Things to do in Malta and Gozo and car hire

Malta and Gozo car hire can be booked before you leave home, to save you money and time when you arrive, particularly in the summer months. There is so much to see and do in Malta, which is a small island, that the easiest way to get around is to hire a car from Luqa Malta International Airport at the same time you book your flights.

The choice is yours. Malta's climate makes it a paradise for sports and activities. Aware of the latest trend towards healthy exercise, many of the bigger hotels have added tennis and squash courts, gyms, saunas and indoor pools to their range of facilities. Naturally, water sports come first in summer, and the cooler months are just perfect for walking the coastal paths and hills.

Swimming in Malta and car rentals

It's free to swim everywhere except at a few clubs where you can have the benefits of a terrace restaurant, changing rooms and showers. In popular spots you can rent a sun bed or mat and beach umbrella. There are about a dozen small sandy beaches on Malta, notably Golden Bay, Gnejna Bay, Paradise Bay and Mel¬lieha Bay. But even prettier scenery and better snorkelling can be enjoyed at the rocky beach sites, such as Peter's Pool, Marsaskala, Ghar Lapsi, around St Paul's Bay and the seaward side of Sliema, though that can be crowded. On Gozo, the only sizeable stretch of sand is Ramla Bay, with another handful of tiny beaches or plenty of rocks to swim from at San Bias, Dahlet Qorrot, Hondoq, Mgarr ix Xini, Xlendi, the 'Inland Sea' and Marsalfom.

Water sports in Malta

You can get a tow and take off at all the main beaches and bigger resort hotels. If you plan to do much waterskiing, try to negotiate a 'package deal' price: paying for lots of single trips is expensive. As popular here as on any holiday coast, windsurfing is well organized, with boards for hire at hotels and beaches, and beginners' lessons avail¬able. For the experts, international competitions include the Malta to Sicily race in May. The sheltered bays -Mellieha, St Paul's, Marsam¬xett, Marsaskala, St Thomas, St George's and Ramla often ripple with coloured sails.

The snorkelling possibilities are good everywhere you can swim, and especially off rocky shores, where the water can be wonderfully clear. So bring your masks, snorkels and flip¬pers, or buy or rent them at beach centres. The Maltese islands can claim some of the world's best diving and, except for a few winter storms, it's an all year¬ round sport. To dive independently from a diving school you must be able to show advanced qualifications.

Boating and Sailing in Malta and car hire

Malta has a long season of fine sailing weather, and you can reach most of the top boating and sailing resorts by hire car from Luqa Airport, and if you don't come in your own boat you can rent anything from a luxury craft to a dinghy here. Marsamxett Harbour is the main centre, with marinas at Ta 'Xbiex and Msida, and also full repair facilities on Manoel Island, where you can find out about berthing and charter. The Valletta Yacht Club, also on fallowing in father's favourite pursuit. children learn fishing at Marsaxlokk. Manoel Island, accepts temp¬orary members. Regattas are held from April to November.

Even if you don't sail your¬self, be sure to take the oppor¬tunity to get afloat. There are countless cruises and excur-sions to every part of the coast, some in glass bottomed boats from which to view the under-water scene. It's free to all and you will not need a licence, but a little politeness goes a long way, so ask the locals whether they mind before you fish from their favourite rock. If you want to go out on a boat, inquire at one of the harbours: Marsax¬lokk or St Paul's Bay (and Mgarr or Marsalforn on Gozo). Spear fishing without a licence is forbidden.

Walking in Malta

Almost every distant point on the islands is reached by some sort of track, though you may not be happy about one of the reasons to give access to bird trappers and hunters. The sign 'RTO' is short for reser¬vato, meaning 'private hunting ground'. Wear strong shoes or thick soled trainers, so as to be comfortable along the rougher tracks and sharp edged eroded limestone. Some of the most scenic routes on Malta are the ridges and cliff top paths of the north and west coast. All of Gozo's coast and hills are well worth exploring. The north-western end has rewards that can be reached only on foot.

