HF Holidays    Teachers' Travel 
Guided Walking & Sightseeing
Malta and Gozo       
Feb 20 - March 06, 2025 
Itinerary


The itinerary is filled with walks in beautiful seaside settings and visits to fascinating historical sites.  Keep in mind you don't have to participate every day. If you would like a more leisurely pace you are free to take a day off, sit in the sun, dabble your toes in the Mediterranean, visit museums or explore quaint villages.

Day 1
Transfer from Malta Airport by private bus and by ferry to the island of Gozo (about 90 minutes). The remainder of the day is free to relax. Before dinner there will be a welcome briefing by the guides.

Day 2  Choose between
An 8 km walk along the south coast of Gozo with dramatic views and passing the 17th century Xlendi Tower which was built in 1650 to protect against pirates, smugglers and quarantine evaders. The Knights Hospitaller who ruled Malta for two hundred years were accomplished medics and had a strict quarantine policy and watched carefully for for ships arriving from diseased areas. As we walk, we see beautiful fossil embedded limestone formations and our walk ends at the pretty seaside village of Xlendi where there is usually an ice-cream shop or pastry shop open. Try some prickly-pear icecream or a pastizza, the traditional Maltese pastry.
OR
A 12 km walk starting from the hotel on the coastal paths in a remote area of Gozo to the inlet of Mgarr-ix-Xini .Today, the bay is quiet and pretty but it has a violent history. In 1551 the invading Turks used this location as a place to load the conquered Gozans and take them away in slavery. A watch tower, built in 1660,to repel invaders and to guard knights' galleys, still stands overlooking the bay.

Day 3 Choose between
A 10 km walk starting at the sanctuary church of Ta Pinu. Dating back to the 1500's, the shrine of Ta Pinu attracts visitors due to its legend as a place of miracles. We then head for the coast via the village of Ghasri. On reaching the coast we see the beautiful inlet of Ghar il Quamh, fascinating salt pans and weather sculpted cliffs. The walk ends at the town of Marsalforn which in Roman times was a major port.
OR
A 12.5 km walk starting at the Ta Pinu sanctuary church and heading uphill to Ta Ghammer and then to the village of Gharb with its spectacular basilica then ending at the town of Marsalforn.

Day 4  Choose between
A 9km walk starting from Ramla Beach and along the rugged coastline into Weid Ilfern and ending at Ta Pinu.
OR
A14 km walk starting at San Blas Garden and then along the northern coast past Tal Mixta Cave.

Day 5
Free day to explore town of Victoria (Rabat as it is known to the locals) with its fascinating Citadella. This area is believed to have been inhabited since the Bronze Age and was an acropolis under Roman rule. The castle was built in medieval times and changed hands many times over the centuries. Today it has been restored and contains four museums; the folklore museum, the old prison, the museum of archaeology and the nature museum. After exploring the Citadella you can wander through a street market and a labyrinth of narrow streets. Perhaps have a coffee in Independence Square and wander through the public gardens. Visit galleries that display replicas of Neolithic pottery. See the WWII bomb shelters and the gunpowder magazine.

Another possible activity is to take a cruise to the Blue Lagoon and see the uninhabited island of Comino where the spice cumin grows wild.

Another possible excursion is to the  lovely Ta Mena Estate where you find a fruit garden including orange trees, an olive grove, ten hectares of vineyard and a winery. There are gardens with strawberries and melons. Strawberry season here last from November to May. Sometimes there is entertainment with a local folk group playing traditional Maltese instruments.

Or just relax at the hotel and perhaps enjoy the indoor pool and spa.

Day 6  
Choose between
A 9.5km walk starting at Fungus Rock, In medieval times the rock was covered in a fungus that was said to have valuable medicinal properties that were only available to the nobles and carefully guarded to keep away thieves (later scientific investigation determined that the fungus had no medicinal value).  From here we walk to Dwejra to see the watch tower built in 1632 and then circle the Inland Sea before heading for Victoria.
OR
A14.5km walk starting at the village of Munxar and following a dramatic coastal path to Xlendi. After a spectacular ascent to the cliff tops we then join the other group walking to Victoria.

