Malta?
 

Looking for a destination in Europe where I haven't been, prefer to travel on a non stop flight from LHR. Wouldn't mind flights from LGW, but don't want to schlep to one of the other LON airports.

Malta is one possibility, but I'm not sure if a week is too long on the island. Mainly interested in cultural and historic sights and a day trip or overnight visit to Sicily (by ferry). Can FTers who have been to Malta please let me know if the island is a worthwhile destination for a week.

Thanks.

A week is about the maximum, I'd reckon, and you'd want to include Gozo in that trip.

Valletta is a stunning city, and the co-cathedral is almost worth the trip alone. Beside that, you've got the tri-cities opposite, and the Hypogeum nearby, which you will have to pre-book. If the Hypogeum tickles your fancy, then Hagar Qim is also worth a visit.

Away from the capital, the ancient, twin towns of Rabat and Mdina (some nice cliffs at Dingli too) are worth visiting, as is the small town with a massive port: Marsaxlokk.

Then you can head up to Gozo, and enjoy its backwater feel.

The buses are pretty decent, but hiring a car is easy too, even if the roads are a little manic and the motorways unfathomably twisty at times.

It's an odd little island, but an interesting one nonetheless. The food is almost universally awful, saved by the tasty bread (ftira) and the ubiquity of Italian options. They do like cake, though, even for breakfast.

Without knowing where you've been, it's difficult to know what other obscure suggestions to give!

Thank you for the detailed reply, stut.

Have a maximum of a week for this trip.

In Europe I haven't been to some of the Balkan states, the ones I have been to I haven't cared for. I thought I would visit the Balkans at a later date when I can spend more time travelling.

Well, with the Balkans, it depends what you're looking for. I do like the area, and I'm a big fan of cevapcici with ajvar, and various forms of burek, as well as the Turkish-style (never call it "Turkish"!) coffee served everywhere - and the interesting Italian-Slavic mix in Slovenia.

Ljubljana is a student city, and this is obvious when you visit. It's a small city, but a pleasant the quirk one. The Julian Alps are stunning, particularly Bled and Bohinj, and easy to reach from the city. The tiny coastline packs a lot in, from old towns like Koper to resorts with regrettable amounts of concrete.

Croatia is no secret any more. The last time I visited was just after the war, so I pretty much had Split and Dubrovnik to myself (as well as a rather battered Zagreb). Zagreb is a quirky place, again, with a very Central European feel. Split is small, but the way the town is woven into Diocletian's palace is fascinating. Dubrovnik is stunning and remarkably well preserved, but you need to go well off season to miss some serious crowds of tourists. I've never managed to make it to the islands.

However, perhaps the most interesting, for me, was Bosnia. I would love to go back. I took the bus from Dubrovnik through the wonderfully kitsch pilgrimage site of Medugorje up to Mostar, which was still a sad sight, with the Stari Most in pieces, and ethnic sensitivities running high (you have to order a coffee differently in different parts of town, if you're trying to speak some form of what used to be referred to as Serbo-Croat). From there, another bus up to Sarajevo, another city hit hard. I stayed in an old railway carriage near the station (the walk over unmarked land was a little unnerving) and loved wandering around Bascarsija. I understand the mountains are now clear and safe to visit - they provide a wonderful backdrop to the city.

So it's definitely an area I'd like to revisit.

As is Romania, for that matter. I did a fair bit of work in Bucharest and Timisoara, and managed to get some time to explore the corner of Transylvania around Brasov. The train journey there from Bucharest alone was worth the journey - they're a sociable bunch of passengers, and the rural views from the windows could have set you back a hundred years in time.

So, there's plenty around there I'd like to revisit as well. And perhaps head down towards the other ex-Yugoslavian states - places like Sveti Stefan and Lake Ohrid.

stut, thank you for your detailed reply.

You've had better luck in Romania than I have. Bucharest was dire, stray dogs, buildings in various states of decay, etc. I had read good things about Transylvania and was looking forward to spending a few days in the region. My first (and last) experience with Romanian trains was a train ride from Bucharest to Brasov. The condition of the train was poor. The train left Bucharest late, that really wasn't much of a problem. The journey took double the time it was supposed to as the train stopped in the middle of nowhere several times. One of the stops was a little over an hour. All announcements were in Romanian, so I'm not 100% sure what the reason was for these stops. The long train journey ended at some unearthly hour in Brasov.

I had coined a draft itinerary for the Balkans last year but the trip didn't materialize. You've given me some good ideas, I can either chip away at some destinations in the Balkans or leave the trip for when I can travel for longer.

As for Malta, the more I look at this, the less it appeals for a week long stay.

Fortunately, I don't need miles to requalify for status so I'm not restricted to BA's network.

Will continue to explore other options.

I did struggle to like Bucharest as well (the town I'm originally from in Scotland had a similar problem with stray dogs!) hence being so keen to catch the train into Transylvania. Thankfully, CFR have a number of new trains, so it has been improving. Working there, too, I had the benefit of locals' advice.

WizzAir, although never the most pleasant experience, do have a number of interesting routes to CEE (including to Ukraine, which is one I'd like to try...)

Good suggestion regarding WizzAir. Thank you.

The Ukraine...........Kiev is a gem, truly an amazing city to visit. The city is clean has a walkable city centre and the people are very friendly. Definitely one of my favourite cities in the CEE - would return.

Will look at other LCC routes too for destination ideas.

Back to Malta, I did a week in Malta, and found it interesting. That said, I was pretty stressed out at the time, and really was focused more on de-stressing and relaxing, but I did visit a number of the tourist sites. I didn't do any of the ferry trips (Gozo or Sicily), so I think if you included them, you could definitely fill up an active week.

Valletta, Rabat and Mdina were definitely worth seeing. Mdina includes the St. Paul's Catacombs, which are worth an hour.

I wrote about my trip to Malta in my blog here -> Land of Goat's Milk and Honey

I flew out of Gatwick on EasyJet.

Cheers,
Greg

Greg, thanks for the reply and the link. Your trip report is an interesting read.

Looking at spending the week two different locations, one would be Malta. Is three full days enough to cover these sights:- Valletta, the tri cities and Hypogeum? These are the sights that appeal the most, if I can squeeze a half day in Gozo after I have covered these sights I will do that.

I'd prefer hugely Cyprus over Malta.
In the balkans Sarajevo as a base to visit Bosnia would be my second choice.

Thanks for the suggestions. Had been to Cyprus some years ago and didn't care for the destination. Would rather leave the Balkans for when I can travel for longer.

Will spend three days (four nights) in Malta as I don't think I could spend a week on the island exploring the place.

When are you thinking of travelling? I understand that you are interested in cultural destinations and Malta certainly hits the spot, but the weather is still lovely at the moment so you might want to add some time for visiting the beach or the pool, or at least spending some time on coast with a nice glass of wine (or a Kinnie if you must).

April, next year. My travel dates coinside with the [UK] Easter school holidays, so want to plan in advance to avoid high flight prices and limited accommodation choices (if some hotels are full booked closer to my travel dates).

Will definitely give Kinnie a try.

Kinnie is good - it's like a less dry Chinotto. It does appear to be about 50% sugar, though!