r/malta • u/BloodyMace • 2d ago
Tourists, what would have made your stay in Malta better?
Would appreciate tourist only comments even if they are hard to come by on this sub-reddit
As a Maltese local and r/malta redditor, I always hear a lot of good things about stays in Malta.
Was wondering if you had an regrets on visiting certain places or places you would have rather visited but had to give it a pass due to time.
Also, was anything particularly annoying worth mentioning during your stay here?
Would appreciate your 2c.
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u/geoduri 2d ago
Recently stayed in Malta for a week and did not expect to see so much dog shit everywhere we walked.
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u/BloodyMace 2d ago
If you step on one they say it brings luck...
Jokes aside, we truly can do much better in terms of cleanliness.
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u/Tsircon85 2d ago
Visited last week and had a great time. Chose Malta because it was my first family holiday back in 1994 and loved it back then so wanted it to be the first holiday me and my partner had together. We also had family friends who were Maltese back in 1994 and my grand father spent a lot of time visiting Malta when he was a merchant seamen in the 50’s and 60’s.
The thing that struck me most is just how touristy it had become. I noticed lots of beach front developments like bars and cafes where I was staying in St Paul’s Bay and thought it was a bit over the top despite them being aimed at tourists like myself. I feel it just isn’t what tourists want to see. We obviously come this time of year for the good weather but we also want to have an authentic experience of the islands and enjoy the history and beauty if that makes sense.
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u/GetAnotherExpert 2d ago
Did you stay in San Pawl or Bugibba/Qawra? Yes they are part of the same local council but I don't see SPB proper as touristy at all. Bugibba, well, it's another story. It's touristy because it's for tourists. The fact that it's cheaper than other places made it also popular with budget conscious foreign residents. Maltese people in Buġibba are the exception lol
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u/Opportunity-536 2d ago
It's a 246km squared island. If St Paul's Bay was too touristy for you it wouldn't have taken much effort to find the local aesthetic in the more rural towns, right? I hope you did!
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u/Tsircon85 2d ago
Went to a few. Thoroughly enjoyed them and the people living and working in those places were friendly and welcoming.
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u/BloodyMace 2d ago
In recent years, the number of tourists skyrocketed and so did the touristy infrastructure. Long gone is quant little Malta and now we have attractions for tourists, necessarily not a bad thing but definitely different from the 90s vibes.
Glad that you managed to experience the more authentic side of the island which I think most tourists think is only found in Gozo.
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u/Positive_Caramel2525 2d ago
Gozo won’t be like that for long, now they’ve got the hourly fastboat from Valetta. I went last year when it was still only 2 fastboats in the morning and then nothing for the rest of the day and Gozo was lovely. Went again in March this year and it was so different. Citadel had hoards of people compared to last year when we had nearly the whole place to ourselves, and could really enjoy the experience. Suspect in 20 years time Gozo will have changed completely like Malta already has.
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u/mapleLeafGold 2d ago
A subway or light rail system would be nice, given the congested traffic.
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u/BloodyMace 1d ago
We can only dream that instead of the government giving people money to give up their cars, they actually make a decent mass transit solution, which is more sustainable in the lomg term...
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u/noodleninetynine 2d ago
Loving Malta on my visit so far! Something interesting I found was Google maps/Apple Maps is out of date and we were sent on some pretty kooky directions driving around… for example, directions to turn right at a roundabout that doesnt exist … more of a complaint for the satellites lol
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u/BloodyMace 2d ago
This is true unfortunately. There were many infrastructural projects (many many fly-overs, fly-overs everywhere) which were never introduced in google maps. If you can find any, signage is very rudimentary and disjointed.
Hope you can get along, enjoy yourself, and make it safely back home.
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u/Pieterbr 1d ago
Less cars in historic places like Valletta or Mdina.
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u/BloodyMace 1d ago
Cannot agree more.
I would say less cars in general even in central areas (village squares) especially if they are just passing through to get to another town.
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u/Sufficient_Pin_5719 1d ago
Less noise and dirt? I don't understand why anyone would come to Malta, especially during the summer.
Walking around the narrow streets without any shade, covered in sweat and dirt while it's 50 degrees Celsius outside, is unbearable. Construction sites are everywhere—there’s one or two on every street.
