We were getting really tired of the day shore excursions from the Cruise so decided to go into town and rent a taxi. From the port you walk to a cool elevator which takes you to the city inside the walls. Here we rented a taxi for the day because it’s not possible to just go from attraction to attraction as you are not sure there will be a taxi to the Blue Grotto for example. Just ask for a day rate and they know where to take you. In our case we went to the Blue Grotto, The cathedral and catacombs of Rabat and our last stop, Mdina. Then back to where we started in Valletta, the capital of Malta.
It was even more interesting to visit Malta after Rhodes because this is where the Knights of St. John ended up – in Malta in the 1530s. Quick history lesson: This Catholic military order was started by Pope Gregory in 603 AD to build a hospital in Jerusalem to tend to injured and sick pilgrims traveling to the Holyland. After the crusades they moved around until they landed in Rhodes, Greece and stayed at the Grand Masters Palace we just visited in Rhodes until 1522 and forced to leave with the Ottoman Siege. The King of Sicily, Charles 1, gave the island of Malta to the Knights of St. John in 1530 and they ruled there for 250 years. Think like the Knights Templar – like that. Religious yet military.
They had a falconer at the top of the cliff leading to the Blue Grotto. I didn’t understand the significance until Ray told me “The Maltese Falcon” But unless you are an old Humphrey Bogart fan you might miss the meaning :)– Elle
Malta’s terrain was very dry and rocky. I’m not necessarily sure I would spend any amount of time here, but it did look like it was setting up for a big outdoor event or concert. Since it’s an easy plane ride from the Greek Islands and Europe it seems like a nice place to get away for the weekend. The towns of Rabbat and Mdina were nice to walk through at a leisurely pace and not too crowded. Pretty examples of medieval walled cities. The Euro is their currency. A days’ itinerary might include:
Starting in Valletta visit St. Johns Co-Cathedral and visiting the Upper Barracca gardens. Have lunch at a local cafe. We thoroughly enjoyed Trabuxu wine bar and bistro. Food was amazing and very friendly and efficient staff!
After Lunch take a water taxi to the Three Cities: Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua for a glimpse of Malta’s maritime history. Then go to the Blue Grotto and or visit Mdina. If it is windy don’t bother with the Blue Grotta since they won’t take you in the caves with the small row boats as its too choppy. This happened to us but we just hiked around the top of the caves. As I said earlier, if you are in the area Malta is worth a looksee but I woudl not fly there from the States as the only destination.