Malta: Top NY Times 2016 Pick/Ranking

Need some ideas about where to travel and visit in the future? Seeking some locations that are different and distant? You might check out this New York Times Travel Section that was delivered this morning. They have this headline: "52 Places to Go in 2016" with this sub-headline summary: "It’s a big world out there, so we’ve narrowed it down for you. From ancient temples to crystalline waters, here are our top destinations to visit this year."

In their top five, they have two Europe locations that we have not, yet, visited. Both are now firmly on our "to-do" listing. These two rising stars are Bordeaux and Malta. Been nearby to both, but need to experience each of these in the future.

Third on their list is Malta. This Times story has a few of these brief story highlights: "Malta is an affordable Mediterranean playground with a superb climate, sublime beaches, megalithic temples and a distinctive crossroads culture. English is one of two official languages, but few Americans have discovered Malta’s charms. There are three inhabited islands to explore — Malta, home to buzzing Valletta, a Unesco World Heritage city of stunning limestone buildings; Gozo, more tranquil and with a dramatic coastline filled with great spots for diving; and idyllic, car-free Comino, which has one hotel and few residents. As Valletta celebrates its 450th anniversary this year, the old city has gotten some fresh touches, including a new city gate, a restored open-air opera house and a new parliament building, all designed by the renowned architect Renzo Piano. And in Malta, you can follow in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who spent their honeymoon shooting their latest film, 'By the Sea,' in Gozo, which served as a more economical, but equally romantic, stand-in for the South of France."

Others have ideas, tips, secrets, suggestions, etc., from your visiting to Malta? Don't be shy!! Share more!

Full New York Times story at:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/07/travel/places-to-visit.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below&_r=0

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 207,915 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

We had a port stop in Malta last October. I absolutely fell in love with it and would really consider going back for a land vacation. It is everything the NY Times says it is...and more. Our tour was of course limited but my favorite stop was Mdina. Beautiful walled town. Stopped for lunch at a small fishing village, but it was Sunday and everyone was out eating so we only had time to grab a bite to eat, but no time to see the colorful fishing boats. It is definitely on my list of places to go again and spend more time.

We loved Malta. We had an overnight there in June and enjoyed it immensely.

On our first day , we took a private tour to the island of Gozo. Our driver picked us up , then we took a ferry with our guide , then another driver picked us up for exploration of the island.

Upon arrival on the island , you see the gorgeous harbor with sparkling blue water and the limestone buildings surrounding it.

We visited the charming bay where Angelina and Brad filmed their film By the Sea. It is called Mgarr ix-Xini

All of the island is awash in sand tones and turquoise. Just stunning.

We visited the famous Azure Window ( filmed in Game of Thrones among other things).

We had lunch at a lovely restaurant by the sea , with fish and wine.

Then we further explored the island.

It is a Catholic island , with some beautiful cathedrals.

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Gozo's salt flats

And beautiful coastline

The alleyways of its towns

And full of history

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On the second day , we visited Valletta on our own. Very easy to do. The port area is quite pretty and appealing.

It is worth a walk around.

There is an elevator and there are stairs to take you to the city's upper level.

There are colorful markets.

And unique architecture ( balconies which allowed the women to see but not be seen)

And sculptures

There was a lot of energy and music

Very interesting history including the Knights of Malta ( Saint John) and the siege during WW2.

A wonderful place to visit.

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We are sailing in July from Athens to Barcelona with Malta as one of our stops from 8 am to 5 pm. Is it possible for us to do a walking tour of Valleta on our own, or should we plan to book a tour?

We are sailing in July from Athens to Barcelona with Malta as one of our stops from 8 am to 5 pm. Is it possible for us to do a walking tour of Valleta on our own, or should we plan to book a tour?

Very easy to do. A highly walkable city with lots to see and do.

Get a good guidebook or travel app and explore.

We did our whole second day on our own in Valletta and saw a lot.

The sail away is especially fantastic , so be on the lookout.

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Very easy to do. A highly walkable city with lots to see and do.

Get a good guidebook or travel app and explore.

We did our whole second day on our own in Valletta and saw a lot.

The sail away is especially fantastic , so be on the lookout.

