Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
WHY MALTA SHOULD BE TOP OF YOUR POST-LOCKDOWN TRAVEL LIST
From Crusaders to pirates, everyone has always wanted a piece of Malta. It’s little wonder. Nearconstant sunshine, crystalline seas and majestic, fortified cities speak to a long history and a vibrant present. Exploring its three islands is the perfect way to get back in the adventure travel spirit…
Grab a taste of local life
Maltese cuisine reflects its Mediterranean and Arabic roots, dished up in old taverns where fenek (rabbit) and braġjoli (beef olives) stews accompany a slew of pastas. Be sure to try Gozo’s famed gbejna cheese: creamy and mozzarella-like when fresh but just as often served peppered, dried then soaked in vinegar, affording a sharp tang dulled by olives, tomatoes and hunks of herby Gozitan sausage. You can also enjoy a taste of history at Malta’s museums. Taste History is a new project where curators and chefs have teamed up to recreate ancient Maltese dishes, giving you the chance to sample the surprising flavours.
Recent years have seen Malta’s culinary reputation soar, and even Michelin come calling. Starred restaurants now include Valletta’s playful Noni, which takes rustic Maltese influences and mines them for flavour, and Under Grain, which finds ample room for expression in a menu of unfussy Med staples. Lastly, head to Mdina for the island’s final star, where hotel restaurant De Mondion serves up more formal Mediterranean delights amid the stoic walls of the ‘Silent City’.
Sink into history
Speaking of walls, the Knights of St John, a crusading medieval religious order, still loom large over the history and citadels of Malta. They governed here for nearly three centuries, weathering sieges and pirates, raising the defences of the mainland’s fortified capital, Valletta, as well as the city of Mdina.
Strolling Valletta’s Unescolisted old town today still affords glimpses of their largesse, from the Grandmaster’s Palace to the Co-cathedral, a plain-sided outer hiding a grand, gilded Baroque interior designed to humble even those of Rome. Masterpieces of the age adorn its walls, and a new museum devoted to its collection
of artworks speaks to the city’s time as a medieval cultural hub.
A short drive south of Valletta reveals a history beyond even Malta’s golden age. The Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, a 6,000-yearold subterranean burial chamber so delicate that no more 80 visitors a day may enter, is one of several Unesco-listed ancient sites, including Gozo’s megalithic Ggantija temple, thought to be the oldest free-standing man-made structure in the world.
Cool off underwater
Malta, and Gozo in particular, is famed for its diving, and it consistently ranks in the top two places in the world at the
Dive Magazine Awards. Waters are warmest between July and October, but are diveable year round, with many gently sloping shores making it ideal for beginners. PADI qualifications can be earned from the age of 10 amid dramatic sites such as Gozo’s Mgarr ix-xini Bay or the shallow labyrinthine channels off the salt pans of Xwejni.
More advanced divers can explore the wrecks. A Blenheim bomber that ditched off the southern mainland coast in 1941 is a popular spot, its wings and engine still intact—even its tyres remain pumped. Others flock to Dwerja’s ‘blue hole’ on Gozo, a sheltered entrance for exploring the drop-off and reef below, or skip north to Cathedral Cave, which sees you emerge in an underwater dome the size of that of London’s St Paul’s.
Go wild
Adventurers will find their feet on the coast. Comino, a tiny island and former smuggler’s hideout between the main island and Gozo, makes for scenic kayaking trips. Visit its Blue Lagoon, squeeze in a bit of snorkelling, then dry off on the island trail. Quieter waters can be found further north around Qbajjar, paddling past old salt pans still in use today and brightly coloured boathouses dug into the rock.
On foot, there’s plenty of coastal walking to be found on the mainland. Trails skim the cliffs of Dingli, stretching down past Bronze-age villages and mysterious ‘cart ruts’ (ancient tracks carved into the rock) to the megalithic sites of the west.
Find your place
After, relax in the classical streets of Valletta. Its old town is riddled with 16th and 17th-century palazzos adorned by boxed balconies. In recent years these buildings have taken on a new life as boutique stays, with the elegant 66 St Paul’s typical of the style, its handful of rooms wrapping a cool, quiet internal stone courtyard.
Modern-style hotels exist in the old town, too. Over on the once notorious Strait Street, an alley dubbed ‘the gut’ back in its hedonistic heyday, the new Embassy Valletta Hotel joins its collection of hip bars. The huge rooftop infinity pool offers a stylish and scenic way to cool down after a day of exploring.
For locals, Malta’s countryside is a popular escape, with many of its old farmhouses converted into plush B&BS. But if you want peace and style, across the bay from Valletta lies sleepy Senglea. Here the Cugó Gran Macina Grand Harbour has been cleverly whittled from the bones of the old fortifications. Fine restaurants and a rooftop terrace perched atop the old bastion afford unmatched views over the ancient harbour. The perfect finale to any visit.