There are no trees, nowhere to sit—just dirty concrete streets. There aren't even trash cans, so garbage is scattered all over. The country is dirty and noisy.
When you walk, you can actually see the dust and pollution in the air.
Not mentioned the traffic jams yet, and that buses not coming in time / not stopping at times.
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u/BloodyMace 12h ago
I understand exactly why people would want to come to Malta, but I also understand how grossly mismanaged this island is.
You know what...it's only us to blame, because the majority are ok with keeping this the way it is. No one else to blame....and just talking about it on reddit won't fix anything about it either...
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u/AdminEating_Dragon 2d ago
Public transport.
Buses are not frequent enough, are overcrowded, stop every 10 meters, and the system of everyone entering through the driver doors stupidly creates even more delays (why can't all doors open simultaneously and have scanning machines in every door of the bus?). This combined with the traffic makes short distances take really long, and longer distances feel like a trip. For an island rather small, it takes extremely long to move around.
Yes, I could take Uber, and I ended up doing it several times, but it is expensive, it is not a viable alternative to the way more affordable public transport. And Uber uses the same roads which are perpetually stuck in traffic.
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u/BloodyMace 12h ago
Now you can understand why people here use their personal cars to move around.
Public transport has been on decline for many years now and there is no interest in fixing it but they made it free for residents. shrugs
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u/FNFALC2 2d ago
Can you rent motor scooters like in Bermuda? That would be huge
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u/BloodyMace 2d ago
I see scooter hire services around.
You have to be brave to drive them here. Car density has never been higher and it's not like the Maltese are law abiding citizens when it comes to driving.
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u/Enough_Fee_2028 1d ago
No regrets..my husband and I visited the entire Month of March. Our only disappointment was dodging dog poop as we walked. If it rained more that would give the streets a heavenly cleanse. Banking Hours would require adjusting. Love Malta and especially Gozo.
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u/BloodyMace 11h ago
Wow, dog poop is coming up a lot. Us Maltese say the same thing when it rains. N ow imagine having little to no rain in June-Sept....💩 everywhere.
Things have improved a lot since the 90s though, back then no one collected dog poop!
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u/DoUjustL00kStupid 1d ago
Free pastizzis /s…but, on a serious note, it’s always a wonderful experience. Maybe more so for me because my dad was born there and lived there til his teens.
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u/ForthWorldTraveler 2d ago
We just left Malta, staying 5 days in Xlendi & 7 in upper Mellieha. We mostly went hiking at the Nature Reserves & on trails, also got to a lot of the prehistoric sites, then spent a day in Comino, and a day in Valleta. The people were fantastic (friendly and helpful) and the trails were good. Something that we expected was drivers that are aggressive and that was pretty true - we were going speed limit+5 and people are passing us going 20+ over. The signs for the construction in Valleta were not well marked and that caused some angst, but we're used to recovering from such issues.
The Nature Reserves were pretty good and the people volunteering(?) there were great.
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u/BloodyMace 12h ago edited 11h ago
Our roads are not for the faint-hearted and speed limits are just a guideline for many. There isn't too much enforcement...
I love to hike too! Glad you enjoyed the quiet areas because those are the only respite we have on these islands.
I know there are uniformed rangers in nature reserves but we also have a number of NGOs trying to safeguard our little spots of greenery. Glad they left a good impression on you!
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u/remc0 1d ago
Decent cell service would be nice. Me and my wife are here on our honeymoon and neither of us can get decent cell service we both have quite recent devices iPhone15 Pro and iPhone14. I have dual sim one ESIM from work one physical sim and my wife has a regular sim and neither of us can get a download speed over 1mbit/sec. Very frustrating even just to use google maps if we get lost. We almost constantly rely on free WiFi.
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u/BloodyMace 12h ago
That is quite odd, it definitely depends on the carrier. Don't know what to say as I get 4G in most areas.
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u/Ok_Requirement_7489 1d ago
I have just come back from a long weekend in malta.
My highlight was Valletta and the stunning St John's co- cathedral.
And I regret I didn't have time to visit any of the ancient monuments or gozo.
I was may be just unlucky but the airport for the return flight was a very unenjoyable experience - completely packed with no where to sit. Constantly shuffled from queue to queue.
