Feedback Malta Day

[cleobella]

I'm wondering if I can get some feedback on our idea for a DIY day in Malta on a Monday in October, and I have some questions too.  We are thinking of taking a taxi to Mdina early in the morning. Then returning to Valetta,  having a coffee somewhere nice, strolling around the town, seeing the Cathedral,  Gardens and the Harbour Front  (Vittoriosa).  We have 9 hours in port, but would probably choose an  8am -2/3pm day.   Does this plan seem feasible? My questions are: 1) Is easy to get a taxi from Mdnina back to Valetta, or should we count on taking the bus?  How do you pay for the bus and where do you pick it up?  What time does Mdina open up?   2) If we take the bus back where should we get off to be central in town for seeing St John's and other stuff?  3) Can we easily walk back to the ship from the town?   4) Is there anything else we should be adding to our day ( an additional trip out of town in the morning, or something else in town, something that would give us some history on the Knights of Malta?)  Thanks for any info!

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, cleobella said:

I'm wondering if I can get some feedback on our idea for a DIY day in Malta on a Monday in October, and I have some questions too.  We are thinking of taking a taxi to Mdina early in the morning. Then returning to Valetta,  having a coffee somewhere nice, strolling around the town, seeing the Cathedral,  Gardens and the Harbour Front  (Vittoriosa).  We have 9 hours in port, but would probably choose an  8am -2/3pm day.   Does this plan seem feasible? My questions are: 1) Is easy to get a taxi from Mdnina back to Valetta, or should we count on taking the bus?  How do you pay for the bus and where do you pick it up?  What time does Mdina open up?   2) If we take the bus back where should we get off to be central in town for seeing St John's and other stuff?  3) Can we easily walk back to the ship from the town?   4) Is there anything else we should be adding to our day ( an additional trip out of town in the morning, or something else in town, something that would give us some history on the Knights of Malta?)  Thanks for any info!

 

 

Regarding your last question, I notice you don't have the Grand Master's Palace on your list -- a tour there would certainly help with the history of the Knights.

 

I've only been to Mdina in the morning on a Sunday, when it was extremely quiet and things didn't really seem to be open until noon. I would guess, though, that if you get there by 10:00 on a weekday you'll find everything open. At 8:30 I wouldn't be too sure...

 

When you exit Mdina, you'll cross an old bridge just outside the main gate. After that there is a sort of traffic circle/area where buses pick up and drop off and where taxis wait. You should be able to find a taxi there to take you back to Valletta, but if not, there are many buses as well -- I seem to recall that most end up in Valletta whatever their number but you can find out more info here:

 

Routes & Timetables - Malta Public Transport

 

The buses drop you off at a bus depot in Valletta that is pretty central. Not far to walk to the sites of interest.

 

If you have any interest in pre-historic sites, there are several worth seeing, including the Hypogeum and nearby Tarxien temples, just outside of Valletta.  You must reserve in advance for the Hypogeum and tickets go fast as they only allow a few people per tour to preserve the place.  If you were lucky enough to score early morning tickets, you could go there first before heading to Mdina (I would just ask taxi to wait or to return for you at a given time as the entrance to the Hypogeum is in a fairly residential area.

 

Hypogeum:  Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum - Heritage Malta

 

[cruisemom42]

I forgot to mention a wonderful place to get pastries and a coffee in Valletta that is very near to both the Grandmaster's Palace and the Co-Cathedral:  Caffe Cordina.  They have a significant amount of outdoor seating available too. (But be sure to go inside and drool over all of the pastries before ordering.....)

 

 

 

 

 

[MeHeartCruising]

I can address a couple of these, I think, based on how things were when I was there a long time ago.  But from recent posts, it sounds about the same now, just more expensive.

 

There was a line of taxis waiting at the port to take you where you want to go.  When I was there, a tent was set up between the ship and the taxis where you discussed your desired plans for the taxi with an agent.  That agent helped you as needed.  You paid the agent for a specific number of hours to match up to your plan.  I think I paid 60 euros for 3 hours of taxi time.  The agent gave me a receipt which I then walked up to the taxi line and gave to the first driver.  I never had to pay the driver anything -- the meter was never run (although I did tip him at the end of the day).

 

I don't know if you could just approach the taxi line and have them take you where you wanted to go (one way) or if they required a time-based duration.  I would assume they would take you where you wanted to go.  So I would say it's easy to get a taxi at the port.  Our driver was talking to other taxi drivers when we exited Mdina.  But I don't know if they were drivers that were already booked by people similar to us or if they were free to take fares.  You might consider booking a taxi for a few hours.  We found it well worth the money for 3 people.  We had a comfortable car with plenty of room.  Our driver was not a guide, but he spoke English very well and was talkative.  We mostly just discussed life on Malta.  He answered any questions we had as best he could.

 

We were at Mdina early -- 8:30 or 9:00 maybe?  Not much was open.  We enjoyed just walking around and soaking in the sights and views.  We did go into the Cathedral, which was open.

 

We also visited the Moste Dome on the way back to Valletta.  You might consider it.  It's pretty and a quick stop.

 

Our taxi dropped us off at the central bus station in Valletta when we were done with him.  It's a good location to start your walking of Valletta.  From there you can walk to all the sights in the city you will likely wish to see.  When we were done, we then walked back to the ship.  It took us 30 minutes or so, but we were going slow (my parents were mid-70s) plus we were stopping to take pictures and absorb the views along the way.  It's quite a downhill walk.  The Barrakka Gardens are worth passing through as part of your walk back.  Now, there is actually an elevator that can take you down to the waterfront via a parking garage structure.  You should investigate that if you decide to walk to or from the ship.  There are details in other posts on this forum.  It didn't exist when I was there, so we just walked the entire way.  It was an enjoyable walk.  Like you, we headed back to the ship by about 3pm.  We had walked a lot that day and were ready to relax a little on the ship and soak in the views from the ship with a drink in hand.

 

 

[carlmm]

Just some additions:

1) Buses do work perfectly but take much longer than taxis in my experience (we went there by bus and returned by taxi). Taxis were plenty in Mdina.

2) There is nothing to choose about where to get off. Buses do mo go into Valetta, but stop at the central bus station right in front of the walls.

3) Valetta is for the most part on a higher level than the port. You can walk down or take the elevator.

 

Final advice: do not rush. Mdina deserves several hours, Valetta several days.