Laura Gelder, Editor of Charitable Traveller Magazine: Hello, and welcome to Charitable Travel’s Travel Inside Podcast, otherwise known as TIPs. And that is exactly what we hope to pass on to you, our listeners, great tips on how to immerse yourself in some of the world’s most beautiful and fascinating places. Thank you so much for tuning in today. My name is Laura Gelder and I’m the editor of Charitable Traveller Magazine. You can read the latest edition of Charitable Traveller Magazine at charitable.travel/traveller. Much like the magazine, this podcast series is here to inspire as well as inform, transporting you across the world to exciting destinations for a half hour holiday and a unique insider view thanks to our knowledgeable guests.

On today’s episode, we’ll be journeying into a beautiful Mediterranean country, Malta. The magical Maltese islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino, offer an impressive array of experiences and sights. Not only is this sun-scorched isle a much-loved holiday destination with relaxing beaches galore, it’s steeped in history, and has been a cultural melting-pot for thousands of years. Most recently making a name for itself as one of the world’s most LGBTQI+ friendly destinations.

Joining me today on our half our holiday, we have Louis Zammit of the Malta Tourism Authority and Clive Cortis a local Maltese guide with over 17 years of experience of sharing his vast knowledge with visitors from all around the world.

So, I’m lucky enough to have visited Malta myself, but some of our listeners won’t have had this chance yet. So, Louise, I know that you were born in Malta and now live in the UK. And I imagine you must find yourself thinking about the islands often, especially at this time of year when it’s dark and cold. So, for someone who’s never been to the Maltese islands before, how would you describe Malta, Gozo and Comino? And how can the islands be compared to other, other European destinations and other Mediterranean destinations in particular?

Louise Zammit, Malta Tourism Authority: So first of all, I just like to say, thank you very much for having us here today, and hopefully we’ll be able to pass on some nuggets about the Maltese islands to your listeners. I think that the Maltese islands are quite unique in their offering. We have over 300 days of sunshine. We have beautiful beaches, delicious food.

We also have five Michelin star restaurants. And that’s coupled with 7,000 years of fascinating history, I think really gives the Maltese islands that edge, and it’s offers something for everybody. And some of your listeners may not be aware of this Laura, but the islands are actually referred to often as one big open-air museum, particularly our capital city Valletta, which is one of our three UNESCO world heritage sites.

The fact that nowhere is further away than forty-five minutes just really gives everybody the opportunity to explore all the elements that the islands have to offer.

Laura: And how would you compare the islands to other European destinations?

Louise: You know, like I say because we have quite unique features in terms of our 300 days of sunshine, the beautiful beaches, the delicious food, the history, I think in this sense, it’s quite unique because with other European cities, I would say, for example, if you wanted to be beach holiday, you’d kind of need to go specifically for that beach holiday. Whereas in Malta you can combine all the different elements. I think that’s the key to how it varies from other European destinations.

Laura: One of the things it struck me when I was there is it’s really at the crossroads of history in Europe. Isn’t it? It’s had so many influences over the centuries from so many different cultures as well.

Louise: Absolutely. Yes. That’s definitely one of the key features. We have 7,000 years of history. As I mentioned though, it really is a huge melting-pot and that can be seen from our history and also from the food as well, the language is a combination of Italian and Arabic. So, it has quite a few fascinating elements.

Laura: You touched on the sunshine briefly, but Clive obviously you’re lucky enough to live in, in Malta. year round. So, for us occasional visitors, when would you say is the best time to visit?

Clive Cortis, local Maltese guide: So first of all, thank you for having us, as you said, here in Malta, we do have really nice weather throughout the whole year, even during the winter time, even for us Maltese, we grumble about winter, but the temperatures during winter, it will be only 14 degrees, 13 degrees.

So, the Maltese islands can offer all year-round experiences for our visitors. So from the summer, for those that want to have a swim, or go clubbing, or outdoor events to those that would like to go for walking tours, especially during March, April and May, that will be one of the best months being that it’s just after the wintertime.

So that’s just after the time when it rains. So, most of the countryside would still be quite green. So, while walking around the countryside of Malta, you will end up on cliffs. You can really enjoy nice sea views. One can enjoy really nice contrast of colours. The blue, sea, the blue sky, the greenery of our countryside, and obviously the dry walls, the yellow colour of our stone. It makes the whole setup quite amazing.

Laura: How hot does it get during those peak summer months?

Clive: Well during the summer months. Average, it’s always around 30 to 34 degrees.

