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Low budget restaurants in Malta
Courtesy of Malta Today

KuYa, St. Julians

KuYa started out as a food truck in the Ta ‘Xbiex area. KuYa is known for their healthy, tasty and cheap Japanese food. Right now you can not only go to their food truck, but also to their very own restaurant in St. Julians (closest bus stop: Ross). At first you might glance over the restaurant because it’s very small and narrow, and frankly not that easy to spot. However, it’s definitely a must when visiting Malta.

I personally love KuYa because it’s not only cheap and tasty, but they also serve super fresh food with tons of vegetables. You can choose between dishes like “Bang Bang Chicken” (with peanut butter and chilli, my personal favorite), “Yellow Curry” and “Baby Pork Ribs with BBQ sauce”. They serve about 10 different dishes, which are all to die for. The starters are also amazing, with tasty appetizers like “duo fries” (normal and sweet potato fries!) and “Tori Karage Chicken with sweet chilli”. And the best of all is that all the mains are less than €11 (except for the special)!

Tip: make sure to book a table beforehand. KuYa is very popular and since it’s a tiny restaurant you might not get a table without booking first.

Zero Sei, Valletta

When visiting Malta, you’ll notice that the majority of restaurants are Italian. This makes it difficult to figure out which ones are worth visiting and which ones are not. However, one of my personal favorite Italian restaurants is located in Valletta. Zero Sei is a small Roman trattoria which serves some of the best pasta I’ve ever tasted. The menu is also quite small, however the food is incredible.

The staff is extremely friendly and helpful and thoroughly enjoys introducing you to their delicious Roman food. My favorite is the pasta all’amatriciana (the best one I’ve ever had). Other very good dishes are: pasta carbonara and pasta bolognese. At Zero Sei you will mainly find pasta dishes and some meat dishes, so don’t go here if you want to try Italian pizza.

One of the main selling points of Zero Sei is their wine cellar. When choosing wine, you will be asked to go downstairs to the wine cellar to pick out a bottle of your liking.

low budget restaurants in Malta
Courtesy of Malta Today

Sotto, Valletta

It took me a very long time to find a pizzeria I actually liked in Malta. However, this year I finally managed to find one! Coincidentally, Sotto is owned by the same people as Zero Sei. So if you were a bit disappointed Zero Sei doesn’t serve pizza, Sotto is the place to be! Also located in Valletta, this restaurant is very cosy and lively. We went there for a Sunday lunch and were greeted by tons of other people who had the same idea (which is always a good sign!).

The pizza at Sotto is also Roman. This means that the crust is slightly crunchier. They have an endless list of pizze on offer which will make it very hard for you to decide what you want! One thing I really liked was that you can order pizza with the same sauce as the pasta’s they serve at Zero Sei. This obviously meant that I had to try out the pizza with amatriciana sauce. And it has to be said, it was one of the best pizza’s I’ve ever had!

One of the other “bests I’ve ever had”, is the “crème brûlée” that is served at Sotto. It’s literally out of this world.

La Vida, Sliema

Before moving to Malta I had never tried tapas before. Probably because I’ve never actually been to Spain before (I know, shocking right…). However, there’s a very good tapas restaurant in Sliema, which you should definitely visit. Since tapas is more of a group experience, I’d advise you to go there with a group of at least 4 people. La Vida is also quite a small restaurant, so it’s best if you book in advance.

They have tons of tapas on offer which are all mouth-wateringly good. My favorites were the chorizo, the patatas bravas, the prawns and the sweet potato fries. However, not only the tapas are to die for, the desserts are also amazing! We tried the brownie with ice cream, and I have to admit I’m actually not a brownie person, but this one blew me away. I would recommend it to anyone!

La Vida is a bit pricier than the other restaurants on this list, which is why it’s best to go with lots of other people. However, it’s definitely a must when visiting Malta!

low budget restaurants in Malta
Courtesy of Pepperoncino

Pepperoncino, St Julians

This restaurant is located in Balluta Bay. During Summer you can sit on the steps outside of the restaurant and admire the beautiful and picturesque bay whilst trying some of their amazing Italian food. Pepperoncino offers various pasta’s, fish, and tons of meat options.

