This year, I actually had no travel plans for summer. I was thinking of heading back to sub-Saharan Africa, but then someone I met while traveling about two years ago asked me if I wanted to join him for a couple of weeks in Albania. He wouldn’t be free until late July though, so I thought of doing my own thing for a couple of weeks. I’ve been to most of the countries near Albania, but I really loved spending summer in Europe. I wouldn’t mind going to any of those countries again. European summer is really hard to resist once you get to experience it. Every place looks more beautiful when the sun is shining brightly. And if you want to party and meet lots of people, summer is the best time to go. Sure, traveling during the summer is more expensive, but after spending my last two summers in Europe I have to say that the additional expenses are worth it.
Malta is one of those countries that are fairly close to Albania. Since I’ve never been there I made it a point to visit. After spending a couple of days in Malta, I’m not sure if I can recommend visiting during the middle of summer. I know this contradicts what I’ve just said above, but it gets unbearably hot in Malta around this time. If you just want to party or head to the beaches, I’d still say summer is the ideal time. There are loads of people, there are loads of parties, and the beaches are full of life. Since you’re by the beach, you wouldn’t mind the heat. But if you’re gonna do some exploring, perhaps going during the shoulder season would be better. It really got so uncomfortably hot every time we went outside during the daytime, most of the other guests at the hostels just stayed inside whenever they didn’t go to the beach. I heard it’s still warm during the shoulder season and the water doesn’t get too cold so you’ll still see lots of people swimming. And the weather would be perfect if you want to do a lot of sightseeing.
So this won’t be one of my usual blog entries wherein I give lots of detailed tips lol. Unfortunately because of the heat I wasn’t able to do much exploring. I spent a total of five nights in Malta. For such a small country, normally I would have been able to explore all of it in 5 days. But because of the unbearable heat, I wasn’t even able to visit half of the places I wanted to see.
First order of business— when you arrive at the airport, buy a Tallinja card for public transport. There are several machines where you can buy Tallinja cards right by the main exit and these machines accept international credit cards. A single journey ticket costs 2 Euros during the summer and 1.50 euros during the winter. You can easily pay with cash for a single journey ticket when you ride the bus, but it would be way cheaper if you purchase one of those multiple journey cards before boarding. For 21 euros you can purchase a card that gives you unlimited rides for an entire week. If you won’t be staying that long, perhaps that 15 euro card that’s good for 12 single journey tickets would be a better option. These cards are accepted on all buses in the main island and in Gozo.
I stayed at St. Julian’s and I think it’s a great place to base oneself in Malta. Many attractions are easily accessible from here since it’s by the center of the island. The top two hostels in this area are actually sister hostels— Hostel Malti and Marco Polo Hostel. You can’t go wrong with either one, I guess it depends on one’s preference. Hostel Malti is in a residential area, so naturally the party stops quite early and everyone is advised to transfer to Marco Polo which is centrally located and close to lots of bars and clubs. If you’re not out to party every night and you’d want some quiet time, Hostel Malti would be the better option. But if you mainly want to party, I’d advise just staying at Marco Polo. There are loads of cheap places to eat near Marco Polo too… there’s a place where you can get a slice a pizza for only 1 euro! So if you won’t be cooking your own meals and you want to save money it would be more convenient to stay there.
One thing I’ve noticed about people staying at hostels in Malta— these are mainly people living elsewhere in Europe on a short break. I’ve met lots of people who were only there for the weekend. There were very few folks who were traveling long term like me. I guess Malta isn’t really part of the backpacking trail in Europe. Maybe because it’s an island separated from everything else.
The first attraction I visited was Valleta— Malta’s capital. Here you’d see lots of beautiful structures. I could have easily spent an entire day here if only it wasn’t so hot! From Saint Julian’s it’s easy to get there by bus. Buses are extremely reliable in Malta. At times they can be a few minutes late but mostly they’re able to stick to their schedules. The transport routes are very extensive, practically every place is easily accessibly by public transport. The only problem is the horrible traffic in several areas. I mean, looking at the map of the country every point of interest seems pretty close to each other. Looking at any map you’d think it’s possible to see every point of interest in a single day or two. In reality, the numerous choke points significantly increases travel time.
Many travelers skip Gozo, the other big island up north. I’d say that’s a huge mistake. Gozo boasts of a lot of beautiful spots, and the capital city (Victoria) has a unique charm. It’s also less populated so it’s a little more laid back. It’s easier to find isolated spots here. Many people just do day trips to this other island but I’d recommend spending at least one night so as not to rush things. If you’re doing a day trip on your own, keep in mind that there are less buses plying certain routes unlike in the main island. You might not be able to visit all of the places you want to see if you’re not spending the night on the island.
It’s easy to get to Gozo via ferry. There’s no need to join one of those day trips being offered on the main island. For only 4.65 euros for a round trip ticket, taking the ferry is very cheap too. To get to the ferry terminal, simply hop on a bus that heads to Cirkewwa (these are buses 41, 42, 101, 221, 222, 250 and X1). The bus stop is just outside the ferry terminal. The ferry schedules and fares are shown on the pictures below. Mgarr is the ferry port in Gozo, while Cirkewwa is the ferry port on the main island.
Malta’s crown jewel is the Blue Lagoon located on Comino island. This island is between the main island and Gozo, so it’s best to visit it on your way to Gozo or on your way back to the main island. You can either do a round trip from either Gozo or the main island, or you can stop by the blue lagoon on your journey between the two islands. Either way the average price seems to be 10 euros. Each boat runs a different schedule so make sure you ask what time they’re coming back to pick you up. Otherwise you’d have to pay again if you ride a boat that’s run by another company.
Obviously I haven’t seen much of Malta, so it’s definitely on that list of countries that I’d have to come back to. Next time I’d visit during the shoulder season– I’ve been told anytime from September to October is the ideal time to visit. The weather would still be great. There would barely be any rain and it would still be warm but not scorching hot so one can easily explore the country comfortably. There were a lot more places that I wanted to visit. I guess they’d just have to wait until I return.
no roads to follow 