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,...

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...

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...

Valletta, the city which we proud to call our capital city, is often described as a big open-air museum. It is a living experience of Baroque architecture, a monument donated by the Knights of St. John's four and a half centuries ago. The Baroque feel and structure is what truly defines Valletta, and it is really worthy of a celebration.  This is where the Valletta International Baroque Festival is just that, a celebration of all that is Baroque. The festival is now in its fourth edition and will this year, like in the previous ones, incorporate "an eclectic variety of music including pianistic transcriptions and 20th Century orchestral music inspired by the baroque idiom." The festival will take place between the 16th and 30th January 2015, and besides the beautiful Baroque music, visitors can also look forward to seeing the finest Baroque buildings come to life.  Some of the venues that will host the concerts are the following:  Manoel Theatre  1. Mano...

So the weather has finally cooled down a little bit, and summer is slowly reaching an end. If you're wondering what to do this October in Malta, here are a few events that we suggest going to: Notte Bianca  Where?: Around Valletta When?: Saturday, 3rd October 2015 Notte Bianca, is one of Malta's most popular and well attended cultural events and will be celebrating it's 10th anniversary this year! This year's event is set to be that little bit more special, with the organisers promising to have something lined up for everyone's tastes - from Drifting to Flamenco, to Maltese cuisine with a twist and gravity defying acrobats. The newly restored Fort St. Elmo will also be open for visitors during this event. For more information, you can visit the official Notte Bianca website by clicking here. Paqpaqli Ghall-Istrina Where?: Malta International Airport When?: Sunday, 4th October 2015 Paqpaqli Ghall-Istrina, is the annual car show held in aid of charity. ...

Travel + Leisure Magazine, the monthly travel magazine published by Time Inc, recently published the results for their 20th Annual Poll . The pool asked their readers to cast their votes for the hotels, destinations and companies that define the very best in travel. The different categories included Hotels, Cities, Islands, Cruise Liners, Airports, Airlines, Family, and more. Each category was then divided into sub-categories according to region with an overall list, summarising the other categories. Malta came in 10th place in the Top 10 Overall World's Best Island. The beautiful Galapagos Islands, Bali and the Maldives took the top 3 places, with islands such as Santorini, Maui and the Greater Barrier Reef also making the list.  The lovely island that we love to call home also appeared in 2nd place in the Top 5 Best European Islands. Santorini took the f irst place, with Crete, Mykonos and Majorca also making the list.  According to the official ...

This week's blog is inspired by Vogue, the international fashion and lifestyle magazine because last Thursday they posted an article on their website entitled "Eight Unexpected Honeymoon Spots That Will Make You Rethink Your Plans" and Malta featured in fifth place so we decided to recommend some of our favourite romantic places.  1. A Karrozzin Ride Around Valletta Valletta is Malta’s capital city and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is quite busy during the day, but in the late afternoon and evening it gets a little bit quieter. When visiting Valletta, I would suggest taking a ride on a karrozzin, Malta’s version of a horse-drawn carriage, around the outskirts of Valletta. Then I would suggest having dinner at Giannini restaurant, or maybe visiting Strait Street where you can choose from a variety of trendy wine bars.  2. Dining in Mdina Mdina is Malta’s old capital city and is known as the “Silent City”. As its nickname suggests Mdina is...

As 2014 comes to an end, the lists of bests start to take shape. The travel industry is no exception and Lonely Planet, everyone's favourite travel guide publisher, has just published a list of what they deem to be the best 10 Cities to visit in 2015. According to them, the best city in the world to visit is Washington DC, and at number 10 is Toronto. Right in the middle of the list, coming in at number 5 is Malta's very own capital city, Valletta. Considering the that two of the world's biggest capital cities start and finish the list, I think this is a big feat in itself. Thanks to Lonely Planet's list, we were today also reminded that Valletta will next year celebrate it's 450th anniversary!  According to Lonely Planet's digital editorial director, making this list is "the one time each year that Lonely Planet applies it's collective brainpower to pick recommendations and rank their recommendations." In order to make the list, the chosen ci...