Valletta, Mdina & the Wonders of Malta

Upon arrival, meet your tour manager and transfer to your chosen hotel in the delightful Qawra area of the popular town of St Paul’s Bay. Depending on the time you arrive, you may have time to enjoy a stroll along the seafront promenade before dinner. Look out over the clear, blue waters to St Paul’s Island, on which – legend has it – the saint was once shipwrecked.

Rest and relax in your hotel and its surroundings, today, getting to know the area. Set on the quieter side of St Paul’s Bay, but with easy access to lively and colourful Bugibba, Qawra has plenty to offer, with sea-front bars and cafes as well as a sandy beach fringing the bay. Stroll along the promenade to Qawra Point for far-reaching views, or perhaps enjoy a long lunch in the sunshine.

Join your tour manager for the first of your included excursions, and explore the island's fascinating capital, historic Valletta. You'll begin with a visit to the Malta Experience, an award-winning audio-visual presentation that places the city and the island in its historical context, and sets the scene not only for today’s visit but for the remainder of your stay.

Your tour will also include all the major sights: the Auberge de Castille (magnificent former home to the Knights of St John) and the Upper Barrakka Gardens, from which vantage point the strategic value of the city’s Grand Harbour becomes clear. Laid out in a perfect grid above the harbour and behind the imposing battlements, the streets of the compact old city are a delight to wander. See the city’s stunning St John’s Co-cathedral, which houses treasures that include two works by the artist Caravaggio. With time for lunch (payable locally) and the opportunity for personal sightseeing, today’s visit is the perfect introduction to the island.

Today’s included excursion will be one of the highlights of your holiday, as you make the short ferry crossing from Cirkewwa to the quaint port of Mgarr on Gozo. In sharp contrast to its bustling neighbour, Gozo, which is dotted with prehistoric Neolithic temples and burial mounds, presents a sleepy, timeless face to the modern world. The highlights of your day will include the fascinating Inland Sea at Dwerja, Calypso’s Cave overlooking sandy Ramla Bay, the delightful coastal resort of Xlendi and the island capital, Victoria. here, the town is watched over by the fortified bastion of the Citadel, from atop the walls of which there are panoramic views over the island.

After the fascinating history of the smaller island has been brought to life by your tour manager, your thoroughly enjoyable day will end with the return crossing to Malta, passing tiny islet of Comino.

Today is another left free so that you can make the most of the hotel and its surroundings. This evening, join fellow guests for an evening of traditional Maltese hospitality in the historic town of Mosta. Enjoy a menu of Maltese cuisine served by waiters dressed in authentic island costume, and watch a demonstration of traditional Maltese dancing and folk music.

On today’s included full-day excursion you’ll travel inland to Mdina. Malta's ancient, fortified former capital stands atop a rocky bluff, its beautiful "silent city" of narrow streets lined with stone-built houses. The tour will also include the town of Rabat, famous for its subterranean catacombs and where Bellini’s statue of St Paul depicts the Apostle’s shipwreck on the island. You'll also visit Mosta’s famous church, the vast unsupported dome of which survived a direct hit during WWII, and the spectacular Dingli Cliffs.

Your final included excursion takes you ‘back in time’, as you explore the area across Valletta’s Grand Harbour, where three medieval ‘cities’ reflect the island’s rich history. In Vittoriosa, the façade of the Parish Church of St Lawrence displays an early Maltese Cross. Cospicua is one of the Mediterranean’s oldest dockyards and still in use today. Lastly, Senglea, with its houses built on the waterline and steps down to the sea, is known as Little Venice.

During the day, you’ll also visit the colourful fishing village of Marsaxlokk, with its busy market, and Tarxien, where ancient temples contain carved symbols not dissimilar to the Celtic engravings found in Ireland.

Return to the airport and check in for your flight home at the end of a thoroughly enjoyable stay.