Christmas in Malta - Noël à Malte

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We spent Christmas 2021 in the beautiful archipelago of Malta.
Du 19 au 26 décembre 2021
8 jours
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Two years ago for Christmas, Auguste and I decided to escape from rainy France and go to sunny Malta - a new country to add to my list of visited countries. We flew from Paris to Valletta on December 19. I was lucky enough to get the window seat (merci Auguste 😀), and enjoyed amazing views above the Alps...

 Lucie in the sky 😉

Malta officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe, located in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago between Italy and Libya. The official languages are Maltese and English. With a population of about 516,000 over an area of 316 km2, Malta is the tenth-smallest country by area, right after Maldives.

We took a taxi to reach the Solana Hotel & Spa, our home for the next week (I found a great deal 😉), located in Mellieha, at the North of the main island of Malta. Malta is indeed composed of three islands: Malta, Comino, and Gozo. We thus went for a little afternoon walk in Mellieha.

 I discovered that Malta was a land of cats 😀
Sunset & Mellieha by night

Sun went down early, we watched the sunset and walked back to our hotel to enjoy a little swim and a sauna session, as we then did every single evening. PS: the cathedral's name is Is-Santwarju tal-Madonna tal-Vitorja, good luck with the pronounciation! 😀

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Mellieħa

On our first day in Malta, we went to Gozo for a day trip. As I mentioned previously, Gozo is one of the islands that compose the Maltese archipelago. Our hotel was very well-located to visit the three islands; as you can see from the map at the top of this article. The easiest way to reach Gozo is by ferry. There are many connections and they are active all year round. But, before taking the ferry... we rented a scooter in Mellieha. Definitely the best way to get around islands (see my articles on Bali and Taiwan)! 😀

 From Mellieħa to Gozo

We spent a great day on Gozo island. We first went to Xaghra, a cute little village North-East of the island.

Xagħra

We went hit back the road to Marsalforn, most precisely to the amazing Saltpans of Xwejni...

 Xwejni

By the way, did I tell you that I bought a new toy??? A DJI Mini 2 drone! 😀 I am very proud of my pics.

 Xwejni from the sky

We had a picnic in this beautiful place. After that, we drove to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu,a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine situated at the North-West of Gozo.

Ta'Pinu 

We kept on driving North-West to reach the impressive Azure Window, a 28-metre-tall natural arch. It unfortunately collapsed in 2017, yet its surrounding cliffs totally worth it.

It-Tieqa Żerqa 

I could not resist to launch my toy there!

From the sky... can you spot us? 😀

To end this beautiful day, we reached Victoria, also known as Ir-Rabat, the capital of Gozo. It is best known for its medieval citadel, surrounded by fortified walls. The entrance costs €5 per adult.

The Citadella 

It is worth noting that Malta is extremely safe. We could hear Christmas songs in the streets every evening. We then took the ferry back to the main island and to our hotel (for a little swim of course).

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Valletta, the capital of Malta, is located on the main island. It is the southernmost capital of Europe, and the European Union's smallest capital city (just 0.61 square kilometres).

We took the bus from Mellieha to Valletta. We discovered a small, yet very beautiful and lively capital.

 Valletta

Every day at noon and at 4pm, once can see the firing of the Malta Day Gun of Saluting Battery, located at the Barracca Gardens. It is an impressive moment that we totally recommend.

 Malta noon day gun
Valletta & Mellieha by night

We strolled around the city all day long, and headed by to Mellieha by bus in the evening.

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Comino is the smallest island of the Maltese archipelago, located between the islands of Malta and Gozo. It measures 3.5 square kilometres in area. Named after the cumin seed, the island has a permanent population of only two residents. It is a bird sanctuary and nature reserve.



We took a small boat to reach Comino island from Mellieha. No scooter needed for this one, and actually cars are forbidden - which is a great thing! We really loved this natural place. We walked all around the island, as you can see on my Strava map, and barely met anyone.



