United Travel Malta

V alletta, together with Leeuwarden (Netherlands), will be the European Capital of Culture in 2018. Valletta's year officially opens on the 20th January 2018 with an official ceremony.  Valletta's title is an award which will be shared amongst all localities in Malta & Gozo. This decision, supported by all of the 68 localities in Malta, was taken in order to ensure that the positive effects of the title would be spread as widely as possible.  With around 400 events across 365 days, Jason Micallef, Chairman of the Valletta 2018 Foundation, promises that next year will include " the most cultural activity and related celebrations since Malta's independence." Since local traditions are known for their passion, exuberance and flair, the organising committee decided to celebrate our European Capital of Culture year through the best festive language we know - that of the traditional  Maltese Festa .  The  chosen themes  are island stories,...

Malta's mysterious, 7000 years of history together with it's strong religious background makes it the perfect backdrop to a number of legends, myths and folk tales. Most of the stories find their foundations in truth and historical facts, with each story being embellished by every generation that narrated it. Other stories were used as explanations of different phenomena that people could not explain. Here are some of our favourite myths & legends... St. Paul & The Venomous Viper This is legend is probably the best known amongst the locals, as it is about Malta's Patron Saint and can be found in the Bible. The story says that when St. Paul was shipwrecked in Malta, he was gathering wood to make himself a fire, as he lit the fire a viper was driven out by the heat and bit him. The Maltese, who were very superstitious people, expected St. Paul to die of poisoning, however, he simply shook the snake off into the fire and no harm came to him. It is said th...

Have you ever wondered why St. John's Co-Cathedral in Mdina is considered one of the must see sites in Malta?  Would you like to see a 360-degree virtual tour of the cathedral from the comfort of your home? Well, now you can! Last month, the church launched an incredible 360-degree virtual tour, allowing you to take in all the main sights from the comfort of your sofa, through your computer or even your smartphone.  Users can rotate the camera to look up and down and all around. The 360-degree views also allow users to zoom into certain areas of interest.  There are 6 panoramic views available, the main nave is available for viewing free of charge, whilst the other views come at a one time cost of €2.99. If you would like to view the virtual tour for yourself, you can do so by clicking here. If you would like more information about the cathedral, or would like us to help you plan a visit there, please feel free to get in touch with us.  

Last Wednesday was a very sad day for Malta, as it was the day that we lost one of our most loved and treasured natural beauties - Gozo's Azure Window. We all knew that this iconic landmark was being worn away, and that it was a matter of time until we lost it, what we didn't know is how soon this would happen. A few years ago geologists claimed that it will eventually collapse, but that it was in no imminent danger. Unfortunately though, last Wednesday was the day it succumbed to mother nature. Below is the official press release which we received from the Malta Tourism Authority... Nature Claims Gozo’s Iconic Azure Window Tragedy Strikes as Landmark Collapses into the Inland Sea March 8 th  2017:  A sad day for the Mediterranean island, today saw the tragic collapse of the iconic Azure Window in Gozo. A breath-taking structure that is believed to be thousands of years old, rough seas have finally taken their toll as the magnificent limestone arch has finall...

It's been a few months since we updated our beloved blog - we were very in busy in the office during the last quarter of 2016, and unfortunately our blog got given a back seat until we caught up on everything. We decided that with the start of 2017, the first blog should be about which lists Malta appeared on towards the end of last year and the beginning of this year. Here's a list of our favourite articles... Lonely Planet's Top 25 Secret Destinations - September 2016 Way back in September, Lonely Planet released the Fall publication of the US edition of the Lonely Planet Magazine. One of the cover features is an article which lists the top 25 "secret" destinations according to their adventure experts - and Malta took the number 1 spot! Writer Abigail Blasi said that Malta should no longer be thought of as a place for "elderly tour groups", highlighting the fact that there has been an emergence of new, modern architecture, trendy bar and r...

Until a few years ago Valletta used to be quiet quiet in the evenings and night. This was always a shame as both locals and foreigners alike could never understand how a country's capital city could be so inactive at night, with barely any nightlife except for a few restaurants. In recent years Valletta a new, creative generation saw that there was potential in Valletta, and took over opening a variety of trendy and unique bars. From bars specialising in whisky, gin and wine, Valletta now has a number of bars to suit everyone's tastes. Here are some of our favourite... 1. Bridge Bar Located on the St. Ursula's Steps in Valletta, the owners of Bridge Bar were amongst the first to realise Valletta's true potential. On any day of the week, Bridge Bar is just a normal bar where one can enjoy a drink in a nice surrounding. However, for the past 10 or so years, Bridge Bar has built a reputation as the place to go to on a Friday between May and October to enjoy some loca...

On the 9th of July, the completion of the extensive restoration to the Cittadella in Gozo was inaugurated. The Cittadella rises above the town of ir-Rabat, also known as Victoria, Gozo's capital city. Like Mdina, the Cittadella is strategically perched high on a hill, and from here one can enjoy stunning views of Gozo.  It is believed that the Citadel has been at the centre of activity in Gozo from as early as Neolithic times, what we do know is that it was definitely fortified during the Bronze Ages, which is around 1500 BC. It was further developed throughout the years, and the Romans used it as a complex Acropolis. After almost two centuries of being under attack by the Turks and Berber corsairs, which was in fact Gozo's darkest period, the Knights decided to reconstruct the Citadel between 1599 and 1603. Over the past few years the Cittadella has had some major works done thanks to two restorations and rehabilitation projects which were co-financed by the Europea...

