Ahoi and welcome to my travel story on Malta. On this page, you can find out why English telephone boxes and Moroccan alleyways go well together and why a bag of rice can play an important role after all.

The end of December in Leipzig. It was getting grayer and grayer outside and the vacation days weren't getting any shorter. I desperately needed sunshine, but a glance at my wallet didn't bode well. After a lot of research, I found my dream winter destination for just under €500. I was going to Malta in the Mediterranean for 8.5 days.

Information about Malta

Malta is a small group of islands off the north coast of Africa and, at 316 km², is one of the smallest nations in Europe. It has always been fiercely contested and it feels like every country has conquered Malta at one time or another. You can still see this in the architecture of the cities. It feels like a mix of Italy and Morocco with a dash of England. Sounds strange, but it really is unique.

As it belongs to the EU, the currency is the euro and English is the official language alongside Maltese. Around 440,000 Maltese live on the island, almost 90% of whom live in the capital Valletta. There is no time difference on Malta, as the archipelago is in the same time zone as Germany. Your suitcase should also contain travel adapter for the electricity, as Malta, like the UK, mostly uses type G sockets.

Journey to Malta

My flight from Leipzig to Malta left at 10pm. So I saddled up my camera backpack (12 kg) and my new travel backpack (10 kg) and took the train to the airport. The flight with AirMalta was slightly bumpy, but I had the whole row to myself. AirMalta's rows of seats also have a relatively large amount of legroom. As I had almost only slept for the 2.5 hours of the flight, the journey went by like...well, you know. As agreed, my shuttle driver was already waiting at the exit and after just 30 minutes I was at the Sunflower Hotel in Qawra. I've never had such a relaxed journey before.

Malta day 1  – Buggiba

The SUN woke me up at around 7 o'clock in the morning. I was as happy as a child and enjoyed the warmth. I spontaneously decided to have a short meditation session on the balcony and it was simply fantastic. The winter had been really gray so far and from my experience in Zingst, I knew how important the sun was for my state of mind.

After this great start to the day, my stomach was growling. So a quick shower and off to breakfast. For me as a vegan, the selection was very poor, as was to be expected. Apart from tomatoes, there was only jam. But the bread in Malta is a dream. Really crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. Later, I stocked up on good margarine and delicious avocados for my next breakfasts.

But now my feet were itching and I was curious to see what my surroundings were like. I couldn't see much at night, let alone remember anything. So the plan was to walk around the headland on the beach and see what awaited me here on Malta. After Google Maps once again navigated me through the strangest building sites and trails, I eventually arrived at the water.

From a parking lot I had a good view over the Knights’ Period Salt Pans and the watchtower. I continued towards the sea and the beach. Thanks to the strong wind, the waves whipped over the sharp stones quite well and I was very happy about the blue sky and the pleasant temperatures of over 15°C.

At the tip of the headland is the Malta National Aquarium   Even though I didn't pay the entrance fee, I liked the architecture from the outside. It looks like a giant white starfish and the modern construction stands out beautifully against the jagged cliffs. A great motif for taking photos.

I then continued along the promenade towards Bugibba. Here, the waves were lashing meters high against the coast and this was probably my most beautiful picture of Malta.

After a few kilometers by the sea, I slowly got a little hungry and treated myself to an avocado wrap with beet. At sunset, I wanted to head back towards the Malta National Aquarium to find a nice spot for a portfolio photo.

I found a small indentation in the coastline, which was sometimes very dramatically washed by the waves. Perfect for a few short long exposures. Waves look best at about 0.5 - 1 second exposure time, so I set up my tripod, connected my remote shutter release and took one picture after another.

As the sun was setting further to the left, I looked for another location and found some interesting rock formations that caught the waves. Here I took a few more pictures with the sun before it disappeared completely. So I folded up my tripod and went to my rucksack. Suddenly I heard a huge bang behind me and when I turned around all I could see was a white wall of sea crashing down on me. Quick-wittedly, I tried to bury my camera underneath me and found myself standing on a cliff in Malta, soaking wet from top to bottom.

