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Malta: An island of history

Out-of-season, Malta’s greatest asset is its history. Visitors can spend a morning wandering around a spectacular 5,000-year-old stone temple and the afternoon underground on a tour of atmospheric early Christian catacombs.

You can even travel using one of the network of lovingly restored old British coaches trundling around the island. The bus station in Valetta is like a transport museum - with buses up to 50 years old painted by the enthusiastic drivers in bright colours with their own names and slogans.

Capital attraction
Allow a day to see the capital city Valetta, an historic fortress city built in the sixteenth century by crusaders to defend Malta’s Grand Harbour. Within the walls there is a labyrinth of narrow streets occasionally opening into sunny squares or views of the water.

You’ll find a palace, cathedral, theatre and museum. Browse quirky shops, peer through open doors into hidden courtyards and compare various local restaurant menus. It’ll make another perfectly relaxing day.

The Silent City
In the centre of the island the former capital Mdina is an intact walled town that’s hundreds of years old. It’s known as ‘The Silent City’ because traffic is normally banned.

Across the moat on a narrow fortified bridge, through the gatehouse and beyond the ramparts you find alleyways are narrow, walls high and thick... and, apart from the ornate gothic cathedral, it’s full of convents and churches.

For example, the “fully enclosed” St Benedict’s nunnery behind the Xara Palace Hotel. Once entered, nuns may never leave. Until a few years ago they were even buried inside.

The lively neighbouring town of Rabat is a short walk away - and that has a day’s worth of ancient catacombs, churches, craft shops and cafes to explore.

Five fantastic history lessons in Malta
1) Stone megalithic temples perched on Malta’s clifftops are the world’s earliest buildings – they’re up to 6,000 years old.

2) Fabulous mosaics at a villa at Rabat show Malta was once a wealthy Roman outpost.

3) The apostle St Paul was shipwrecked in 60AD. Two small rocks, St Paul's Islands, mark the spot in what is now called St Paul’s Bay.

4) Crusading Knights of St John lived on their fortified island stronghold for more than 200 years. Their churches, fortresses and palaces are everywhere.

5) After the second world war the whole island was uniquely awarded the George Cross for their collective heroism in resisting the Nazis.