On a recent trip to Malta, Paul and I were excited about visiting this beautiful island. When you see photos of Malta, going there is a hundred times better!
Yet, on the lead up to our Malta trip, we hardly did any research.
So, in this blog post we’ll run through some things you may not have known about Malta… but you should know!
Having No Money Is Not Funny
Being from Australia, and having traveled around South East Asia a lot… Paul and I were used to the long banking hours. Yet, when we got to Malta we got slapped with a shock!
We arrived at Malta airport around 2:30pm, and had intentions of changing our Australian dollars into Malta currency… which is Euros.
Neither of us could see any Malta exchange bureaus. Yet, we did see a tourist information office.
So we wandered over and asked them where we could exchange money at Malta airport. Then, they checked their computer and told us that none of the banks were open.
So to cut a long story short, we ended up using the ATM to get some Euros.
To find out more about changing money in Malta, check out our blog HERE.
Watch Out For The Buses
Malta has an extensive bus network, which is great for getting around. There are also different types of public transport ticket options to suit your needs.
While all the shops may not open on Sundays, the public transport in Malta still operates… although the number of services is reduced.
The air conditioned buses look like this…
When you’re a customer on one of these Maltese buses, you better hang on tight if you don’t have a seat. The bus drivers go round corners like Formula 1 drivers!
And if you’re a pedestrian, look both ways a couple of times before crossing the street. Because more often than not, there’ll be a bus hooning down the street or round a corner.
Fireworks And Firing
Paul and I were visiting Malta during Summer time. So that meant going out and enjoying drinks overlooking the beautiful blue water.
Yet, we’re sure it wasn’t an excess of alcoholic drinks, when we thought we heard fireworks in the morning. Now, this seemed strange to us!
So, we wandered out onto the balcony of our hotel… Then we heard the fireworks again, and we could barely make out the fireworks in the sky.
Then, we heard these monstrous banging type noises. To us, it sounded like cannons being fired! We heard them a few times.
And at night time we saw even more fireworks. This happened every day and night we were in Malta.
If we were closer to the action, I’m sure it would’ve been annoying especially in the morning if you were a late riser.
Church Here, Church There, Churches Everywhere
Before coming to Malta, we knew that the country’s religion was primarily Catholic. So, we expected some churches in Malta. Yet, when we got there it seemed like there were plenty.
Then, we were told that there were over 300 churches in Malta, and over 40 in Gozo! That seems like a lot for a small country, right?
Yet, when we were sightseeing we saw some of the most amazing churches ever.
For example, if you’re going to Msida, why not take a trip to the Mosta Dome. Mosta is a quaint town, and you’ll also get to see this incredible view…
Sunday Not Funday
When Paul and I were staying in Sliema, on a late Sunday morning we decided to wander the streets.
We noticed that it was much quieter than other days. And that surprised us, considering that we thought weekends would be busy.
We were going to have a snack at one of our favorite Pastizzerias near the Sliema waterfront. Yet, to our dismay it wasn’t open!
Then as we kept walking around Sliema, there were lots of shops and restaurants closed.
This is similar throughout Malta. So if you need to get some shopping done, we suggest you do it by Saturday late morning.
Yet, this wasn’t a big issue for us as there are many other things to do in Malta to stay entertained.
So, what interesting things have you found in your travels through Malta?
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Note: All of our reviews and comments are our opinions and no-one else’s. Even if we receive complimentary goods or services we share our opinions honestly.
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