Malta, Valletta Advice please

[nelderwoman]

Hi folks

 

We will be in Valletta in September, could you please answer a few questions for me

 

What will weather be like

 

Some folks have talked about a bus from the cruise terminal into town. My friend has bad arthritis. Is that the HoHo bus or not, where do I get it, how far to the lift up into town, could you tell me about that with directions please

 

And finally , how easy is it to visit the Blue Grotto

 

Any other tips gratefully received

Many thanks

[celebrity]

We were there Sept last year and the weather was in the 80's. My husband and son wore shorts, I wore capris. We elected to do a DIY day after so many all day tours.

We exited the ship, turned right and a alked to the lift to Upper Barrakka Gardens, so beautiful ! We then spent time at St John's Co- Cathedral which I consider a must when visiting Valletta. We stopped for a gelato, shopped a bit, wandered the streets looking at the buildings scarred by the bombs of WWII and then headed back to the ship. Would I have liked the Blue Grotto? I have no doubt but needed to pace ourselves. Be sure to be up early to see the sail into the harbor. It is quite spectacular. We loved our day in Malta and would love to return. It is clean, safe and the residents are friendly and engaging.

[nelderwoman]

We were there Sept last year and the weather was in the 80's. My husband and son wore shorts, I wore capris. We elected to do a DIY day after so many all day tours.

We exited the ship, turned right and a alked to the lift to Upper Barrakka Gardens, so beautiful ! We then spent time at St John's Co- Cathedral which I consider a must when visiting Valletta. We stopped for a gelato, shopped a bit, wandered the streets looking at the buildings scarred by the bombs of WWII and then headed back to the ship. Would I have liked the Blue Grotto? I have no doubt but needed to pace ourselves. Be sure to be up early to see the sail into the harbor. It is quite spectacular. We loved our day in Malta and would love to return. It is clean, safe and the residents are friendly and engaging.

 

Many thanks, thus is brilliant Can't believe it's that hot, wonderful

[celebrity]

Many thanks, thus is brilliant Can't believe it's that hot, wonderful

 

Keep in mind, you are between Italy and Africa. Enjoy every minute!

[nelderwoman]

Thanks folks

[CintiPam]

We have visited Malta twice on port visits. Our first time, we went into Valletta and visited the archaeological museum and the lovely Co-Cathedral of St. John's. We then took a taxi to the amazing Hypogeum Neolithic ruins in one of Valletta's suburbs. Just 20 people per hour so you definitely must book in advance. Really unique.

 

On our second visit, we visited the Lascaris War Rooms in Valletta, the Rector's Palace and lovely home Casa Rocca Piccolo. The war rooms are similiar in concept to the Churchill War Rooms in London, and the tour guide there is fabulous.

 

Enjoy your visit to this special place and do not miss the gorgeous sail-in, one of the most magnificent in the world.

Edited August 18, 2014 by CintiPam

[nelderwoman]

Thanks you so much for this Pam, it's sounds great

 

Lots of ideas

[Turtles06]

Enjoy your visit to this special place and do not miss the gorgeous sail-in, one of the most magnificent in the world.

 

I just want to underscore the advice to be up early and out on deck, and not miss a minute of the sail-in. (Nor the sailaway, either.) The Grand Harbor of Valletta is truly one of the most splendid in the world.

 

Have a great trip!

 

 

(Valletta, by turtles06)

[CintiPam]

Turtles06, your photo is fabulous!

 

On our second visit, the sailaway was after dark; it was so gorgeous.

Edited August 19, 2014 by CintiPam

[tctriv]

We have visited Malta twice on port visits. Our first time, we went into Valletta and visited the archaeological museum and the lovely Co-Cathedral of St. John's. We then took a taxi to the amazing Hypogeum Neolithic ruins in one of Valletta's suburbs. Just 20 people per hour so you definitely must book in advance. Really unique.

 

On our second visit, we visited the Lascaris War Rooms in Valletta, the Rector's Palace and lovely home Casa Rocca Piccolo. The war rooms are similiar in concept to the Churchill War Rooms in London, and the tour guide there is fabulous.

 

Enjoy your visit to this special place and do not miss the gorgeous sail-in, one of the most magnificent in the world.

 

Can you tell me approximately how far the Hypogeum is from the Cruise port? We are scheduled to go late in the afternoon and I'm trying to make sure we have enough time to get back -- is it far to walk? How long of a Taxi ride? Approximate cost? Any information would be appreciated. you can also send scgo4it@aol.com. We leave in less than a week.

