Malta is a small island (technically an archipelago) between the Italian coast and Libya/Tunisia. And yes, Malta is a member of the EU.
I’ll be honest. If I were not friends with Andrew Chetcuti, I would not have visited Malta. I also stopped by Dubai, and his parents were also there at the time and took me around, and I have already written about it this blog post. So big shoutout to the whole family for introducing me to a wonderful country in Malta that I never thought I would have visited.
Candy Bar Fun Fact: Andrew is an Olympic Swimmer and represented Malta at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Pretty good, I guess.
Ok *straightens suit* – I have to admit, I was slightly underprepared for the climate. It’s hot, it’s sunny, and it makes you regret that last visit to the tanning salon. But after an afternoon of jumping in the water, I adjusted quickly.
How I Got There
As usual whenever I travel, I either take a United flight or search for the cheapest flight on kayak.com. I wrote an article about how I stick to flying on United as much as possible to cash out big with my miles.
For this trip, I took an Air Malta flight from Athens to Malta. I found that flight on kayak.com.
Here are my top 3 favorite things to do in Malta:
1. Valetta
Valetta is the capital city of Malta and hosts many of the country’s famous museums. We entered the capital city by walking through the Valetta City Gate, a gorgeous-looking bridge that connects the rest of Malta to its capital.
Valetta City Gate
We spent a whole day in this area. And ate stuffed boneless rabbit for lunch. Don’t @ me.
2. Zonqor Bay
AKA “Bajda u Sewda”. This area is located in the town of Marsascala.
Enjoy the surrounding bodies of water is an absolute must in Malta, so that’s what we did on this day.
Hot-Dogs-or-Legs-ing
Bajda u Sewda
I thoroughly enjoyed Hot-Dogs-or-Legs-ing during an afternoon where all we did was jump into the crystal clear water and get sun-kissed.
3. Mdina
This was a cute little town about 15 minutes from Valetta. Mdina was the capital of Malta up until the medieval times.
We went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, explored the two palaces (Palazzo Santa Sofia and Vilhena Palace), and observed the gorgeous architecture of the buildings everywhere.
Lunch at Fortanella (Google Maps location) with a view was nice.
Palazzo Santa Sofia
Vilhena Palace
Honorable Mentions
For the purposes of keeping things PG13 on my website, let’s just say nightlife in Paceville was a blast. Sorry for partying, bro.
Paceville is the nightlife district near the capital city.
One great thing about Malta that I observed is that cost isn’t ridiculous like it is in some other European countries, so don’t worry about having to spend $20USD on a McDonad’s meal.
It wasn’t necessary to “pregame” at all and enjoyed the evening without having to worry about loosening our pockets in Paceville.
Where I Stayed
I stayed at Andrew’s crib. Sorry, haha.
But I did write a separate article on How I Choose Where I Stay when I Travel.
If I Had More Time, I Would Have…
Gozo. I would have definitely loved to island hop around Malta and check out Gozo.
I would have also liked to island hop to Cominotto Blue Lagoon. Maybe one day I’ll return and swim over there.
Popeye Village. For the gram. Not for the spinach.
Closing Remarks
Malta is what I like to call a hidden treasure in the Mediterranean Sea. Because I think some people tend to forget about Malta when we talk about the Eurozone.
I enjoyed the laid-back culture and the beautiful weather of Malta. I hope to return one day.
