MALTA, GOZO AND COMINO ADVENTURES

We went to Malta this past Memorial Day weekend. While preparing for the trip, we had very limited information on specific things we were looking for, even off the internet. We didn't want to purchase a $15-20 book on a weekend trip so off we went with whatever little information we obtained. I don't normally go into any trips without strategically planning and putting together an itinerary but the lack of information left us no choice. So as a result, we started our trip slightly rocky and aimless, which could easily whip up "planners" like me into a mode of frustration and belligerence towards my companions. But refusing to be defeated and intentionally seeking beauty in the gnarliest things, we decided to enjoy ourselves and make the most out of our short time there.

So taking note of that whole debacle, I decided to write about our trip in case we return for a rematch, I can avoid the unnecessary hassles we went through and be able to see more. Some of our friends have asked us for tips and recommendations as well, so I decided to put this writing into a blog which they can easily access off the internet whenever they need to.  Maybe you can learn a thing or two as well from our mishaps and adventures to either prevent disasters from happening or to just simply enhance your experience. So here’s our take on Malta.

LANGUAGE:  Most Maltese speak at least two languages: Maltese and English, but some even speak Italian. The Maltese language is a beautiful mish-mash of different languages. It sounds Arabic when you hear it, but written in Roman format. There are words that sound or read similar to Spanish or Italian as well. This is because Malta has been invaded and ruled by many different countries and kingdoms in the past.

DRIVING: Driving in Malta is like driving in London but with the Italian traffic twist. The driver’s seat is on the right-hand side and the car is driven on the left hand side of the road but the way the drivers plow the through road though is very similar to the audacity and confidence of Italian drivers.

FOOD: Malta offers an enormous variety of food from all walks of nationalities. However, as good as it sounds to be able to eat the Asian food you have been craving for, don’t neglect to try the traditional Maltese food. Having said that, we highly recommend "Ta’ Kris" in Sliema. Reservations may be required here because they get tend to be booked. They served an amazing Lamb roast dish called Haruf il-Forn, cooked in herbs, mint, spices and white wine; and “Laham tal-Brodu,” a beef dish slow cooked for four hours in vegetable broth. Rabbit is also a delicacy in Malta and if you are a seafood lover, well, you are in the right place! They not only serve fresh and affordable seafood, they also know how to cook it! We are firm believers that you have to try the local food to truly experience the culture.

AIRPORT TRANSFERS: If your hotel doesn’t provide Airport shuttles, you can either take a taxi, or purchase an Airport Transfer from the booth inside the Malta International Airport, right before you go out of the “EUR Schengen” blue gate.

The Airport transfers have a fixed rate depending on the area where you need to be taken to and how many people are in your group. We stayed in Sliema so we paid €30 ROUNDTRIP for two adults and one child between the ages of 5-12. They dropped us off our hotel and set the time for our pick up on the day of our departure. Please make sure to KEEP your receipt because that will be your pick up info.

Both modes of transports have advantages and disadvantages. The taxis may be slightly more costly, but they take you straight to the airport and you set the time of pick up. The airport transfer, on the other hand, is a shared ride. So they may pick up other passengers along the way (passengers who purchased transfers as well). This is bad if there is traffic and they are running late. Luckily, we checked-in online ahead of time and picked our seats already. We only needed to drop off our checked-in luggage so the "less than two-hour" window to check in didn’t matter to us. But if you don't check in two hours prior, you may be penalized if the shuttle was running late.

GETTING AROUND MALTA:

By Bus:  It is €1.50 per person for 5 years old and up.  There are bus times posted around the bus stop poles. Note that Sat-Sun schedules are different and less frequent than Mon-Fri ones. Plan accordingly.

By Ferry: There are water taxis in Malta. They usually operate 0700-0000. Each taxi has different pricing depending on where are you heading to. Please check price accordingly.

BLUE, BLUE AND BLUE. Let’s get something straight. There are THREE FAMOUS BLUES in Malta; the Blue Grotto, the Blue Lagoon and the Blue Window. I am going to attempt to provide information as much as I can. I have labeled the map above with numbers that corresponds to each site I will mention.  

BLUE GROTTO (see #1 on the map): The Blue Grotto is a series of sea caverns on the South side of Malta. Everyday, from sunrise to about 1p.m., this teal to aqua blue color can be witnessed due to the reflection of the sunlight. The color comes from the phosphorescent flora living underwater.

