Valletta, Malta
A new addition to the Chic portfolio. For us, we think most of our clients will see the appeal of Malta as a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th holiday of the year, primarily as a long weekend break or similar.
As such our focus is on the capital city of Valletta rather one of the beach resorts.
Flying time from the UK is just under three hours. There are regular flights from most of the major UK airports, some full service airlines like British Airways and others “ low-cost“ – their words.
Malta is a relatively small island that you can circumnavigate in a full day. The main roads are good and driving is on the left, same as UK.
Located in the Mediterranean, between the Italian island of Sicily and the North African coast, Malta enjoys year-round popularity.
The population, including the even smaller neighbouring island of Gozo, is around 550,000. English and Maltese are the official languages. The Maltese language reflects the island’s colourful history and combines Italian, Spanish and Arabic, all with a distinct pronunciation. The currency is the Euro.
The usual temperatures from November to March are mid-teens. April /May and October mid-20s and June to September high 20’s/ early 30’s. In 2023 the high temperatures remained until the end October, with the mid-summer months into the high 30’s. The island is quite arid, with rainfall usually in the winter months in heavy showers.
The main religion is Catholicism. They say there are 365 churches – we think they have under-counted! It is also proudly liberal in so many ways, especially LBQBT issues. It is a member of the European Union, and the monies received seem to have been well spent on roads and general infrastructure.
Valletta is the capital city, one of the smallest in Europe. Located around a bay on the central north coast, it is typically Latin southern European in style.
Small narrow streets, steep hills, cobblestone pathways and lots of steps. Most of it is pedestrianised.
Numerous cafes and restaurants, small shops some of which have been around since the 1800s, meeting place squares, several forts, and of course churches, including the famous St John’s Cathedral. It is instant WOW, almost at every turn. So atmospheric.
It was badly bombed during WW2, but most has been rebuilt sensitively so you still get a real sense of history. Thank you again, EU for the funds. Just on this, get a recent appraisal of Valletta from someone who has visited recently, not 15 /20 years ago – everyone says it is almost unrecognisable but in a good way.
It is easy to discover on foot, just as long as you can cope with the steps and hills. It would not be ideal for those with mobility issues.
Just across the harbour to the east, you have the three small cities of Paola, Birgu and Kalkara. They can be reached by ferry or Gondola style boat, a magical journey – only takes about 5 minutes. Each of these small cities has its own personality and can be easily visited in a day or even shorter. Some super harbour side restaurant options.
On the other side of Valletta to the west, you have Sliema, again reached by short ferry. Sliema is highly developed, mainly new condo apartments and a large shopping mall – a popular area with expat Brits it seems.
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CHIC Locations Terms and Booking Conditions PDF
All price guides are Per Person Sharing Double Room (Entry level), based on travel between May and/or June when prices are generally at their lowest and include promotional offers. Supplements will probably apply at other times, particularly mid-summer in the Med, and for rooms and/or transfers arranged for single travellers.
For example, the Caribbean and Indian Ocean prices for winter can be approximately double the May - June level and about 50% more in Asia. For the Mediterranean & Canary Islands, Caribbean, Arabia and the Indian Ocean (except Sri Lanka) price guides generally include airfare and transfers.
*For Sri Lanka and Far East we show a per-person, per-night hotel guide, excluding air fare, as arrangements tend to be individually tailored multi-centre itineraries.
Please refer to Travel Advice on our home page or look at www.fco.gov.uk as the Foreign Office may have issued specific destination information on safety and terrorism.
All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.
Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.caa.co.uk.
Some of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. This website will provide you with information on the protection that applies in the case of each holiday and travel service offered before you make your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected.
