April is the perfect time for visiting Malta. The temperature is perfect! Here are some observations made from a week long trip and also some travel guidance for visiting Malta.

Observations

1. Malta is very clean and safe.
2. There are lots of migrant workers in Malta. About 35% of the Maltese workforce are non-Maltese. We were picked up by a Filipino taxi driver and were served a number of times by Filipino wait staff.
3. The Maltese language sounds sometimes like Italian and sometimes like Arabic. This makes a lot of sense when considering the proximity of the island to Italy and its history.
4. There are so many churches and ostentatious buildings in Malta. This is due to the island’s historical ties with the Knights of St John. They are well kept in contrast to the older houses which are often peeling and decrepit looking.
5. There is no train system on this small island. Public transport is by bus. Disappointingly, for a country that relies on tourism, the bus system is at capacity in April. There are disorderly queues to get on at popular locations and buses are often full within. Every seat is taken and every available spot filled with a standing person. The buses are not super frequent on many routes and bus drivers are known to leave people at stations if they cannot squeeze anymore on. I shudder to think what it would be like in August during peak season! As the buses are so busy, it is understandable that the bus drivers are often grumpy. For most tourists, bus drivers and wait staff are some of the main people they deal with. To improve the tourist experience, Malta should invest in more buses for their public system.
6. Malta has a chilled Mediterranean vibe about it and in areas, is very pretty.
7. There are a lot of churches and church-going people in Malta. We heard church bells during the day and fireworks for religious celebrations at night. We popped our head into a church on Sunday and it was full! An unusual sight! We were wondering about Rabat on a Sunday and came open an open square with a heap of people They must have just poured out of the local church. There was such a roar of conversation as this huge group of Maltese locals caught up with each other. It felt like community. As much as religion has its downsides, it does foster a sense of community and gives people a support network. It is however sad to see many of the older building peeling and cracked when church buildings with their gilded interiors are in good repair.
8. In addition to tourism, Malta also brings in a lot of income from the online gambling and sports betting industries.
9. The land on the island is not particularly fertile. It’s quite dry and rocky. Malta imports about 70% of its food.
10. Considering how sunny and windy it is, and how the ground in Malta is not particularly arable, there were a surprisingly small number of solar and wind power installations.

Travel Guidance

1. English is one of the national languages of Malta. If you speak and read English, there will be zero language barrier issues travelling around Malta. Signs, menus, websites are all in English. Everyone we came across spoke English.
2. We used the public bus system to get around Malta. We got a bus pass for €25 and that covered unlimited bus travel for 7 days. Despite being slower and sometimes annoying, I found it preferable to the stress that comes with hiring a car and navigating about a new country.
3. Eating in Malta is cheaper than in London. It is also quite easy to eat quite cheaply. Cheap street food like the very filling, filled Ftira, Maltese bread, and pastizzis, a traditional savoury pastry, are widely available.
4. A free walking, tips only, tour is a fantastic way to learn about Malta and is thoroughly recommended.
5. Four to five full days is a good amount of time to visit Malta. An example itinerary would be, Day 1 – Medina/Rabat
   Day 2 – Valletta
   Day 3 – Three Cities (Senglea, Cospicua, and Birgu)
   Day 4 – Gozo island, Camino island
   Day 5 – St Julians, Sliema
6. Approximate costs (from April 2024)
   – Return flight to/from London = £250
   – 6 nights in a self contained apartment £400
   – 7 day bus pass £21.5pp