Day One - 5.5/6 hours duration, starting at 0930hrs
Tour to Birgu (Three Cities), Grand Harbour & Valletta
Our tour starts with a drive through Cospicua, one of the Three Cities. We will stop at a viewpoint where you can enjoy a beautiful view overlooking the Cospicua marina, Grand Harbour and the Senglea peninsula. Here we will b... read more »
Day One - 5.5/6 hours duration, starting at 0930hrs
Tour to Birgu (Three Cities), Grand Harbour & Valletta
Our tour starts with a drive through Cospicua, one of the Three Cities. We will stop at a viewpoint where you can enjoy a beautiful view overlooking the Cospicua marina, Grand Harbour and the Senglea peninsula. Here we will be visiting old city of Birgu. In 1532 the Knights of St. John first settled in this area and we will give you an insight to an era dominated by the Knights of St. John. Our walking tour will take us to the heart of the city, the narrow streets and quaint alleys known as the 'collacchio', an area of old Palazzo's which were the original Auberges occupied by the Knights. We end our walking tour of Birgu on the stunning waterfront, the very place where the Knights' berthed their magnificent galleys.
We will stop for a light lunch at a local eatery before making our way down to the harbour to board a Dghajsa, a traditional Maltese boat used for centuries taxying people around the Grand Harbour. This boat trip will end on the Valletta shoreline. On arrival in Valletta, we will take the Barraka Lift (elevator) to the upper level of the city, and the magnificent Upper Barraka Gardens.
Note! If you do not want to do the traditional Dghajsa boat trip we can cross the harbour by regular ferry.
Upon our arrival in the gardens, which offer stunning views of the Grand Harbour and magnificent fortifications, we will then start our Valletta walking tour. En route, we pass by Castille Palace, Jean de Valette square, Merchants street – housing the Auberge d’Italie and Castellania, and then into St. John’s co-Cathedral for an internal visit. This was the Conventual Church of the Order of St. Johns/Knights of St. John and historically one of the most important buildings built by the Knights. Here you can also admire the Carravaggio masterpiece 'The Beheading of St. John', considered as his most important work south of Rome. We continue along Republic Street, the main commercial hub of the city. Here you can admire more stunning architecture, large open piazza's, the Bibliotheca, Law Courts, and the imposing Grand Masters Palace. Our tour will end in Palace Square, and then we will make our way back to your hotel.
Day Two - 7 hours duration, starting at 0915hrs
Tour to Hypogeum, Tarxien Temple, Blue Grotto & Hagar Qim Temple
Our first stop is at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. This unique ancient underground monument is 12 metres below street level. It consists of a network of passages, chambers and caves cut on three levels, similar to the interior of a megalithic temple. The most impressive part of the temple is the "Holy of Holies" and one of the most important prehistoric masterpieces known as the "Sleeping Lady" was also found here.
Just a few streets away, we can find the Tarxien Temples. Tarxien was the first temple site to be excavated scientifically and it offers a unique collection of circa. 3000 BC sanctuaries. Stone idols and tablets, domestic animals carved in relief, altars and screens decorated with spiral designs and other patterns, oracular chambers and riches enhance the attractions of these temples.
We continue to the beautiful Wied iz-Zurrieq, famous for the magnificent Blue Grotto. This tiny hamlet sits in a valley and has a very picturesque harbour. We will stop here for a lunch break, where you can try typical Mediterranean seafood, fresh fish or other cuisine is available. If the sea conditions are suitable, you will also have some free time to enjoy an optional boat trip to the grotto and neighbouring system of sea caves which are home to brilliant phosphorescent marine life. The 25-minute boat trip explores the incredible beauty of this natural wonder and is considered by many as a "must-do".
Our final stop will be the UNESCO Hagar Qim temple site and visitor's centre. Set in a rural area this ancient temple is particularly interesting as it has the largest and heaviest megaliths out of all the temple sites around the Maltese Islands, some slabs weighing a staggering 20 tons. We will delve into the history of this incredible culture dating back to 3600BC.
