Travel blog: Malta & Gozo - Day 1

A brief overview of the first day of our 6-day visit to these beautiful islands at the end of December 2019.

Day 1: Mdina, Blue Grotto, Ħaġar Qim, Dingly Cliffs, Rabat

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We started the day with a visit to, as my Lonely Planet describes it, "The mysterious Golden-stone Arabic walled city of Mdina." The city is located on a hilltop which gives you an incredible view across the island.

You enter the city of Mdina through the main gate, which is also featured on Game of Thrones HBO series. Inside the city walls you are shaded by tall buildings in the narrow streets. The buildings are mostly occupied by souvenir shops and cafes or restaurants. The next stop was to visit the St. Pauls's Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Cathedral, dedicated to St. Paul the Apostle.

The Cathedral was founded in the 12th century, and according to tradition, it stands on the site of where Roman governor Publius met St. Paul following his shipwreck on Malta. The original cathedral was severely damaged in the 1693 Sicily earthquake, so it was dismantled and rebuilt in the Baroque style to a design of the Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafà between 1696 and 1705. The cathedral is regarded as Gafà's masterpiece. Tickets go for 10 euro's and include a visit to the Cathedral and the Museum.

We wandered further through the narrow streets and came across some nice views on the Northside of Mdina and a great selfie spot. We continued our search for a double espresso and a delicious piece of cake at Fontanella Tea Garden.

This lemon cheese cake was a real treat and was much needed after roaming through Mdina. When this feast was devoured, we continued our voyage and headed towards the Greek's Gate and the Howard and Ditch Gardens. I also encountered this beautiful horse, before we headed for the Blue Grotto.

After a relaxing drive in our Hyundai i20, we ended up at the Blue Grotto where we were greeted by a Falconer and his two birds. You can check out his Facebook page here. We continued to the cliffs where we had a good view on the Blue Grotto. Unfortunately the sun was pretty harsh, so I tried to make the best of it.

We continued our drive and headed to Ħaġar Qim, to see the temples and the oldest Ruins in the world. Tickets are 5 euro and include a 4D informational video about the Ruins. It helps you to visualise how the Temples were used in the past. You also get sprinkled with water ... We also encountered some stray cats, who were taking a nap, on our way to the Temples. The Mnajdra Temples are at the edge of the island overlooking a smaller island (Filfla) in the distance.

After seeing all the ruins, we headed towards the Dingli Cliffs for a golden hour sunset and it was all pretty epic. We decided it was time for food and planned to go to Rabbat, but we made a small pitstop to see the Radar Tower near the Dingli Cliffs.

For dinner we headed to Rabbat, where it had, unfortunately, started raining. Luckily we managed to find a restaurant Townhouse nr.3 Where we were kindly welcomed and served by the hostess Sylvia, who gave us excellent advice on local wines and delicacies. She also gave us some sightseeing tips for the remainder of our Malta and Gozo trip. This culinary experience was the perfect ending to the first day of our trip. We quickly walked through Mdina after dinner, to grab a few night shots, before we went back to our Airbnb in Żebbuġ.

Click here for Day 2 of my Malta and Gozo trip.

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