My personal favorite is the pasta with duck leg confit and pistacchio’s (yes, it is as good as it sounds). Most of the pasta’s cost less than €10 and are extremely tasty. As usual, the main courses (fish and meat) are a bit more expensive. The service is always impeccable and you will genuinely have a good time when eating at Pepperoncino!

These were my top 5 favorite low budget restaurants in Malta. Of course Malta has many more other good restaurants, but these are the ones I particularly enjoyed. If you’re more into fine dining, stay tuned because I will introduce you to these kind of restaurants too!

]]> My favorite hikes in Malta https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/05/16/my-favorite-hikes-in-malta/ https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/05/16/my-favorite-hikes-in-malta/#comments Wed, 16 May 2018 17:45:51 +0000 http://www.wondersoftraveling.com/?p=1135 One of my good friends told me she browsed through my entire blog looking for interesting hikes in Malta, but couldn’t find anything… I hadn’t written about any hikes in Malta yet, but thanks to my friend I decided to change that. If you’ve been following my blog, you might know I’m quite fond of hiking. I’ve hiked Trolltunga and Pulpit Rock in Norway, done the Poon Hill trek in Nepal and been on countless hikes in the French and Italian Alps. So, it comes as no surprise that I also enjoy hiking in Malta! Today I’d like to present you my favorite hikes in Malta.

Is Malta a hiker’s paradise?

Malta isn’t really known as a hiker’s haven. To be honest, the country isn’t quite adapted yet to people who enjoy going on hikes. The trails aren’t always that easy to follow, and they are basically never indicated. I only started hiking in Malta after I stumbled upon a very practical book called “The Malta Coastal Walk“. The hikes in this book are described in a lot of detail, which makes it basically impossible to get lost, even if there are no signs along the way. So, keep that in mind before heading out on a hike in Malta.

hikes in malta

Mellieha Bay to Cirkewwa

This was one of the first hikes I did in Malta. Mellieha Bay is mostly know for its nice sandy beach, but it’s also the departure point of this hike. When you start the hike, you are surrounded by hotels and buildings, but you will quickly make your way to nature, following a narrow hiking path along the coastline. It’s a very picturesque hike with gorgeous views all over Mellieha Bay and the city of Mellieha. Along the way you will run into a beautiful Chapel, a fort and an impressive cave (called Coral Lagoon). After the Coral Lagoon, you’ll pass by Armier Bay on your way to Cirkewwa. During this part of the hike you’ll get amazing views over both Comino and Gozo. As you will pass by several beaches and bays, you will get plenty of options to go to the bathroom or buy refreshments. The whole hike takes between 4-5 hours.

Summary

Start of the hike: Mellieha Bay (bus stop: Mellieha Bay Beach Bus Stop, buses: 222 – from Sliema, 41, 42 -from Valletta).
End of the hike: Cirkewwa Ferry Terminal
Duration: 4-5 hours
Length: 11 km


Marsascala to Marsaxlokk

Marsascala

Another hike I really liked was the Marsascala to Marsaxlokk hike. If you’ve ever been to Malta before, chances are big you’ve heard of Marsaxlokk. This small village is known for its fish market, which takes place every Sunday. Usually the place is crowded with tourists who enjoy strolling past the stalls selling fresh fish, clothes and all kind of gadgets. This hike will take you from the coastal town of Marsascala, past some amazing cliffs, to Marsaxlokk. On the way you will pass by beautiful spots such as St. Thomas Bay and, of course, St. Peter’s Pool!

I loved this hike because it showed me a part of Malta I hadn’t seen before: less touristic areas with cliffs towering over the azure blue water. This is, before you arrive at St. Peter’s Pool where you will spot tourists no matter what time of the year. However, you should definitely include this stop in your hike. It’s a gorgeous spot, which is great for swimming and who knows you might even spot Malta’s very own swimming dog!