[KirkNC]

Can you tell me approximately how far the Hypogeum is from the Cruise port? We are scheduled to go late in the afternoon and I'm trying to make sure we have enough time to get back -- is it far to walk? How long of a Taxi ride? Approximate cost? Any information would be appreciated. you can also send scgo4it@aol.com. We leave in less than a week.

 

By taxi it should be about 15-20 minutes. It would quite a hike to walk. We actually took the bus but that can be a little confusing and it is not super easy to find the Hypogeum as it is in an ordinary looking house. My suggestion is to take a taxi and have the guy come back 40 minutes after dropping you off.

Edited September 20, 2014 by KirkNC

[insanemagnet]

The terminal in Valletta is quite poorly designed, so although it may appear that you are close to the town (and the €1 lift to the old town), in fact you need to walk a considerable distance to force you through the new port shopping centre. There did not appear to be an transport for the less able, unless you could order a taxi direct to the ship.

[CintiPam]

Can you tell me approximately how far the Hypogeum is from the Cruise port? We are scheduled to go late in the afternoon and I'm trying to make sure we have enough time to get back -- is it far to walk? How long of a Taxi ride? Approximate cost? Any information would be appreciated. you can also send scgo4it@aol.com. We leave in less than a week.

 

You definitely could not walk it; it's located several miles away in what I would term a suburb from Valletta. The taxi ride from the bus roundabout outside the old city walls of Valletta was very fast, perhaps 12 minutes max. The taxi was 15 Euros I believe (definitely no negotiation here in this place of taxi monopoly). We took the bus back to the same roundabout.

 

Probably the Hypogeum people could call you a taxi when you are finished; it is not a place where taxis hang about at all.

Edited September 20, 2014 by CintiPam

[cruisemom42]

I agree with Pam and Kirk; it's not really walkable.

 

I took a taxi and (because timing was tight; we had a mid-afternoon departure), I asked the cost to have them wait for me. This added only 10 euro to the round-trip fare. For the peace of mind of getting back to the ship it was well worth it. The total fare was (I think) 45 euro.

 

If you have plenty of time, you could take a taxi there and get the bus back. As others have said, the actual location is a bit difficult to find -- it looks rather like an ordinary house.

[flrose]

Thanks for the information posted so far...

 

Any suggestions for the best place to get Valetta glass/Mdina Glass? It is on my list! I know that if I take an organized tour, there will be little time to shop and pressure to buy where they want us to go.

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions...

[Denverite]

Thanks for the information posted so far...

 

Any suggestions for the best place to get Valetta glass/Mdina Glass? It is on my list! I know that if I take an organized tour, there will be little time to shop and pressure to buy where they want us to go.

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions...

 

We took a cab to Mdina (20 Euros). The driver dropped off at the entrance and as we walked in, we noticed a "Mdina Glass" on the left. The store was very nice (two floors) and had really pretty Mdina Glass. Prices were about 25 Euros for small vases or bowls and 16.50 Euros for others. We bought a couple pieces to give as gifts. Of course, there were bigger and more expensive pieces. Our driver said to call him when we were ready to return. We had the Mdina Glass store call him and he said he would be there in 20 minutes. After 40 minutes, he failed to show up. We were in no hurry, but there were plenty of cabs waiting in a small lot. They did charge us 25 Euros for the return, but we had him drop us off in Valletta and not at the port. After we walked around Valletta, we took the lift (free going down) and walked back to the port.

[flrose]

We took a cab to Mdina (20 Euros). The driver dropped off at the entrance and as we walked in, we noticed a "Mdina Glass" on the left. The store was very nice (two floors) and had really pretty Mdina Glass. Prices were about 25 Euros for small vases or bowls and 16.50 Euros for others. We bought a couple pieces to give as gifts. Of course, there were bigger and more expensive pieces. Our driver said to call him when we were ready to return. We had the Mdina Glass store call him and he said he would be there in 20 minutes. After 40 minutes, he failed to show up. We were in no hurry, but there were plenty of cabs waiting in a small lot. They did charge us 25 Euros for the return, but we had him drop us off in Valletta and not at the port. After we walked around Valletta, we took the lift (free going down) and walked back to the port.

 

Thanks for the information!

 

Julie

[susietb]

Just returned from Valletta (we were there on September 15th). The taxi cost to the Hypogeum was 20E one way. We elected to take the bus back (only a couple of blocks away) for 1.5E each, very easy. It let us off at the entrance to Valletta and we walked through the city to the Barraca Gardens and the lift back to the ship.

 

It was Hot!!!

 

This was our second trip here. The first time we went to a taxi booth by the pier and arranged for a 3 hour tour to The Blue Grotto and Medina. Well worth

the 100E.