The Marsa Sports Club

Situated between Grand Har¬bour and the airport, this centre 92 has tennis, squash, billiards, a pool, an 18-hole golf course, plus a bar clubhouse and res¬taurant. Visitors can join on a weekly basis, or for longer.

Horse racing (mostly trotting but also a few flat races) takes place at Marsa racecourse each Sunday from October to May, and stables in the area offer riding facilities.

Other sports in Malta

There are indoor bowling cen¬tres at Msida and St Julian's, and you might see the tradi¬tional Maltese bowls (bocci) in the villages. You can go roller-skating at St Julian's, and in¬dulge in archery, table tennis and badminton at the Marsa Club. The strong swimming locals can be found playing water polo wherever there's a suitable pool. Playing, watching, reading and talking about football is a national pastime. Except in high summer, dozens of teams compete in league and cup competitions. International and other important matches take place at the National Stadium at Ta' Qali.

Shopping in Malta

There are few big stores on Malta and you'll probably do most of your buying in small shops and markets. Prices are generally reasonable, and the one quoted is the real price. Haggling is not a way of life here, though it can be worth negotiating terms at outdoor bric-a-brac stalls or at small jeweller's shops.

Best things to buy in Malta and car rentals

Take your time to look around the shops, by taking advantage of cheap car rentals rates at Malta International Airport. Silver, especially delicate fili¬gree work, is most attractive and enticingly priced. The only problem is choosing from the wonderful displays of Maltese crosses, earrings, necklaces, little boats and boxes. The same shapes are also fashioned in gold. Lace, made in Malta and especially on Gozo by women who often sit working in their doorways, is an ideal gift or souvenir light and unbreak¬able! Creating the borders for handkerchiefs, placemats and tablecloths, it can be fine and intricate.

But look carefully before buying, and compare examples: some of the work can be rather rough. You can see almost every kind of craft practised on the islands at the Crafts Village, Ta' Qali, near Mdina, housed in the buildings of a former air¬field. The glass makers here mould and blow remarkable shapes in subtle blends of colours turquoise blue, bottle green and varying shades of brown. This particular style was started by two Englishmen and enthusiastically adopted by local artisans to make ornaments and vases, glasses, decanters and ashtrays. Other glass works can be visited on Manoel Island and near Gharb on Gozo.

Pottery and Ceramics Malta

Look through the range of pottery and ceramics you'll probably find something that appeals to you. Another work¬shop at Ta' Qali cuts and pol¬ishes 'Malta Stone' (good for gifts), a banded brown and ¬white calcite, into bookends, ashtrays and souvenirs. Hand and machine knitted woollens are on sale in shops and stalls all over the islands. The weather may not be appro¬priate, but you might find an Aranstyle sweater, a pullover or a shawl at a fair price. Feel the wool: it can vary from soft and angora like to quite hard and prickly.

The crafts centre just across the square from St John's Co Cathedral concentrates the islands' products in a single display, ranging from original folk art to garish kitsch. The best spots to shop on Gozo are at the Citadel Crafts Centre and in the crafts village at Ta' Dbiegi near San Lawrenz. Other good buys include locally made cotton swim wear and underwear, jeans, printed and plain T-shirts, and various interesting tea towels.

The Maltese will celebrate at the drop of a hat, and fortu¬nately there are plenty of op-portunities. In fact, it is a duty for each parish to mark its saint's day with a joyous festa, and since there are 64 parishes in Malta and 14 in Gozo, the calendar is full.

Malta and Gozo Festivals

It just so happens that most festi fall during the summer months. The main celebrations are usually moved to the week¬end following the actual saint's day, but they are preceded by three days of prayer services. Thanksgiving masses are held in the morning, in churches decorated with flowers, huge silver candlesticks and red silk damask hangings. Brass bands parade through town and men carry a statue of the saint in procession through the packed crowds.