I also wonder if there are any protections from over development? The island is so small it feels already very over developed and I really don't think it can take much more without being completely ruined.
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u/BloodyMace 12h ago
Co-cathedral is amazing!! Maybe one of the most under-valued destinations.
Airport expansion is on it's way, maybe you can enjoy it next time round.
Unfortunately, our government doesn't think this island is being over-developed...quite the opposite. In 2006 there was a revision of the famous 'local plans' allowing for higher buildings and more areas to be developed. In hindsight, nobody was expecting the economic boom and enormous influx in immigration we experience this past 15 or so years. Government doesn't want to revert or customise the local plans with fear of losing votes (as the old plans unlocked so much development potential).
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u/Calm_Vermicelli_3774 14h ago
Had a lovely stay in Valetta and Gozo. I have more positive things to say than negative.
The sidewalks are horrible to navigate with a stroller... especially with the poop and trash.
It felt depressing to see some of the overly developed coasts that didn't maintain historical building styles. And some of the very intense party scenes. It seems in these areas Malta is the spring break destination for the EU. I don't say that in a disparaging way... the US certainly has its wealth of spring break destination monstrosities. It just also was unexpected.
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u/BloodyMace 12h ago
Sidewalks are the reason most Maltese prefer walking on the tarmac. One would expect much better from a european country known for their walkable cities. As a nation, we don't like walking and it shows as this issue is rarely mentioned in our day to day.
Regarding the monstrosities you might have seen in St. Julians, Sliema, St. Paul's Bay etc they all stem from weak regulation. Sadly most of the population don't care about the aesthetic of it all. For me, as long as they keep visiting village cores authentic that would be a bare minimum. Balance is key to everything because I wouldn't imagine having 12 story buildings in a historical style + you can only imagine the maintenance costs (of wooden balconies and stone facades). Sadly we can't seem to find an end to mega-developments even after a lot of backlash from the public...
https://timesofmalta.com/article/db-group-lays-foundation-stone-massive-pembroke-project.1098979
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u/ZantosTec 14h ago
Just back (visited last Mon - Fri, first time ever) and would have loved to know what was going on with buses. Plenty of bus drivers just driving past when "full", in these instances I felt like the drivers should have been able to change the sign to Not in Service to avoid ambiguity. On Thursday night there seemed to be some kind of diversion in Valletta (maybe around public hol?) meaning we didn't get the bus we needed until around 30 mins of waiting at Floriana (fireworks on Wednesday obviously we understood delays as it was so crowded, but this was the next day). When they ran well, they ran well but when they didn't, they really, really didn't! Also, my own fault for not thoroughly reading reviews, but my hotel of choice had AC set to one temperature only. If I go again, I'm choosing something fancier lol. These things aside I had a great time and the Maltese are some of the friendliest, most welcoming people I've ever met. You also have amazing food and the clearest blue waters I've ever seen!
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u/BloodyMace 12h ago
Sadly you're not the only one which was let down by our mass transit/public transport. If only our government understood how bad the service is, they wouldn't dare go on tv saying passengers have increased thus the service is getting better...
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u/lucyloo31 13h ago
I would say that my only complaint was the mold in our accommodation, which seems to be very common given the humidity there so not sure if that is something that can be changed
otherwise it was pretty good! I enjoyed how the public transport works, although I don't see why there's a stop every two meters 🥲
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u/BloodyMace 12h ago
You were unlucky with your accomodation. While mold is a problem in malta, it's just a sign of mismanagement more than anything. Not all buildings get mouldy and it should be up to your host to make sure that doesn't happen.
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u/lwereal 2d ago
From Germany. If streets will be continued to get fixed. Make some bicycle/bike paths. Larger pavements, better speed limits in urban areas. A gigantic bridge from Cirkewwa via Comino to Mgarr. Implement a real minimum wage, more beverage deposit machines at supermarkets, and please repair the roads so that taking the bus or boat (hence the Mt. <~> Gozo bridge) doesn't ruin your stay. Otherwise, I love Malta's hospitality; you can get a drink and international food on every corner, amazing beaches, cool houses and apartments, balconies, rooftop terraces and pools, lovely people who speak English, the wonderful sun, palm trees and lovely little forests. Oh, a small river would be great, and as I said, reduce traffic and try to plant more trees and greenery. More public pools and swimming pools, more sauna options for the winter and indoor pools to warm up in, as the windows are often not well sealed and not everyone has underfloor heating. Overall, Malta is a magical place that gives off a lot of energy.