The largest cave in the Blue Grotto sea cavern series

How to get there:  There are tours and Hop-On Hop-Off buses that include this stop in their routes/packages. But if you want to do it on your own, here's how: take the bus from where you are staying to Valletta Bus Terminal, then, transfer to Bus #74. The bus number may change from time to time so make sure you check the right bus number or ask the info booth. Get off the Panoramic View for the Blue Grotto (make sure to tell your bus driver ahead of time so he knows you are getting off there). Your bus ticket from where you got on from your hotel can transfer to Bus 74, just tell the driver you are transferring and show him your ticket from when you got on the bus. The same ticket can take you back to Valletta IF you get on the bus within the time frame stamped on your ticket (usually within 2 hours).

Blue Grotto waters 

How to get back: The bus to get back is just a few steps uphill from the restroom. The bus numbers and bus times are posted on a pole. There are also cab drivers who offer services if you are pressed with time. It may cost between €15-€25 to Mdina or Valletta. IMPORTANT: Please plan ahead of time because some days, buses are less frequent, especially on weekends.

Boat Tickets and Hours of Operation: Currently, the boat fare to the Blue Grotto is €8 per adult and €4 per child.  During summer, they operate between 0900-1700; Winter 0900-1530.

Lunch, and Refreshments: There are a couple restaurants, a few ice cream parlors, cafes and beverage stores, souvenirs, hats and scarves shops around. 

Inside one of the Blue Grotto caves

Restrooms: A public restroom is available on the left hand side of the hill if you are facing bottom of the hill to purchase tickets. It is across the street from the restaurants and cafes. Prepare some spare change; they operate by donation only.

Terrain: The ticketing office and the pier for the boats are at the bottom of the hill past the restaurants and restroom. You will have to walk downhill after the bus drops you off by the panoramic view.  Once you reach the bottom of the hill, the ticketing office will be on the left hand side and the pier will be on the right.  

Off course, where there is a downhill, guess what’s next? You’re right! Uphill! It is a steep uphill. We saw groups of older people walk the first part of the hill so it is not impossible to climb it. The locals have installed wooden plank stoppers to prevent visitors from slipping. Others pay a euro each for a golf-cart ride halfway up the hill to get to the parking lot, especially the elderly ones who are not fit for uphill walking. Please be extra cautious when using strollers. The downhill is very steep. It can send the strollers rocketing downhill, crashing into the rock if you accidentally let go of the stroller.

Selfie Note: Take your selfies at the Panoramic view AS SOON as you get off the bus because you may not get a chance later as you will be hungry, sweaty and rushing to catch the bus to your next destination. Trust me. We’ve been there. =)

Blue Lagoon, Comino Island, Malta

BLUE LAGOON (see #2 on the map): The Blue Lagoon is a series of beach coves around the island of Comino. Comino is a small island in between Malta and Gozo. It is a wonderful place perfect for swimming and snorkeling. A scene from Brad Pitt’s movie “Troy” was shot here. You can also pay boat transfers to a different cove aside from the common beach area if you want more privacy.  Sitting on top of the other side of Comino is Saint Mary’s Tower which represented Chateau d’If, an Alcatraz-style prison, in the movie adaptation of "The Count of Monte Cristo." The water was still cold in late May when we went, but once we submerged our entire bodies and started swimming, it was bearable… up until we got out and caught the breeze =).

How to get there:  We took the "Comino Blue Lagoon Tour" through the Captain Morgan’s Cruise for €20 per person. We paid less for children but it was through an agency near our hotel. You may be able to haggle for children pricing.

The tour left Sliema Pier at 10AM and traveled for about two hours, stopping at a few ports to pick and drop off passengers. It included cold lunch and unlimited drinks (soft drinks, water, wine). Snacks, ice cream, and slushies are available for purchase at the bar. Along the way, we passed by the islands dedicated to the shipwreck of the Apostle Paul which changed the history and faith of the Maltese. (see #4 on the map). Today, it is said that Malta is the most religious country in all of Europe, having one church for everyday of the year.