I laughed, half panicked, half happy and felt very much alive again. Now the vacation could begin. The camera was soaking wet but (still) working. So I made my way to the hotel to change into dry clothes and then round off the evening with a really good meal at the Gate of India .

Malta day 2 - Qawra

When I went to turn on my Sony A7R In the morning, the big shock. The screen remained black and it felt kind of clammy. Crap, I thought to myself. Although I still had the Sony a6500 with me, I was still a little sad about the apparent loss of my faithful companion. I decided to give it a rice bath anyway and sort through a few photos from the first day in the meantime.

Unfortunately, my jeep safari across the island planned for the day was postponed to the next day at short notice and so I was initially at a loss as to what to do with the day. When the hotel lobby called me and told me that a Jacqueline wanted to meet me tomorrow at 4:30 p.m., the day could no longer be topped in terms of strangeness…or so I thought. So I set off again on foot to explore the area. This time I wanted to take a closer look at the salt fields.

I had imagined the route to be a bit nicer, but the exercise was good. It was very windy again and therefore relatively cold. When I reached the end of the salt fields, it became increasingly gray and I decided to make my way back. Suddenly the wind changed and within a few seconds it started to hail and rain from behind. The second day in a row where I got a wet butt and now I just hoped that the second camera would survive.

After another change of clothes, I went into town to the pizzeria and later ended the evening at the hotel bar with a Cisk Lager.

Malta day 3 – Jeep Safari

At 9 a.m. I was supposed to meet my driver for the jeep safari. We had chosen the church in Qawra as our meeting point and a few minutes later the white Defender turned the corner. Our driver introduced himself with a short but friendly "Jorgen" and pointed to the passenger seat. This was a great relief for me, as my stomach sometimes does strange things since the Acores .

We were joined by Choche from Texas and a nice couple from France. After Jorgen had navigated us out of Qawra rather recklessly, I realized that this was going to be a fun ride. After a few minutes we reached our first stop; Popeye Village. 

This little "village" was built especially for the movie Popeye in 1982 and has been a tourist attraction ever since. I have to say, the village is really charming and all the details you can see from the cliff are amazing. I think it's good that something like this has been preserved and not torn down after filming, wasting resources.

Just before we were about to set off again, the sun crept out from its cloud and bathed Popeye Village in a beautiful golden light. Perfect for a panorama.

What felt like a cliff further on, we made our second stop at the Red Tower . It is actually called St Agatha's Tower and was completed around 1650 and now houses a small museum. Photographically, it was quite nice, but as the sun was slowly casting very harsh shadows, it was also a little more challenging to photograph well. At least we had planned a 30-minute stop here and I was able to try out a few perspectives.

As the wind was whistling and it was very fresh, I decided to spend our third stop a Golden Beach in the café with a cup of tea. Golden Beach is one of the few sandy beaches in Malta, but I wasn't in Malta to lie on the beach. Besides, I was to take one of my dream photos just around the corner a few days later.

But before that, Jorgen took us off-road (finally) and presented us with a fantastic view of Mosta and the coast. On the way down, he stepped on the gas and the old Defender shook quite a bit. I had fun, the French couple behind me were just scared. After my experience in Euboea, I felt very safe in a four-wheel drive vehicle. When we arrived in Mosta, we stopped in front of the Rotunda Santa Marija Assunta. I have a thing for domes and was looking forward to the tour inside.

The dome is one of the 4th largest in the world and inside is an old replica of a German aerial bomb that broke through the dome during a church service in 1942 but did not detonate. There were over 300 people in the church at the time. A small miracle.

Otherwise, the church was very nice to look at and the dome and organ were very impressive. The entrance fee was well worth it.

As our stomachs were starting to rumble, we were delighted when our guide stopped at the Village Kitchen near Mosta. A table had already been prepared for us there and we were served a delicious 3-course meal. After our refreshment, we drove on to Mdina..

The quiet town lived up to its name and it was absolutely fascinating to go on an almost silent photo hunt through the narrow streets.

Every now and then a tourist or a carriage came around the corner, but otherwise it was really very quiet and relaxing. Only the search for a toilet was very challenging due to the maze of alleyways. That's why I recommend the public toilets at the beginning of the main gate. In general, I found the toilet density and cleanliness in Malta really very good. Other countries can really learn a thing or two from this.

