Malta is an island located in the middle of the Mediterranean, between Sicily and the North African coast.

It may seem strange, but Malta is not a beach destination. It's an island, of course, but the country's main attractions aren't its beaches (with one exception: Blue Lagoon). Malta is a special island, it's very small, you have beaches (we'll show you the beaches) and virgin coves, party and a youthful atmosphere, megalithic temples, sea caves and many other tourist attractions.

It was always a destination that we really wanted to visit, but as we only had time in the European winter, this year we had the opportunity to go in the Summer and we took advantage and added the visit to Malta Pride. Speaking of Summer... get ready for the very, very hot weather, day and night. We who are used to the heat... it was a little difficult.

The blue dominates the scenery. Wherever you go, in an instant you reach the sea, the sun shines practically all year round and the small towns and cities are beautiful. The Mediterranean cuisine has a strong Italian influence, the people are very friendly, the English language is most spoken on a daily basis, the island is safe and the cost of living we can say is very similar to Portuguese.

One of the first questions you ask is where to stay in Malta! The 3 main areas are Valletta, Sliema and St. Julians/Paceville. Valletta is the most characteristic area of ​​Malta and also the most touristy. One of the great advantages of staying here is having buses everywhere. Sliema, that's where we stayed, has the advantage that the accommodation is a little more affordable, it's exactly on the other side of Valletta, just take the boat or the bus, it has accessible beaches and it's also next to St. Julians/Paceville. It is exactly in the middle between Valetta and St. Julians. For us it was and is the best location and easy access to the entire island. If you want to party and have lots of fun then stay in Paceville.

We stayed 10 days in Malta and traveled around the island by bus and boat to Comino and Gozo. The bus goes to all the important places and is very easy. Download the Tallinja app and you’ll have all the timetables and routes. It's really easy. The only problem with buses is sometimes they fail or are late, because who knows why!... But as we are on vacation there's no problem.

On the website or app you also have all the card options that you can buy to use transport.

We bought the Tallinja Explore Card, meaning you have unlimited access to all buses for 7 days. If you intend to travel a lot by bus, buy this card, it's well worth it even though the tickets are not expensive. You can buy it at the bus terminal or at vending machines.

We arrived in Malta at the beginning of September, coming from a flight from Seville. When leaving the airport, we chose to call an Uber to Sliema, but you can go by bus or you have other apps such as Bolt or Cool... Cool, because sometimes the price is much lower than others.

We had very high expectations and yet Malta managed to surprise us. We highly recommend it. It is a destination that appeals to everyone, whether adventurers, romantic couples, families with children, singles looking to party, or people looking for peace.

Our first tour was straight to Valetta. We took the ferry from Sliema to Valletta and set off on an adventure through the mythical streets. We dedicate a whole day to the capital. Valletta has several main attractions, but in our opinion the whole city is an attraction and deserves a visit of a day or more.

We highlight some must-see places:

- Republic Square

- Merchants Street: walk along the main street, which crosses the city from one side to the other, full of shops, cafes, restaurants and terraces.

- St. John's Co-Cathedral

- City Gate

- Triton Fountain

- Pope Pius V Street

- Grandmaster Palace

- Melita Street

- Is-Suq Tal-Belt - Valletta Food Market: offers you nice food and a place to rest after a long walk around Church of Saint Paul's Shipwreck.

- Siege Bell War Memorial

- Upper Barraka Gardens: we highly recommend visiting here, for unique and beautiful views. Here every day at 12am and 4pm there is the Saluting Battery. In our opinion, avoid these hours. The place is full of tourists, you can't see anything and that's it, the Saluting Battery is nothing. Go at other times and then yes, you can see everything and you have the best views in Malta.

From here you can also go down to the Lower Barraka Gardens, by elevator or on foot and walk to the pier and take the boat to the 3 Cities. If you want something more typical and cute, look for the traditional Dgħajsa boats on the pier, which are a kind of taxi boat and cost €2 per person.

In Valletta you don't need a map, the best thing is to walk through the streets, go up and down the different stairs and streets.

Enjoy and also taste the delicious pastizzis, typical of Malta. There are several small shops on the streets that sell them. We especially love the ricotta ones.

Don't forget to visit Valletta at night with its magical lighting. Nightlife in Valletta is quiet, but you have lots of restaurants with all kinds of food and bars. If you want something really good and cheap, we recommend Sally Port - Caffe & Pizzeria. We advise you to make a reservation or go very early. The food is great and the price is very low.

A gay night out in Malta, check it out HERE.

Due to the very hot weather, we chose to go to the beach in Sliema.

The beaches of Sliema are characterized by a rocky surface, sharp drop in the water and great depth of the sea next to the beach. Some areas of the beach are equipped with stairs to go down into the water.

The water is clean, clear. In some areas, a kind of pool carved into the rocks is created, where you can bathe. There are also several beach clubs along the waterfront.

If you want something with less rocks and a little sand we suggest Balluta Bay, where we went several times.

It's located between Sliema and St. Julians. It has very calm, clean waters and as we mentioned you can easily enter the water through sand and not rocks. The beach is very small, and it's always full, if you don't have space for your towel, the beach has a kind of stone bench where you can easily get comfortable. We liked a lot. It is also a beach guarded by the Maltese Red Cross.

Although Paceville is known for its lively nightlife, the area is also well worth a visit during the day and of course at night. Paceville is located right next to St. Julians, where the beautiful Spinola Bay is located, one of the most beautiful bays on the island of Malta. Its characteristic feature is the small traditional boats along the bay that fill the landscape with color. If you want, next to Paceville you have a sandy beach that you can go to, St Georges Bay.

Paceville is the center of Malta's nightlife, several bars and clubs fill the streets of the area, with lots of young people, alcohol and loud music. It's Malta's party zone par excellence. The most famous streets for a night out in Paceville are Rita Steps, Wilga Street and Georges Road.

You can check MALTA BY NIGHT HERE

The remaining days spent in Malta were divided between Malta Pride (see HERE), the famous islands of Comino and Gozo (see HERE), Rivieira Beach and the Clay Cliffs (see HERE) and Marsaxlokk and the Three Cities (see HERE).

Malta was a huge and positive surprise. We are already planning to visit again and take advantage of the dates and go to Europride Valletta 2023. We had an immediate passion. We guarantee that it's an incredible "corner" located in the middle of the Mediterranean. Malta is small, blue and beautiful!

SEE ALSO MALTA BY NIGHT

MALTA TRAVEL TIPS

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