Visiting Malta, Europe: Things to know

I visited Malta for the first time. Malta is a small island country in southern edge of Europe below Italy.

This post shares my findings, observations and things you should know if you're planning a visit to Malta

• Beware of theft. In our hostel someone lost his shoes. Hostel staff refused to share CCTV footage.
• One guest claimed his 1400 Euro camera was stolen inside airport while he went to restroom near a restaurant
  
• Malta drives on the left, just like UK and India. Malta was former UK colony like India hence practices UK style driving
• You can rent a scooter for about 25 Euro per day and explore on your own
• You will get hostels for around 10 Euro per night onwards.
  
• Malta International Airport, airport code MLA is about 10 kms from city center. Buses are available at regular intervals, even at late night- you can reach city for about 2.5 Euros
• Indian food is available. Suruchi is island's oldest Indian restaurant with great food.

• Plan at least 2-3 full days to explore Malta. 
• One day trip to Blue Lagoon & Comino island
• Another day to explore South & north northern part of Malta island
• Another day for Gozo
  
• Weather is pretty good- as it is closer to equator, not that cold.
• I saw a fair bit of Indian population that has come to Malta in search of jobs.
  
• You will not find too many flights directly to Malta within Europe- Most flight options will connect you via Catania you can plan to visit Catania in Italy, spend a few days and hop on another flight to Malta . From India you will find few one stop flights to Malta via Istanbul or Paris etc, but it makes more sense to fly to some other European city that suits your interest and you get cheap ticket to and then hop on a low cost airline like Ryanair flight to Malta.
• Saw several spa shops- Thai, Chinese, Russian
• You can try hop-on/hop off buses or day tours or bike or car rentals to explore Malta. Not possible to explore by foot as places of interest are several kms away.
  
• Tap water is said to be NOT potable in Malta unlike several other European countries. Buy mineral water or proceed at your own risk. 
• Sea water in Malta is crystal clear. Diving and snorkeling are favorite act for locals.
  

I would NOT say Malta is a must visit at any cost when in Europe. Other European cities definitely have more to offer and engage tourists compared to Malta, so it is good to plan Malta if it fits well into your plan or you're done exploring other major European cities.

Encountered some farmer's protest during my return to airport, causing traffic jams. I had enough buffer so didn't face any issue.

Unfortunately I couldn't spend lots of days in Malta. But got food feel of the city while I was here. Will add a few pictures and details later. For now check my instagram account https://www.instagram.com/enidhi