Insight Guides: Explore Malta

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight
• ISBN:
  9781786715449
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Explore Malta is the latest title in this popular series from Insight and is the ideal companion when discovering this exciting island: a full-colour guide containing 14 easy-to-follow routes through the island's many interesting neighbourhoods, from beautiful Valletta and the former capital of Mdina with its medieval streets to Marsaxlokk fishing harbour and the dazzling azure waters of the Blue Grotto sea cave and its inhabited sister islands of Gozo and Comino.

Explore Malta is a concise, full-colour travel guide to this Mediterranean island, combining inspiring photography with insider tips to help you uncover the best of Malta.

Insight's trademark cultural coverage perfectly sets the routes in context, with introductions to Malta's cuisine, shops and its nightlife. The best places to eat and drink are highlighted in each route and in the directory section, which also contains a wealth of useful practical information, including a range of carefully selected hotels to suit all budgets. All routes are plotted on the useful pull-out map, and evocative photography reveals Malta's unique character.

A-Z

A

Addresses

Addresses in Malta are similar to those all around Europe, with home number, street name, locality and postcode in that particular order. A little glossary is useful though: ‘Sqaq’ means ‘alley’; ‘strada’ and ‘triq’ mean ‘street’; ‘trejqa’ means ‘little street’; ‘trejqet’ means ‘street of’; and ‘vjal’ means ‘avenue’.

Age Restrictions

According to Maltese law, persons under 17 are not allowed to drink alcohol. The minimum age for driving with a valid licence is 18, but for renting a car, in most cases, a driver must be 21 or over. It is unlawful to sell or give tobacco products to persons under 16 years of age, and to smoke or make use of tobacco products before the age of 18. The legal age of consent in Malta is also 18.

B

Budgeting

Mid-range hotels charge around €100–150 a night for a double room, including breakfast. Lower on that spectrum you can expect to pay anywhere between €40–80 for a double room, while expensive hotels can cost upwards of €300 a night for a double room. A three-course dinner for two in a mid-range restaurant, including a bottle of wine and water, will set you back around €70; lunch for two at a café, including water, will cost around €30. Wine by the glass, in restaurants, is normally priced at around €4 while a beer will cost you €3 on average. Fuel is more expensive than in most European countries, and public transport remains the cheapest mode of transportation. Get a Tallinja card explore (for more information, click here) to avoid paying up to €3 per single journey. EU citizens under 18 and over 65 are allowed free entry to main sights, and students get concessions.

Boat trips are a highlight of any visit to the islands

Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications

C

Children

Children are always made to feel welcome, and restaurants often have a kids’ menu or will happily prepare a simple pasta with cheese or tomato sauce for your little ones. At the beach, children usually wear bathing suits and it is not customary to let them run around naked. Babysitting services are available in many of the upper-range hotels. Children under the age of six are usually admitted to sights free of charge and those from six to 16 at a reduced price.

Clothing

The customs here are the same as other southern European countries and cities. Not wearing a shirt in public is frowned upon, and men may be stopped by the police and asked to put their T-shirt back on. Sunbathing topless in public is illegal for women.

If you’re visiting Malta in the summer, cotton clothes are recommended, along with shorts and flip-flops. Be aware that, to enter churches, your shoulders must be covered and that shorts cannot go above the knee. If you’re visiting the island in winter, pack a waterproof jacket and shoes. Layering T-shirts, cardigans and jackets is advisable.

Crime and Safety

While Malta is considered one of the safest countries in the world, petty crime rate is on the increase, so general precautions are advisable, such as not leaving your valuables unattended or on display. Reassuringly, Malta has some of the lowest figures for more serious crime.

Customs

Free exchange of non-duty-free goods for personal use is allowed between EU countries. For non-EU citizens the duty-free allowances are 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 1 litre of spirits, 2 litres of wine and 16 litres of beer. If you plan to enter or leave Malta with €10,000 or more in cash (or its equivalent in other currencies), you must declare it to the customs authorities.

Live animals fall under the responsibility of the Veterinary Regulation Directorate within the Agriculture & Fisheries Regulation Department of the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change.

To contact Customs at the Malta International Airport, you can call [phone]/9868 from 8am–5pm CET, or by sending an e-mail to [email protected]t.

Gozo’s colourful glassware

Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications

D

Disabled Travellers

Most sites and attractions, as well as churches and government buildings, have disabled access; yet getting round may prove quite difficult. There are narrow pavements and streets without pavements to negociate, and it gets even more difficult when decorations are up for the village festas in the summer months.

Beach Trotters for wheelchair users can be found at Ghadira Bay, Golden Bay and St George’s Bay. Contact the beach supervisor on site at the respective beach (mid-June to mid-September, daily 10am–6pm).

For more information contact the National Commission Persons with Disability (KNPD), before you travel (Bugeja Institute, Braille Street, Santa Venera, SVR 1619; tel: [phone]; [email protected]g; www.knpd.org.

E

Electricity

Malta’s electrical supply is 230 volts, 50 hertz. The three-pin, rectangular plug system is used – similar to the one in the UK. Adapters are needed for most countries, and these can be bought from numerous stores around the island.

Embassies and Consulates

If your passport is lost or stolen, you will need to obtain a police report and have proof of identity to get a new one. For consulates and embassies in Malta, see below:

Australian Embassy: Ta’ Xbiex Terrace, Ta’ Xbiex; tel: [phone]; http://malta.highcommission.gov.au

Canadian Embassy: Demajo House, 103 Archbishop Street, Valletta, VLT 09; tel: [phone]; http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/italy-italie/offices-bureaux/contact_malta-malte...