Note: If you are taking the Captain Morgan’s Gozo and Comino Blue Lagoon Tour (€35 per person, no lunch but with unlimited drinks), you will be taking the same ferry. So pay extra attention to the captain when he speaks through the speaker as the ferry docks in different piers so you won’t miss your stop at Gozo. You will spend two hours in Gozo and 1 hour in Comino.

What to bring: Towels, reef shoes or reef sandals, water (even if the cruise has unlimited water, you will be swimming far from the ferry), snorkel, goggles, small inflatable floatation device for kids, extra cash for speed boat tours, or boat transfers to another cove for less crowded swimming.

One of the seacaverns during our speed boat ride
around Comino island.

Speed boat ride: Hands down, our favorite part of the trip! Not for pregnant people, parents with very little babies, or people who are scared of fast rides. I'll just say if you can't ride a roller coaster, don't get on one of these. I’ll leave it at that!

Terrain: This lagoon is NOT stroller friendly. There are stairs to get down to the cove. You may also choose to hike up the hill to view the Saint Mary’s tower better. We changed our kids out of their swim clothes on top of the hill, away from the crown, with our makeshift change-rooms of towels and sarongs because there was virtually no one else there but us.

Restrooms: Sad to say but there are NO restrooms at the cove. You will have to use the ferry restroom before and after your Comino visit, which by the time lunch is done, you will have less than 3 hours.

Food and refreshments: There are a few food trucks along the cove. Kebabs, burgers, hotdogs, paninis, beverage and ice cream are available for purchase at surprisingly affordable price! The Kebab/Shawarma was outstanding!

Note: Make sure you allow some time to get back to the ferry. The most desired seats are at the upper deck. This deck gets really packed 20-30 minutes prior to departure. It gets very hot in the lower deck so get a good spot in the upper deck. It may get a bit breezy sitting on the upper deck so bring a light sweater, wrap, beach cover or dry towel to break the wind.

BLUE WINDOW (Update: destroyed recently due to a storm) (see #3 on the map): Also called the Azure Window, this beauty is a perfectly arched limestone formation carved by waves and nature, located Malta’s sister island, Gozo. This landmark has been featured in the movies "The Count of Montecristo," "Clash of the Titans" and the TV series, "Game of Thrones. "Although we didn’t get to swim in this area, there are plenty of places to swim, scuba dive and snorkel. There are no sandbars though so you will have to climb through rocky areas to get to the water.  There is also the Blue Hole right next to this site which divers go gaga for. 

How to get there: We took a "Gozo by Bus Tour." The shuttle picked us up from our respective hotels and drove us to the Cirkewwa Pier (see #7 in map). We took the ferry to Gozo, then our tour guide/driver waited for us at the ferry landing in Gozo. You can also purchase transfer from your hotel to Cirkewwa Pier, take the ferry, then take the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus in Gozo, and get off the stop for the Azure Window in Dwerja. Buses are also available from the Gozo Ferry Pier Mgarr, but they are much less frequent. Nonetheless, you can take Bus 301 or 302 from Mgarr Pier to Rabat Victoria, the capital city of Gozo. Then from Rabat, catch the 311 bus. You can click on one of the links at the bottom of this blog to view the Malta bus schedules. 

Ferry Fare between Malta and Gozo: The Gozitan government provides free ferry from Malta to Gozo to draw tourists in. But coming back you have to pay a minimal price of €4.50 coming per person.

MALTA HOP-ON HOP-OFF

We didn’t take the HOHO bus tour because we chose the cruise and bus tours I mentioned above. If we had an extra day, we would have loved to take both these tours.  

Here’s the info we gathered from weighing in our options; in the island of Malta alone, there are two routes: the North Route and the South Route. The HOHO cost €20 per 1 day adult ticket and €12 per 1 child ticket (ages 5-14yrs old). The 2-day adult ticket costs €37 and €20 for kids. This ONLY APPLIES IN MALTA. You can use the same HOHO ticket to transfer from one route to another within the same day. If you go through the tours without getting off, you will be able to finish the South route in 2 hours and the North route in 3 hours. The only stop the two routes connect is in the Valletta Water Terminus stop. 

GOZO HOP-ON HOP-OFF

Gozo has their own HOHO which lasts about 2 ½ hour if you go through the tour without getting off. The cost is €18 per adult, €10 per child. They also offer HOHO+transport from to/from ferry which costs €26 per adult and €18 per child. The Gozo HOHO stops at the Blue Window and the Goza Capital City, Victoria.

