Did you know that Valletta is the smallest national capital in the European Union by area, being only 0,8 km²?
Malta is super interesting and confusing (in a good way) country. It is impossible to say which country has influenced the island the most as one can spot a bit of Italian culture, that is spiced up with Arabic mentality and softened with British politeness. Even the Maltese language is a mixture of Arabic and Italian, 30% and 70% respectively. And everybody speaks fluent English with a cute Maltese accent 🙂
How many days are needed to see all of the island during one trip? I say the number of days would be seven. I believe one week is more than enough to visit all the main places, to understand locals’ way of life, get into local vibe and to understand the schedule of public transport, that initially might seem pretty chaotic, but actually is not – you just need to understand Mediterranean lifestyle 🙂
My absolute favourite on the island was Mdina town. When planning your holiday, definitely leave a day to wander around this lovely old town. Furthermore, fans of Game of Thrones will find several recognisable spots there. And they have the loveliest coffee shops over there. One needs to make sure not to leave this town without a visit to Fontanella Tea Garden!
My second favourite was the fishing village called Marxaxlokk. This colourful village is filled with tiny fresh fish restaurants and while having your meal one can enjoy the view to the bay that is super busy with tiny colourful boats. On Sundays they have this wonderful but busy Fish Market there, so if planning a visit on to that day, one can purchase their catch of the day from the market and prepare it in a preferred way.
The must see places also are Blue Lagoon and Azure Window, which both are located on the neighbouring islands, Comino and Gozo. The best way to see both if the island in one day would be by boat. There are several tour operators offering this opportunity on a reasonable price.
Food wise no visit to Malta would be complete without sampling Gbenja, a delicious round cheese made fresh on the island using goat milk. The local wine is pretty good, too, and the selection is quite wide. Driving around the island one can admire numerous grape fields, but despite of that the production is still too little to export.
So what is the first thing that comes to your mind when thinking about Malta? It is amazing how much history and experience this little island has got to offer. Can’t wait to go back 🙂
Nosey Nomad 