Top Things To Do In Malta: Tourist Attracations

Malta is nestled just south of Italy which I commonly refer to as European’s Caribbean because of its geographical location.  A British colony at one point, Malta has recently become independent in 1964 making it one of the most recent colonies to become independent after Macau, Hong Kong, and Angola (to name a few).  Being so isolated, the Maltese have created their own culture within European standards providing great tourist activities throughout the island.  Here are the top 5 things to do in Matla:

SNORKELLING & DIVING-

The Blue Lagoon Bay in Malta

Home to best combination of coastlines and crisp blue waters, Malta is known the world over for its diving.  Diving can commonly be called one of the most popular things to do in Malta as people the world over come to visit because of the rocky reefs, plentiful caves, and abundant marine life.  There is also a huge number of ship wrecks off the coast of Malta and Gozo because of the strategic position in the Mediterranian.   Cave diving is also extremely popular on the island.  Dont forget to visit the Azure window, you won’t be disappointed.

HYPOGEUM-

One of the chambers inside Hypogeum

It is the only underground prehistoric temple in the world and has been around for over 5,000 years.  Hypogeum literally means underground chamber in Greek and they have found the bones of over 7,000 people in the burial chambers.  It provides a chilling view of the past and a possible premonition of the future.  Many have said that you can envision the past residents lurking in the background with the detailed wall carvings and erie air flowing through the underground compartments.  Book in advance since only 80 people are allowed inside every day.

VALLETTA –

View of the center of the city

It is one of the safest places in the world with friendly people and no bad areas found in the city.  This in turn, allows for great Valletta sightseeing.  Make sure to take a ride on one of the old buses, take a stroll to see the rocky beaches of Valletta, and sit down and try some signature Maltese food.  You can also see Grand Masters Palace which is one of the first buildings erected in Malta and also check out the unforgiving nightlife!

St. Mary’s Church (The Rotunda of Mosta) –

A front view of the Church

Boasting the third largest unsupported dome in the world this is not why this Church is popular.  During the 2^nd World War a bomb hit the church directly while 300 people were at mass.  The bomb landed inside the church after slicing through the dome and even bounced (that will turn you religious in a heartbeat).  It failed to explode and the army took the bomb outside and diffused it.  The occurrence has become infamous and a replica of the bomb now sits inside the church.  Only 20 minutes outside of Valletta, the church one of the popular things to do in Malta.

The Megalith Temples of Malta –

Ggantija Temples in Malta

The temples themselves have been around for over 5,000 years and are very impressive.  They served as religious and burial sites and are some of the oldest archaeological sites in Europe.  It really will make you think about the past and how they concurred such architectural challenges.  Maltese legend has it that the bones of the giants that built the megalith temples are still buried there (no jolly green giant have been reported).