Laura: Beautiful, beautiful. So, for people who want to visit, who want to avoid that peak heat, you already mentioned that springtime is a good time to visit, but what about off season is wintertime a good time to visit as well?

Clive: Definitely, especially for those that like to visit our cultural sites, you will go inside the 5,600-year-old temple, and there will be only a few people walking around and definitely for the sports tourism. If it wants to visit the island, we can really have some really nice sports tourism from cycling and even walking tours.

Laura: Louise, the size of the Maltese islands is, is definitely a plus. There’s three of them for starters. So how would you tell people to approach planning their holiday there to make sure they don’t miss anything vital?

Louise: Well, I think that planning your holiday in advance is really key to ensure that you get the best experience from your stay. Now, in terms of location, I would say that the Northern part of Malta is really ideal for families with younger children.

So, let’s take, for example, Mellieħa. This is where we have the longest stretch of sandy beach. And I would say the town is the bridge between where everything is happening, but at the same time, time stands still. And so, you have a really good balance here. You have stunning views and many restaurants to choose from as well.

Then there’s another really popular location, which is Sliema. And this is an active town with a buzzing scene bar. You have great shopping malls. Various restaurants. And actually, one of the main attractions is the beautiful long promenade. And the promenade is dotted with great swimming spots. And these are not actually sandy beaches, they’re rocky beaches, which tend to be much more popular with the locals and the promenade stretches all the way to St Julians.

St Julians is best known for the five-star hotels. For example, The Hilton, The Marriott, The Intercontinental, you have various lovely restaurants with stunning sea views as well. And St. Julians is actually the hub of the nightlife where the majority of the clubs are located. And there is a strip specifically called Paceville, where all the nightlife is happening. It’s obviously really great for those young travellers.

And then of course you have Valletta which has an extraordinary density of historical sites and whether it’s museums, churches, and more recent periods as well as the various bustling wine bars in Valletta. And I think that the best way to explore Valletta is actually on foot, you know, where you can discover the rich culture and the beautiful Baroque architecture.

And the city as well, has many stunning, beautiful boutique hotels as well, which are actually converted historical houses. And for those visitors looking for something more laid back, I would definitely say Gozo, which is Malta’s sister island. It’s located just 25 minutes over from Malta, and this is absolutely a perfect location for those wanting a more rural experience.

Gozo is home to Ramla Bay, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful sandy beaches in the world. With more history and beautiful landscapes, Gozo is definitely another one of our jewels, you know, with various accommodation options from three to five-star hotels, luxury farmhouse, and boutique hotels as well.

Laura: And what about the third island, Comino, tell us about that as well.

Louise: So, Comino is, I would say, mainly for day trips and during the summer, it’s surrounded by beautiful blue lagoon crystal clear water and is just absolutely stunning. Great for diving as well snorkelling. However, you wouldn’t actually stay in Comino.

You would stay either on Gozo or on Malta and Comino would be more for a day visit, but Comino actually is great also for the winter months, people tend to walk along Comino. It’s great for hiking because it’s just that 3.5 square kilometres island. So really, really great, you know, off the peak to walk around. The highlight is definitely the stunning crystal-clear waters, which surround Comino.

Laura: Would you recommend people ideally spending a little bit of time on Malta and a little bit of time on Gozo perhaps?

Louise: Well, yes, definitely. Laura, that’s one of the things that we actually do recommend because I just think that gives you a more holistic experience. I think that it’s like stepping back in time. So, you know, to get a more holistic idea of, of what the Maltese islands are about and what they have to offer. Being able to island hop between the two is a real huge benefit.

Laura: Definitely. And I mean, it sounds like there is a huge amount to do in Malta. I mean, we don’t even have time to cover all the things that there are to do. Is it a destination to visit for a longer time? Louise, or how would you recommend?

Louise: I think this is actually a great question, just because people have such a misconception that because the islands are small, you can see everything in a few days.

However, I think there’s so much to immerse yourself in, you know, be it the history, the culture, the outdoor activities, our beautiful Blue Flag beaches. So, let’s just take, for example, you know, exploring Malta’s cities, whether it’s Valletta, our ancient capital city Mdina, or the three historical cities, which are actually a trio or fortified cities. And they’re just based across the Grand Harbour from that Valletta.

Now each city, really offers a different experience, depending on if you visit by day or by night. You know, and like I said, combining your stay Malta and Gozo , this definitely gives you, you know, the best, the best experience from your stay.

Laura: So, Clive, you’ve spent many years helping tourists to discover your home, but what would you say is the best way to discover the authentic Malta. The Malta that, you know and love as a local.

