Game of thrones, door knobs, castles, historic balconies, honey-coloured buildings, sun. What do these all things have in common? You got it. MALTA.
Why Malta?
We went to Malta because it was my mother’s birthday and she wanted to go somewhere warm for a long weekend.
Arriving to the island
We arrived to the airport and there were countless advertisements of Uber and Lyft plastered around the baggage claim offering a discount to first timers. Of course, we are not the type of people to fall for this, right? WRONG! It all went downhill from there. We were not used to this convenient and affordable luxury which can be used at a press of a button and a car appears 2-3 minutes afterwards to pick you up. We got instantly hooked and used it for the whole trip 😅
We stayed at the Courtyard Marriot Hotel located in Sliema which is around a 20 min car trip from Valletta, so a bit outside the city in a more residential area. The hotel was very nice which included a pool, sauna, gym and rooftop, but most of all we were very happy with the customer service. All hotel staff seemed very cheerful, and we especially enjoyed the british receptionist who welcomed and checked us in.
Sliema
Sliema seemed to be undergoing extensive construction. It was buzzling with energy with lots of cranes and scaffolding around. Our hotel was located in a side street but not on the main road which is a positive in our book.
When we arrived we dropped our bags at the hotel because our rooms were not ready yet. We walked down to the port and perhaps got the most expensive gelato in Malta costing a whopping 7 euros. Not much happened that day, other than walking around the coastline and seeing the neighborhood.
First day: getting to Valletta
The next day we went to Valletta. From our hotel it was quite convenient to walk down to the port and take the ferry. Expect a long queue! At the ticket office, we were a bit surprised they told us they only accepted cash (and thankfully we had some on us) for the ferry tickets because credit cards were not “accepted”. For such a touristic city and at the official ticket counter we found this a bit strange. The ferry trip was very enjoyable and you get to experience Malta from the water.
Monuments & Churches
It was a beautiful day with a clear blue sky which paired well with the honey-blonde limestone which is traditional of Maltese buildings.
We arrived early and the streets were quite empty, however they did fill up soon afterwards at around 11 and in the afternoon.
A must see is St John’s Co-Cathedral. It is a beautiful church. There is not one inch which does not have some intricate decorations on it, but the experience was a bit dampened by the amount of people! It was honestly difficult to walk around and there were big groups with tour guides coming, preventing you from walking freely and seeing the paintings.
Door knockers & Balconies
Now..to the interesting part (according to me 😂) Have you ever thought of looking at door knockers? Well, in Malta you should. If you look closely, you will notice that a lot of door knockers have animals or special symbols on them. Here are two examples: Dolphins representing harmony and Malta’s close relationship with the sea. Maltese cross and it’s close tie to Catholic religion. In the past, these door knockers were also a sign of nobility and status.
Walking through the Maltese streets we also started to observe the charming balconies or also called “gallarija”, which are also practical as they protect people from the intense sun and provide privacy. These are closely related to the mashrabiya, oriel windows, which are typical in Arabic architecture.
We went to D’Office Bistro for a light lunch and sat outside. We liked our salads, but perhaps the garlic bread was not a good choice.
After a tiring day we were ready to go to sleep for a relaxing night. Or so we thought During the night, we woke up with a flashing light and alarm! It was such a shock that we were completely paralyzed for a moment. After understanding it was the fire alarm, we immediately put on our shoes and headed down through the fire escape with many other guests. After waiting 10 minutes in the hotel lobby, we were told by the reception staff that it was a false alarm and we could go back to our beds. It was not easy to go back to bed after such a stressful event!
Second day: Mdina, Rabat
The morning afterwards we were still a bit tired from the ruckus that happened during the night, but nothing that could not be resolved with a very nice breakfast from the hotel. My mother wanted to go visit Mdina for the day, so off we went with an Uber.
Mdina is a medieval city, beautifully kept with a quiet atmosphere, approximately 15 minutes from Sliema. We wandered the narrow streets into the hidden courtyards and quiet little squares.
At the beginning of the post I mentioned, Game of Thrones, which is set in medieval times, something in common with Malta. Filming in Malta has been quite extensive and if you are a fan, you will recognize some of the places used as King’s Landing in Season 1.
Malta has a long tradition of glassmaking and we loved going into the glass shops and looking at vases, bowls, drinking glasses. We had to buy a souvenir and decided on an orange colourful vase from Mdina Glass.
From Mdina, we walked to Rabat which is a 10 minute walk and had lunch at a mediterranean restaurant called Bottegin Palazo Xara. We ordered a starter with toasted sourdough, hummus, spiced lentils & chickpeas, baby spinash, and grilled halloumi. I ordered the traditional Ravjul Tal-Irkotta which are ricotta ravioli with tomato sauce, and C. ordered the Chickpea & Citrus Salad with pomegranate seeds, hummus, and honey.
Dinner
After our time in Rabat we headed back to our hotel for a rest and a dip in the pool before going out for dinner. In the evening, we walked from our hotel to a restaurant called Zest, an Asian and Japanese-Preuvian Nikkei cuisine restaurant which is also present in the Michelin Guide Malta 2026. It was nice to walk close to the walkpath and see some maltese night-life on a Friday evening.
Third day: Valletta
The next day it was my mother’s birthday. So we woke up late and spent our morning opening presents and enjoying breakfast together. We also found time to go to the gym. For my mother’s birthday we wanted to celebrate and went to restaurant in Valletta, called Radici.
C. chose the duck as a typical dane. The duck came a bit raw so we had to send it back to the kitchen to cook it a bit more. Let’s just say C. was not so fond about the dish. I had a parmigiana as an appetizer and tortelli, and thought it was quite good. After lunch we went for a walk and enjoyed ourselves together. We also went back to the hotel to enjoy a nice massage that my mother had ordered.
Conclusion
What to say about Malta. It is a bit difficult to describe, but we did not get that magical feeling of loving the place. I think one of the biggest reasons is we did not go outside the touristic areas and explore outside the city. We also had limited days and only explored Valletta, Mdina, and Rabat. One of the highlights of our trip was Mdina because it was nice to go through the little streets of the medieval village. If we go back we would like to rent a car and explore the inner parts of Malta, visit the islands, and go for a swim!
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