 

 

 

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Appreciate these added and varied postings. From the London/UK Daily Mail Telegraph yesterday, they have this headline: "Caravaggio’s masterpieces, 19th century Italian artistry and villas steeped in history: The secret jewels of Malta revealed".

Among the story highlights are the writer: "visiting the capital city, Valletta, which has been named as the European Capital of Culture in 2018. The palatial St John’s Co-Cathedral has one of Caravaggio’s masterpieces – a painting depicting The Beheading of St John the Baptist. For a tour called Private Malta, the island’s Corinthia Palace Hotel has devised a four-day programme of cultural activities with unique access to private palazzos and villas that are steeped in history. On the first night, we were welcomed into the home of a British expatriate who lives in a 300-year-old palazzino (mini palazzo) on the shores of Valletta’s magnificent Grand Harbour. The owner explained that his home was relatively modest in size compared to the palazzos and villas we’d be viewing later. We visited the walled gardens of San Anton. Normally, these gardens are open to the public at specific times of the day but we had out-of-hours access. The Private Malta tour also allowed us access to the sprawling Villa Bologna mansion."

Sounds like nice fun there.

Full story at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-3411734/Caravaggio-s-masterpieces-19th-century-Italian-artistry-villas-steeped-history-secret-jewels-Malta-revealed.html

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 56,615 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

Just catching up. Thanks for posting this Terry.

Keith

In addition to being beautiful, Malta has some fascinating history.

In addition to being beautiful, Malta has some fascinating history.

...and PRE-history. One of the "don't miss" sites in Valletta is the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, an underground burial site, carved out of the rock by the ancient civilization that lived on Malta and the nearby islands. It has very limited availability on its tours -- only something like 10-12 people per hour and reserving in advance is a must. You can read more info here:

http://heritagemalta.org/museums-sites/hal-saflieni-hypogeum/

UPDATE: It appears the Hypogeum will be closed starting April 4, for an unspecified period of time, in order to allow installation of a new environmental management system. The website posted above is likely to have the most updated information regarding when it will reopen.

Near the Hypogeum are the Tarxien Temples, another pre-historic site also worth a visit.

We loved Malta. We had an overnight there in June and enjoyed it immensely.

On our first day , we took a private tour to the island of Gozo. Our driver picked us up , then we took a ferry with our guide , then another driver picked us up for exploration of the island.

Which company did you use for the Gozo trip? We'll stay 9 am-6 pm in Valetta and I dont know if we should visit Gozo on our own or have a tour guide. We have been to Malta before but didnt have time to visit Gozo then so would be nice to do that this time.

Which company did you use for the Gozo trip? We'll stay 9 am-6 pm in Valetta and I dont know if we should visit Gozo on our own or have a tour guide. We have been to Malta before but didnt have time to visit Gozo then so would be nice to do that this time.

We arranged our tour through Amy Pace. http://www.guidedtoursmalta.com

She herself was not our guide, but I corresponded and arranged everything through her. She was very responsive.

The vehicles used were very elegant and brand new. It was a comprehensive and beautiful tour.

It is a long day...

You would have to have a shorter day with fewer places visited to get back on time.

Going to Gozo entails sailing on a ferry from the other end of the island.

The drive is little short of an hour, and the ferry crossing is another 25

minutes.

If you were to be picked up at 9:30,

you will be sailing on

the 10:30 ferry, getting to Gozo at 10:55. You are then having to sail back

on the 3 o'clock ferry, since you are requested to be back on the ship an

hour prior to sailing time. That will make your stay on Gozo short.

However , the island is well worth a visit.

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Been to Malta twice on cruises. One of our favorite stops. Took a morning tour and spent afternoon in Valletta. Easy walk downhill to cruise ship. Wonderful pedestrian area in Valletta.

We spent 10 days in Malta followed by three weeks in Sicily. Great vacation. We had cruise stops in both but it did not give us enough time to even scratch the surface. Highly recommend both since they are in such close proximity to each other.

We also visited Malta two times as cruise stops and found it very enjoyable. The 1st time we toured the entire island including a stop in Mdina. the 2nd time we spend the day walking around Valleta. Don't miss the ship coming into the port as it is very interesting & entirely surrounded by medevil walls.