Places to Visit

Valletta is the capital city of Malta, with a 500 year history. It was built in the late 16th century by the Knights of the Order of Saint John to support the defense of the island. It is named after La Vallette, a Grandmaster of the Order, who initiated the building of the city after successfully defended the island from a siege by the Ottoman Empire forces in 1565. It is surrounded by bastions, and there are various palaces, museums, churches and other interesting locations to visit. St John’s Cathedral & Museum can be found at the heart of Valletta http://www.visitmalta.com/st-johns-... St James Cavalier Creativity for Centre is the contemporary art museum and organises various cultural activities http://www.sjcav.org/ Mdina is the old capital city of Malta - known to be inhabited from at least 7 centuries BC. Known as the silent city, it is well worth a visit even if just to walk around the narrow, winding streets, and having a coffee or lunch at one of the cafes sitting atop the bastions, overlooking half of Malta.

Gozo is the second largest island in the Maltese archipelago, just 6km to the northwest of Malta. If you plan to extend your stay in Malta, it is well-worth a day visit. A regular ferry crosses between Malta and Gozo - http://www.gozochannel.com/

Some locations of interest in Gozo include:

Cittadella, the old fortified city in Victoria.

The Azure Window - a natural rock formation in Dwejra

Ggantija, a neolithic temple dating back from 3000BC.

Some other cultural and historical highlights in Malta include:

There are various megalithic temples around Malta. Of particular interest are Mnajdra - http://www.visitmalta.com/mnajdra - and Hagar Qim http://www.visitmalta.com/hagar-qim - which are very close to each other. Another interesting location is the Hypogeum - http://www.visitmalta.com/hal-saflieni-hypogeum-map - a subterranean structure dating back to 3000BC. If you plan to visit the Hypogeum, it is recommended that you book ahead, since tours are often full weeks in advance.

The three fortified cities of Cospicua (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cospicua), Vittoriosa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birgu), and Senglea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senglea) are worth a visit to walk around. Information about various other places can be found here - http://www.visitmalta.com/culture-heritage

Activities

The weather in Malta in May is perfect for outdoor activities. Information about various walks and bike tracks around the island can be found online http://www.visitmalta.com/walks-around-malta. There are also various diving centres in Malta, if you are interested in exploring beneath the sea - with a number of underwater attractions such as wrecks - http://www.visitmalta.com/diving-malta. For organised outdoor activities such as abseiling, biking and trekking, one can also contact specialised companies, such as Malta Outdoors http://www.maltaoutdoors.com.

CURRENT EVENTS

Feast:

Feast of our Lady of Fatima (16th May) http://www.visitmalta.com/event-det...

Theatre & Music:

Teatru Manoel http://www.teatrumanoel.com.mt/

St. James Cavalier http://sjcav.org/

All Great Books (Abridged) http://sjcav.org/page.asp?n=Eventde...

Cinema:

St. James Cav. (Valletta) http://sjcav.org/page.asp?n=cinema

Embassy Cinemas (Valletta) http://www.embassycomplex.com.mt/em...

Eden Cinemas (St. Julians/Paceville) http://www.edencinemas.com.mt/

Exhibitions:

The Art of Four Elements http://www.visitmalta.com/event-det...

Ballet in Action http://www.visitmalta.com/event-det...

Tektika Tango http://www.tektikatango.com/

Shadows of the Past http://www.visitmalta.com/event-det...

Tango: http://www.tangomalta.org – holding two milongas during LREC 2010, Thursday 20th and Saturday 22nd, both at the Phoenicia Hotel

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT MALTA www.searchmalta.com www.maltatourismauthority.com which has links to general info about Malta; hotels and events and other MTA sites. www.eyemalta.com www.visitmalta.com