Malta Holidays, Flights & Travel Guide
The complete Malta travel guide - Malta
holidays & Malta flights.
Top destination guides for Malta
holidays;
Malta Holidays
and Travel Overview
It has been said that the Maltese
islands are the 'open air museum of the Mediterranean', offering
7,000 years or more of history to explore with numerous cultural,
historical and megalithic sites unique in the world. The islands
boast prehistoric ruins older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of
Egypt, and are steeped in the legacy of the medieval order of the
Knights of St John, who used the island as their stronghold for
defending Christendom. The main island of Malta,
covering just 95 square miles (246 sq km), is also a popular
holiday destination because of its secluded bays and sandy beaches,
washed by unpolluted clear blue waters. Set against the backdrop of
the island's scenery and its honey-coloured stone buildings, Malta
is alluring and fascinating. Malta and its
little sister island, Gozo, are not stuck in a time warp, however.
The islanders enjoy life to the full, and the calendar is filled
with summertime 'festas' with fireworks and revelry in every little
parish in honour of the village patron saints, as well as the major
carnival in early spring every year. The capital, Valletta, besides
offering some awesome Baroque buildings and fortifications as its
main sightseeing attractions, is bustling and bursting with
restaurants and cafes. The island's compact size is also a plus for
visitors; it takes no more than an hour to drive between any two
points on the main island, and there is very little open space. The
dense population means that the island is virtually one large urban
area, with buildings occupying every inch. Malta
lies about 60 miles (97km) south of Sicily and 160 miles (257km)
north of Libya, a strategic position in the Mediterranean that has
made the islands a crossroads of history. The last occupiers were
the British, who granted Malta independence in 1964, but the
biggest and most unique influence was left by the Knights of St
John, to whom the island was donated in 1530; the Knights reigned
supreme over the island for 270 years, building magnificent
churches and monuments to themselves. Malta has
its mysteries too, in the form of 30 prehistoric sites boasting
massive Neolithic temples, considered to be the oldest freestanding
stone buildings known to man.
Tourist Offices - Malta Tourist Office, Valetta: +356 2123
7747 or www.visitmalta.com
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Entry Requirements
for Malta Holidays & Malta Travel
Visitors must all hold return or onward
tickets, all documents required for their next destination, and
sufficient funds for maintenance during the period of their
stay.
- For Australians -
Australian citizens require a passport, but no visa,
for a stay of up to three months.
- New Zealanders require a passport but a visa is not
necessary for a stay of up to three months.
- United States citizens require a passport, but no
visa, for a stay of up to three months.
- United States citizens require a passport, but no
visa, for a stay of up to three months.
- British citizens must have a valid passport. A visa is
not required for stays of up to three months.
Currency of Malta
The unit of currency in Malta is the Maltese Lira
(MTL), which is divided into 100 cents or 1,000 mils. Banks, ATMs
and exchange bureaux can be found all over the islands, as well as
foreign exchange machines. Banks generally open between 8.30am and
12.30pm Monday to Friday, and until 11.30am on Saturday. Exchange
Bureaux at the international airport open 24 hours a day. Many
hotels, shops and restaurants accept foreign currency. Most hotels
and restaurants, as well as many shops, accept Access, American
Express, Carte Blanche, Diners Club International, MasterCard and
Visa.
Malta
Telephone Access Codes and Communications
The country code for Malta is +356, and
the outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g.
0044 for the United Kingdom).City/area codes are not required.
Local and international telephone calls can be made from hotel
rooms, and most hotels also offer fax and Internet access. Maltacom
telecommunications offices also provide these services in the main
towns, and coin and card operated telephone boxes can be found all
over Malta and Gozo. The islands are covered by two comprehensive
GSM 900 and 1800 mobile phone networks. Internet cafes are to be
found in all the main towns and tourist
resorts.
Malta
Duty Free Allowances & Restrictions
Travellers arriving in Malta from non-EU
countries do not need to pay customs duty on 200 cigarettes, 50
cigars, 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco; 1 litre wine and 1 litre
spirits, or other goods up to Lm75. Any large items or electrical
equipment should be declared on entry (video cameras and
televisions for example), and currency must also be declared.
Prohibited items include firearms, pornography, meat, poultry and
their by-products, plants and drugs.
Malta
Holidays - Tipping Information
A gratuity of 15% is expected in hotels, and 10%
in restaurants, if service charge is not included in the bill. Most
services are tipped about 10% (including taxi
drivers).
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