After we arrived on the island, the next day at the beach we planned where we would like to go and which places we would like to visit while here. We decided to visit most places by ourselves but to book an island tour in the agency. It was a day trip which took us from St. Julians to Mosta → Ta’Qali → Rabat and Mdina → Blue Grotto → Marsaxlokk. It was the easiest way for us to visit all these places.
After little less than half an hour drive by bus it was time for our first stop for that day → Mosta.
Rotunda of Mosta (The Church of the Assumption of Our Lady) is a Roman Catholic church in Mosta. It took 27 years to build this church.
This impressive dome is one of the largest domes in Europe and is also among largest in the world.
On 9 April 1942, a bomb struck the church whilst a religious ceremony was taking place with more than 300 people attending. Luckily, the bomb didn’t explode.
Inside the church there is replica of the bomb which pierced the dome.
Later, we continued to Ta’Qali Craft Village where we watch glass-blowers making glassware. It was very interesting to see actual process of making it.
In the store you can find a lot of colorful finished handmade glass products.
Afterwards we arrived in Mdina, the old capital city of Malta, known as the ‘Silent city’. Mdina was fascinating to visit for its timeless atmosphere as well as its cultural and religious treasures.
Rabat is the town lying outside the citadel of Mdina and these two towns used to be a single one.
Instead of walking to the city you can take horse-drawn carriages, but it is important to agree on a price beforehand, just for not to be surprised later with the price.
The entrance city-gate of Mdina.
Traditional Maltese balconies are everywhere in the Silent city.
Because of the silence and mystery in the air and narrow streets of Mdina you will get a feeling that you are taken away from the present and transported back in time.
The baroque styled St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The view from Mdina.
After visiting the Silent city, we drove to Blue Grotto.
This is totally a unique spot on the island – set of caves naturally formed by the Mediterranean Sea. Blue Grotto is one of the most sightseeing places in the Maltese islands, and you can see why. Simply unreal natural scenery.
There are no surface water streams on the island and because of that the biggest part of the island has no vegetation. The only exception is cactus and here it grows all over the island. They made traditional Maltese liquor from prickly pear plant only found in Malta. It is so sweet and tasty and if you go there you should definitely try it. There are packages in small bottles and it’s very suitable as a souvenir gift from Malta, too.
After Blue Grotto we arrived in Marsaxlokk.
Marsaxlokk is a fishing village where all the fishing boats have two painted eyes on the bow to guard the fishermen from the evil eye. Every Sunday morning at the fish market in Marsaxlokk you can find the best choice of freshly-caught fish.
After visiting this picturesque fishing village it was time to go back to St. Julians. It was a lovely day around this cute island, full of interesting places and things to see.
Do you prefer guided visits or exploring new places by yourself? Let me know what you think down bellow in the comments.
More about Malta soon.