My husband and I are tossing around ideas for our next trip, and we're thinking of a Malta/Sicily combination in January. We'll also have our 20-year old son with us. Tentatively we're thinking of 3 days in each place. Is this reasonable? We could also go to Sicily as a day trip if the ferries run in January.

Background: we're avid walkers and history buffs; more into interesting buildings and people-watching than night life. Hotel recommendations in Sicily and Malta also welcome; I can't get any open dates at the Hilton Malta on Hilton. com any time in January, which seems a little weird, and plan to call a human and see if that's true. Since we'll be getting 2 rooms for 6 nights I don't want to break the bank, but would like the usual comforts such as a private bath, a quiet room and a conventient location.

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

I have been to both Sicily and Malta. In the summer time, you need 1 week in both. However as you are going in January which is out of season, you can do 1 week in both.

In Malta you need at least 1 day to visit the old town of Valetta and also the old town of Medina, about 20 minutes away is not to be missed.

Try to have dinner or lunch at the Xara Palace Hotel in Medina. A fantastic view and wonderful food in an old palace.

Also you need a day to go to the island of Gozo. Also a must see. Takes about 1 to 2 hours by taxi and boat.

In Sicily I would stay in Taormina. Beautiful hilltop village. You can take a day tour to Mt. Etna from there. In the summer Mt. Etna is really cold so in the winter must be freezing.

Hotels in Malta are the Hilton which is very nice. Also the Westin which is cheaper. There is an old one next to the old town of Valetta. Forgot the name.

In Taormina my favorite is the Villa Diodoro. Beautiful views of Mt Etna and well located in the village. Go to Tripadvisor.com. Great site for hotel reviews.

Here's an old thread on Malta.

(Search Trip Reports also; I think Canarsie filed one on Malta.)

Do you have any idea how big Sicily is and how much there is to do and see?!?
One WEEK is minimum for Sicily to get an impression of the island.
IMHO the choice is EITHER Malta OR Sicily for one week. Not both.

I agree it's a bit quick 3 days in both Siciliy and Malta. Lot's to do and see in Sicily. However does one have to see everything? Really depends. We spent 1 week in Taormina but it was the summer and we like to go to the beach. We were never bored.

If you want to really see the island then I agree you do need 1 week minimum. But Taormina is the nicest part of the island.

Other parts to see are Palermo about 4 hours by car from Taormina, then Erice, Trapani and the temples in the south. Forget the name. Then Syracuse. There is also another town which is very beautiful. The stairs are made with tiles. Very famous but I forgot the name.

I think from the eastern part of Sicily to the west coast it takes about 6 hours by car. The roads are good; highways.

From the north to the south I think it's about 3 hours by car. You can travel by train in parts and also busses.

We spent 10 days in Malta and Gozo. We were never bored but it was summer.

Thanks for all the great details!

I agree that, as usual, we're trying too much into one trip. But, we're constrained by the vacation schedules of my job. Now I'm thinking about staying in Sicily and maybe making a day trip to Malta. Still wrestling with travel logistics. Seems like the alternatives are either pretty expensive airfares (we live in KS) or a patchwork of cheap airfare to Rome plus overnight ferries to and from Sicily that don't necessarily fit with our flight schedules. We'll get there one way or the other.

[QUOTE=Athena53]Thanks for all the great details!

<< Now I'm thinking about staying in Sicily and maybe making a day trip to Malta. <<

Personally I think Malta deserves more than a 1 day trip and from Sicily though they do exist it is exhausting.

Yes, I did file a trip report, although I am embarrassed to admit that it is still incomplete after two years. I do intend to eventually complete it. Thank you for the reference, Y_me.

Even though the trip report itself is indeed incomplete, the sections pertaining to Malta and Sicily are complete and detailed, Athena53. Additionally, for your convenience, you will not have to search for my trip report. Here is the link:

France (via Concorde?), Malta and Southern Italy

If you want to skip the Air France Concorde section of the trip report, please begin at the part where I arrive in Malta at Milepost #32.

The input of Bretteee in that trip report thread has been extremely valuable. I think you will find it quite informative, Athena53. Additionally, if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Thanks! Actually, I did check out your report beforehand. (This is a pretty helpful group but one thing that tends to get on people's nerves is asking questions without doing a search.) I plan to use it as a reference for what to see and do, but didn't get a good feel for how to split up a 7-day trip.

What I should have done was read a guidebook. Kathrin was right- I really didn't have an idea how big Sicily was, and there's a lot to do there. I'd also been fixated on flying in and out of Malta and have found that flying in and out of Palermo is a lot cheaper. My son, who went to NY Military Academy, is fascinated by Roman history and WW II history- there should be enough to keep him happy! Besides, he's got an Italian surname. When we took him to Rome in 2003, he felt like he was returning to the Motherland.

Still need to finagle around- many flight options had the return trip going through 2 cities in continental Europe (e.g., PMO-MCO-LHR-ORD-MCI). Sigh. Living in Kansas has its drawbacks.