Exploring fisher towns and high cliffs on Malta

Malta is a small island, located just underneath Italy, which has much to offer. Malta has been a British colony, you can still see many British influences and many British people are going on holiday to Malta. Thanks to the reason that Malta is very small, you can perfectly see everything you want in a week, including the neighbouring islands Gozo and Comino. Rent a car and you can visit the places very easily.

That’s what I did a few weeks ago. In one week, I visited Malta, Gozo and Comino and saw everything I wanted to see. With a rental car you’re very flexible and you can drive to places which are harder to reach by bus; although I have to say that the public transportation is a very popular way of travelling on Malta.

Marsaskala and Marsaxlokk
During a few days of the week, we visited the south- and west part of the island. In the south part of Malta, you can find some smaller towns which have a really nice and cosy atmosphere. These are fisher towns with all a small boulevard and water where you can find the fisher’s boats (also called Luzzus’s.

A luzzu is usually painted in bright colours and the bow has a pair of eyes. These fisher’s boats really are typical for Malta and you can always find them back on pictures of the island.

Two well-known fisher towns in the South of Malta are Marsaskala and Marsaxlokk. Both kind of look the same, especially because of the boats.

Marsaskala is well-known for the restaurants where you can eat some delicious fish dishes. When you walk across the boulevard of the fisher town, you come across some salt pans, which are also very interesting to see. Personally, I think the architecture of the city is more beautiful than when you go to Qawra or St. Julians. The town is located between Zonqor Point and St. Thomas Bay and has the church spire watching over the town from every angle.

Not that far away from Marsaskala you can find the small fisher town Marsaxlokk. Marsaxlokk is well-known for its fish market on the Sunday morning. It’s also a nice place to have dinner in the evening or to sit on the terrace and have a drink.

Dingli Cliffs and Blue Grotto
After we went to the fisher towns, we drove further to the west side of the island, where you can enjoy some “nature”. I have to be honest, Malta doesn’t have a lot of nature, but if you want to see just a little, you definitely should go to the west coast of the island (or to the island Gozo).

We first came across the Blue Grotto, which is famous for the extraordinary sea reflections within the cave area; it gives a very blue image. There are many tours organised where you can have a boat tour and to go into the Blue Grotto to explore the sea reflections. I have to say that, during the day we were at the Blue Grotto, the water was restless, so we decided to just look around. The place also is very popular to swim at, when the sea is more quiet. In the direct environment you can find some restaurants and bars where you can eat or drink something. There also is a large parking area where you can park your car for free.

A little more northwards, you can pay a visit to the Dingli Cliffs. In my opinion, these cliffs are very impressive and definitely worth a visit! The Dingli Cliffs are named after either the Maltese architect Tommaso Dingli or his 16-th century English namesake Sir Thomas Dingley, who lived nearby. The cliffs are approximately 220 meters high and is a photogenic place. The place gives some breath taking views over the sea and towards the cliffs.

Curious about the other places we’ve visited during our time in Malta? Stay tuned and read about it later!

Author: Tamara

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