Malta: are Marsaxlokk and the blue grotto worth it?

[ginacoco]

We are trying to figure out what to do in Malta. I know Valletta is beautiful and we intend to spend a couple of hours there for sure, but we are deciding on a private tour, which would include Marsaxlokk, the blue grotto and Mdina.

 

Obviously, we will lose some precious time in the car. Can anyone comment on the following:

 

Was it worth the drive?

Was it worth your time?

Is the drive scenic?

 

Thank you!

[Sauer-kraut]

Mdina is nice, the Roman Villa just outside the gates is also very interesting. The Blue Grotto is lovely. The tour boats are fun colors and its a short tour if there aren't long lines. I think we were only there about 45 minutes and that was walking down the road from the bus stop. There are stone age ruins about a mile down the main road from the Blue Grotto as well.

Marshaloxx is also interesting, we ate lunch there one day. There is a tablecloth market and the fishing fleet is there with the boats that have eyes.

 

I couldn't tell you if the drive is scenic....we took the public busses everywhere (we were there for a week) but I found Malta to be a very interesting country and would suggest to cram in as much as you can. I am not sure I'd do 2 hours in Valetta... I'd leave that for last in case you do run out of time.

[groovechick]

Marsaxlokk is really just a shopping opportunity, although the stuff we bought there (table linen) was very well made and reasonably priced. My mother-in-law uses the tablecloth we bought her every Christmas. The Blue Grotto is great, although on the day we did it there was a strong breeze and therefore heavy swell. The boats that came out after us were issued with life jackets (we weren't!) and just as we returned they stopped all boat trips altogether because it had become too rough. Very beautiful, though, well worth it, and in our course very exciting with the sopray being whipped in our faces and coming over the prow!

Mdina is a long drive out, in the middle of the island, and there is not that much to see there. Interesting buildings, views from the top of the fortress, and lace/glass shops.

[philandtessie]

in 2012 my wife and I shared a independent tour organized by felllow cruise on cruise critic roll call. It was very good. we enjoyed the blue grotto. had calm seas. was very nice views. Mdnia was very nice as well but did not spend enough time there to see it all. if i did it again would consider tour but make sure more itme to actually go into some of the buildings museums. would do a quick lunch rather then a sit down one as needed more time otsee the sites. there is a lot of history in Malta

[cruiser87654321]

Marshallokk is lovely, a very scenic harbour and a market most mornings. Lots of nice places to eat, a lovely church, etc. It is the nicest place on the island aside from Valetta I think. The Blue Grotto is worth a trip too. Also, there are lots of military museums both in Valletta and further out that are interesting to view.

[Banana Bread]

I like to know too as I have the blue grotto booked.

[lidopuppy]

We will be visiting next fall and have done some research on tour operators for a small private tour. Does anyone here have any suggestions or reviews?

[texancruzer]

Here is who we just used about a month ago..... our guide was Joan and she was fantastic.

 

http://www.touringmalta.com

 

We went to Marsaxlokk, stopped by the Blue Grotto (didnt go in) then to Mdina and back to Valetta. We took it slow and had a wonderful day.

 

I would use this company again !!!! and can highly recommend them without any reserve.

Edited November 24, 2013 by texancruzer

[lidopuppy]

Here is who we just used about a month ago..... our guide was Joan and she was fantastic.

 

http://www.touringmalta.com

 

We went to Marsaxlokk, stopped by the Blue Grotto (didnt go in) then to Mdina and back to Valetta. We took it slow and had a wonderful day.

 

I would use this company again !!!! and can highly recommend them without any reserve.

 

 

Thanks so much for posting. I just emailed Joan. We were thinking Valetta (the balconies and streets look very picturesqueand I love photography), Mdina, the Blue Grotto and Marsoxlokk. Because we will be seeing ruins in Rome and Pompeii, we thought we would skip Hagar Qim.

Edited November 24, 2013 by lidopuppy

[roothy123]

If you're into photography, you'll like Marsaxlokk with its colorful boats. I took a public bus there and enjoyed taking pictures. No, there isn't a whole lot to do there other than what has been mentioned, but it's not all that far and I loved it. I really wasn't all that crazy about

Valletta (very crowded, for one thing) but the cruise in with the walls all around you was amazing. If the sun is shining, it is definitely worth seeing and photographing; if not, well, it's still pretty amazing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Ssislandgirl]

We used touringmalta.com as well in September 2013. Our tour was customized due to the docking times( 1pm- 10pm). We saw a lot in 5 short hours and we know, that we only scratched the surface. I documented our visit on our Travel Blog

 

http://pandbtraveladventures.blogspot.com

 

Click on Sept. 28th on left side of the blog. It is still a work in progress

Hope this helps

Regards

Petra