Despite having travelled to most countries in Europe, Malta was one place that I had never gotten round to. I decided that 2020 would be a good time to finally visit the hotspot as most countries outside of Europe were on the Uk's 'red list', however despite several attempts my flights kept getting cancelled. In early 2021, I booked flights to Malta for September 2021, in the hopes of going with some mates or my cousin, however when both parties pulled out at the last minute, I found myself debating between spending my time off in rainy London or going on a solo trip to a new destination - obviously I chose the latter.
I'd travelled alone previously and am actually quite fond of solo travel, plus I was only going to be in Malta for a couple of days as it was a 'stopover' en route to Portugal, so I was very excited. Saying this, I'd heard very mixed reviews about Malta with some finding it incredibly dull and others returning annually, so I was intrigued and didn't know what to expect from this tiny island.
I visited in mid-September and despite the high temperatures (circa 30°C), there weren't too many tourists (or mosquitos!). I stayed in an Airbnb in Floriana, situated right outside of the city gates of Valletta, which was perfect and allowed me to access not only the capital, but also other surrounding cities very easily as I was close to the main bus terminal. The public transport system in Malta is very good, with buses heading in all directions at only 2€ per journey (valid for 2 hours). Valletta is the capital and is stunning, with several narrow alleys, scenic views, and beautiful architecture. The juxtaposition of the Arabic and European influences was clear to see and made the country very unique; I was especially fond of the balconies jutting out of the apartments as they were unlike any other I'd seen elsewhere. I was also shocked by the widespread understanding of English amongst locals and their hospitality (for the most part).
Food
One of my favourite parts about travelling is being able to try local dishes and despite its size, Maltese cuisine is plentiful and did not disappoint. There were many foods I was keen to try: specifically rabbit stew, Cisk beer, timpana, and pastizzi.
Annoyingly, rabbit was relatively expensive in Valletta (undoubtably for tourists), however a central café called Caffe Cordina offered it for only 9€ so I planned to try this speciality here. Despite its good reviews, I tried to dine here twice and was extremely disappointed by this café as the staff completely ignored the customers and other diners scrambled to take any available tables even though other people were waiting for longer. That said, every other restaurant I visited in Malta was great and the locals were very attentive to my needs. My favourite meal in Malta was the Linguine alla Pescatora (seafood linguine) in Da Pablo Trattoria di Mare. This restaurant had been recommended to me by a friend who'd visited Malta the previous week and it did not disappoint.
I also really enjoyed the local Cisk beer as it was very light and fresh, as well as 'pastizzi', which is a popular snack consisting of a ricotta-filled pastry. I made sure to try 'timpana', which is penne pasta with mince, encased in pastry, and is nice but extremely filling.
Itinerary
As mentioned previously, I only spent a couple of days in Malta, so whilst waiting to board my outbound flight, I came up with a rough itinerary based on the country's main landmarks and recommendations from friends who had been previously.
Day 1
My flight landed at 3pm, meaning that I had around 4 hours to explore the area before sunset. Luckily, I'd taken this into consideration when booking my Airbnb and was close enough to Valletta to explore the capital thoroughly within those hours. I was staying right outside St. Publius church by 'il-Fosos', which is a square where concerts are sometimes held. En route to the city gates of Valletta, I passed by the Triton fountain, which I'd recommend seeing it at night, and after entering the city gates, found myself in front of an unusual building: Parliament House. The next stop on my tour was the one I was most excited for: St. John's Co-Cathedral. This building is stunning, especially at sun set, but it was a shame that the Caravaggio wing was under maintenance, meaning that I couldn't see the famous paintings. Similarly, the National Library nearby was beautiful but was closed to tourists due to covid.
It was at this point that I went to Da Pablo for the seafood linguine, and although my least favourite part of solo travel is dining alone in restaurants, the waitress was extremely attentive and welcoming so I didn't feel out of place and had a very enjoyable meal. After dinner, I walked around the Grandmaster's Palace and Fort Saint Elmo, before heading towards the Siege Bell War Memorial and the Lower Burrakka gardens. Although the fort wasn't my scene, these gardens were peaceful and offered a lovely view of the city and harbour.
Day 2
I only had one full day in Malta and contemplated spending the day in Gozo, going to the beach, or taking a City Sightseeing bus around the country, but decided that it was a better use of my time to explore more of Valletta and perhaps Mdina if time allowed.
After having breakfast along the Valletta waterfront, which is very picturesque and was surprisingly empty, I took the Burrakka lift up to the Upper Burrakka Gardens, which I much preferred to the Lower Gardens. Not only could I admire the harbour but also the Saluting battery below and there were plaques with celebrated figures and facts about Malta's relations that I enjoyed learning about, for example, I wasn't aware that the Portuguese had fought alongside the Maltese against French rule in the 1700s.
I then visited Castille Place, beside which there asw a migration monument that I was fond of, and then headed inside the Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck, which I had passed by the previous day but hadn't explored fully. This church was beautiful and is free to visit (though, donations are welcomed) and I would strongly recommend visiting it to escape the heat for a bit. After viewing the city of Sliema from the waterfront and exploring the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, it was time for lunch and after becoming frustrated at Caffe Cordina, I decided to try the timpana and pastizzi from a kiosk in Pjazza Tritoni, which was definitely overambitious (I saved the pastizzi for later) but delicious.
On my way to the waterfront in the morning, I'd noticed a cool street by my Airbnb called Triq Sant'anna, which was lined with palm trees and as I was heading home for a couple of hours to cool down and recharge, I made a little detour to explore Floriana a bit.
Feeling energised after my rest, I decided to take on Malta's public transport system in order to get to Mdina, and was very impressed. It only took 30 minutes to arrive and it was on this journey that I realised how unique the country was; there were obvious Arabic and European influences in the architecture as well as in the language, and the locals were very warm and welcoming. Mdina itself was reminiscent of Dubrovnik and was also a film location for Game of Thrones and I was so happy that I visited this city; it was honestly magical, with quiet alleyways and beautiful scenery. I tried my first Cisk beer at Fontanella Tea Garden, which offered a stunning view of Mosta, including the Rotunda of Mosta, and the service was impeccable. This was definitely my highlight of the trip and I'd strongly recommend visiting Mdina if you are in the country. After returning to Valletta, I walked home to find that there was a concert right outside of my Airbnb called Malta Rocks, which supposedly featured the best local talent, so I enjoyed a free concert that evening as a farewell to the country.
I left early the next morning for Portugal but was thoroughly impressed by Malta and its uniqueness and would definitely revisit, albeit for a longer period next time.
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