The Maltese Islands

Our capital city Valletta boasts several glorious Auberges. Once the headquarters of the different ethnic groups into which the Knights of St. John were divided, today they have been beautifully restored and house various government offices and museums.

Everywhere you look, you will find something new. Perhaps that’s why many choose to lose themselves in the grid-formation streets and simply stare at the wooden balconies, old palaces, tiny formal gardens and open-air restaurants which characterise the city. The more culturally inclined prefer to take a seat at the Manoel Theatre, commissioned by Grand Master Antonio Manuel de Vilhena 300 years ago, and gape at its magnificent ceilings, gilded in 22-carat gold.

Visit Antonio Sciortino’s Les Gavroches at the Upper Barrakka Gardens where you can also admire the incredible view of our Three Cities and Grand Harbour, one of the largest of its kind in Europe.

Even older than Valletta is Mdina, the city in the central north area of the island. Fortified by bastions which no invader ever managed to breach, Mdina is the Silent City, where modernity and its accompanying hustle and bustle are somewhat kept at bay. The views from its ramparts are breathtaking.

We are fond of our food too. For days you can be sure you’ll never have to eat the same thing twice: there’s plenty of mouth watering Maltese fare together with continental and international cuisine from regions as far flung as India, China and the Far East.

We grow olives to make velvety olive oil and the powerful sun also bakes our grapes - for international award-winning local wines – our figs, plums and our oranges and lemons. You can go wherever you like to find them, but you will most definitely never go hungry, whether for culture or food.

This coast is also a home away from home to the thousands of divers who choose Malta because of its excellent underwater visibility. You can let your mind rest and your eyes wander for as far as thirty six metres, safe in the knowledge that no matter what time of year you book, the temperature of the water will never dip below the 14ºc mark.

You may be fooled into thinking that you can take it all in within a few hours, but may we suggest you take it a little slower. Let it soak in and spend some more time relaxing and discovering Malta’s delightful secrets.

After all, that is what Malta’s about.

For more information please visit:

• www.visitmalta.com
• www.heritagemalta.org

This slide show gives you a taste of the island...