Malta is a gorgeous, sun-baked archipelago between Sicily and Northern Africa, and it's a destination I absolutely loved when I got to visit in 2019. My group of friends and I headed over there for my friend's 30th birthday celebrations, starting in her hometown and ending up in a rustic stone villa on Gozo island. My days were filled with sunshine, pool lounging, and touristing - and my nights were filled with drinking good wine, eating good food and watching magical sunsets: the dream.
So, I thought I'd ask that friend to give us the low-down on her beautiful homeland (guides are always better from a local) and she happily obliged - although now I think she might hate me as all the reminiscing and Malta loving has made her homesick, who knew?!
Asking your friend to tell you all the amazing things about her home - which she can't visit - during a pandemic, was a top-notch idea Rachael. Expect your friendship termination notice in the post.
Anyway, I grilled her on all things Malta and here it is: an insider's guide to Malta from my now very homesick friend (her name is Sophie, btw).
Side note: She lives in London.
Pre-covid I'd go every couple of months: Christmas, Easter and summer and then some weekends throughout the year.
Yes - there's lots to see and do, and some decently priced hotels and hostels which would be affordable for a solo traveller. If you manage to adopt a Maltese friend in your life you'd be set though* as they'd offer you a place to stay and us locals are always happy to be tour guides!
*I can confirm this is an absolute winner.
Definitely! Lots of the sightseeing can be done for free, and there are some very decent restaurants that won't break the bank.
Very family and friend oriented, and food-centric! Most events/gatherings are centred around food and meals with friends and family. In the summer things are very laid back, most companies have a two-week shut down, so there's lots of beach and pool time together. People like staycations too, so will often go for weekend breaks with large groups of friends/family.
Mdina, Valletta and St Peter's Pool.
First thing I would do would be have a Maltese-style fry up with some sausages (lovingly known as pink sausages), then I'd head to Valletta for a wander, a coffee and some lunch. I'd then spend the afternoon on the beach - either Gnejna Bay, Golden Bay or in St Paul's Bay, with a cold Cisk, watching the sunset. We have supper late in Malta so at about 8pm I'd head to one of my favourite restaurants, Trattoria del Nonno, for dinner.
If you're able to rent a car I would definitely recommend that as some of the best sites are hard to reach by public transport (think half an hour walk from the nearest bus stop). Bolt operates there though, so if you don't mind splashing a bit on taxis that could also be a viable option.
This really depends on whether you'd be willing to rent a car. There are some really good car rental deals and public transport isn't always great so you'd probably see more if you drove. As I mentioned, Bolt operates in Malta now, so that's an option if you don't drive (or have people to drive you around - like me!).
For someone renting a car I'd suggest staying somewhere in the North - St Paul's Bay is my favourite area: it's on the coast with lots of great bars and restaurants. If you need to rely on public transport I'd suggest staying in Valletta as that's where the main bus terminus is. Valletta's also a great place to stay as there's lots to explore in the city, lots of history, beautiful architecture, great bars, restaurants and shops. It's definitely one of my favourite places on the island.
The best things about Malta are the sunshine and the food so my three favourite things revolve around both of those things! Going to the beach, eating in restaurants (new ones pop up all the time), and watching the sunset from the bay near my family home - called Fomm ir-Rih. I also love going to Gozo (Malta's sister island). Gozo deserves its own separate write up!
Many of the hidden gems from my childhood have been exposed by the internet! Fomm ir-Rih (literally translated is mouth of the wind because of the shape of the bay) is a beautiful viewpoint in the countryside. It's great for watching sunsets. There's a tiny sandy beach but it's quite a dangerous trek to get to, though you could rent a boat from a nearby bay to get to it instead. Another of my favourite beaches is Qawra Point, or Ta' Fra Ben. It looks like nothing special but the sea there is always glorious!
Maltese food is very fish and meat-based - fresh fish in the summer is hard to get wrong! Towards the end of the summer is lampuki season. It's my favourite fish and if you're a fish fan, you'll love it too! It's typically served fried or baked with a tomato and caper sauce.
Outside of the summer Malta is known for its meat dishes. Rabbit is a very popular meat, served fried with chips or in a stew. The town where my family lives - Mgarr - is famous for it
s rabbit restaurants. It's traditional to have a big rabbit meal (called a 'Fenkata' - rabbit in Maltese is fenek), usually with spaghetti with rabbit to start, then fried rabbit with chips as the main. If you're a meat lover, horse is also big in the rabbit restaurants of Mgarr.
A family favourite of ours is Trattoria del Nonno in St. Paul's Bay. It has delicious meat and seafood, and their pizzas are great too. If you have a bit more money to spend there's a Michelin starred restaurant in Valletta called Noni, which I haven't had the chance to visit yet but it's been recommended to me by friends.
For a delicious brunch I'd recommend Marelli Cafe in Birkirkara (go on their Instagram and drool over their dishes). I know this is more than 3 but if you want a cheap fry up (cos let's face it, who doesn't?) the George's Seafront in Bugibba is the one. My brother and I have gone there for hangover fry ups for about 15 years and the price has never changed - about €3/€4. And I have to give an honorable mention to the many, many pastizzerias on the island. They serve pastizzi (puff pastry filled with ricotta or mushy peas) as well as sausage rolls, pizzas and various other greasy treats. They're perfect for a quick (not light) lunch while sightseeing.
City of London Pub in St Julian's is a pub that has been there for years, my mum has told me stories from her youth hanging out there! In Paceville (the main party area) there's a bar called Peppermint which is an old faithful. Every village also has local bars - usually linked to the town's preferred political party - they're always fun for a cheap drink.
Drinks prices have gone up since I moved away - prices can vary based on area. On average I'd say between €3-€5.
There's an area called Paceville, which is kind of the equivalent of a strip. It has lots of bars and clubs squished into one area. It's not my favourite place to go (in fact I haven't been for years) but if you enjoy a clubbing scene then it's worth a try. If you're in Malta in the summer I'd recommend looking out for festivals and parties, rather than night clubs. There are some great gigs and festivals over the summer. One of my favourites was watching Faithless about 10 years ago! A few years ago I went to a festival in Gozo which was also brilliant - on the beach, in the sunshine. I can't remember what it was called but there are similar ones every summer.
In Malta there are the bars you go to for the drinks, and the bars you go to for the view. City of London that I mentioned earlier is a very social place, right next to the sea but still in a town. Trabuxu (pronounced tra-boo-shoo) wine bar in Valletta is one of my favourite places to go for a nice glass of wine (and Valletta in the evening is gorgeous). One of my favourite places to have a cheap cocktail with a fantastic view of the sunset over the Med is at the bar area of a restaurant called Batubulan in Bugibba. There's a terrace where you can sit and watch the sun setting with some chilled music playing in the background.
There we have it, Sophie's travel guide to Malta. If that's not made you want to head to this little slice of paradise in the near future, I'm not sure what will (also who are you and why don't you like the sound of sunshine, beaches and seafood?!). I may have to steal her insider knowledge for a Gozo guide next... if this didn't make her homesick enough. Sorry, Soph.
P.S. I asked her when the best time to visit Malta is (for good weather and crowd avoiding) and she said June.
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