I took a lot of pictures (both with phone and drone) of this pretty place, therefore I will try to select only the best ones for you! 😀 The first couple of ones were taken from the boat, when arriving on Comino island. We then quickly started to walk along the coast, offering an amazing view on the Blue Lagoon.

 Arriving in Comino

At this point, I really wanted to get my drone off the ground, which I did, as there was nobody around! 😀

 A few pics taken on the Blue Lagoon with my drone

We kept on walking, but I could not help but stop to enjoy the view and take pictures. We reached Il-Bejta tal-Fenek, or the Crystal Lagoon, with its beautiful cliffs and views...

 Yes, wearing a t-shirt on December 22!
Il-Bejta tal-Fenek and L-Għar ta’ Bla Saqaf 

For our lunch (picnic), we stopped next to the Santa Maria caves.

 Picnic with a view

I took the opportunity to use my drone again! 😀

 Drone views

Time to walk back to the harbour, and to enjoy the rest of the day in beautiful Malta...

 Bye Comino!
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December 23 was the only rainy day of our week. We thus decided to stay at the hotel in the morning with a view to enjoy the spa, and headed to Valletta by bus in the afternoon. Did I mention that Malta was cats' paradise? 😀 Some people are actually paid by the government to feed cats! My dream job!!!

Cat café in Valletta 

More specifically, we first went to the Three Cities, that we can see from Valletta.

 On the boat from Valletta to the Three Cities

The Three Cities is a collective description of the fortified cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea, and Cospicua. The oldest one is Vittoriosa, which has existed since prior to the Middle Ages. The other two cities were both founded in the 16th and 17th centuries.

It was very nice wandering in the small streets, which offer a beautiful view on Valletta.

 In the Three Cities

We then took the boat back to the capital, and had a hot chocolate (for Auguste) and a mulled wine (for me)! 😉

 Good night Valletta!
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Christmas Eve was actually the sunniest and warmest day of our stay in Malta! 😀 We rented a scooter for a couple of days, and went for a road trip on the main island. We first drove from Mellieha (North) to St Peter's Pool (South), that it to say about 30 kilometres. Well, more precisely, we drove to Marsaxlokk, and then went for a 1h30 walk around the place.



Yes, I was wearing shorts! 
A few more pics... 

I love this weather! I love the Mediterranean sea! I love islands! 😀

We hit back the road towars the Blue Grotto, located on the South-West part of the island.

 Blue Grotto

Very impressive cliffs and views all along the coast! And not many tourists in Winter, which is great. We kept on driving to Dingli Cliffs, which also are on the West coast.

 Dingli cliffs

And we eventually reached the Windrose Giant Cat Weathervane. Yes, giant cat! 😀 Located North-West of the island, this place offers amazing views on the cliffs and sea. A perfect spot to watch sunset!

Windrose Giant Cat Weathervane 

Time to let the drone out!!!

Sunset at the Giant Cat

After a nice jacuzzi session, we had dinner on the terrace (yes, on December 24!) in Mellieha.

Christmas Eve dinner 
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The sun was out again on Christmas day, we thus headed back to Gozo, in order to discover the West coast of the island. More specifically, we went to Ras il-Wardija and had a short walk along the cliffs.

Ras il-Wardija 

Later on, we drove to Xlendi bleach, also on the West coast of Gozo island.

 Xlendi

Note that ferries do run on Christmas day, but not at all times. Make sure you check the timetable!

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It is already our last day in beautiful and sunny Malta! Time flies... 😥 We visited the North part of Malta island, that is to say around Mellieha. First, we went to St Agatha's Tower or the Red Tower, the last large bastioned tower to be built in Malta. It offers a beautiful panorama.

After that, we headed to the Coral Lagoon, a natural sea cave. It looks absolutely amazing on Google, but it is not "that great" in real life to be honest.

Coral lagoon 

We then went for a walk around the Fort Campbell and its beach. A great way to end our trip!

Around Fort Campbell 

To conclude, we had a great time in Malta! One week is perfect to discover the archipelago. Mellieha is the best spot to wander between all three islands. Christmas was ideal as not many tourists were around. We were extremely lucky with the weather, it's not always the case! 😉