Saturday 13 January 2018

(Photo) Diary of a Solo Traveller - Malta #1

As I mentioned in my previous post, in December 2017 I embarked on my first solo travel adventures which took me to Malta - a beautiful country with so much to offer.

View from my room
I stayed in St Julian's which is a small seaside town filled with lots of things to do, in a beautiful Bed & Breakfast called The Stonehouse. About 10 minutes West of St Julian's is a district called Paceville, an area full of nightclubs, bars, casinos and restaurants. As I was by myself I didn't venture there but I saw a lot of people heading in that direction, so for those thinking of travelling with friends that may be one for the list. St Julian's is situated along the coast so has some beautiful sites and beaches nearby.
Victorian Balluta Building
Two minutes away from where I was staying is Spinola Bay, which is a cute little rock beach with beautiful views. About 10 minutes down the promenade is another rock beach, Balluta Bay. Because of the time of year the beaches were empty but I can imagine in the summer they get packed. I went during their winter which I actually found to be quite warm. It was funny because the people of Malta and I have very different definitions of the word 'cold', they were wrapped up so warm but to me the temperature was quite mild, resembling spring in London. 

I arrived at my B&B around midday and took a couple of hours to rest as I woke up at 3am to catch my 7am flight! (Side note: my flight was only £35 return with Ryanair! I found that absolute bargain using skyscanner.net) Under the advice of my hostess I bought a package deal which included a 90 minute harbour cruise around the two natural harbours and 10 creeks Malta has to offer; and two hop-on hop-off bus tours exploring the North and South regions of Malta. Bought individually these excursions would have cost me €55, but with the deal I got all 3 for €47. As I wasn't completely sure what I wanted to do while I was there, I decided this was the best thing to do. So after my rest, I dragged myself out of my room and boarded the Harbour Cruise which departed from Sliema Ferries. There were a number of buses I could have used to take me to Sliema (13, 14, 15 or 16) but I decided to walk along the promenade which took me approximately 35/40 minutes - the weather was beautiful and I had the time so I thought, why not?
The cruise was very nice and I learned a lot about the history of Valletta and the Three cities. It wasn't very busy which I assume was due to the time of the year but that was fine with me. When the cruise began (around 4pm) the weather was decent but as time went on, the temperature dropped, it got very cold and the water was a bit rocky. I'm sure it'll be different in the summer, but if you ever go in the winter make sure you wrap up warm and maybe avoid (or take precautions) if you get seasick!
Dinner at Peperoncino
For my second day (first full day) in Malta I spent it all in Valletta, the capital of Malta. As far as capitals go, Valletta is tiny, but that makes it perfect for a day trip because even though it's small there is a lot going on. There are many sites to see, museums to explore, shops, restaurants and bars to visit.

Valletta Centre (along Republic Street)
St George's Square
The architecture of Malta is gorgeous and has so much of the culture rooted in them.
Also, I am now obsessed with doors.
Lunch at Taproom; great atmosphere with delicious food

Lower Barrakka Gardens 
Siege Bell War Memorial

Upper Barrakka Gardens & Castille Place
Saluting Battery
Manwel Dimench statue in Castille Place
Church of Our Lady of Victories
View from Hastings Gardens
One of the things I enjoy doing when I travel to other countries is going to museums and galleries and learning about the history and culture of the country. Surprisingly I didn't go to any in Malta, but there were quite a few in Valletta, including Casa Rocca Piccola, National War Museum and National Museum of Fine Arts to name a few. These places and much more are on the list for my next visit to Malta as I am definitely going back. The second installment of my photo diary will be up soon xo
SHARE:

11 comments

  1. Ok, so Malta looks AMAZING in the winter!

    Loving the photo diary; looking forward to reading part 2!

    www.lifeofchi.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  2. One of the main reasons why people prefer to travel in groups is that group travel is safe and secure for all individuals involved.pittsburg ks motels

    ReplyDelete
  3. As an individual travels and gets increasingly more quicker to the goal, the desire for getting safeguarded and living a sound just as smooth life ahead continues expanding.why indian visa gets rejected how to avoid

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gatherings industry is a significant developing division and the corporate travel pattern is creating on it. all infos

    ReplyDelete
  5. He expresses that H-P, which spends more than $528 million every year on T&E, plans to have all air travel dependent on net-toll estimating.Europa Road fuvarozás

    ReplyDelete
  6. Just off the fundamental square, you'll locate this exceptionally keen bistro/wine bar offering a casual environment.malta drinks

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks a lot for sharing such a wealth of information! So appreciate ways you have shared to do this with the good guidelines.The foreign travelers who want to travel in turkey and want toapply for turkey visa by submitting the online documents and filling the online visa application form and visit the turkey places and get the turkish tourist visa by make the trip memorables and get the valid evisa.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nice post… Thank you �� for this article and very informative article. Wish to travel Visit turkey best place Mardin’s Old City is easily toured by walking Turkey apply for online e visa of Turkey through e Turkish visa online application. The US visa for Turkey visitors need to fill online e visa application upload documents & photos, make online payment. Pakistan is the world's 26th largest economy City is easily toured by walking.They need a visa for traveling to Pakistan and get a Pakistan visa . The process is so simple Just go to online Pakistan visa application form and fill out the Pakistan visa Information requirements and UK all citizens traveling to Pakistan ,get the evisa.

    ReplyDelete

  9. The content you shared with us is great. Thanks for sharing it. You can apply for an urgent visa to India from USA by clicking the link we just provided. Thanks for adding value to the post.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I’m going to read this. I’ll be sure to come back. thanks for sharing. and also This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. this is very nice one and gives indepth information. thanks for this nice article... Napali Coast Hanalei Tours

    ReplyDelete

© KechYourStyle. All rights reserved.
Blogger Template Designed by pipdig