Summary

Start of the hike: Marsascala (bus stop: Marsaskala – continue walking to bus stop Bajja), buses: 13A, 13, 14, 15, 16 + 92, 93 – Sliema, 92, 93 – Valletta)
End of the hike: Marsaxlokk
Duration: 2 hours (or 6-7 hours if you decide to continue hiking to Birzebbuga).
Length: 11 km (or 15 if you go to Birzebbuga)

Golden Bay to Bahrija

Hikes in Malta

Last year, Simen and I decided to hike from Golden Bay to Bahrija without the use of the book I mentioned above. Simen had told me about this beautiful bay called Fomm ir-Rih (take a look at the picture below and see for yourself), which I really wanted to see.

When looking at the map, I realized Fomm ir-Rih was quite close to Golden Bay. So I managed to convince Simen to go on a hike to see this beautiful bay with my own eyes. I hadn’t been on that many hikes yet in Malta and had forgotten about the fact that the hikes are not indicated, as I mentioned above. There are no signs, colors or any kind of indication along the way. When we started our hike in Golden Bay, everything still went okay. We managed to make our way to Ghajn Tuffieha and Gnejna Bay quite easily (here you can still spot hiking trails).

One wrong turn led to an unexpected swim

However, after Gnejna Bay we made a capital mistake: we decided to follow the coastline. Be aware that the right track to Fomm ir-Rih does NOT follow the coastline, it goes inland. However, since I didn’t have the book yet, we decided to follow another hiking trail which seemed quite well indicated (for Maltese standards). We followed the trail until it suddenly ended out of nowhere and we were on top of a high hill with no idea how to get down to the water. We didn’t realize we weren’t following the right track, so we kept on looking for indications of a potential trails.

This led us down the hill, but now we were faced with another obstacle: there was no way we could reach Fomm ir-Rih. Luckily, we knew where Fomm ir-Rih was located, and realized it was only one bay away, but it was impossible to walk there. We were now standing in front of a small bay, with rocks towering over us on our left, and water on our right. We realized we would have to swim part of the way. So, we took of our shoes, carried our backpacks over our heads and waded through the water until we could climb on the rocks again. It was definitely an adventure, but I wouldn’t advise anyone to do the same. Despite this small mishap, the hike was still very nice. Just make sure you follow the right road.

Note to self and everyone else: after Gnejna Bay make sure you walk inland, do not follow the coastline!

Summary

Start of the hike: Golden Bay (bus stop: Ghajn Tuffieha Bus Terminal, buses: 225 – Sliema, 44 – Valletta)
End of the hike: Bahrija
Duration: 2 hours
Length: 7 km


Victoria Lines

hikes in Malta
Courtesy of Victoria Lines Malta

The Victoria lines were built by the British in 1897 (in honor of Queen Victoria). These walls cross the island from west coast to east coast. Since this hike isn’t included in the Malta Coastal Walk book, I decided to do some Googling before we left. However, once again I was faced with the fact that hikes and trails in Malta are never indicated. It took us more than an hour to get on the right track after we left from Bahrija (our starting point, you can also start from Pembroke and hike from east to west). It’s not that easy to spot the actual road so make sure you have very clear instructions with you (unlike me).

The best part of the hike for me was from the Dwejra Lines to Mosta. Here you get to see some of Malta’s most amazing nature! I managed to snap this shot along the way:

Hiking the Victoria Lines takes quite some time, so I would advise leaving early in the morning. We decided to call it a day in Mosta (since we lost an hour at the beginning of the hike), but I heard from friends that the hike is beautiful from start to finish!

Summary

Start of the hike: Rabat (bus stop: Lellux, buses: 14 + 52 + 109 – Sliema, 51, 52, 61, 62 + 109 – Valletta)
End of the hike: Pembroke
Duration: 5 hours
Length: 12 km

Have you done any hikes in Malta? What was your favourite? Please feel free to leave a comment below!

