Passport Crawl: Malta

There is my #sponsoredad (but absolutely in no way #sponsored by anyone) for Malta. It is my belief everyone should go there. It feels like a combination of the Caribbean and pick any European city that has historical points of interest then add an arabic influence, which makes it very unique. Here are the 6 cities I explored while visiting and if you only have 3 days like me this is a good way to see a solid chunk.

1. Sliema

My accommodations were in Sliema. I picked this property on booking.com because it has a fantastic rating, free wifi and is centrally located to the ferries and busses. I did not know at the time that they also were ready to help me plan my whole experience. So if you need somewhere to stay its Pawlu Accommodations; tell Maria to make you a frita.

2. St Julian’s

I’ve been told this is the party central. Since I was traveling alone I didn’t use it for the bars; I used it for the beaches. There was a public beach every 100ft which makes it really easy. My last day in Malta I spent roaming around, grabbing a quassant when I got hungry and exploring a new beach every hour.

3. Mdina

If you are a Game of Thrones city this is definitely a must! Also it is dubbed the Silent City because not many people live there and they cannot really drive in the town. Maria, the owner, suggested first I head there with Cynthia, a Chinese student living in Poland visiting Malta. When Cynthia agreed we ventured off. It is a 40 minute 2 euro bus ride from Sliema. It is a must! Finally after all this walking you’ll want to grab lunch at Crystal Palace. (Another Maria win) They sell 3 types of pastizzi; pea, chicken and ricotta. Get all three!

 

4. Dingli

After quickly touring Mdina, we had enough time to grab the bus (another 30 minutes) to the far west side of the island to visit the Dingli Cliffs. In late July on a Tuesday it was very quiet but luckily there were signs for the cliffs. Stunning and definitely causes you to fall in love with limestone.

5. Valletta

From Sliema you can take a ferry for 2.8 euro round trip. With this pass you can go tour Valletta and take the subsequent ferry to 3 Cities and then come all the way back. 6 ferries for 2.8 is a steal. Everything seems to be on the other side of an incredible hill and unending stairs built into the streets. Get. Ready. To. Walk. From the main city center in Valletta plan to end at the Upper Barraka Gardens, hear the canons go off at noon, take the lift to the bottom, then follow signs to the ferry and head to….

6. 3 Cities

You could spend an entire day in just this part of the country. Alas I did not have that much time to kill, just an afternoon. You can also buy packages like rolling geeks or get on the tour bus but double alas I am cheap AF. I decided to walk around and ended up discovering quiet neighborhoods, adorable cafes and hidden beaches.. and ended up walking 11 miles. The only tour I opted for was Fort Renella which is next to where they shot Troy (which is apparently closed #fail). The fort is fun to see and if you are British it would likely be more interesting as there is a full museum dedicated to their military history. Heading back from here is when I missed the bus and found one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen so it was worth it.

Spontaneous plans are the best plans so remember to not schedule every hour when you are traveling.

Extra Credit:

• Eat rabbit, its their traditional dish and served basically everywhere.
• Don’t use google map to get to the airport. Seriously it comes up not as the main terminal but the maintenance center. Here you will need to hope you can ask for a ride to the terminal from an engineer instead of walking the mile back with all your bags… speaking from experience.
• Blue Lagoon or Grotto: Apparently they are amazing but I didn’t have the time or money to get out there.