There's a concert in the main square, and an often excellent fireworks display (generally timed for the Satur¬day night). Exact dates for the whole year's festi can be obtained from the National Tourist Office. Apart from local festivals, there are a dozen or so fixed national public holidays and one, Good Friday, which is moveable.

Carnival, the spell of merrymaking be¬fore Lent, therefore also moves from year to year but generally falls in late February. Grotes¬que masks, decorated floats, parties and traditional dances (including the parata which commemorates the knights' victory over the Turks in 1565) add up to a five-day feast of frolicking.

Good Friday is marked by processions of hooded peniten¬tial figures carrying statues of scenes from the Passion, and men and women dressed up as various biblical characters. Easter Sunday sees more pro¬cessions celebrating the risen Christ, and children take their figolla (iced marzipan cakes) to be blessed. The Commemoration of 7 June 1919 is a national holi¬day, and later that month is the Imnarja folklore festival, held on the Feast of St Peter and St Paul (29 in October).

Later in September Independence Day is celebrated (21 September). Republic Day on 13 De¬cember is marked by a public holiday and parades, music and fireworks, particularly in Vitto¬riosa. The year's celebrations climax with Christmas an occasion for family gatherings and New Year's Eve parties. Nightlife is mainly limited to the resort areas Sliema, St Julian's, and Bugibba/Qawra¬where there's plenty of acti¬vity. It's mostly quite informal, centred around the handful of discos and the bars and pubs that put on entertainment. And it doesn't go on very late.

Theatre and concerts Valletta Malta

Valletta's beautiful Manoel Theatre stages plays in English and Maltese, concerts by the local orchestra and some ballet or opera during a season that lasts from October to May. Visiting international soloists and groups appear there too: they say how much they like its intimate atmosphere and acoustics. In the summer there may be outdoor performances of plays in San Anton Gardens. Occasional plays and other shows are put on in Gozo's two theatres as well, during the winter months.

Cinema in Malta

Although you can't expect the latest releases, Sliema and Val¬letta do have a few cinemas, with the occasional one also in other towns. Gozo's are in Victoria. Films are mostly in English, with a few in Italian. Programmes change often and tend towards the sensational or forgettable.

Malta nightlife

You can go to dinner dances in many of the big hotels, or a buffet and cabaret combination in St Julian's. Some of the pubs in Paceville put on enter¬tainment, and many bars (both in hotels and out) have live music you can dance to. 'Malta by Night' tours, barbecue and folklore evenings, 'Medieval Banquets' and the like have been cooked up as excursions to provide further variety for holidaymakers.

Clubs are a magnet to the young. Some are hi-tech with intricate light shows; others are just an open space beneath the stars on summer nights when they're at their liveliest. Unfor-tunately for night owls, but luckily for locals who want to sleep, they close early mid¬night for most, later for some clubs (all of whom charge an entrance fee).
The palatial Casino, at Dra¬gonara Point, St George's Bay (St Julian's) features roulette, blackjack and slot machines, plus a bar and restaurant. It opens at 8pm and closes in the small hours, depending on the action. Take your passport if you want to go in and join the dedicated or casual gamblers, or even just to look.

Eating out in Malta and car hire

Malta boasts a great range of restaurants and bars, and you can take your time to eat out at some of the best eateries by exploring the island by hire car from Luqa Airport.

A glance at the market stalls will tell you of the possibili¬ties. The best of Maltese food is full of Mediterranean colour and flavour juicy tomatoes, bright green and red peppers, squash, salad crops all the year round, and the freshest of fish. Genuine Maltese cooking does exist, though you have to look for it among all the influences from Italy (pasta muscles in everywhere) and Britain (fish and chips and an unfortunate touch of blandness). It is possible to eat well for a reasonable price, espe¬cially simple dishes like fresh fettucine in a sauce, or grilled swordfish. Maltese bread, with a crisp brown crust and soft 'holey' inside, is a treat, but white French style bread and sliced loaves tend to be some¬what tasteless.

