Time out in Malta

We don't think you'll be in the classroom all the time however much you wish to improve your English.  Discovering Malta is time well spent as getting out and about means you'll practise the living language.

It also means you’ll have time to holiday here too.  Schools offer organised tours and activities in the afternoons and at weekends.  There are field trips to places of interest such as Malta’s baroque capital, Valletta, the old medieval walled city Mdina, the World Heritage Site prehistoric temples and other favourite spots such as the isle of Comino or the Blue Grotto in Zurrieq.

Nothing beats exploring for yourself and having a chance to chat to the locals, discover Malta’s 7000 years of history, relax with Maltese café life or do some serious shopping.

City of Valletta

Valletta, The Fortress City, Citta' Umilissima, “a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen” is Malta's capital city: a living, working city, the administrative and commercial heart of the Islands.  Valletta is named after its founder, the respected Grand Master of the Order of St John, Jean Parisot de la Valette.  The magnificent fortress city grew on the arid rock of Mount Sceberras peninsula, which rises steeply from two deep harbours, Marsamxett and Grand Harbour. Started in 1566, Valletta was completed, with its impressive bastions, forts and cathedral, in the astonishingly short time of 15 years.

Valletta has many titles, all recalling its rich historical past. It is the “modern” city built by the Knights of St John; a masterpiece of the Baroque; a European Art City and a World Heritage City. Spanning an area of just around 55 hectares it is one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.

The city is busy by day, yet retains a timeless atmosphere. The grid of narrow streets boasts some of Europe's finest art works, churches and palaces.

Hosting a vast cultural programme, walking around Valletta you’ll come across an intriguing historical site around every corner: votive statues, niches, fountains and coats of arms high up on parapets. Narrow side streets are full of tiny, quaint, shops and cafés, while Valletta’s main streets are lined with larger international branded shops for fashion, music, jewellery and much more.

Mdina

The history of Mdina traces back more than 4000 years.  According to tradition it was here that in 60 AD that the Apostle St. Paul is said to have lived after being shipwrecked on the Islands. Furthermore it is said that St. Paul resided inside the grotto know as Fuori le Mura (outside the city walls) now known as St. Pauls Grotto in Rabat. Lamp lit by night and referred to as “the silent city”, Mdina is fascinating to visit for its timeless atmosphere as well as its cultural and religious treasures.

Mdina has had different names and titles depending on its rulers and its role but its medieval name describe it best – ‘Citta’ Notabile’: the noble city.

It was home then, as now, to Malta’s noble families; some are descendants of the Norman, Sicilian and Spanish overlords who made Mdina their home from the 12th century onwards. Impressive palaces line its narrow, shady streets.

Mdina is one of Europe’s finest examples of an ancient walled city and extraordinary in its mix of medieval and Baroque architecture.

Megalithic Temples Of Malta

Each the result of an individual development, there are seven megalithic temples in Malta and Gozo, the oldest dating from 5,000BC.

The oldest freestanding temples in the world are of Ġgantija on the Island of Gozo, also notable for its gigantic Bronze Age structure.

On the Island of Malta, the Ħagar Qim (decorated with animals and goddesses carved from flint and obsidian), Mnajdra and Tarxien temples are unique architectural masterpieces, given the limited resources available to their builders. The Ta’ Ħaġrat and Skorba complexes show how the tradition of temple building was handed down in Malta.

Comino

Between Malta and Gozo lies Comino, a paradise for snorkellers, divers, windsurfers and walkers. Only 3.5 km2, Comino is car-free and apart from one hotel, is entirely uninhabited.

The Island’s main attraction is the Blue Lagoon, a sheltered inlet of shimmering aquamarine water over white sand and a popular day trip by cruise tour or sailboat.

Comino is worth a visit and is ideal for walkers and photographers in winter.  Without urban areas or cars, the scent of the wild thyme and other herbs can be picked up on.

Comino was inhabited in the Roman period, but did not have much significance until the Knights arrived.  It then had a dual role: hunting grounds and a staging post in the defence of the Islands against the Ottoman Turks.

The Island had proved a useful base for pirates operating in the central Mediterranean and though stark and barren today, it was home to wild boar and hares when the Knights arrived in 1530. The Grand Masters went to great lengths to ensure that their game on Comino was protected: anyone found breaking the embargo on hunting could expect to serve three years as a galley slave.

After WWII, Comino remained a backwater until its fortunes revived with tourism in the mid-1960s.

Blue Grotto

This natural picturesque grotto and its neighbouring system of caverns mirrors the brilliant phosphorescent colours of the underwater flora.  The Blue Grotto is located near "Wied iz-Zurrieq" south of the town of Zurrieq.  A number of caves, including the Blue Grotto, which is the biggest one, can be reached by boat from Wied iz-Zurrieq.

From Wied iz-Zurrieq one can also see the small island of Filfa.  Filfla is uninhabited except for a unique species of lizards that live there. When Malta was a British colony, the island of Filfla was used for target practice by the British Armed Forces. The island is now protected under Maltese law. The scenery around this area of the island is breathtaking. The cliffs rise out of the blue Mediterranean and the froth of the waves as they hit the rock face can make for some excellent shots.