]]> https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/05/16/my-favorite-hikes-in-malta/feed/ 2 My top 5 attractions in Gozo, Malta https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/04/29/my-top-5-attractions-in-gozo-malta/ https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/04/29/my-top-5-attractions-in-gozo-malta/#comments Sun, 29 Apr 2018 14:54:58 +0000 http://www.wondersoftraveling.com/?p=1093 The 8th of March 2017 was basically a day of national mourning in Malta. The biggest attraction of the Maltese Islands, the Azure Window, fell victim to the forces of nature. Luckily, the beautiful island of Gozo still has plenty to offer, even without the impressive Azure Window. Today I would like to introduce some of the most beautiful attractions in Gozo.

How to reach Gozo?

Gozo is the most northern island of the Maltese islands. Because public transport in Malta is quite time-consuming, I would advise you to rent a car. The best option is to rent a car in Malta and drive up to the ferry station in Cirkewwa.

If you still prefer to take the bus, you have to be aware of the fact that it takes quite a long time to get there. From Valletta (bus X1) the bus takes about 1 hour and from Sliema (bus 222) about 1.5 hours. The ferry only takes about 20 minutes and brings you to Gozo quite quickly. However, all the buses in Gozo depart from the capital Victoria, which means that whenever you want to go somewhere, you first have to go back to Victoria to change buses. This means you most likely won’t be able to see/do much in Gozo if you’re pressed for time. Also, bear in mind that not all places are accessible by bus.

Another option is taking the “Hop-on, hop-off” buses to explore the island.



5 attractions in Gozo

Xlendi

Xlendi is a small coastal town in Western Gozo, which kind of reminded me a bit of the beautiful Italian coastal towns you can find in Liguria. Thanks to the gorgeous houses which are situated next to the beautiful azure water, Xlendi immediately gives you a holiday vibe. It’s a very small town but it’s extremely cosy and has a couple of tourists shops and some very good restaurants. My favorite is “Boat House” which serves amazing duck and steak!

Xlendi is also home to a couple of cool caves. You can easily reach one of them on foot from restaurants Ta Karolina and Stone Crab. Here you’ll spot the start of a hiking trail which brings you to a small cave.

Wied il-Ghasri

Wied il-Ghasri is located in the north of the island. This beautiful creek with cyan colored water is still a quite unknown spot in Gozo. Although during summer a lot of Maltese people come here to picnic and swim. It’s also a very popular diving spot thanks to the gorgeous caves surrounding the creek. So even though it’s still considered a “hidden gem“, it’s basically impossible to get Wied il-Ghasri to yourself.

Tal-Mixta Cave

This cave is located in Nadur and gives you a spectacular view on the red sand of Ramla Bay. However, it’s not that easy to find. You aren’t able to get there by bus, so I’d suggest visiting this cave when you have access to a car. To get there, you have to drive from Nadur to Ramla Bay and take a right, right before the descent to Ramla Bay. After following a lot of winding roads, you will arrive at a farm where the road ends. From here you only have to walk a couple of meters until the entrance of the cave (which is like a small tunnel leading down to the cave).


San Blas

San Blas beach is also located in Nadur. It’s not that easy to reach since we’ve tried to go there twice and only succeeded once. The first time we found the beach very easily, but the second time our GPS sent us down some very questionable roads. Some of the roads in Gozo are really not made for modern traffic. After the GPS directed us to an extremely windy and narrow road of about 50 percent, we decided to call it a day and not head to San Blas after all.

However, San Blas is a beautiful hidden beach which you have to see when you’re in Gozo. Bear in mind that you can’t drive down to the actual beach since the road is extremely steep. If you’re not in good shape or don’t feel comfortable walking down the hill, you can use the shuttle service which drives up and down for only €1.

Victoria

Of course I also had to include the capital of Gozo in this list: Victoria. The city is located on top of a hill which gives you very beautiful views all over the island (go to the Citadella for the best views). It’s easily accessible by bus (you can take a bus from the ferry station to Mgarr which takes you straight to Victoria). Stroll down the narrow and winding roads of the city center and visit the Citadella (a must!), while you’re here.

Of course there are more beautiful places and attractions in Gozo, but I decided to share the ones I like the most. What were your favorite attractions in Gozo? Please feel free to leave a comment below!