The choice of restaurants is vast on Malta, and Gozo has a good selection too. You'll find everything from the most basic, with plastic tables and strip lighting (where it's possible to eat a local pie for next to nothing), right up to an ele¬gant terrace setting overlook¬ing the sea with polished service and superb cuisine. For a change, try Chinese, Japan¬ese, Greek or Turkish food, as authentic as their chefs from China, Japan, Greece and Turkey can make it.

Restaurants are classified into four grades by the govern¬ment. This system generally corresponds to price ranges, though they may not be a reli¬able guide to quality. Hours of service are quite conventional: lunch is usually served between noon and 2 or 2.30pm and dinner between 7 and 10 pm. Breakfast in hotels may be continental, 'English' (with a cooked dish) or buffet style. It's normally included in the room rate, except, paradoxi¬cally, in the most expensive places.

You'll often see appetizers and hors d'oeuvres listed, as the Italians do, as antipasti. They may include slices of local pepper sausage, raw or cooked mixed vegetables, Parma ham (or a similar style) and melon or prawn cocktail. Soups in¬clude kawlata or minestra, which are hearty concoctions of everything in the kitchen garden and more filling than the Italian minestrone. Consommés, fresh (and tinned) tomato soup and mulligatawny (from India via Britain) feature on any menus. If you like something spicy, look out for fish soups: the best come laden with chunks of different fish and shellfish and laced with garlic and chilli peppers. There are many Italian restau¬rants offering a variety of pasta dishes, some of them excellent, and the numerous international restaurants also usually have a pasta section on the menu. You'll see all varieties, from Fish and Shellfish Malta

Landed that very morning and as fresh as can be, fish is prime fare in Malta usually simply cooked grilled, steamed, or fried whole, or alla Maltese (with a tomato and green pep¬per sauce). Lampuka is Malta's 'own' fish, which gathers under off¬shore floats put out specially for it. The opening of the sea¬son (it begins in late August and lasts until November) is a big moment, when the fisher¬men raise their little triangular flags in salute. A kind of dolphin fish (nothing to do with dolphins!), lampuka is served grilled, casseroled with wine and herbs, in a pie (torta tal¬lampuki) or fried, then cooked in a pastry shell along with onion, tomatoes, cauliflower, spinach and perhaps olive oil and walnuts.

Octopus, squid (calamari) and cuttlefish are often served up as salads, spicy stews, or stuffed. Grilled swordfish (pix¬xispada) and tuna steaks are good standbys. Other fine fish may hide behind unfamiliar names: dott (bass) and cerna (grouper) can be excellent. Various types of prawns are popular and lobster, as in most places, is expensive.

Meat dishes in Malta

Carnivores can find a T-bone or a pepper steak on most menus, but it is worth looking for something more typically Maltese such as bragoli, a slice of beef rolled round a filling of bacon, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley and a touch of garlic, fried, then simmered in onions and wine. The islanders will often casserole beef and lamb with potatoes and onions in their homes, and that's what 'roast beef Maltesestyle' means on menus.

However, most local meat dishes braised pork, ox tongue in wine sauce and fric¬asse of meatballs and sweet breads rarely appear on the menu at all. The only meat dish most people, locals included, used to think of as typically Maltese was fenek (rabbit), which was either fried or stewed with wine and garlic. That's now changing, with the growth of interest in national cuisine and the opening of sev¬eral restaurants offering it. You'll find good veal (vit-ello) on Italian style menus, and the chicken is reliable. It's probably the British liking for roast lamb and lamb chops that make them a continuing staple. Salads and Vegetables Good fresh produce is always available.

No matter how bad the drought, ingenious irriga¬tion systems trickle water to the terraces and greenhouses. You should find good spinach, courgettes and tomatoes. Baby new potatoes in butter are deli¬cious and so are the chips (French fries) and baked pota¬toes. Other well-known Mal¬tese staples include stuffed green peppers and succulent aubergines, fried or baked.

