I look back on my trip to Malta with a big smile on my face as it was a wonderful girls weekend with one of my besties @thisisthemilk! We wanted to go on holiday together, we wanted to experience somewhere new that neither of us had been before, that was quite unknown and easy to get to from Barcelona and Malta was the top choice! We honestly didn’t know a lot about it before we went and in some ways that was nice because we were able to just take it at face value, and truly make up our own minds about it based on our experiences there. We were in Malta for a weekend trip so I am going to share with you our favourite experiences and what I think you should try if you go…
Experience Malta’s Blue Lagoon
Now when I mentioned the Blue Lagoon to people they kept telling me about the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, but actually Malta has its very own Blue Lagoon located on a smaller island called Comino and it is a special place! The water is incredible shades of turquoise blue and it is worth a visit for that alone. Let me share with you my tips for visiting the Blue Lagoon:
- Think about your travel to the lagoon. We were staying on the other side of the Island and were travelling on a budget so we decided to get the bus there. Although our experience of the bus wasn’t that fun – think crowded & quite poor roads which made for a bumpy ride – it meant that we could suit ourselves time wise and was budget friendly. I must give the locals credit here who helped us with the little English they had to ensure we found the correct bus stop, young and old, they were very friendly and a lot more helpful than the actual bus drivers. I know that you could also get there by boat but they were usually a whole day trip with food and alcohol included. If you are going in a group and want music, alcohol and even a boat slide I would say this is for you! We found it a bit expensive and were looking for a more chilled day so we took the bus and the ferry to the Blue Lagoon.
Us on the ferry to the Blue Lagoon - Plan what you are going to eat and drink during your time there. There was actually a great little stall located where the ferry leaves for the Blue Lagoon where you can get food to take with you. It’s cheaper than buying food on the island. We bought some savory pastries and they kept us going the whole time we were there. There are some colourful stalls on the island, as soon as you approach the Blue Lagoon by yacht or ferry (pictured below) and we chose to get our drinks there, because of course who doesn’t want a cocktail in a pineapple?!
The blue Lagoon as you approach it from the boat - Choose wisely where you want to base yourself for your beach day. As you approach the blue lagoon the water really is stunning, so clear and turquoise and so this is where everybody wants to be. Therefore it can get really busy. (We went at the end of May so not during the summer holidays and it was still busy). If you are happy with that, camp away. Get your spot and enjoy the water with everyone else. We, on the other hand were looking for a more chilled spot so we made friends with the locals (our cocktail pineapple friend) and found that if you walked for maybe 10 mins you could have a cove all to yourself. It is more rocky than sandy so maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but we got free sun loungers right on the edge of the water and had the best day! If you would like to go there, it is located beside the Comino Hotel & Bungalows and is such a peaceful spot!
At our hidden cove, enjoying the peace and quiet and our pineapple cocktails!
- After we enjoyed a few hours of peace and quiet we decided to go to the main blue lagoon and we found that it was much quieter then so I would recommend going later in the afternoon as you will find some of the boat tours leave and there is more space to enjoy the amazing water!
Simply stunning turquoise seas at the Blue Lagoon
Experience the culture of Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, it is an old walled fortress, world heritage site and recently won the Capital of Culture in 2018 when we visited. It is where we were based and is definitely worth a visit! Now some parts of Malta were clearly needing prioritised with choosing where to spend their money (e.g. the roads) but Valletta is not that at all. It is very impressive as you enter the walls of the city and the streets are quaint and have their own style with the colourful windows and doors.
- Take note of the different cultures present in Malta. Malta’s position and past has clearly shaped the culture there. It appeared to us to be heavily influenced by Italy which is its closest neighbour and South Africa which is the second closest. The locals are a mixture of Maltese, Italian, South African and English. Malta has been ruled by many other nations in its history, being under British rule for the longest. Malta only recently became independent from British rule in 1964 which explains why they have the British systems of education and legislation. You will also find British shops, foods, restuarants and even the famous red telephone boxes. It appears as though they are just finding their feet and what is truly Maltese is perhaps a mixture of all these cultures.
- Wander around the quaint streets of Valletta. One thing that particularly struck me as being Maltese was the unique window boxes in all different colours. I have never seen any like these in my travels and I thought they were beautiful in their own way. Some looking old and cracked, some shiny and new, I thought they were beautiful and wandering around and looking at the colourful windows and doors was one of my favourite things to do there!
The unique window boxes, doors and architecture in Valletta, Malta- Go to the top of the fort and watch the canon be fired at noon. The fort is very Game of Thrones like and the canon is still fired at 12 o’clock noon everyday. It is one of their main tourist attractions now. It is an impressive view and the gardens are beautiful.
The fort and gardens at Valletta- View Valletta at night. When the sun goes down, the lights of Valletta come up and the fountain and entrance to the walled city is very impressive.
Valletta at night
Experience different parts of Malta
Now as we were only there for a weekend we didn’t have enough time to visit all that we would have liked to. If you have more time I would recommend the fishing village of Marsaxlokk which looked lovely.
- Favourite food spot:
We did however, take another ferry from Valletta over to Sliema. Now, we did think that the front street where the ferry docks looked as though it was losing its charm a bit, with high rise hotels being built which we thought was a shame. However, there are still beautiful streets a few back from the main street and we actually ate our favourite food of the whole trip there. There is a place called Dr Juice which has the loveliest staff (one chef came out to make sure he had our customised salad correct and even decorated it with flowers). The food is healthy and made to order and I would definitely recommend visiting during your time there!
Our yummy food, and sweaty but happy faces
- Don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers. There were some beautiful blooms when we visited at the end of May so hopefully you can enjoy them too!
I hope you have found this post helpful in planning your trip to Malta! If you have any more tips, have been before or are planning a trip please comment below!
I will leave you with the wonderful video my amazing and very talented friend @Thisisthemilk made of our fun trip!
Thank you for reading!
The Wee Wanderer x x