gharb you’ll find one of the most impressive churches you’re ever likely to come across – the Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary. READ MORE

A century ago people would get all their information from books. Back then, if you wanted to know about the Valletta’s past, your only choice would be to buy a book and plough on through. Now, things have moved on and other more immediate media are available. So why spend hours buried in a history book when you can take it all in by watching a 35-minute...READ MORE