Malta Island "The Mediterranean Island"

Malta Island is the largest of the three islands that constitute the Maltese archipelago and Republic of Malta. Malta is in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea directly south of Italy and north of Libya. The area is 246 km² (95 square miles). The capital is Valletta, largest city is Qormi and largest locality is Birkirkara. The landscape is characterised by low hills with terraced fields.

One of the three principal islands of the Maltese archipelago, the island of Malta is the largest of the chain. Its capital Valletta, a lively, bustling city with many buildings dating back to the 16th century, teems with cathedrals, palaces and forts. The impressive Grand Harbour offers a dramatic arrival. The top archaeological attraction is the UNESCO-designated Hypogeum temple ruins, a macabre, 5400-square-foot underground necropolis and the world's only underground prehistoric temple.

Casa Rocca Piccola , Valletta



This 16th Century Palace is the ancestral home of the 9th Marquis de Piro and his family. The beautiful rooms contain exquisite furniture, paintings, silver and hundreds of other items, which come to life on fascinating Guided Tours. Among the many rooms there is the Family Chapel, a Winter Dining Room and a Summer Dining Room. The tour also includes entrance into the huge WWII bomb shelters cut out from the foundations of the palace.

Casa Rocca Piccola is the lived-in home of the de Piro family, an ancient Maltese lineage. The history of Casa Rocca Piccola goes back over 400 years to an era in which the Knights of St John, having successfully fought off the invading Turks in 1565, decided to build themselves a prestigious city to rival other European capitals (such as Paris and Venice). Palaces were designed for prestige and aesthetic beauty in most of Valletta’s carefully planned streets, and great bastion walls fortified the new sixteenth-century city.

Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum , Mdina



An extraordinary collection of art and antiques (including paintings, furniture, silver, armour, jewellery, coins, etc.) displayed in one of the oldest buildings in Malta. The Collection was put together by the Palazzo’s most recent owner and resident, Captain Olof Frederick Gollcher who was an artist, philanthropist and avid collector. Opening times: Tue to Sun 10am-5pm (last visit 4pm). Facilities include audio guide, panoramic view rooftop cafe, gift shop, special needs toilet.

Malta Aviation Museum , Attard



The museum is a living and working museum, which is a prime attraction for all family members of all ages. It exhibits a collection of around 18 aircraft, aircraft engines, airfield equipment, uniforms, model aircraft and much more. Among its prime exhibits are a World War II Hawker Hurricane which was recovered from the seabed in 1995 and completely restored to working condition.

uPhotoMalta , Sliema



Uphotomalta is a novel way of exploring and appreciating the Maltese islands. Duncan Zammit, the charismatic chap behind the idea, has devised an original photography tour that takes in remote parts of Malta and Gozo that have retained their authentic beauty...be it the natural scenery of Malta’s rugged coastline or secluded pieces of heritage such as the charming chapels dotting the Maltese countryside. The idea is to expose a side of Malta and Gozo that only locals know about and so guarantee abundant opportunities for truly unique photography.

St. Paul's Church , Rabat



St Pauls Church is the Parish church in Rabat and is situated over the grotto where Saint Paul is said to have resided when in Malta. This site is the best reference about the church location

The Church of St. Paul, built above the grotto, dates from the 17th century. The statue of St Paul was donated by Grand Master Pinto in 1748; the silver galley hanging from the ceiling was given by the Knights of St John in 1960 to mark the 1,900-year anniversary of St Paul's shipwreck. Pope John Paul prayed in the grotto during his visit in May 1990.

The Sanctuary of St Publius was added on to the Church of St. Paul in 1617. The Spaniard Publius came to Malta in about 1600 to become a knight, but upon visiting the grotto he decided to become a hermit instead. Lorenzo Gafa renovated the building in 1692 and his brother Melchiorre executed the marble statue of St Paul..

Note that St. Paul's Grotto is not the same as the similarly-named St. Paul's Catacombs, which are a few miles away.

