La Valletta / Mdina / Rabat - what is possible in one day?

Hi there,

we will be visiting La Valletta on July 17. La Valletta looks really nice, but also some other areas such as Mdina and Rabat. Are there any must-sees in the vicinity of La Valletta?

We are in town from 8:00 to 18:00. I'd like to visit at least 2 places, but also try to make a relaxed day of it. So maybe La Valletta + Mdina + Rabat is a bit much?

Thank you for reading!

We have been twice to Malta on cruises. Both times we have taken ships excursions, the first time the trip included the Mosta Dome, Mdina, a nice drive to a cliff point view area, and then the handicraft world war 2 village.It was a nice varied excursion.

Last year the trip was a walking trip and then the 3 harbour cruise, which was nice but I personally preferred the previous excursion we took.

It’s a lovely port to visit and just wander around. Jean.

Valletta is the largest city and capital of Malta and has several interesting things to visit -- certainly could spend a day just seeing the St. Johns co-Cathedral, the Grand Master's Palace, the Archaeological Museum, Barrakka (sp?) Gardens, etc.

Or you could spend a half day in Valletta and the other half visiting Mdina -- not as many specific 'sites' to visit there but it is wonderful to just walk through the streets of this former capital and look at the splendid architecture.

There are also several very good prehistoric sites to visit near Valletta, such as the Tarxien temples and the Hypogeum, if that is something of interest...

First, we would suggest calling the city "Valletta" and not "La Valletta" :). For a first time visit we would suggest splitting your time between Mdina and Valletta. Mdina will likely take about 2 hours of your time although we have spent more time in that walled town because we really enjoyed having cappuccino at a cafe that afforded us a nice view of the countryside. Valletta is a large lively city with lots of fascinating architecture, plenty to see, nice restaurants, shopping, etc.

I would also make another suggestion. On our first visit to Malta we met some local friends (who we had met on a prior cruise) who showed us around their island. The first place they took us was to see a short movie (in Valletta) called the Malta Experience. This film gives you a fast understanding of the fascinating history of this island and is worth the time and small cost.

Hank

What is the best transportation between Valletta and Mdina? Can it be arranged once you arrive or pre-arranged?

What is the best transportation between Valletta and Mdina? Can it be arranged once you arrive or pre-arranged?

You can take a local bus, the journey is just under an hour and there are regular departures from the bus hub in Valletta. I have in my notes that you can take buses 51, 52 or 53. Can't remember which I used but it was very simple. Bus will drop you at the gate to Mdina (and pick up is close to the drop off).

Or you could easily arrange for a taxi -- shorter trip but more expensive.

We were there in 2009, so several years ago. At that time, you could easily arrange a taxi just after getting off the ship for a fixed amount of time for a fixed price. We arranged for 4 hours and I think that cost us 65 euros back then. They will take you wherever you go and stay with you for the duration. We stopped in the Presidential Gardens (not all that interesting), explored Mdina for 90 minutes or so, stopped at the Moste Dome, spent a few minutes in Rabat but what we wanted to see was not open. Then we went back to Valletta where the drive dropped us off. I don't think we even used our 4 full hours. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Valletta on foot and then walked back to the ship (downhill). Great day and well worth the 65 euros for 3 of us, in my opinion.

We visited Malta in 2009 (I think) and it really made an impression on me. I still remember the sail-in views of medieval fortifications, and especially above all Mdina. Walking around the old town and exploring the cathedral (?). I want to go back!!

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Hi there,

 

we will be visiting La Valletta on July 17. La Valletta looks really nice, but also some other areas such as Mdina and Rabat. Are there any must-sees in the vicinity of La Valletta?

 

We are in town from 8:00 to 18:00. I'd like to visit at least 2 places, but also try to make a relaxed day of it. So maybe La Valletta + Mdina + Rabat is a bit much?

 

Thank you for reading!

We had a private tour of Mdina and Valetta (including St. John's Cathedral) with Amy Pace pacee@vol.net.mt - http://www.guidedtoursmalta.com. She has excellent reviews on Trip Advisor and accompanied Rick Steves’ on his tour of Malta. Does a great job!

Ron

We took a taxi from the cruise port to Mdina last year and I think it cost 20 Euros. There is a taxi rank right outside the cruise port entrance. We got there before the HoHo buses and excursion buses and had a really nice time walking around the walled city. The buses and their hoards started arriving towards the end of our time in Mdina. We then returned to Valleta using the local bus, only a couple of Euros.

Valleta is probably the most impressive Med port to sail into and out from. It's a compact and historically interesting city to walk around. St Johns Co-Cathedral is a must see.