Valleta (Malta) - tour vendors at the port?

We are 10 guests arriving in Valleta in October. We want to visit the Blue Grotto and booked a tour.

However, the vendor wants the entire amount upfront and the reviews on TripAdvisor for this company are pretty bad.

We're leary of sending money abroad without any guarantees.

Will there be tour vendors at the port who can take 10 guests to Marsaxlokk?

We would have less problem giving a deposit then with the negative reviews. Paying 100% upfront is something we would only consider if dealing with a very well known reputable company. Suggest you look for a tour company with a better reputation. There will be plenty of taxis parked outside the port, but they are not going to be able to handle a group of 10.

Hank

Just like Capri depends on the water that day. Neither day I was there were we able to get i so don't pay ahead of time.

No need to do this. Take the Hop on hop off been there twice LOVE LOVE LOVE Malta. But honest the Blue Grotto is nothing....

Go see the city the walled fortified city Mdina, the Church of Saint John the amazing Caravaggio paintings The Beheading of St John or the other painting St Jerome.

Take the Hop on Hop off to Maraxlokk see the beautiful colorful boats.

The buses are not expenses but please note there are several routes you can't do it all in one day.

For some, just a few, I believe 65 a day, can get to do go see the Hypogeum, right now the site is closed for a new environmental system. When reopened get tickets early 6 months normally.The Hypogeum is an AMAZING UNESCO World Site 4000BC yes, think about that 6000 years old, men use horns to dig out huge caves and made temples and burials area. Go here to take a look.

http://www.heritagemalta.org

Just like Capri depends on the water that day. Neither day I was there were we able to get i so don't pay ahead of time.

 

No need to do this. Take the Hop on hop off been there twice LOVE LOVE LOVE Malta. But honest the Blue Grotto is nothing....

 

Go see the city the walled fortified city Mdina, the Church of Saint John the amazing Caravaggio paintings The Beheading of St John or the other painting St Jerome.

 

Take the Hop on Hop off to Maraxlokk see the beautiful colorful boats.

 

The buses are not expenses but please note there are several routes you can't do it all in one day.

 

For some, just a few, I believe 65 a day, can get to do go see the Hypogeum, right now the site is closed for a new environmental system. When reopened get tickets early 6 months normally.The Hypogeum is an AMAZING UNESCO World Site 4000BC yes, think about that 6000 years old, men use horns to dig out huge caves and made temples and burials area. Go here to take a look.

http://www.heritagemalta.org

Hi Liz

thanks for that info. Can you please tell me if the HOHO bus is near the port ? And if you have any idea of the rough cost of it?

Many thanks

Cheers

Heather

We also have some good cruising friends who love the HoHo's on Malta. They do board from the road right in front of the port...which is very convenient. As I recall, there are two different routes, one of which goes to the far corners of the island (we would see that bus when we were driving our rental car) and the other line is more about Malta and its immediate metro area. DW and I have never been big HoHo fans and we will explain the downside. If one wants to simply see a place from a bus, then the HoHos are hard to beat. But when you want to get off the bus and explore, you have to time every stop to get back for another bus...and may often find yourself spending lots of your port day simply waiting for buses. With a rental car it allows us to come and go as we please with no time lost waiting for a bus...and not having to time every visit so we can catch the next bus (which may or may not even show-up on time). On Malta, when we did a long driving trip around the entire island, we probably parked and exited our car more then 20 times all over the island. You cannot do this with a HoHo where you must carefully pick and choose the places where you can get off the bus.

Hank

Our first visit to Malta was a cruise stop. We did the HOHO. It was very good. Malta is a big island, you can only really stop a few times. Our HOHO included a port boat tour so we had to leave time for that.

We liked Malta so much that we returned for 9 days as part of land trip. Traffic can get very backed up in Malta. If you are renting a car it would be prudent to keep close tab on the time and leave plenty of buffer time for returning to the ship.

Does anyone have any experience in using the public transit in Malta? It looks like it's a lot cheaper than the HoHo bus and goes to the blue grotto and Mdina. Most routes look like they run every 30 mins too but I have no idea how reliable/busy it is.

Does anyone have any experience in using the public transit in Malta? It looks like it's a lot cheaper than the HoHo bus and goes to the blue grotto and Mdina. Most routes look like they run every 30 mins too but I have no idea how reliable/busy it is.

They are very reliable, just make sure you know where to get on and get off. We used it exclusively when we spent a week there. Only a few Euros per trip.