Day Three - 5 hours duration, starting at 0830hrs
Tour to Dingli Cliffs, Rabat, Mdina Medieval City & Mosta
We start our tour with a panoramic route to Dingli Cliffs. These cliffs are characterised by vertical or near-vertical rock faces rising from the sea to heights of up to 70-130m above sea level. Some of the steep slopes are terraced and this unique feature together with the expanse of the deep blue Mediterranean sea provide stunning views.
Our tour will then continue to the old town of Rabat. Here we will make our way through the narrow streets to the centre which is dominated by the imposing St. Paul's Church which overlooks the piazza. Rabat can claim the origins of Maltese Christianity and also good examples of the Roman period are found here. Our visit to Rabat also features the Roman Domus. In 1881 remains of an upper-class Roman townhouse were discovered on this site. There are some excellent exhibits and the museum above houses the principal remains of Malta’s Roman period (218 BC – 870 AD). The Roman Domus is well known for its beautiful mosaic floors, especially the Peristyle.
The walking tour proceeds to the medieval fortified city of Mdina, which is just a stone’s throw away from Rabat. The city's old Baroque buildings, Cathedral and magnificent bastion walls dominate the rural skyline. Mdina, once the capital of Malta until the modern city of Valletta was built in 1566 has had many names including Melite (Roman occupation), Medina (Arabic occupation), Citta Notabile (Knights of St. John) and Citta Vecchia (after Valletta was built). Today it is also referred to as the Silent City since it inspires tranquillity at any time of the day or night. The only way to really experience and enjoy this city is on foot, explore the quaint alleys, narrow streets, ancient buildings and magnificent far reaching views from the high bastion walls.
We continue our final stop in Mosta, for a visit to one of Malta's most famous churches, the Mosta Basilica. Housing a spectacular unsupported dome, the Basilica is also popular with visitors as it was at this church where a World War II bomb pierced the dome, fell inside the church during a service and failed to explode, and thus being hailed by locals as a miracle.
Day Four - 8/9 hours duration, starting at TBA (depending which ferry we use)
Full day tour to Gozo Island
We travel to Gozo by ferry and the charm of this island is apparent the moment you arrive at the pretty harbour of Mgarr. Greener, more rural and smaller than Malta. Our tour is a combination of scenic spots, historical sites, local culture and food.
We feature most of the main highlights during our tour. The first stop is at Ggantija temples, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered to be amongst the oldest free standing megalithic monuments in the world dating back over 5500 years. The adjoining visitor's centre boasts artefacts from the temple site and also from the Xaghra Circle (4100BC), studies of samples and results from which are still emerging.
A scenic drive will pass through quaint sleepy villages that characterise Gozo's unique charm. The drive also highlights the north coast. A brief stop at the Calypso Cave Belvedere, offers magnificent views over the red sands of Ramla Bay and the lush fertile valley which leads down to it. The drive takes us to Xwejni bay with its salt pans and the natural feature of Qolla l-Bajda.
We continue on to one of the most photographed sites on Gozo: Dwejra. This is a site of ecological and geological importance. The General's Rock and Inland Sea will be pointed out. One can take an optional boat trip out to the different caves (optional and operates weather permitting).
We proceed to Xlendi Bay for a lunch break. Xlendi is a very picturesque colourful bay, with a small sandy beach and restaurants lining the waterfront.
After lunch we will visit one of Gozo's most prominent sites, 'The Citadel', This small fortified town dominates the heights above Victoria, Gozo's capital. This site has been inhabited since the Bronze Age period. Walking through this historical gem one can admire the medieval layout with interesting features and some excellent examples of domestic medieval architecture, blending with buildings of the Knights of St John. Once at the top, a stunning panorama of the whole island and even Malta's northern coast enfolds.
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