]]> https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/04/29/my-top-5-attractions-in-gozo-malta/feed/ 2779 5 of the most beautiful sandy beaches in Malta https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/03/07/5-beautiful-sandy-beaches-in-malta/ Wed, 07 Mar 2018 14:57:55 +0000 http://www.wondersoftraveling.com/?p=910 If you’re a bit like me, you imagined Malta to be a tropical paradise with pearly white beaches and wavy palm trees. To be fair, the landscape I was imagining was more like the Seychelles or Mauritius, which not really what Malta looks like. I didn’t expect that most of the beaches in Malta are rocky beaches. However, don’t despair if you don’t particularly like lying down on hard rocks when you’re sunbathing. There are a couple of very beautiful sandy beaches in Malta which I would like to introduce to you!

Ramla Beach

Malta might not have many of those pearly white beaches I was talking about, but you can, however, sunbathe on a beautiful red beach! If you want to admire this red sand, you have to visit Malta’s sister island Gozo. Ramla Beach is located in the town of Nadur, on the north-western part of Gozo.

To get there from Malta, you have to take a bus or taxi to Cirkewwa where you can take the ferry which will take you to Gozo in only 20 minutes. Once you’ve arrived in Gozo you can either take a bus or a taxi to reach Ramla Bay.

From Ramla Bay you can hike up one of the surrounding hills to reach the Tal-Mixta Cave. This cave gives you an incredible view all over Ramla bay.

Mellieha Bay

If you want to relax on the biggest sandy beach of Malta, you have to head over to Mellieha Bay. Here you will find an 800 meter long stretch of sand with beautiful views. At Mellieha Bay you will find all possible amenities, there are a couple of restaurants on the beach and plenty of opportunities to try out different water sports (water skiing, wind surfing, banana rides, etc.).

This beach is perfect for families since the water is shallow and Mellieha bay is easily accessible. Lots of buses on their way to the north of the island stop here. From Sliema you can take the 222, from Valletta the 42 or X1, from Bugibba the 221 and the 222.

Ghajn Tuffieha

As someone who’s been living in Malta for 3 years, I know very well how crowded Malta can get. Especially during summer. Most tourists head over to Golden Bay, one of the biggest sandy beaches in Malta. If you don’t mind the tourists, Golden Bay is a very beautiful swimming spot. But next to Golden Bay you have a smaller sandy beach which usually is a bit less crowded. Ghajn Tuffieha is a beautiful beach with amazing surroundings. You can walk from Ghajn Tuffieha to its neighbouring beach Gnejna Beach, but don’t be surprised if you suddenly bump into naked people since part of Ghajn Tuffieha is reserved for naturists.

You can reach Ghajn Tuffieha from Sliema by taking bus 225. However, chances are very big the bus will be completely full. So be prepared to leave early or take a taxi instead.

San Blas

San Blas beach, also located on Gozo, is one of my personal favourites. During summer you can even camp next to the beach, it looks so romantic! Just like Ramla Beach, the sand at San Blas also has this beautiful red colour.

One of the things I particularly liked about San Blas is that it’s closed off to traffic. To reach it, you have to walk down a very, very steep road which leads to the beach. There’s also the option of taking a jeep which drives up and down the hill for only €1. Because of this steep hill, San Blas is still relatively quiet and unknown, which makes it an even better spot for some sunbathing and swimming! When I was there, I had to pinch myself in the arm several times; I could barely believe I live in such a beautiful spot.

Golden Bay

As I mentioned earlier, Golden Bay is the most popular sandy beach in Malta. It’s easily accessible with the bus (same bus as the one that goes to Ghajn Tuffieha), has quite a lot of parking space in case you decide to go there by car, and has a couple of restaurants and food trucks (don’t expect anything super tasty). Since it is so popular, I wouldn’t advise going there during peak summer. You will be fighting for a a small stretch of sand. Golden Bay is a better shout if you’re travelling to Malta during Spring or Autumn. During those times, when the beach isn’t as touristy, you can really enjoy the beauty of Golden Bay!