As there are 7 in our party, we have booked a driver for 4-5hrs in Malta - much cheaper than the HOHO. Now I have to decide on the best places to visit. Any suggestions? At present, on my list, I'm considering Mdina, Rabat, Mosta and Marsaxlokk. Can anyone recommend ideal locations with 3 teens? TIA :).

As there are 7 in our party, we have booked a driver for 4-5hrs in Malta - much cheaper than the HOHO. Now I have to decide on the best places to visit. Any suggestions? At present, on my list, I'm considering Mdina, Rabat, Mosta and Marsaxlokk. Can anyone recommend ideal locations with 3 teens? TIA :).

As long as you're all up to some walking, I would suggest you have the driver drop you off in the transit circle in Valletta. Then you can explore Valletta for a while (which you left off your list). You'll want at least an hour or 2 there probably. Then walk back to the ship. It's all going to be downhill and you can stop at the Upper and/or Lower Barrack Gardens on the way to the ship. These gardens offer great views of the harbor.

As long as you're all up to some walking, I would suggest you have the driver drop you off in the transit circle in Valletta. Then you can explore Valletta for a while (which you left off your list). You'll want at least an hour or 2 there probably. Then walk back to the ship. It's all going to be downhill and you can stop at the Upper and/or Lower Barrack Gardens on the way to the ship. These gardens offer great views of the harbor.

We're overnight in Malta, hence us exploring further afield the first day and then staying around Valletta the second ;).

We also have some good cruising friends who love the HoHo's on Malta. They do board from the road right in front of the port...which is very convenient. As I recall, there are two different routes, one of which goes to the far corners of the island (we would see that bus when we were driving our rental car) and the other line is more about Malta and its immediate metro area. DW and I have never been big HoHo fans and we will explain the downside. If one wants to simply see a place from a bus, then the HoHos are hard to beat. But when you want to get off the bus and explore, you have to time every stop to get back for another bus...and may often find yourself spending lots of your port day simply waiting for buses. With a rental car it allows us to come and go as we please with no time lost waiting for a bus...and not having to time every visit so we can catch the next bus (which may or may not even show-up on time). On Malta, when we did a long driving trip around the entire island, we probably parked and exited our car more then 20 times all over the island. You cannot do this with a HoHo where you must carefully pick and choose the places where you can get off the bus.

 

Hank

Hi Hank!

A friend & I are visiting Malta in October & we were contemplating the HoHo bus. However, for the reasons you mentioned, I am not a big fan either. However, upon looking for car rentals, I saw a lot of mention of how bad the traffic is and that it's not worth it. We would like to see Marsaxlokk, the Blue Grotto, Hagar Qim Temples, Mdina & the Co Cathedral. We are in port from 8 - 5. In your experience, do you think that is doable & if so, can you recommend where to find an easily accessible rental agency?

Thank you for your insight - I always find your posts extremely helpful & have taken your advice in the past!

~Lora Lee

Hi Hank!

 

A friend & I are visiting Malta in October & we were contemplating the HoHo bus. However, for the reasons you mentioned, I am not a big fan either. However, upon looking for car rentals, I saw a lot of mention of how bad the traffic is and that it's not worth it. We would like to see Marsaxlokk, the Blue Grotto, Hagar Qim Temples, Mdina & the Co Cathedral. We are in port from 8 - 5. In your experience, do you think that is doable & if so, can you recommend where to find an easily accessible rental agency?

 

Thank you for your insight - I always find your posts extremely helpful & have taken your advice in the past!

~Lora Lee

Hi again - I found a post that you recently responded on regarding renting in Malta & the agency name so no need to respond. I think we are going to contact them & spend the day exploring on our own! Sounds like a beautiful place!

We were there three years ago, and we used Touring Malta for a full day tour. We hired both a driver and a guide. They really did a nice job. We opted for a tour that included all the major sites; we were near the blue grotto, but we didn't do the boat tour. We did have lunch in Marsaxlokk - loved the area.

As there are 7 in our party, we have booked a driver for 4-5hrs in Malta - much cheaper than the HOHO. Now I have to decide on the best places to visit. Any suggestions? At present, on my list, I'm considering Mdina, Rabat, Mosta and Marsaxlokk. Can anyone recommend ideal locations with 3 teens? TIA :).

We spent a week in Malta years ago and visited all the places you mentioned, all were great places to visit. Marsaxlokk is a very pretty harbour.

Next time we might visit Popeye Village, it looks like a colourful place, but with only 4-5 hours it would probably take up too much of your time. Happy planning!