Clive: Well, definitely there are various ways, and every year here in Malta that we organize our local festas, and these are all village feasts, which are celebrated throughout the whole year.

During the year we celebrated around 90 feasts. They’re all church related, but every single village in Malta, which we have about 68, organizes their own festa. Their own feast related to the Padre Sect. Uh, this is a religious thing, but when you walk around the streets of the village, you will notice that all the Maltese will flock to these festas and you see the old traditions. From the food stalls to the drinks, to even the small kids playing in the main squares.

And obviously you can explore our fireworks throughout the weekends, you will see a display of fireworks throughout even the day that the first fireworks would be eight o’clock in the morning, just for the bang and then at noon. And then in the evening, you will have the view of our beautiful, coloured walls for the whole night.

Around the main streets of our villages, you’ll see sometimes thousands of people. So, you won’t just go for the feast, but you will enjoy the main lifestyle too. You just go in the village bar where you will meet the locals and they start chatting to you, obviously, all the time and you will walk around the streets of our villages, which will be all richly decorated.

Laura: Fantastic, so how many of these feasts take place throughout the year?

Clive: There are around 90, but all of them are during the whole year, being that most of them are held during the summertime um, so they start from May, June, and then every weekend that will be a feast 2, 3, 4, or on the 15th of August there will be seven feasts on the same weekend. So, if one goes on the walls of Mdina which is the old capital city of Malta. Approximately around 200 meters above sea level and to stay on the walls and you will see fireworks from every single corner. There are restaurants there on the terrace, so just imagine having a nice plate with a glass of Maltese wine, enjoying the view and fireworks just in front of you. It’s just amazing.

Laura: Could you tell us about a few more Maltese experiences that visitors might want to add to their list for their holiday?

Clive: So Maltese experiences? There are various. Today the concept of staying in villages, it’s increasing quite a lot here in Malta. The fact small guest houses are opening up in these local villages, which in the past, you would hardly ever see a tourist with his own luggage walking around the streets of our old villages. I would suggest that instead of saying one of these big hotels, one should think to stay in these old villages, because just imagine after spending a day visiting the Maltese Islands, then in the evening, you send back to your room to a small guest house in the village and in the evening, you just have a stroll around the streets of our villages and tasting some of our local food, which is quite delicious and fresh.

Laura: And obviously you’re, you’re a tour guide and you must do a huge range of different tours. Do you have a particular tour? That’s your favourite or a tour stop that you really love to do

Clive One of the most interesting parts of the Maltese islands is that we do enjoy an ideal mix of cultural site sightseeing. One can easily to go scuba diving just stop for lunch in a fishing village, from visiting a 5,600-year-old temple. From visiting Caravaggio painting, who lived in Malta from 1607 for 18 months.

He spent his last three months in prison, you know, it was quite a character, this guy, but he left masterpieces here on the Maltese islands. So, to answer your question from my own personal point of view, and definitely I like most the Cathedral of St. John and Valletta. It was one of the most modern cities, which was built in Europe at the end of the 16th century and our temples.

In Malta we have megalithic temples, but they predate the pyramids by a thousand years and they pre-date Stonehenge by more than 1600 years. And these are recognized by UNESCO. So just imagine yourself stepping in and one of the oldest freestanding monuments. The original ones. These are not replicas. So, one can feel a strong presence of the past, especially if you visit the Ħaġar Qim temples which are situated exactly on the cliff edge, surrounded with countryside.

Laura: It just sounds like there’s so much culture and history in Malta. It’s almost mind boggling how much history there is, but one of the things that’s often overlooked is the huge range of events, which take place on the islands, which I understand appeal to a huge range of ages and interests as well. So, could you tell us what’s coming up on the events calendar for 2022 Louise?

Louise: So, you’re right. Laura, our annual events calendar has a really good blend of festivals with something for everybody. For example, there is the International Baroque Festival, which takes place every January.

And here you have over 30 concerts and they’re held in various historical venues, but these are closely followed by Carnival. Which is actually one of the oldest historical festivals. And it’s a five-day event where the streets absolutely come to life. We have huge colourful floats, and these are actually the pride and joy of Carnival.

You know, people start preparing these floats a year in advance. You can expect to see street dancing, colourful costumes, of course, late night street parties. And I think it’s one of the events which really brings the community together. You know, you have the young, the old, the locals, the tourists, everybody’s welcome here.