The next stop was the Blue Grotto in Malta. I really can't understand why this rock formation hasn't become Instagram-famous yet. But I believe that with the collapse of the Azure Windows in 2017, it will establish itself as one of the photo spots in Malta. Even though a new art installation is probably being planned for the old Azure Windows site.

At the blue grotto itself, there was a very nice "falconer" who also had a few owls on site. Personally, I don't think much of such show animals, but at least one of the Moluccan Ibises could walk around freely and was quite tame. A great opportunity for some wildlife photography. When he also photobombed me, the perfect photo was (unplanned) in the can.

What wasn't quite so nice, however, was that the poor bird tried to eat pretty much every cigarette butt in its search for food.

So if you smoke, please don't throw your cigarettes carelessly into nature. Not to mention the risk of forest fires, especially in the Mediterranean.

The penultimate destination of the jeep safari on Malta was the port of Marsaxlokk in the southeast of the island. In addition to the impressive Church of Our Lady of Pompei and the daily market, the beautiful, colorful fishing boats are well worth a visit. The painting and the characteristic eyes of the so-called Luzzus are supposed to protect the fishermen from danger. For me, they were a great motif and one of my must-see photos of the Malta trip.

Incidentally, the largest market on the island takes place here in Marsaxlokk every Sunday. However, getting there by bus is said to be a bit chaotic, which is why I decided against it.

At the end of the jeep tour, of course, we couldn't miss the capital of Malta. Jorgen took us to the Waterfront of Valletta where we had a beautiful view of the Upper Barrakka Gardens just in time for the 4 p.m. salute shot. Here I enjoyed the onset of the golden hour and listened to Maltese music played by two anglers.

But I was starting to get impatient now. After all, I had a "date" with Jacqueline in the hotel lobby at 4:30 pm. I still didn't know who it was going to be. Something like that drives me slightly mad. After a wild ride across half the island, I rushed to the hotel reception. I was told that Jacqueline was already sitting at the bar. When I turned the corner, she was sitting there with a nice Scottish family who had just arrived. Jacqueline was a tour guide and gave the new arrivals an introduction to Malta…Oh man did I feel stupid now!

After she had shown us all various bus routes and sights, it was time to sell. I have to admit, she did a really charming job. In general, I found the Maltese to be very unobtrusive and polite. That's something I know very differently in the Mediterranean. I even decided to book a day trip to Gozo with her for €50. Round trip, ferry and food were all included. I thought it was a fair price.

Malta day 4 - Qawra

The fourth day in Malta started very unspectacularly. After all, I had some photos to sort out from the previous day and while I was at it, I could also play around a bit in Lightroom .

Qawra. The disadvantage of traveling alone is that you never have any photos of yourself. That's why I always try to include a little selfie session. Otherwise you wouldn't have any proof that you were actually there. After taking countless selfies on the tripod, I slowly moved on and wanted to find a nice motif for the sunset.

At the Cafe del Mar Malta, it suddenly became very loud above my head and as I turned around, a SAR helicopter shot over my head just a few meters away. For a moment you could see the small stones in the tire tread. Luckily I was already crouching on the cliffs anyway, otherwise it would have knocked me down for sure. As quickly as it had come, it was gone again. In the distance, you could see that it was making its rounds on the cliff and was probably looking for someone in the water.

The sunset then turned a fantastic fiery red again and I jumped from rock to rock. But a portfolio shot didn't really want to show up yet. I should manage that at the same spot on another day.

But now my stomach was growling and after a few pictures at the blue hour, I set off on the hunt for food. On the way to the cliffs, I had discovered a really nice pub called the Sailors Arms , which also had a few vegan dishes on the menu. I was surprised but the reviews also looked pretty good, so I tried my luck. The vegan burger was really tasty and when the disco music and light show started, I found the place very appealing and decided to spend another evening here.

Malta day 5 – Gozo

The bus to Gozo picked us up at the Sunflower Hotel at 08:30 in the morning. We were joined by the lovely Scottish Shuttleworth family. After driving halfway across the island for about 60 minutes and collecting the other participants on the day trip to Gozo, we boarded the ferry. Under a bright blue sky, we crossed over to Malta's second largest island.