Rotunda (Church of St. Mary) , Mosta



Even if not religious, this is worth a visit. The interior of the church is impressive and the whole church is unusually round.- hence it`s name `Rotunda`. The church has a huge dome

Dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and built between the 1830s and 1860s, the Rotunda was designed by Maltese architect Giorgio de Vasse. In a rather revolutionary move, the church was built over and around the existing one, which was then demolished.

In 1942 during World War II, the church took a direct hit from a German bomb while more than 300 people were congregated inside for Mass. The bomb pierced the dome and fell to the ground with a bounce, but failed to explode.

The army took the bomb outside and diffused it, and no one was hurt. The event has become legendary, with many regarding it as a miracle. A replica of the 200kg bomb can be seen in the sacristy.

Artitude Gallery , Sliema
At Artitude, we offer you a choice of some of Malta's best contemporary art pieces. From cityscapes to figural paintings to abstracts. Open from Tuesday-Friday 10am-1pm, 4pm -7pm. Saturday 10am -1pm.

Popeye Village Fun Park Mellieha



Popeye Village Fun Park has grown from its days as the Film Set of the 1980 Musical Production "Popeye" into a number of colorful fun activities for all young at heart. For fun you will meet famous cartoon characters to greet and entertain your kids, grownups can be part of a filming experience with the animation crew, a number of attractions such as Santa's toy town, boat rides, (water trampolines, sun bathing decks, beach lido)summer only, food outlets and a winery offering free wine tasting. There is also Malta's largest jump around and a small fun park with rides for kids.

Strait Street , Valletta

Strait Street maybe the street with the most history in Valletta because of the 'colourful scenes' untill it's recent past up to 30 years ago.

It was the place were duels took place in the days of the knights and bar fights during the British rule when members from the various services used to pick up fights against each other. The street was full of bars with live music and girls for hire.

All servicemen stationed in Malta have fond memories of `The Gut` as it was then known. However, it really came to life thanks to the sailors whose ships were berthed in the Grand Harbour. After weeks at sea, as soon as they were allowed on shore they would head to Strait Street. It`s true there used to be bar fights , also fights along the route back to their ships which were patrolled by MPs but the fights weren`t vicious like todays and seemed to form part of the fun. Nowadays, the bars are closed up but names still remain.;

Today the story is quite different with another type of bars opening for business.

If you need to stop for a snack while visiting this street try the cafe' and snack-bar, 'il Bordello' - a very appropriate name that brings back to mind the history of the street - which located on the corner with St. John's Street. The food served is of a very high quality and reasonably priced. When visiting Valletta do not miss out on this place.

Transportation

The Maltese Islands are not very large, which makes getting around relatively trouble-free.

The public bus service on Malta and Gozo is a good way to get around as buses serve the major tourist areas, go practically everywhere and are cheap and efficient. The cost of a bus route ranges from €0.35 to €0.58 and the longest bus journey takes about fifty minutes; the average ride is between twenty and thirty minutes

Renting a car is a good option if you want to get to the farther reaches of the island. All the road signs are in English and driving is on the left.

Major and local car hires are located on Malta and Gozo with daily rates of €16 - €28. International and national driving licenses are acceptable. A number of internationally based car hiring firms as well as local garages also offer the services of chauffeur-driven cars.

Renting scooters, motorbikes or mountain bicycles is an option, but travel this way can be somewhat limited as not all roads are two-wheel vehicle friendly.

The white taxi service can pick up passengers from anywhere, except bus-stops. Taxi services from the Malta International Airport and the Seaport Terminal to all localities in Malta are based on a fixed tariff.

A regular ferry service links Malta to Gozo, taking about 20 minutes each way. A sea plane service links Grand Harbour in Valletta to Mgarr Harbour in Gozo. There are also regular boat services between each island and Comino.

A water taxi service using traditional Maltese 'dghajsa' boats is also available in Grand Harbour.