In our previous blog post, we recommended visiting a Maltese Village Festa during the summer months. We thought that we would publish a blog post that features the Village Festa, and all they have to offer. In Malta the "Festa Season" starts from the end of May and goes on throughout the Summer months until the end of September. There are a few exceptions of feasts that take place earlier or later on in the year, for example the feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck that takes place on the 10th February every year. Every village has at least one patron saint, with some even having two or three, and it is these patron saints that are celebrated during these feasts. A village feast takes place over an extended weekend, and each feast has it's own annual allocated weekend. In the week before the feast, the respective village will decorate the streets with statues raised on wooden columns, as well as with festoons and banners, all dedicated to their patron saints. The p...

During the Summer months, Malta's events calendar becomes jam packed with all sorts of events, from cultural events, to live concerts, and various themed festivals.  We have compiled a list of some of our favourite events 1. A Village Festa - Every weekend in Summer From the end of May, right through to the middle of September, every town or village in Malta will at some point celebrate the feast of its patron saint or other saints revered in different churches. The streets of the village are decorated with banners, papier mache statues raised on wooden column and festoons are hung along the streets. A typical Maltese festa lasts for 3 days (some even last a bit longer too), and on any of these evenings the streets of the town or village are busy with hundreds of people celebrating! Stands selling traditional Maltese food and sweet delicacies will be scattered around the village square.  If you would like to check which feasts are on during your holiday, you can c...

The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), in collaboration with the National Commission for Persons with a Disability (KNPD) and the Ministry of Tourism, have recently unveiled new measures to make sure that everyone can enjoy a a day at the beach in Malta. At Mellieha Bay (Ghadira), special walkways have been erected leading from the roadside pavement, down purposely-constructed ramps all the way to the sea. After receiving positive feedback about these ramps, the MTA said that they will be looking into adding similar ones at other coastal locations around the Maltese Islands. These ramps and walkways are not only of benefit to people with permanent disabilities, but also to seniors and families with pushchairs or strollers. The MTA has also invested in 10 special wheelchairs, which can be pulled over sand and can also enter into the water. All major sandy beaches will have at least one of these available, giving people with disabilities or elderly people easier access to the sea. In ...

As Game of Thrones fans all over the world celebrate the eagerly awaited sixth season of the hit TV series, we thought that it would be appropriate to take a nostalgic trip back to the first season. Back to the season that saw Viserys receive his crown of gold, the execution of Ned Stark and the wedding of Daenerys to Khal Drogo. As some fans may know, a lot of season 1 was filmed on location in Malta and Ireland, so we decided to list some of our favourite locations in Malta.  1. Mdina Gate - King's Landing Gate Mdina is a walled hill town found in the centre of the island. It is Malta's old capital city and dates back to around 4000 years ago.  In the first season of Game of Thrones, Mdina's city gate was featured as the gate of King's Landing and saw Catelyn and Ser Rodrik Cassel ride through the gates of Mdina (or King's Landing) to investigate the attack on Bran.  2. Fort Ricasoli - Red Keep Gate Fort Ricasoli is a large fortification ...

After the battle of the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, Grand Master Jean De La Valette realised that if the Order wanted to preserve its hold on Malta, it had to provide adequate defences. As a result of this realization, La Valette drew up a plan to build a new fortified city on the Mount Sceberras peninsula and obtained financial support from Pope Pius V and Philip II of Spain. And so, in March 1566, work started – first on the bastions, and then on the other, more important buildings. It was decided that the new city was to be called Valletta, in honour of La Valette. Fireworks Festival in Valletta Flash forward to modern times, Valletta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been so since 1980! It plays host to a number of cultural events throughout the year including the International Baroque Festival in January, Carnival festivities in February, the International Fireworks in April, Isle of MTV in June and Notte Bianca in October amongst many others. In 2017 Malta...

Last week, America’s Sports Illustrated released their behind the scenes videos and photographs from their 2016 swimsuits photo-shoot which was held in Malta earlier this year.  The shoot starred some of their popular, bikini-clad models namely Kate Bock, Kelly Rohrbach, Tanya Mityushina, Samantha Hoopes and Robin Lawley who were photographed by Ben Watts.  Here's what Sports Illustrated and the models had to say about the little rock I love to call home... A number of Malta’s gems including Valletta, Birgu, Marsaxlokk and the Azure Window in Gozo provided the perfect scenery for the shoot. On an article about Malta appearing on the Sports Illustrated website, the Sports Media franchise said that they “were drawn more by its broad aesthetic appeal. Its cobblestone streets and limestone buildings offered a quaint urban setting, while the Azure Window, the Dingli Cliffs (which served as a setting for Game of Thrones) and the salt pans on the island of Gozo provided unique...