Malta

We did the 10 day holiday with 7 nights on Gozo followed by 3 on Malta. The walks in the countryisde took in very interesting locations with excellent spots for a swim / snorkel and it was possible to adapt walks to suit by using the bus routes. The suggested town trails and other sights in Victoria, Valletta and Mdina/Rabat were also very well described in the notes.

Road signs are rare on Gozo because the locals know where they are going.  Plan to get lost most days even if you are a seasoned walker!  Drinks are cheap on Gozo and Malta.

Another first class holiday with Inntravel. The knowledge of your representatives we spoke to before the holiday and the speed of answering was first class and a credit to your organisation. We ate at the Ta'Klarick, just up the road from Maple Farm, ideal after a long day. The staff were very friendly and the food we ate was varied and of good quality.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our single centre walking holiday Glorious Gozo with our Malta add on

GOZO - We had a very pleasant week on Gozo despite the heavy winds on our arrival and the first day of walking. There was a couple of days of rain but did all the trails starting with the Qala Circuit. Following other reviews, we combined the visit to the Neolithic Temples at Xaghra with the Victoria Town Trail. This enabled us to do enjoy the Nadur Circuit as this was our best day for the weather. We were impressed with the cliffs of Ta’Cenc but had to cut short the part to Saguna cliffs as we had a tremendous rainfall so we caught the bus back from this village. We were made most welcome in the Inn in the square with a pot of tea and cake and given advice for the next bus. Really enjoyed Ghasri walk as we had good weather and the salt pans were amazing. The walk along the coast here was stunning. The buses were very good on Gozo and locals were helpful in advising the stop to get off at. Everyone was very friendly and most spoke English. Did not get the array of wild flowers we had hoped for as we were a little late in the season. The Grand Hotel was very well situated at the harbour and we enjoyed the 2 meals in the hotel and breakfast. We had some excellent meals at Ta’Tona and the Country Terrace dining at both on 2 occasions. We frequented the Gleneagles Bar - a good stop off after our days walk taking the bus down to the harbour. We had a great cocktail in the one80 Kitchen. We dined at Ta’Philip and we were really looking forward to it following previous reviews but we were disappointed as they were short-staffed and not on their best performance for which they apologised.

MALTA – We extended our stay by 5 nights in Malta staying at the Chapel 5 Palazzo Suites. Verena and Omar made us most welcome. They had only taken ownership from November 2022 and their first guests arrived in March. The buses to Valletta were good but often busy so we also used the Bolt app which worked well when we needed a taxi to visit other places that required more than one bus. Valletta was very walkable and we went a couple of days. St Johns’ Cathedral is a must see but we were very fortunate as they had a special exhibition of 25 16th century Tapestries on display, which were exceptional. So was the cathedral and we must have spent over 2 hours in the building. We also had coffee and a cake in the legendary Caffe Cordina. We had another bonus as one very sunny morning in the main square there was a Classic Car exhibition where my husband was in his element. We enjoyed vising the War Museum and we pre-booked the Underground Tunnels which gave us a very good insight about Malta’s history especially during WW2. Another must see is the Palace Parisio in Naxxar it has the most amazing ballroom and the gardens are stunning too. We pre-booked in the UK an evening meal in the Luna di Sera Restaurant having a cocktail in the garden under the full bloom of the jasmine trailing over the pagodas. Dinner was exceptional and very well served and a very nice treat. Note the venue is extensively used for weddings so check first if the restaurant is going to be open. We ate at Ta’Stringi in Naxxar but we would really recommend the Brass and Knuckle. We had a super dinner of meat and returned to have the cheese fondue with the platter of continental meats. Staff very friendly and service was good. We enjoyed the Mnajdra and Hagar Qim temples and combined this with a visit to the Blue Grotto where we took the boat to go around the 7 caves. Several museums were closed in Valletta: Grand Masters Palace, Manoel Theatre, Maritime Museum and Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa.

Enjoyed the trip and thanks again to Inntravel for all the notes and maps etc.