GOZITAN PRODUCTS: Gozo is known for her lace and embroidery products, as well as the delicious goat cheese called Gbejna. They also produce filigree jewels. We rarely eat at McDonald’s. But when we were in Valletta, we were drawn in by their McFtira, a burger with their famous goat cheese from Gozo. If you are a goat cheese burger fan, I will tell you it was delish.

WHERE TO STAY

Sliema at midnight

The View from the Upper Barrakka Gardens. 

If you are single or a couple with no children to worry about during the trip, Saint Julians is very lively and much more of a party area. We were a family with a school-aged child so we stayed in Sliema (see #6 on the map) which was much quieter but still had plenty of food options.  Sliema is bustling with athletes running and biking up and down the strand early in the morning, ferrymen calling passengers aboard, tourists gawking at the beautiful view or looking lost, reading the bus stop signs to figure out if they are at the right place.  Valletta is very pricey hotelwise, but is easy access to everything. The bus terminals are there and it is quite a lovely place to spend your leisurely hours at. There are PLENTY of restaurants to dine in and historic places to visit. Our favorite spot there was the Upper Barrakka gardens overlooking a lovely panoramic view. It was such a delight to have coffee there, read a book or just sit on one of the benches, sea breeze blowing your hair as you bask in the beauty of Malta. We spent our last few hours in Malta there before he flew out that night: my daughter immensely enjoyed running around the garden and veiwing the three cities in front of us through a telescope while I sipped my coffee and enjoy the fresh air as my husband took pictures of our daughter, the cannons and the landscape.

OTHER SITES TO SEE

Popeye’s Village. This theme-park style attraction was the site where a scenes from the movie "I'm Popeye The Sailorman" were filmed in the 80’s. It is quite far from many tourist attractions but if you have an extra day to spare or you are a huge Popeye fan, there are transports you can purchase which will pick you up from where you are staying, take you to Popeye’s village and return you back to your hotel. See #8 on the map above for the location.

Mdina and Rabat. Mdina is a silent city with some 200 inhabitants of noble blood. It used to be Malta’s capital. This beautiful fortress is where some scenes from "The Count of Montecristo" and "Game of Thrones" were filmed. Rabat, on the other hand, is the adjacent larger  old town of Mdina. The name is Arabic for Suburb. Rabat is home to St Paul’s Grotto which is said to have been the Apostle Paul’s quarters when he was shipwrecked in Malta and stayed there for three months. See #5 on the map.

St Paul's Cathedral, Mdina. 

A scene from the movie, "Count of Montecristo" was shot here. 

It is said that this Cathedral now  stands on the site of Publius' 

home where Paul healed Publius' father after Paul was 

shipwrecked on the Maltese coast.

The Fishing Village. Very early every Sunday morning until about half past noon, the village of Marsaxlokk hosts a fish market which offers a variety of Mediterranean fish species freshly caught early that morning. There are plenty of fish restaurants if you are a fish lover. See #9 on the map.

The Malta National Aquarium. We didn't have a chance to visit this aquarium. But based on what our friends have said, they thouroughly enjoyed this place. So I have included it here and the link as well, so when we go back next time, I will remember the places we missed and plan for them.

Malta is a wonderful country with warm and welcoming people. Three days seemed to be too short for us during summer time so we aim to go back someday and hit the ones we didn't get a chance to see.

I hope you visit it too! If you're already planning but don't know where to begin, I hope this article gave you a better understanding of what Malta has to offer. Now that you have some idea of what to do in Malta, let the planning begin! 

Links and Sources: 

Malta Hop On Hop Off - http://www.city-sightseeing.com/tours/malta/malta.htm

Captain Morgan Cruises - http://www.captainmorgan.com.mt/home?l=1

Malta Official Website - http://www.visitmalta.com/en/st-paul-in-malta

Malta Aquarium - http://www.aquarium.com.mt/

Gozo Hop On Hop Off - http://www.city-sightseeing.com/tours/malta/gozo.htm

Malta and Gozo Bus schedules - https://www.publictransport.com.mt/en/route/311


We travel often and have picked up a few travel necessities that may be able to help you. See our travel hacks blog via this link: http://beautyinthegnarlythings.blogspot.it/2015/08/my-travel-hacks.html.