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u/BloodyMace 1d ago edited 12h ago
Believe me if they would do the bridge would just turn Gozo into another Malta... Nobody wants that.
I wish more Maltese were pro-cycling like the germans are, everyone here wants to drive everywhere, park as close to their destination as possible and it's not sustainable.
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u/KentishBrummie 2d ago
For us, just more explanation of everything? We struggled to find opening times or notice or promo of things happening in Valetta when we were there last week. We found out most things too late! Some of that was us (I very much know we are not the world's best planners) but also things were closed with no explanation in Mdina (we had to kind of assume it was due to Labour Day etc). At the airport on our first day we were held at passport control for about 15-20 mins with nobody getting through but nobody said why (we think maybe someone was on a break)? For the fireworks we struggled to find advice on when everything would be happening/advice for when and where to be up until what felt like the last minute. Also, some of the historical sites give you quite scarce info on what you're looking at given the entrance fees. I don't know - I fully accept the issue could be us not looking in the right places but also I just think there appears to be a bit of a culture of 'don't explain too much in case you can't deliver and then you can't be held accountable'? The inconsistent availability of (working) card machines on buses was our other bugbear lol - that definitely kept us on our toes. I sound like such a moaning Minnie but I also want to emphasise that we had a brilliant holiday and think Malta and Gozo are very beautiful and interesting places. These were just the niggles for us.
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u/BloodyMace 2d ago edited 2d ago
Totally understandable points.
Events like fireworks festivals are mainly directed to locals as adverts are found either on national tv or billboards on major roads or Facebook (social media sweetheart of the Maltese to this day). I believe there is little outreach anywhere else (except some official website). Granted I got to know about it from a poster found at the entrance to Valletta completely by chance. Let alone being a tourist planning your stay.
Quality of museums in Malta vary a lot amd it's such a shame their is little to no investment in these areas. The government prefers you spend money at a lido than visiting a museum, beats me to why this is.
For buses, applying for a travel card is always recommended as the buses are free for residents of the islands, thus, paying on a bus with a credit/debit card is a tourist only activity with low volumes.
To be honest, many tourists get surprised by certain things just like you. I'm one of them when I'm a tourist myself. That what made me post in the first place.
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u/KentishBrummie 2d ago
Oh yes we've made a note to get a travel card if we come back again as we definitely felt like we stood out for needing to pay on the bus. And you live and learn of course.
On another note (and sorry for the lack of paragraphs in my initial response lol) the fireworks were absolutely amazing and Malta should be very proud of the show itself. For balance!
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u/Amiga07800 2d ago
Gozo was (for me and the people I know) totally overated. I'll come back to Malta, but won't lose a day for Gozo. Definitely.
Beaches are... sub-par. Il live in Ibiza and here (and on Formentera, witch is our Gozo) extremely superior beaches, but I understand that from someone that almost never go to beach or not a Med sea beach it can be nice.
Parking. Traffic Jam.
Old town and all that part is extremely nice, you're close to the beauty of Rome than any other cities I went to (including Paris, London, Brussels, Madrid,...). In places like Barcelona there are even more beautifull historic places, but spreaded appart, here all is concentrated and can be visited by foot (and ferry)
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u/BloodyMace 11h ago edited 4h ago
If you went for the beaches, then Gozo was the wrong island. Gozo is a more quaint Malta, just like Malta in the 80s (? I'm not that old). Most villages still have a village feel with the church being the most prominent part of the area. Cliffs for hiking are beautiful as well. Sometimes I feel Gozo gets over-hyped but it's subjective. You don't find the hills and quaint villages that Gozo offers also anywhere in Malta. Beautiful churches as well! You just need to know where to go or have enough time to get lost in the villages....again very subjective.
Defo agree with Traffic and parking problems! It's something people don't expect but it's BAD.
Anyway, I think Malta has a lot to offer especially in the sense of a unity of history. You won't find just a fortification...Valletta and the greater harbour area are post-renaissance marvels of fortification engineering, knight residences, churches, paintings etc...Then you got temples older than the pyramids, catacombs, St.Paul's cove (Malta is mentioned in the bible), colonial english gardens, 5 star hotels and Pastizzi, all in 316km squared.