Our favourite walk was Ghasri/Marsalform. Note that there is a small supermarket & toilets in Ghasri. As said by previous reviewers the kiosk down the road from hotel in Mgarr was great for picking up provisions and the Cupcake at Victoria bus station provided welcome refreshments whilst waiting for bus. We ate mainly at the Grand Hotel as portions were more appropriate for us. We bought an extra tallinja card with 12 single day journeys from the Grand Hotel in Mjarr which we could use in Malta. This was particularly useful as our stay in Malta was unexpectedly extended. We had some health issues but having our EHI card gave access to Malta's reciprical agreement with UK for free health care. We enjoyed staying at the more rural Maple Farm.

This was our third walking holiday with Inntravel - but our first self-guided - and it didn't disappoint. Once again, the design and organisation of the trip by Inntravel was exemplary. Transfers were smooth and efficient, the accommodation excellent and the background information and walking notes superb. Our week on Gozo was lovely and we preferred it to the much busier and (for us) less interesting Malta. The walks were good - we did 4 out of the 5 recommended trails, with the Ta'Cenc walk being the standout, with its breathtaking route along the cliff tops of southern Gozo. I would also recommend the Nadur circuit as a must-do walk, with its wonderful views over Ramla Bay from the Tal Mixta Cave. However, I agree with a couple of previous travellers that the visit to the incredible Ggantija megalithic temples is best done as a separate half-day trip, rather than an extension to the Nadur circuit. I would also recommend the walking tour of the capital Victoria (Rabat) - its a vibrant little city, with lots of good places to eat and drink and the historic Citadel is worth a couple of hours of anyone's time. 

There are lots of great places to eat within walking distance of the hotel in Mgarr. Both Ta'Tona (our favourite) and Ta'Philip were terrific and I would also recommend the Band Club (Giuseppe's), which is good value and has a lovely terrace and a great atmosphere (its very popular with locals). And echoing an earlier review, the Kiosk near the hotel is brilliant for cheap, tasty lunches.

Our 3 night extension on Malta was also very enjoyable, though 3 nights felt enough. We stayed at Maple Farm, which is run by Charles and Anna, two of the nicest people you will ever meet, who clearly love what they do - they really do treat guests as an extension of their family.  The accommodation was comfortable and the little pool is just lovely and great to come back to after a day of exploring and sightseeing. Spent a day in Valletta, which we loved - its a very walkable and incredibly well-preserved old city. Would recommend lunch inside (outside looks like every other pavement cafe) the legendary Caffe Cordina, and our gondola ride around the harbour was fab (and excellent value) and is definitely the bext way to see the waterfront and the 'three cities'. We also visited the must-see neolithic temples at Hagar Qim and its (more atmospheric) neighbour Mnajdra, and the simply incredible Hypogeum, the underground temple in Paola just outside Valletta. Our Maltese driver felt that visiting the Hypogeum was the number one thing to do in Malta, but I would advise booking well in advance of your trip, as only 10 people an hour are allowed to enter the site and it gets booked up months ahead. A couple of dinner recommendations in Malta. Firstly, its really easy to get great food delivered to your accommodation, using the Bolt Food app (we also used the Bolt taxi app a few times). Secondly, would highly recommend Fork and Cork restaurant in Rabat - we had a wonderful meal there on my birthday while we were in Malta. It's a little pricier than some other local restaurants but absolutely worth it for the quality of food (its in the Michelin guide) and service.

Would recommend walking on Gozo. Routes are varied and being fairly hilly are a good workout. We went when temperatures were around 26 degrees ... any hotter would have been uncomfortable - not much shade once you are out of towns. Would also recommend taking a few days at the end at Maple Farm. This is walking distance to Rabat/Mdina and allows a relaxing end to the trip with plenty of bars/restaurants nearby

All the walks were enjoyable and with the bus pass adaptable. Tips: download the Tallinja app and take photos of the timetables at Victoria. The gpx files were really useful. Restaurant recommendations would be Ta'Tona and Country Terrace on Gozo and Ta'Stringi in Naxxar. Cellini had closed down.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our Historic Malta add-on with our single centre walking holiday Glorious Gozo 

Glorious Gozo lived up to its name. The weather was perfect, the scenery is stunning and the Mediterranean Sea was crystal clear. We loved being able to have a dip in the sea part way around the walks, even if it was just to cool down our feet! We are so glad that we decided to add on a stay at Maple Farm because we weren't ready to leave the islands after a week.