After a short bus and guide change, our first stop was a nice vantage point from which we had a good view of Malta and the Camino. However, it also became clear here that the tour would probably be very touristy. But that was to be expected.

The second stop was a "craftsmen's market". It was actually just a small store where a silversmith and a nice older lady were making lace. Otherwise, the store was full of various liqueurs and other tourist "souvenirs". Not my thing and I explored the surrounding area. After what felt like an eternity, I was relieved to move on, but told myself that it would certainly get better.

Stop 3 then took us to the water to Fungus Rock and the former site of the Azure Window. Fortunately, we had a little more time here and I was able to explore the Natural Wonders area quite well. I would have loved to have been here at the golden hour. I would also have liked to have seen the Azure Windwow in real life, but unfortunately it collapsed a few years ago. However, if the planned art installation is completed, I will definitely come back to Gozo.

As there are 365 churches on Malta, it was very likely that we would also stop at one on Gozo. Legend has it that a young woman had an apparition of the Virgin Mary at this chapel in 1883. Since then, the Ta` Pinu chapel has been a pilgrimage chapel. In the forecourt there are two huge mosaics, beautifully decorated with gold. Really worth seeing and my mood slowly improved.

When our guide said that we would be changing vehicles for the buffet, I already suspected the worst. And yes, we left the bus in the middle of a country road and got on one of those tourist streetcars. By now I had given up and tried to make the best of the situation. So off we went to the restaurant in the city center, accompanied by beautiful kitschy music. After a nice buffet at Citadella, we had a good 2 hours of free time and I set off to explore the city.

The heart of Victoria is the old citadel from the 16th century. When you stroll through the alleyways here, you feel like you're back in Game of Thrones. Many small winding alleyways, old walls and countless stairs that only lead upwards. On the city wall, you also have a great view over almost the entire island.

I then went on to the lower town and explored the narrow streets and small stores there. As I still had a little time, I also took a look inside the Basilica of San Gorg and watched the hustle and bustle on the market square in the Cafe Bellusa.

At 3 p.m., we met up again at the Bimmelbahn and continued to the bus, which took us back to the ferry. All in all, it was a nice day trip to do. It's good for a general overview of Gozo, but next time I'd rather explore the island without a large group.

Malta day 6 – Ghajn Tuffieha

On day 6, the weather forecast for sunset looked very promising. But before that, I wanted to see if my sunglasses were still on the beach by chance, where I had supposedly left them two days ago. And indeed, they really were still there. So the day could start.

Inspired by my luck, I now wanted to challenge it even more. So I got my Sony A7R out of its rice bath, cleaned it up a bit, strapped a lens on it, whispered softly please, please, please and switched it on. And sure enough, it showed a picture on the display. I almost freaked out. I really hadn't expected this, but after 3 days in the rice bath, my trusty Sony A7R was working again.

The timing couldn't have been better, because today I had a trip to Golden Bay and Ghajn Tuffieha on the agenda.
Ghajn Tuffieha is one of the most beautiful beaches in Malta and the plateau is simply a great photo motif.
So I packed my bag, got on the bus and headed to Golden Bay. I was there really early. Well over 3 hours before sunset. But I also wanted to take my time scouting the location. After missing my final stop, I walked back towards the watchtower.

Once there, a really beautiful hiking trail awaited me with a view of the beach and the plateau. Wonderful yellow flowers were blooming to the right and left and I could hardly make any progress taking photos. The path up the mountain was also fairly easy and the first view was simply fantastic.

I was quite happy with my first spot, but as I still had some time left, I explored the narrow mountain path to my left a little more closely. There I found the perfect spot for the sunset and, above all, for my tripod. I made myself at home here and enjoyed the sun. For a whole 2 hours. Stativ. Hier richtete ich mich dann häuslich ein und genoss die Sonne. Ganze 2 Stunden.

In between, a few thicker clouds rolled in, which gave me the opportunity to take a few long exposures. The sunset was really dramatic and I was looking forward to the great pictures like a little child. With the exception of a few hikers, I was pretty much alone up there and was able to enjoy the spectacle.

