Amazing Malta!

I recently got back from Malta, after I booked a trip through JFC. I went from Manchester.

I spent a whole 7 days in Malta and truly had one of the most amazing experiences. Not only does Malta have a bucket load of culture, but it has amazing scenery as well. I'd highly recommend taking a small boat tour around Comino rather than a big boat or going just to the Blue Lagoon, as it's really busy, where small boats will take you to different locations. I took Mitzi tours who is run by a wonderful woman.

I stayed down in Sliema at the Novotel which was beautiful as it had a rooftop pool and a view of the city

My days looked a bit like this

Day 1: Arrival, Sunbathing and wandering the city, eating on the harbour for the evening

Day 2: Visit Valletta and the 3 cities. Visit Valletta early in the morning before taking the ferry over to the 3 cities in the afternoon. Valletta gets a lot of people visiting during the afternoon so it's best to visit early

Day 3: Visit to Blue Grotto, Ghar Dalam and Marsaxlokk. Blue grotto is a wonder of nature and genuinely gave me one of the best pictures I've ever taken (attached some photos later). It's best to go early and view from the panoramic view at the top then walk down the hill to the bottom. Ghar Dalam is maltas oldest prehistoric site, and not only did it have some cool caves, but there was lovely outside scenery. Finished the day in Marsaxlokk which is known for its outside market and funky boats. I took one of those, warning it is definitely not for those that get seasick, they are very very rickety

Day 4: Full day boat tour (8 hours) around comino. Stopped off at multiple sites including Crystal Lagoon and Blue Lagoon. Beautiful scenery, ability to swim from the boat rather than having to stay on a beach. Perfect for solo travelling.

Day 5: Visit to Gozo island. The island is very beautiful however it is very busy at all times of day. I visited the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin of Ta'pinu first climbing the path up a cliff to the get the best sites. From there I went to the citadel which trust me, you can get lost in as it's so massive, but it's amazing history that you can view. I loved seeing the old prisons there and the cathedral. I visited after the citadel, the best part of the island which was Gigantija Archeological Park. This place was surprisingly quiet. If you like places like Stonehenge or the pyramids, then you'll like this, because there are two Neolithic temples from like 5000 years ago. It's so unknown how these temples were built!

Day 6: Visit to Mdina and Rabat. Mdina is the silent city, and like with many other places best to go in the morning before everything opens to get the best pictures. Especially of the old city gate which was featured in Game of Thrones! In Rabat I visited the St Paul's Catacombs. A truly giant amount of catacombs that you can go down and visit. Like so many tombs, you have no idea, well over 20. I'm very tall at 6'3 and you do need to bend down a lot, they were not made for tall people back then. I finished the day by going over to the Dingli cliffs, which is well worth the view if you go for a little hike away from the church and observatory. (Don't worry, there is a restaurant along the way)

Day 7: final day! A slow day, to allow for packing and sunbathing however I also visited the Mosta Rotunda. A famous domed church, that has been given the designation of minor basilica because of its significance during ww2 when a bomb hit it, during a congregation gathering and it didn't explode.

While I was in Malta I used the buses, very cheap, very easy to use. But the timings are more of a suggestion than a fixed fact. The buses are €2 for a 2 hour ticket (summer prices) but you can get a weekly ticket for €26 which is what I did, because I was using them so often. Use the Talinja app, which gives you live timings for the buses

Anyways here are some photos of the trip

Thanks again Jack!!!! You always give the best vacations

James Hofstetter