Cheese and desserts in Malta

Here you're close enough to the source to get a variety of excellent Italian cheeses plus other imports from France, Switzerland and Britain. Look out as well for the different kinds of sheep’s milk cheeses (gbejna) made in Malta and Gozo. Mostly small and round, they can be dry and hard, but they are also available in brine and capers, or rolled in black peppercorns. Gozo specializes in goat'smilk cheese (gbej¬niet), which all comes in the form of roundels.

Desserts and Fruit The Maltese have a distinctly sweet tooth, so there's plenty of Italian-style icecream in many flavours, and cake shops and restaurants provide ice-cream cake confections. Various types of gateaux and torte (cakes and tarts) are on many menus. The best are mouth-watering but some ver¬sions on tourist menus can be dry and artificial tasting. Soft ricotta cheese is some¬times used in sweet cheese¬cakes with fruit or combined with chocolate, sugar and almonds to fill little cor¬nets called kannoli tarrikotta.

Helwa tattork is ultra sweet, made from sesame flour. Festivals bring their own special sweet things. At Easter you'll seefigolli in the shops, iced almond lemon biscuits cut in various shapes. Prinjolata is a combination of sponge fin¬gers, butter cream and almonds or pinenuts, and decorated with chocolate and cherries. And no festa is complete without the ubiquitous almond, nougat and doughnut stalls.

Fresh fruit makes an ideal dessert: peaches, plums, apri¬cots and figs in summer, then melons, followed by oranges and tangerines in winter. The strawberry season lasts longer and longer, with new varieties and techniques developed for the export business. And if you haven't yet tried prickly pears now's your chance, but beware of the tiny spines that cover them. Get them on your hands, or worse, in your mouth, and you'll itch for hours. Experts say they don't stick into you when they're wet with the morning dew!

Snacks in Malta

H's part of the local way of life to pick up a sandwich, pie or meat filled pasty at a tiny snack bar or a stall in the street. Pastizzi or qassata, various flaky pastry turnovers or pies with a filling of ricotta, peas and onion, or anchovies are es¬pecially popular. In local bars you'll see customers enjoying a plate of snails with their beer.

Drinks and Wines in Malta and car hire

If you are planning a night on the town in Malta, you may want to leave your airport hire car at the hotel, but the easiest way to get around the island when sightseeing is by car rental, which can be pre-booked to pick up at Luqa Airport before you travel.

The fruit juices are excellent, especially the fresh ones, of course, but also the cartons you see everywhere. Try the pear, peach, apricot, and exotic mix¬tures. The usual soft drinks are available: a local brand called Kinnie is rather like an orange flavoured cola. Maltese beer and lager are good and inexpensive: imports tend to cost about twice as much.
Imported fine or ordinary wines can be found both in stores and on restaurant lists, but Malta itself produces some very drinkable wines sold for a much lower price. The reds are quite full bodied, although the cheaper kind can be rather acidic. Four famous brands are Marsovin Special Reserve, Lachryma Vitis, Farmers and Festa. Look out for La Valette and four or five year old Mar¬sovin

Cabernet Sauvignon and wine in Malta

The same four brand names appear on white wines. They are mostly dry and fruity, and refreshing when well chilled. Sauternes, not surprisingly, are very sweet. The more respec¬table of Gozo's wines include Velson's red and white. The Ggantija wines, both red and white, are sweeter. Watch out for the high alcohol content of some of the local wines. Also beware of the mild to drastic laxative effect that drinking too much of them can have.

Wherever you plan to travel in Malta, check out the car hire options at Luqa Airport. You can hire a car and navigate your way around the island of Malta in just a few days, making the most of the attractions in Malta, including the beaches, the monuments and the museums. Car hire is inexpensive and comfortable, and although public transport is available, taxis can prove costly.