I discovered a beautiful gem in the Mediterranean, Malta

Valletta and St. Julian’s, Malta. Visited on 1- 5 March 2025. Stop 1. Medina and Rabat, Malta. Visited on 6 March 2025. Stop 2.

After spending 9 days in Sicily, I flew to Malta. Yes, Malta, a small country only one-fifth the size of tiny Singapore. How then did it appear on my radar? I was in the region – it is near Tunis and Sicily. Small does not necessarily mean insignificant.

I arrived at the capital’s airport in Valletta around midnight, and immediately took a public bus heading to St. Julian’s, 10 km away. I alighted less than 2 km away from my hostel and dragged my luggage through eerily quiet residential streets to check in at about 2 am.

I woke up to a lazy but sunny morning and very quickly realized I was surrounded by the sea. It was still winter but transforming into spring. It was still chilly but not freezing cold. I saw many brave souls jogging in their singlets and shorts, while many on the streets still wrapped up like fragile porcelain. Some were already on the beach, trying to catch the sun and the cold; they wanted summer now.

I walked on the promenade from St. Julian’s to Sliema. The pounding on the yellow rocks was relentless but they could come no further. The line was drawn by the promenade, curving around the bays. They provided many marinas for the boats and yachts – their masts down on the white bodies on the serene blue water is a lovely parking lot. From Upper Barrakka, the best veiw of the Grand Harbour stretched below, the sea carving deep inroads inland. In the bays, boats and obscene extravagant yachts were parked next to the streets.

The Grandmaster Palace was resolute, towering above the sea. At the few entrance gates, the old yellow stone walls were enormous, to stand against the sea forces and to spot who appeared at the horizon.

Meantime, a festival was taking place, parades of dances and colorful floats brought to life with loud blasts of lively music – I would rather be on a small island in the middle of nowhere.

Small is not insignificant.

The Grand Harbour, Valletta
The Grand Harbour, Valletta
The Grand Harbour, Valletta
The Grand Harbour, Valletta
Senglea waterfront, Valletta
Senglea waterfront, Valletta
Upper Barrakka, Valletta
Upper Barrakka, Valletta
Collegiate Church of the Immaculate Conception, Bormla, Valletta
Collegiate Church of the Immaculate Conception, Bormla, Valletta
Spinola Bay in St. Julian's
Spinola Bay in St. Julian’s,
Portomaso Marina, St. Julian's
Portomaso Marina, St. Julian’s
St. Julain's, Malta
St. Julain’s, Malta
St. Julian's, Malta
St. Julian’s, Malta
Rocky Font Ghadir Beach, St. Julian's, Malta
Rocky Font Ghadir Beach, St. Julian’s, Malta
The enormous high walls of Valletta old city gates
The enormous high walls of Valletta old city gates
Float parade, Malta Carnival
Float parade, Malta Carnival
St. John's Co Cathedral, Valletta
St. John’s Co Cathedral, Valletta
Valletta's alley cafes
Valletta’s alley cafes
Armory exhibits in the Grand Master's Palace, Valletta
Armory exhibits in the Grand Master’s Palace, Valletta
The Grand Master's Palace
The Grand Master’s Palace

Medina and Rabat, Malta. Visited on 6 March 2025. Stop 2.

After exploring the best of Valletta and the nearby beach towns, I started making daily excursions to other parts of the island.

I took a public bus to go to Mdina, 13 km away, and arrived an hour later – the bus had to pick up the citizenry for serious daily business while I gallivanted around.

At 8 am, the Mdina Gate was wide open, welcoming and silent. How quiet it was, especially before anyone else had arrived. Public vehicles are restricted in this old city; only trucks and vans were busy delivering supplies. And how yellow the historic buildings are, preserving their original charm, carved from the golden-beige limestone abundant in Malta.

Next to it, just outside Mdina’s walls, Rabat bustled with more signs of life. The Basilica of St. Paul loomed over the town square. At a strategic corner, a shop discreetly offered full-service funerals, not far from St. Paul’s Catacombs. The Catacombs are an extensive burial site dating back to the 3rd century BC, consisting of chambers and connecting tunnels. No skeletons remain, but the dim lighting seems designed to scare the daylight out of young visitors. I certainly wouldn’t want to be the last one out of this labyrinth.

Emerging into daylight, I then took a bus to Dingli Cliff and walked along the cliff edge, which plunged spectacularly into the blue sea below. This vast sea stretched to the horizon, with nothing afloat in sight, and North Africa too far to see. Malta feels adrift, but purposed and alive, not lost at sea.

Games of Thrones Medina Gate, Malta
Games of Thrones Medina Gate, Malta
The old Medina walls, Malta
The old Medina walls, Malta
Medina old town
Medina old town
Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady, Medina, Malta
Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady, Medina, Malta
Interior of the Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady, Medina, Malta
Interior of the Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady, Medina, Malta
St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral, Medina, Malta
St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral, Medina, Malta
Basilica of St. Paul, Rabat, Malta
Basilica of St. Paul, Rabat, Malta
Rabat's historical streets, Malta
Rabat’s historical streets, Malta
Dim walkways in St. Paul's Catacombs, Malta
Dim walkways in St. Paul’s Catacombs, Malta
Tombs in the St. Paul's Catacombs, Malta
Tombs in the St. Paul’s Catacombs, Malta
Dingli Cliffs, Malta
Dingli Cliffs, Malta
Dingli Cliffs, Malta
Dingli Cliffs, Malta

Click the link below to go to the next stop:

I discovered a beautiful gem in the Mediterranean, Malta

Click the link below to start from stop 1:

See the unique natural wonders of Oman in 10 days

Itinerary for this trip:

Oman Muscat->Dimmah Sinkhole->Wadi Shab->Sur->Ras Al Hadd->Ras Aal Jinz->Al Wasil->Wahid Bani Khalid->Nizwa->Jebel Shams->Iraq Baghdad->Kurdistan Erbil-> Kurdistan Sulaymaniyah->Karbala->Najaf->Babylon->Tunisia Tunis->Sousse->Kairouan->Monastir->El Jem->Carthage->Italy Sicily Palermo->Sicily Syracuse->Sicily Catania->Malta->Madrid->Dominican Republic Punta Cana->Les Terrenas->Santo Domingo->Puerto Rico->Miami

Route map - My epic journey in 80 days, from Oman, Iraq, Tunisia, Sicily, Malta to the Caribbean
Route map – My epic journey in 80 days, from Oman, Iraq, Tunisia, Sicily, Malta to the Caribbean

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