At 6 pm I took the bus back to Qawra and rounded off this perfect day with a pizza at "The Sailors Arm".

Malta day 7 – Valletta

04:30 My alarm clock woke me from a deep sleep. Malta's capital Valletta was on my to-do list today. So a quick shower, a final bag check and off to the first bus to the capital. The sky was very overcast and a few drops fell from time to time. But that didn't dampen my mood, because clouds can be quite atmospheric at a blue hour.

When I arrived at the port of Sliema, I was immediately drawn to the viewing platform.However, I didn't like the composition at all, as the large tower was positioned directly in the dome. Once I had found my spot at the port of Valletta, I realized again that I was missing a 70-200 . But with the 50mm f1.8 I was still able to get reasonably close. I had again positioned the Sony a6500 as a backup in portrait format.

The clouds looked very dramatic, but they didn't want to catch any color. So I decided to warm my cold fingers with a coffee and slowly cross over to Valletta. After some time, I found an open coffee shop and took the ferry across the harbor basin to the old town of Valletta for €1.50.

Whenever I come to a new city, I like to just let myself drift through the streets and let the motifs come to me. Of course, I always have a list of things in my head that I want to capture, but especially at the beginning I always try to feel the city or place first. Rather than jumping from landmark to landmark. They usually come automatically anyway and often enough I catch myself muttering a quiet "oh, here I am".

And so I stumbled into the middle of a military reception for a delegation from Libya.

I often catch myself muttering a quiet "oh, here I am right now"

After covering a few kilometers in Valletta, I got hungry and decided to have a sandwich in the South Street Lounge.Not a minute too late, because shortly after I entered the café, it started to rain cats and dogs.

But not for very long and I went in search of a great composition with the colorful balconies. After a few cross streets, I found the perfect detail. One street led down to the harbor and on the left was a high staircase that I could use as a platform for a special angle. And bang, I had my postcard picture from Malta.

After 20,000 steps and because the weather forecast for sunset didn't sound very promising, I made my way back home to Qawra. Of course, I promptly missed my bus and so the return journey was twice as long as the outward journey. I ended the evening in the hotel bar with some terribly good live music.

Malta day 8 - Qawra

On my last full day in Malta, I still had a few motifs and scenes on my list to "work off". So I spent most of my time on the cliffs again, shot a few video sequences and made a monkey of myself for my Lightbox picture. But now I'm quite good at ignoring the strange looks from passers-by. Every now and then someone even smiles at me.

Once the photos were in the can, I slowly prepared myself for the sunset. Similar to the Sahara in Morocco, it's not easy to find a composition that works straight away on such exciting cliffs. What's more, this time I had set myself the goal of going home with more than just one picture. So I had to work quickly.

I also had to watch out for the waves again. I had little desire to get wet again and I didn't want to push my luck with the camera. In the end, there was a golden hour that really deserved its name and I was able to take some good photos home with me. To say goodbye, I had another huge portion of biryani at the Gate of India in Qawra.

Departure Malta & Conclusion

As I still had time before my transfer to the airport, I wanted to explore the Sunflower Hotel a little more. There was supposed to be a pool on the roof, which I wanted to take a look at. And yes, if it had been warmer in Malta in January, it would have been a great place to spend a few hours.

As the return flight made a stop in Munich and a small snow chaos had paralyzed all air traffic in Germany, Lufthansa "invited" me to an extra night including dinner at the Holiday Inn Express Munich. However, as my hand luggage usually only consists of camera equipment (never check in your expensive gear!), I was very grateful that the reception provided a small hygiene emergency kit. At least the toothbrush is now my constant companion in my camera backpack.

So can I recommend Malta and especially Qawra in winter? Yes, definitely. Malta is a great little compact island that is very diverse. The mix of Italy, England and Arabia is simply exciting and offers countless photo opportunities. The people are very friendly and the whole island makes a very well-structured impression. Even though it can seem very touristy, you can still discover everything on your own. So I will definitely be back.

You can also find more pictures here in the gallery.

Last Update on 21/11/2023 by Alex