We enjoyed all the walks on Gozo, but they were pleasant rather than oustandingly memorable. By the end of the week we had a good feel for life on Gozo in every sense. We were lucky with the weather, which was perfect and meant we could end every day with a swim in the Grand's lovely pool. The bus pass was a very useful part of the holiday and we enjoyed our journeys round the island to and from walks. The tip not to use the pass for the first 2 days (so it was available for Malta) was a good one.

On Malta, our three highlights were Mdina, St John's Cathedral in Valletta and a trip round the Grand Harbour in a little Maltese "gondola". 30 minutes for 8 Euros a head. Good value and well worth doing. Also Charles' beautiful garden and swimming pool were a joy to return to each evening.

A tip for future guests at Maple Farm: Get your head round the bus times and where the nearest bus stop is as soon as you arrive and before you set off on foot into Rabat and Mdina. We did more walking than we needed to on our first afternoon/evening because the nearest open restaurant was quite a step from Maple Farm. By day two we had sorted the buses which meant that dinner in Mdina was both a realistic and pleasant outing.

The cliff top walk direct from the Grand Hotel, Gozo was a highlight. Our favourite restaurants were One80 & Sammy's in Gozo & Chellini in Naxaar. Overall, we much preferred Gozo to Malta. Naxaar is nice. Shame about most of the rest of the island. The bus pass worked well on Gozo but buses on Malta were so shambolic that we gave them up in favour of a taxi app.

Go to Gozo and Malta for its remarkable history - it's amazing. They have the world's oldest Neolithic ruins (3500 BC 'temples') which makes Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza 'new build'. Make a special effort to visit as many sites as possible - they combine bus journeys and walking. As for more recent history i.e. The Knights of Malta, the capital of Gozo (Victoria) has a wonderful citadel whilst the old capital of Malta - Mdina is a perfectly preserved marvel. Just wander around for half a day. Valletta is also very well preserved, but was 'only' founded in 1566. In truth it's worth several days (at least) of exploration. And whilst you are exploring reflect on how much we owe the Maltese and the Knights. They held the line against the Ottomans and without them our history would undoubtedly have taken a turn for the ... worse? In short, visit Malta for an eye-opening education that benefits from the walking.

Lots of nice walking. Bright weather and beautiful flowers, though a little colder than we hoped.

Very good, friendly places to stay on both Gozo and Malta.

It was great using the excellent buses and exploring villages, as well as the countryside. Valletta is beautiful and interesting, and we could have spent a lot longer there than a day.

Lovely food everywhere - in Mgarr we particularly enjoyed Sammy’s and Ta’Tona, where we had a long chat with the friendly woman who runs it.

Buy lunch from the kiosk rather than use hotel lunches. We went in February - dress for all seasons. We had days needing suncream and T shirts and others when we had hats and gloves, but always beautiful sunshine and gorgeous spring flowers. Ideal walking weather. The view from our balcony was wonderful. It was a huge pleasure to sit out and relax there after each walk. We did the Qala and Comino walks first as they did not use the bus. We therefore were still able to use the bus pass during our extension in Malta.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers booked our walking holiday Glorious Gozo with our Malta add-on

We had a lovely walk from Mgarr along the coast to Xlendi, including the Ta Cenc cliffs, and followed this by a long lunch at the rooftop restaurant Ic-Cima. Our only tip is to check the return bus timetable before settling down to lunch, the buses are one an hour back to Victoria.

There is a new restaurant down on the harbour at Mgarr (one80) which was good and we enjoyed the Townhouse No3 in Rabat (San Andrea has gone). Both are pricey.

We enjoyed visiting the neolithic temples at Hagar Qim (the 201 bus from Rabat) followed by a walk on the Dingli cliffs, a visit to the cart ruts and caves ('Clapham junction') and walked back to Maple Farm via Buskett Gardens.