We’ve got the International Fireworks Festival, which is held over four days where you have beautiful fireworks. And they go off to a musical rhythm. And this festival has gained such huge popularity over the past few years, one of the main events is actually the fireworks that go off over the Grand Harbour in Valletta. We’ve got family focused events as well. So, for example, for this year, we have the L.O.L Dolls and they’ll be making their debut appearance in April, and then we have been the Nickelodeon Treasure Hunt with SpongeBob, that’s happening in May, which gives the young visitors a chance to learn about their favourite, Nickelodeon characters but also learn about the culture of the islands as well. So, a little bit fun and educational. Which I think is a really good combination.

June, you know, brings with it all the really popular music festivals Annie Mac Lost and Found. You’ve got Isle of MTV, Summer Days, Village Festival, and that’s just to name a few, July brings the BBC Orchestra Concert so yeah, really what’s going on Laura.

Laura: Wow. Yeah, that’s, that’s a whole lot of things. Isn’t it? And really eclectic as well. From Annie Mac to the BBC Orchestra. That’s quite a contrast. So, speaking of the younger travellers and perhaps some older travellers as well, I believe there are some exciting adventure activities available in Malta and the surrounding islands. Could you tell us a bit about those Louise?

Louise: Well, I think that every season brings a different opportunity on the islands. For example, let’s say autumn and winter, these really appeal to those explorers who enjoy kind of the outdoor adventures, you know, such as rock climbing, cycling, zip-lining, or even simply walking and, you know, just enjoying the stunning limestone landscapes of the island. So, I think it’s really appealing for those types of people. And then the summer months are great for those beach lovers, you know, water sports, and exploring the sights by Segway or quad bikes, you know, Jeep safaris, or one of the harbour cruises that we offer. I think that being an island, you definitely have to take advantage of this in my opinion.

So, as you can imagine, we have all the types of water sports, you know, from kayaking, jet skiing, paragliding, but I think one of the really important highlights here is that for six consecutive years, the Maltese Islands have been voted amongst the top three best diving destinations in the world. And you know, this is because of our water clarity. We have incredible rock formations, and we also have many World War II shipwrecks for the more experienced divers. Of course, you also have the opportunity here, you know, where you can take a paddy or a B-sec introductory course.

Laura: I was actually lucky enough to do a scuba dive myself. When I was in Malta, I did the Blue Hole Dive, which I don’t know how to describe it really. It’s kind of a lagoon, isn’t it? And you dive down, down into the depths and then you can float straight out into the, into the open sea.

Louise: I haven’t done that one myself I’ve done the introductory one, but yes, I’m looking forward to doing a few more to be fair.

Laura: So now on to one of my favourite subjects, which we touched on briefly, which is food. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in a country’s culture. I remember being fascinated by Maltese food, which isn’t commonly found in the UK really, not like Italian food, for instance, how would you describe the food and drink of Malta, Clive?

Clive: A very good percentage of the food is fresh. Being Malta, it’s a small island. So, most of the restaurants, they all buy from the local farmer or from the local fisherman. Though we do import quite a lot of things on the islands because with a population of half a million, that goes to 2.7 million tourists that visit the islands definitely the local produce is not enough for all these people visiting the islands. But with our local food, one should keep in mind the location of Malta it’s at the heart of the Mediterranean, 90 kilometres away from Sicily, 270 from north Africa. So, when you look into our food, it’s a typical Mediterranean kitchen.

So, we do have a lot of influences from, from Sicily, a lot of pasta, baked pasta, a lot of meats, but then inside our language we do have a lot of words that you find them still in the Arabic world related to food. So, if you go in a market and you ask for ‘klin’, which Maltese is, rosemary is the same word that they use in the Arabic world.

Just to put you in the picture. When we refer to the pig, you know, when you don’t eat it, we refer to it as ‘ħanżir’, that’s Arabic but then when we start eating it and we call it ‘majjal’, in Italian. So, our kitchen it’s mainly influenced by these two superpowers here.

Obviously then our Sunday lunch. It’s the most favourite one is the rabbits fried in garlic. We do as well have a spaghetti with rabbit sauce. That will be a starter by the way, and then you will have a main course, rabbits with some potatoes and fresh salads. For that everyday snack, we have the famous ‘Ħobż biż-żejt’, and that would be a flat bread filled with fresh onions, tuna, olive oil, and some of our sheep milk cheese, which would refer to it as ‘gbejna’. Delicious.

Regarding drinks, we do have our own local wines. We’ve been producing wines since the Roman times. Today we have the Maltese and the Gozan wines. And for those that like the beer, we have the famous Cisk Lager. It’s a 4.2% alcohol beer, and its perfect during our hot summer days,

Laura: So, do you have a favourite food yourself?

