It’s obvious. 10 months of the year, Malta is scuba divers and swimmers’ haven. Then, the temperature really drops in January and February, and we’re all ashore. Now what?!! While there is plenty of boozing up to do in places like Valletta, in truth, there are a few way-more cultural things to do as well. In fact, some are simply out of this world. Like to be entertained and ensure that the kids won’t go crazy but learn something new that they can’t get in school?
Here’s our top 5 Best Things to do in Malta in Winter (that are great things to do, year-round).
1) Visit the Elephants!
Did you know that in prehistoric times Malta did have dwarf elephants walking around? Yep, they did. The prehistoric ‘Ghar Dalam Cave’ in the South of Malta holds an interesting museum with remains of a dwarf elephant from 500,000 years ago. Think: Ice Age!
2) Visit the oldest calendar in the world.
No comparison to what your grandma has hanging in the kitchen, this calendar has monolithic proportions and consists of gigantic stones. Think of sizes like 1 x 1x 3 m.
I am not going to show you how the calendar works — suspense — but you can find it in the beautiful megalithic temple, Mnajdra, next to the Ħaġar Qim temple.
3) Visit Ħaġar Qim, next to the calendar temple, dedicated to Mother Earth.
Hagar Qim, Malta — prehistoric Temple for Mother Earth.
Ħaġar Qim is a megalithic temple complex in Il-Qrendi. It stems from the Ġgantija phase. That is 3600 – 3200 BC. Now, that’s old. It is among the most ancient religious sites on Earth.
4) Visit Valletta’s Dockyard.
Surrounded by water and sited on the most strategic location in all of Europe when it comes to international water ways, Valletta once upon a time was all about ships.
The Knights of Malta created the dockyard in the Grand Harbour for their fleet of galleys in Medieval times. Up from Valletta’s high points along its walls, and on ferries between Vittoriosa /Senglea and Valleta you can have magnificent views of the dockyards.
Medieval history is followed by a wealth of British and other navy battles and boats. Even if you have no interest in the history of boats, still go for a walk along the city walls or the water’s edge as the harbour and dockyard in the evening offers very pretty views.
5) ‘Wine and Dine’ by waters’s edge.
Or wine and lunch, for that matter. This has been a most enjoyable past time in places as far ranging as ‘Otters’ overlooking the sea at Marsarlforn Bay in Gozo to ‘Enchante’ in Senglea (overlooking the harbour of Vittoriosa on Malta). Both incredibly good value places. Excellent food and service with reasonable prices.
Those are my top 5 things to do in Malta in Winter. Hope you and your family enjoy them too.
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