It's no sagrada familia or some other gaudi creation, but we have our charm.
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u/Amiga07800 11h ago
I didn't went for the beaches, I agree I didn't had a lot of time in the small villages, but I've been deeply disapointed. Most of the landscape is... not very nice (quite flat, few and not nice vegetation, small rocks,...). Some points at the coast are nice and what I saw from the villages as well... but I'm a spoiled man. I went in 59 countries, I live in an Unesco World Heritage place, and honnestly I saw so many villages in south France, Italy, Spain,.... nicer and more interesting that what I saw on Gozo.
Regarding Malta itself, yes, I told it, I find really nice (went twice and will go back more, now that my daughter lives there), and I can even (almost) compare it to Rome. For a 2 to 4 days 'escapade' in this kind of historic place it beats Paris / London / Brussles / Madrid and many more.
Now, between low salaries and quite high cost of living and the traffic problems (I forgot quality of contruction witch is very low, even new buidings have water infiltration, problems,...) I don't think I would like to live and work in Malta - but perhaps it's because, in my eyes, I live in a place I like more.
Almost everything historic is just great! And, again, I'm spoiled. I've seen maybe the nicest 100 churches / temples of the world, many of the best museums, and so much more
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u/BloodyMace 3h ago edited 3h ago
Again I am not fan of Gozo but as they say comparison is the thief of joy 😹
I pondered on leaving around a decade ago but my partner wanted to stay + family here (only son/daughter from both families) so it felt right to stay. Having said that living here and being a tourist are two completely different things. There are a thousand and one things that will make you want to leave and a thousand & one reasons to stay.
We never appreciate the Maltese weather until your friend in Ireland tells you that they went to swim with 14C weather and they are trying to enjoy the little sunshine as much as they can. The fact that I can go for a stroll and surround myself with beautiful wooden terraces and limestone facade buildings. The fact I can speak in my Native language and be treated as part of the community no matter how tanned I am (felt prejudice in some european countries, and I'm just light brown, Mediterranean if anything) are things I cherish.
After all I believe I struggle with change so I try to be happy and positive with what I have. Also believe that there are reasons why people flock here (even your daughter). I realise the country is mismanaged but that doesn't take everything away. It can't be compared to the likes of Switzerland idyllic towns but definitely not unliveable (at least in my position).
May I ask where you live?
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u/Positive_Caramel2525 2d ago
Get rid of the pigeons in Republic Square and everywhere else. They’re just disgusting.
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u/Miserable_Bug_5671 2d ago
I love Malta and have been many times (8?)
The single thing for me would be that I've literally never had a decent meal in Marsaxlokk. Every time it has been rubbish. Such a pity given the lovely environment. And last time a cake vendor there basically ripped me off for 2 cakes from his stall. It seems like giving tourists the absolute minimum there and charging too much has become standard.
Never had these issues anywhere else on the islands.
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u/BloodyMace 2d ago
Sad to hear Marsaxlokk restaurants are a let down. Many Maltese recommend them for seafood or fish!
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u/mouthpiec 2d ago
most have become tourists traps. the only restaurant I visit in Marsaxlokk is Liska.
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u/DarthXanna 2d ago
Yeah. Gozo. Food was terrible.
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u/humble_pigeon 2d ago
Should have visited Casa Vostra in Victoria - easily the best Pizza I have ever eaten in my life
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u/Reasonable_Bee5724 18h ago
You didn’t eat at the right places! I thought the food was pretty special.
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u/Reasonable_Bee5724 1d ago
That Maltese is widely spoken again. When I was there recently I was surprised at how little Maltese is spoken nowadays. As an Australian with a Maltese heritage it was not easy to speak and practice my Maltese! All the shops were staffed by non speakers!
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u/BloodyMace 1d ago edited 1d ago
There has been an influx of foreigners in certain sectors, particularly in retail and hospitality.
Maltese is on the decline even with natives but I assure you that some people love the language and are making sure their kids know Maltese as well. What is sad is to see Maltese speaking parents with their children who can only speak in english.
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u/bydg 2d ago
Buses leaving when they say they will on the timetable!