Clive: Well, I like all different kinds of pasta. I like most though the one that my mother does, ravioli filled with local sheep’s milk cheese.

Laura: Oh! That sounds delicious. And she’ll be pleased when she hears you say that.

Clive: Homemade, so one ravioli would be the size of a shoe, you know?

Laura: Louise, Charitable Travel are encouraging people to make it count in 2022. So why should a trip to Malta be at the top of their list this year?

Louise: I think you’re right. After coming out of such a challenging year, making it count will certainly be at everybody’s forefront. The Maltese islands are the perfect destination, just because, you know, you can experience a bit of everything.

You have the cities, the history, the adventure activities, scuba diving, gastronomy, wine tasting, and obviously the full events calendar, which we’ve touched on. And that’s also obviously where you have the year-round sunshine as well. You know, what better perfect combination would you want? And we also have a number of bucket list items for people to discover. Whether it’s the turquoise Blue Lagoon, you know, the oldest freestanding structures in Gozo, which Clive spoke about.

We have the Co-Cathedral in Valletta. So, yes. I think the fact that you can combine everything in one holiday is definitely a contribution to, you know, making it count.

Laura: Definitely. So final question is to both of you, I’ll start with you, Louise. If you had just one day in Malta, how would you spend it? So, what would you eat? What would you see? What would you do?

Louise: I would find it really difficult to cram in all my favourite things in just one day, like my agenda would definitely include eating some pastizzi, which I miss terribly, these are like savoury snack filled with either ricotta or mushy peas. Ħobż biż-żejt for lunch, this is the bread that Clive spoke about, you know, the local flat bread with olive oil, tuna you know, fresh onions. And then I personally love snorkelling, so I’d definitely want to go snorkelling. Ideally, I’d fit in a wine tour just because we have delicious wines and I’d want to catch a beautiful sunset as well. You know, there’s nothing more magical really than sitting down, sipping a glass of wine and watching a sunset. For my evening I choose Valetta just because it’s one of my favourite cities in the world.

Laura: That’s good, more food there!

Clive: I would definitely start by visiting Valletta, the capital city of Malta. Um, you start walking around the main streets. I stop at St. John’s Cathedral and the Caravaggio paintings. This church, it was built by the famous Knights of St. John that ruled over Malta for more than 268 years. At noon, the Barrakka Gardens you’ll enjoy a fantastic view of the Grand Harbour. And then you’ll see the Saluting Battery Cannon, which they fire the middle gun every day at noon, after that, it will be lunchtime. So, let’s drive down to Marsaxlokk, the fishing village. You sit down on an outdoor table, you’ll be one metre away from the sea and you want to enjoy some nice, fresh fish and some crispy white wine. That would be just amazing. After that in the afternoon, Blue Grotto, one of the best scenery spots with a 20-minute boat ride and then late evening Mdina, the old capital city of Malta. Imagine you walk through these narrow winding streets, which dates to the 15th century.

After that you stop in a cafeteria on a terrace and the enjoy a nice view, with whom? Definitely with a private guide.

Laura: Thank you so much. Well, when I go back to Malta, I will definitely be experiencing both of your special days.

To find out more and book your next holiday to Malta visit www.charitable.travel and speak to their team of expert travel advisors.

The islands have something to appeal to every kind of traveller, from families with young children, to groups of friends, looking for adventures, you can hop on a Segway to explore the cobbled streets of the Maltese capital Valletta, or jump on a Jeep, to safari over the rugged landscape of Gozo. Dotted all over the islands are incredible cultural landmarks.

Like the ancient UNESCO world heritage temples. Malta’s crystal-clear seas are renowned for snorkelling and scuba diving as well as kayaking and other water sports above the water. There’s vibrant nightlife too. With year-round music festivals, as well as wine bars and all-night clubbing followed by a lounge on the beach the next day of course.

You’ll find a plethora of atmospheric restaurants and cafes, serving mouth-watering Maltese cuisine, which is a unique blend of north African, Turkish and Italian influences. Malta’s three islands are easy to explore with ferries providing hassle-free travel from the mainland to the smaller islands of Gozo and Camino.

For even more Malta inspiration check out the Malta Tourism Authority, social media accounts and websites where there’s lots more information. So that’s @Visit Malta UK on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and www.visitmalta.com. Thank you to Charitable PR for their support in creating this podcast. I’ve been your host, Laura Gelder and thank you so much for listening, please like, subscribe, and share.