Have you ever been to Malta? Which one of the beaches was your favourite? Please feel free to leave a comment!

]]> 5 hidden gems in Malta https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2017/08/21/5-hidden-gems-malta/ https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2017/08/21/5-hidden-gems-malta/#comments Mon, 21 Aug 2017 12:14:48 +0000 http://www.wondersoftraveling.com/?p=479 The last two years I’ve been living in Malta, which means I have gotten plenty of time to explore this sunny, but very small island. Yes, Malta is extremely small. It takes less than an hour to travel from the most southern to the most northern point.

Every year millions of tourists travel to “the rock” to enjoy the amazing climate. Most of them head to Valletta, Mdina, Sliema or Bugibba, but Malta has so much more to offer than these crowded places. Today I want to talk about 5 of my favourite spots in Malta which have remained quite undiscovered.
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1. Fomm Ir-Rih

Fomm Ir-Rih is a beautiful bay north of Rabat, on the west coast of the island. When my boyfriend took me there for the first time I was completely blown away. It’s quite a rugged coast, and you have to walk down for 10 to 15 minutes on somewhat of a mountain trail, so it’s not accessible to everyone. However, the short hike down will be more than worth it. The water is crystal blue and looks extremely inviting.
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If you don’t mind another hike, you can walk further along the coast in the direction of Golden Bay. You will pass by several beautiful spots where you can relax, swim or have a picnic. I do have to warn you that it is not possible to hike from Fomm Ir-Rih to Golden Bay. I have tried before and I ended up having to swim part of the way because the trail disappeared. However, if you stay close to Fomm Ir-Rih you will not be disappointed at all!

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2. Dragonara Cave

If you head to the north of Malta, you can spot this beautiful wonder of nature. You can either drive to Ahrax, or you can walk from Mellieha along the coastline, like I did. Either way, you have to stop at Dragonara Cave. Not only do you get beautiful view on Comino and Gozo here, you also get to see this spectacular and quite large cave. Lots of divers also make their way to this cave because it’s a very nice diving spot!

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3. Wied Il-Ghasri

Wied Il-Ghasri is another amazing spot to swim. In order to get to this hidden gem, you have to travel to the island of Gozo and drive up north. This place is also very popular amongst divers who love to explore the surrounding caves.

Whenever I go to Gozo I try to plan a visit to Wied Il-Ghasri because it’s an incredible place to swim. The narrow and winding bay will make you feel like you’re one of the very few people on the island (which doesn’t happen often in Malta). However, I have noticed that more and more people find their way to this beautiful spot. It is basically impossible to get the bay to yourself, but that doesn’t matter because you can still enjoy the crystal clear water!

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4. Ras Il-Hamrija

I discovered this spot by accident. My parents were visiting Malta and we decided to head to the temples of Hagar Qim for a hike (there are tons of trails there, if you’re into hiking). We decided to sit down for a picnic at the Hamrija watchtower, when all of a sudden I spotted this beautiful “mini” Azure Window, as I like to call it. This was before the actual Azure Window collapsed, so I didn’t realize yet that this might be one of the only natural arches left on the island.

If you miss the Azure Window and want to see something like it (it is much, much smaller though), then you should definitely head to this spot. You can also hike from the Hamrija Watchtower to Ghar Lapsi, which is also a nice and lesser known spot.

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5. Tal-Mixta Cave

This is another one of my favourites. If you find this cave, you’ll be treated to an incredible view all over Ramla beach. This beach is already a must see in itself, because of its red sand. To get to the cave you have to drive towards Ramla Bay, but before starting the descent you have to take a right after the town Nadur. Follow a couple of windy roads while you pass by some farms until the road ends. Here you will already get an amazing view on Ramla Bay, but if you just walk a little bit further you will see the entrance to the cave. It’s basically a small tunnel which you have to enter. I have been there several times before, and I got the cave to myself at least twice. So, if you’re lucky you might do too!

Do you know any other hidden gems in Malta? Please feel free to share them in the comments!

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