FCUS GUIDES

Malta and its smaller neighbours Gozo and Comino, together with four tinier uninhabited islands, are in the middle of the Mediterranean midway between Italy's Sicily and Tunisia in North Africa. The islands have had a long and complex history, mostly of being a useful strategic base for occupying powers. Malta and its islands became an independent nation in 1964. It joined the EU and adopted the euro in 2008. It signed the Schengen Agreement and abandoned border controls in 2008.
  Malta is densely populated. Its capital Valletta, together with its suburbs, covers a large proportion of the land area. The islanders have their own very unusual language, which is essentially an Arabic dialect written in Latin characters.
 

Malta requires little advance planning. The climate is warm and dry, with daytimes temperatures reaching the 60s from March to December. Winter is extremely mild - even the lowest temperature ever recorded was above freezing (1.1C in Jan 1905).
 

For more details visit the Malta tourist office website, www.visitmalta.com, or call in at the tourist office, 1 City Arcades, City Gate, Valletta.
 

Valletta - the grandly fortified capital of Malta lies between two impressive harbours, Marsamxett and Grand Harbour. Together with its suburbs on the other side of the harbours, the city occupies a large proportion of the island.  
The airport  - is in the south-east of the island.
Mdina - the evocative former capital is on the south side of the island.
Mellieha and St Paul's Bay  - these and other family beach resorts are in the north-west of the island, close to Gozo. Popular attractions include Popeye Village.
Gozo - the small neighbouring island lies off the north-west coast.

Valletta has a civilised, orderly feel, with quietly bustling streets, and a great love of style and tradition. Most people speak English, and they even drive on the left - English is one of the island’s two official languages (the other is Maltese, which is like Arabic). On the other hand, the culture is influenced by its closeness to Italy as much as its British past.
 

Bus - The island’s bus service is brilliant. Buses go everywhere, journeys are short, and the maximum fare is just 58c (about 40p).
Ferry - A regular ferry service links Valletta to Gozo, taking about 20 minutes each way. There are also regular boat services between each island and Comino.
Sea plane - plane service links Grand Harbour in Valletta to Mgarr Harbour in Gozo. 
Water taxi - traditional Maltese 'dghajsa' boats are available for hire in Grand Harbour.
 

There are restaurants in all price brackets, generally offering a mix of Maltese traditional fare, Italian dishes, and British grub.
   Local favourites include timpana (a macaroni and egg pie), bragioli or ‘beef olive’ (spicy beef ), grilled lampuka fish, fenek (crispy fried rabbit), and grilled swordfish. Full English Breakfast is widely available (at a bargain price of around €5).
   Hotels are numerous and very varied. In the fascinating capital VALLETA there’s a wide range of accommodation both in and around
SLIEMA, across the harbour, is a resort area with upmarket hotels and plenty of facilities
MELLIEHA, on the north-west coast, is the place for budget hotels, family attractions and the island’s best beach
   Malta offers several high-quality spa hotels. The Fortina Spa Hotel is the island’s de-luxe highlight, one of the best spa hotels in the world, with numerous exotic treatments, and even fully-equipped ‘spa bedrooms’.
 

 Valletta
One of the grandest fortified cities in Europe, with a majestic harbour and handsome paved streets lined with balconied buildings. On mile-long central thoroughfare Republic Street, visit impressive St John’s Cathedral, with its stunning Baroque interior and side chapel housing Caravaggio's 'Beheading of St. John'. Also see the tiny but perfect 5000-year-old Sleeping Lady in the Archaeological Museum, and don’t miss the noonday gun at Barraka Gardens
 

 Mdna
The medieval inland town of Mdina is Malta's atmospheric little former capital. It's quiet and romantic, a perfect place for a drink and a moonlight stroll. The town has countless grand mansions along narrow, sinuous paved streets, wonderful views, and an interesting museum of Malta's history.
 

 The Three Cities
There’s nothing more enjoyable than a boat excursion along the Grand Harbour, enclosed by the majestic Venetian-style architecture of three separate waterside communities - Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea.
 

 Tarxien Temples  
Vast megalithic structures dot the Maltese islands. Arguably the most impressive are  these four megalithic structures dating from 3600-2500 BC. They have rich stone carvings and reliefs, some showing domesticated animals, as well as altars, and decorated screens. Highlight is a chamber between the South and Central temples, with a carved relief of two bulls and a sow.
 

 Palazzo Pariso
This Maltese Palace in the centre of the island is a riot of over-the-top 19th-century interior design.
 

  Gozo 
Take the 20-minute ferry ride to neighbouring Gozo, a much greener island, a paradise for walkers and divers, and with some of the world’s most ancient sites, the Ggantija temples.
www.gozo.gov.mt
www.gozo.com
www.visitmalta.com/gozo
 

When to go: All year is enjoyable, with a daily average of five to six hours sunshine in mid-winter rising to around 12 hours in summer.
Summer is hot and dry, with some cooling breezes.
Winters are mainly very mild, with occasional cold, windy spells.
In spring and autumn a very hot wind from Africa called the Sirocco, or, in Maltese, the Xlokk, occasionally brings unseasonally high temperatures and humidity.
Annual rainfall is low, averaging just 568mm a year.
Shopping tip: If tempted by pretty Maltese glassware or lace, look out for bargain 'seconds' with greatly reduced prices for almost invisible blemishes.
 

Many villages on the Maltese islands celebrate local religious festivals. Some saint's days are national holidays, such as the feast of Santa Marija in mid August.

Gozo 1234
1-4 May 2008
Food, family fun, fireworks and 99 things to do on the island of Gozo.

Earth Garden Festival
10-11 May 2008
Malta's second springtime Arts Festival, with music, dance, theatre, exhibitions and family fun.

Malta Jazz Festival
19-22 July 2008
The Malta Jazz Festival takes place on the third weekend of July of every year, and brings world-renowned players to play below Valletta's 16th-century ramparts and by the waters of Grand Harbour.

Malta Air Show
27 – 28 September 2008
The 16th International Malta Air Show, with dazzling aerobatics in the blue skies above the island.
www.maltairshow.com