Day 7
Choose between
An 11 km walk starting at Qala and following a path to St Anthonys Gun Battery built in 1731 to guard the channel between Gozo and Comino. We continue walking in a fertile valley with gardens and wildflowers to Nadur and back to our hotel.
OR
A 16km walk. We walk the northeast coast with fantastic views, visit St Anthonys Gun Battery which was constructed in 1770 and armed with canons to protect the channel between Malta and Gozo.  In WW II it was again used as a watch tower. We continue on to Dahlet Qarrott Beach before returning to the hotel via Nadur.

Day 8
Transfer by private bus and ferry to the island of Malta and the village of Mellieha,

Day 9
Choose between
An 8 km walk starting at the pretty seaside village of Mellieha along the coast and perhaps visiting a nature reserve then past the Red Tower that was built in 1647 by the Knights Hospitaller and was used for island defence under both French and British rule.  The walk continues on the coast and ends at Ramla Bay.
OR
A 13 km walk starting at Mellieha, heading for the Selmun Palace and then along the coast to Xemxija before heading back to Mellieha on what was once a Roman road.

Day 10
Our 8 km walk is through Maltese history, Starting at the old hunting grounds of Buskett Gardens we walk towards the coast and the Ghar-il-Kbir cave dwellings that is thought to have been inhabited by troglodytes. There are also mysterious cart ruts that are unexplained. We reach Rabat in time for lunch and explore 4th century catacombs and the Museum of Roman antiquities. The day ends at the silent city of M'dina. 

OR
A 13 km walk Starting in the old hunting grounds of Buskett Gardens we walk towards the coast and the Ghar il-Kbir cave dwellings. We then descend to the undercliff, reach Ghar Lapsi in time for lunch and then head through more rugged terrain to the large temple complex of Haggar Qim. We finish at Wied ir Zurrieq.

Day 11
Free day - Perhaps hop on a time machine and relive the grandeur of prehistoric Maltese monuments like the Tarxien Tamples, Mnajdra and Hagar Qim. Believed to be older than the Egyptian pyramids or than Stonehenge, these brilliant man-made marvels are worth seeing and are shrounded in mystery. Audio guides are available that will tell you about the questions that are captivating archaeologists and historians. Why did the temple-building population disappear and later be replaced by people with bronze age skills? How could blocks of stone that size be moved?

If ancient history doesn't interest you there are excursions by boat to the Blue Grotto, a natural wonder made up of sea-front caves. If visited in sunny weather, colourful pink, orange, turquoise and green hotspots can be seen reflecting magically off the water onto the limestone walls of the caves.

Day 12
Valetta sightseeing
The walking tour introduces you to the highlights of the city with its UNESCO listed sites plus gives you time to explore on your own. Visit the Grand Masters Palace built in the 1600's by the Order of the Knights Hospitallers, the National War Museum that takes you back through warfare from WWII back to ancient times, the Sacra Infermia where you can experience medicine as it was practised in the Middle Ages, the Lascarris War Rooms to see the secret tunnels where the defence of the island was conducted in WWII, St Johns Co-Cathedral. At noon we watch the traditional Grand Harbour ceremony where history is brought to life. For almost 5oo years cannons protected Malta Harbour and the impressive tradition of firing the cannons at noon has been maintained. When you are overwhelmed with history you can explore the narrow streets and sample Maltese food which has been influenced by many cultures, Sicilian, North African, and French.

Day 13
Choose from

A 9.5 km walk starting in the pretty fishing village of Marsaxlokk and then crossing the Delimara Peninsula where we observe rock sculptures. We then head north finishing at the village of Mar
sascala
OR
A 14.5 km walk Starting at Pretty Bay we head to Marsaxlokk and then follow the same route as the easier walkers to Marsascala.

Day 14 Choose from
A 9.5 km walk starting at Milleha and heading for the beach at Ghadira Bay. The walk the continues along the coast to Popeye Village and Majistral Nature park and the Golden Bay.
OR
A 12 km walk starting at Milleha we go to Ghadira Bay and from there ascend to the Red Tower. We then descend and follow the same route as the easier group.

Day 15
Depart  - or perhaps stay a few more days?

Click below for further details:

Malta and Gozo Itinerary
Accommodation Cost
Getting to Malta Contact us and Booking
Malta History