Looking to exchange currency? Most banks accept exchange and offer automatic currency exchange machines in popular tourist areas. You will also find companies like Fexserv that offer currency exchange at good rates. Local shops in tourist areas that accept foreign currency are logically going to give you less favourable rates. The three major mobile phone network operators are Vodafone , Go and Melita.
Coverage for Vodafone and Go on data is generally better, with Vodafone having a slight edge. All three offer pre-paid phone and internet data plans and SIM cards can be purchased from local stationeries small local shops for writing and office materials as well. For the best coverage of those planning to travel across the Maltese islands, Vodafone and Go are your best bets, despite the slightly cheaper rates from Melita. More info on the topic here: Internet connectivity, Wi-Fi and mobile telephony in Malta.
Tap water is safe for drinking in most areas, though bottled water is preferred by most locals — an issue of taste rather than health mostly. Most shops are open all day, from 9am until 7pm, while shops in smaller villages tend to close between 1 and 4pm.
Shops are generally closed on Sundays and Public Holidays. Your safest bet is to ask around in the locality of your stay. Malta is one of the few countries in the world where people drive on the left-hand side of the road, inherited from the British rule of Malta. Most Maltese are friendly and helpful by nature and are usually more than happy to help you with whatever you need. Gozo is still relatively quiet and rural and a permanent connection may change the island for the worse.
Take the hassle out of planning your trip to Malta and be an informed traveller! The major reason for this love of cars is said to be caused by the fact that public transport in Malta consists of buses and offer little benefit to owning a car privately. The increasing number of registered vehicles is already causing major issues for the local population with traffic jams and lack of parking spaces being major issues nowadays. Believe it or not, this small island is an attractive destination for big budget movies, with major blockbuster productions shooting on various locations around the islands.
Check out the full overview of film productions in Malta. In fact, general elections and public referenda are usually won by a small margin. Malta is the only country in the EU that still allows limited springtime hunting on specific species of birds, with the Maltese government having negotiated a special set of legislations for the country during EU accession talks to protect the hunter minority.
Nevertheless, the hunting lobby won the referendum by a small margin. Many Maltese share similar passions, like religion, politics, football, local band clubs, etc. Not all passions which the Maltese share include opposing each other , however. The Maltese love the Eurovision song contest and unite behind their representative fervently! These sites are protected under international law and preserved in the interest of the international community and considered to be of major significance to humanity.
These sites should be at the top of your list of places to see! Glass blowing and Maltese lace are among a few of the local crafts, practised for centuries. We celebrate fourteen public holidays each year, which is one of the highest numbers among EU countries. The three phrases that summarise such events are fireworks, religious processions and band marches. A few local tour operators organise trips to some of the more popularly celebrated feasts.
Having been founded as the Collegium Melitense in , the University of Malta is the oldest university in the Commonwealth outside of Britain. During the last 2,odd years, Malta has known 11 foreign rulers that left behind various traces that can be found and admired around the Maltese islands. Nowadays, though, Malta is an independent republic, having gained independence from the British Empire in The country is still part of the British Commonwealth.
Around 17, years ago, the Maltese islands were the mountain tops of one landmass which connected current-day Malta to Sicily and even mainland Italy. The remains of the Megalithic temples that Malta is known for are the oldest free-standing stone structures in the world, older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt. The Knights of Malta are most remembered for successfully defending the island against the Ottomans during The Great Siege of The eight-point Crusade cross often associated with the Knights of Malta later became known as the Maltese Cross.
During World War 2 it miraculously survived bombing by German forces. John of Jerusalem. Completed in just 15 years, it also holds a record as one of the quickest scaled cities in the world, and looks absolutely beautiful at sunset. Skip to content. How much do you know about Malta? Quiz yourself with these fascinating, little-known facts July — 4 mins read.
It was once a part of Italy… probably While the theories are contested, geographers through the ages have suggested that the Maltese Islands were not only collected as one whole land mass, but used to be connected to what is now known as modern day Sicily through a land bridge, now feet below sea level.
The capital city is a real one-of-a-kind And the biggest surprise of all — Valletta was the first ever planned city in Europe. To me, Malta is about immersive travel when done right though the neighboring island of Gozo could easily be a mini holiday break mixed into a bigger Maltese itinerary. With one week in Malta, you can taste local wines which are shockingly great or enjoy a cooking class whipping up Maltese specialties like pastizzi and qasattat.
You can charter a boat and explore the beaches along with the islands of Gozo and Comino. Bombs still sit in the sea offshore on the tiny islet of Filfla, a reminder of the time when Maltese people would light up their small unpopulated islet while living in darkness so it could bear the brunt of the bombing. If Malta or a Maltese heritage trip intrigues you, please say hello!
Shannon Kircher is the founder and editor of The Wanderlust Effect. Founded in , she has continued to document her international escapes as an expat in Europe and the Caribbean. Barths St. A Breakfast Tour through Shanghai September 18,
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