Valetta on our own

[travellovers2]

We are thinking of taking a transfer to Mdina where they leave us for 3.5 hours and bring us back. Then do Valetta on our own. 

Is this a good idea or do we need a tour for Valetta?

 

From the photos we have seen of Valetta, it seems that everything is within walking distance from where the ship docks. 

[sailco]

Mdina is lovely but 3.5 hours would be a very long time.

[Bobal]

Agree with sailco. It's a really lovely place but can't imagine spending that length of time there. You could take a local bus to Mdina from Valletta or splash out on a taxi which would probably still be cheaper than a ship's excursion, if that's what you were planning.

 

Valletta is then very easy to do on your own, if you have time take a 3 harbour tour.

 

Also just a heads up that Valletta isn't in Greece so this may get moved to the 'other' ports of call forum https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/149-other-mediterranean-ports/

Edited July 15, 2019 by Bobal

[travellovers2]

I apologize if I chose the wrong one. 

Thank you for your replies! 

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, travellovers2 said:

I apologize if I chose the wrong one. 

Thank you for your replies! 

No worries about posting here.....Are you a Game Of Thrones Fan at all? We just returned from an amazing private group tour that went "all over" Valletta even out to the cliff's...We saw more of Valletta than we ever imagined possible on this port stop....even things that had nothing to do with GOT.

Edited July 15, 2019 by Ashland

[Sauer-kraut]

Mdina is really small....if you are stuck there, there is a lovely ROMAN VILLA excavation just outside the city walls.  I recommend it highly.  (Villa Romana)

 

And yes, Valetta is a very easy walk around city.

[Hlitner]

No reason to buy a special transfer to Medina.  You could simply take the public bus for about 2.60 Euros.  Those buses run about every 10 min from the bus station located not far from the port after you use the elevator to get to the top of the hill that overlooks the port.  Some get their fill of Medina in about an hour and others want more time.

 

Hank

 

 

n simply 

[blebreton14]

On 7/15/2019 at 12:54 PM, Ashland said:

No worries about posting here.....Are you a Game Of Thrones Fan at all? We just returned from an amazing private group tour that went "all over" Valletta even out to the cliff's...We saw more of Valletta than we ever imagined possible on this port stop....even things that had nothing to do with GOT.

My wife is a GOT fan and we will be in Valletta in August- would you share who you used for the tour? I dind't realize that's where it was filmed

[Ashland]

4 hours ago, blebreton14 said:

My wife is a GOT fan and we will be in Valletta in August- would you share who you used for the tour? I dind't realize that's where it was filmed

We toured with Malcolm Ellul .... owner/operator of "Malta Film Tours" Malcolm was a cast member when they filmed season's 1 & 2 in Malta. He is amazing and gave us and the small group with us a wonderful in-depth tour of all the locations and inside stories and pictures corresponding with the locations we were at. One of the best tours we've been on including a similar GOT tour we did in Ireland. Enjoy...you won't regret it !!

 

Google his website..he will quickly respond...I hope he isn't booked already.

 

https://www.maltafilmtours.com

Edited July 19, 2019 by Ashland

[travellovers2]

We have never watched GOT, but we love history and architecture, so Valetta will definitely be a wonderful stop for us on this cruise. 

[JimmyTheSaint]

We took a taxi from Valetta to Mdina from outside the port gates. There was a queue of taxis sitting waiting so we jumped in and got to Mdina long before the bus tours and local busses. We had a good walk around Mdina and were leaving as the bus loads started arriving. I think it only cost 20 Euros for the taxi.

 

We got the local bus from just outside the Mdina entrance gates to Valetta. It gave us a good few hours in Valetta which is a very compact city. I'd recommend you take the taxi to Mdina and get the bus back to Valetta rather than bus and then taxi return.

[Ski Mom 2]

Valetta is very easy to do on your own. It is a beautiful city and we had a delightful time exploring on our own. Found a fun bar, cute shops, and a delicious restaurant for lunch. I would love to return and explore more. 

 

Our departure was a bit hairy. The waves were crazy and going out was interesting to say the least! But the sunset was one of the most spectacular we have ever seen!

[raynvic]

We were in Valetta last week.  I booked a tour with Amy Pace.  It was a good tour, but others are correct, you can do this on your own.  As were only in port for a half day, this is somewhere I would love to return to.

[Ashland]

28 minutes ago, raynvic said:

We were in Valetta last week.  I booked a tour with Amy Pace.  It was a good tour, but others are correct, you can do this on your own.  As were only in port for a half day, this is somewhere I would love to return to.

You can certainly do it on your own if you are limiting it to a certain area. We however went way out beyond Valletta and why our full day tour with Malta Film Tours was an amazing option for those that have the time and interest in this type of private group tour.

[iancal]

We jumped on the HOHO.  First stop was Medina. We were there for about an hour, then dd more touring.  The HOHO ticket included an free optional harbour water tour.  We did that as well.

 

We enjoyed our day in Malta so much that we went back the following year for 10 days.

[carlsbadguy]

Which HOHO tour have people used. Have read some reviews and one seemed better than the other.

[iancal]

As I recall it was a red one.  It was parked near the ship  as we disembarked.   Very clever.  It was spontaneous.  We spoke to the operator, got the details, and climbed aboard.

Edited September 1, 2019 by iancal

[ninjacat123]

On 8/13/2019 at 4:52 PM, Ski Mom 2 said:

Valetta is very easy to do on your own. It is a beautiful city and we had a delightful time exploring on our own. Found a fun bar, cute shops, and a delicious restaurant for lunch. I would love to return and explore more. 

 

Our departure was a bit hairy. The waves were crazy and going out was interesting to say the least! But the sunset was one of the most spectacular we have ever seen!

If you happen to remember the name of the fun bar and delicious restaurant, please share!  Thanks!

[Ski Mom 2]

As we wandered down one of the streets of Valetta we stopped in front of The Pub where all of these people were waiting for it to open at noon. They were a lovely bunch so we waited with them. At noon the bar opened and we all got in and ordered a pint. Turns out The Pub is where actor Oliver Reed ordered his last drink during the filming of The Gladiator. We were surrounded by lovely English folks come to pay their respects to Oliver Reed. We had a rip-roaring time!

 

The restaurants name was Salvino’s and we made it right before they were closing for lunch. We were the only tourists in the place and the owners were wonderful and set us up with a delicious lunch and a fantastic wine. We had a lovely time in Valetta!

 

[bennybear]

Don’t miss the Co cathedral, it is spectacular.  We did a half day tour this time to Hagar  Qim which was astonishing. Older than Stonehenge!  Highly recommend!