European Cruises

Sliema, St Julian’s & Paceville

With the growing number of high-rise hotels, apartment blocks, shops, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, Valletta’s satellite towns of Sliema, St Julian’s and Paceville is where many tourists base themselves. To get to Sliema, you can take the bus (62, 64, and 67) from Valetta, or use the ferry service between Sliema and Valletta. There isn’t much to see in Sliema itself, but visitors can enjoy good views on Valetta from Triq ix-Xatt (The Strand).

Triq ix-Catt and Triq it-Torri (Tower Rd) make for a great waterfront promenade, with plenty of bars and cafés along the way. Beaches have little more to offer than bare rock, so you might want to rest at one of the private lidos along the coast instead, which offer swimming pools, sun lounges, bars and water sports. Captain Morgan Cruises (www.captainmorgan.com.mt) operates from the waterfront area of Sliema known as The Ferries and provides a wide choice of cruises and excursions, including a tour of Grand Harbor and Underwater Safaris.

If you feel hungry, head to 19/21 Paceville avenue, Paceville. The Olivers restaurant has a classy, dark-red interior, discrete service, and serves the best food in town, including braised rabbit on tomato fondue, sea bass with almond, pesto gnocchi, red king prawns, egg noodles and leaks. When the night comes, you can go party at one of Paceville’s bars and clubs. Malta’s biggest and best nightclub is the Axis, which houses three separate clubs, the Axis Main, The Matrix and the Styx.

Mdina & Rabat

Elegant, aristocratic Mdina (nicknamed the Silent City) sits on bedrock in the country’s southwest. The 3000 year-old walled city was Malta’s political center for centuries, before Valetta became the lifeblood of the Islands. Outside the walls is the town settlement of Rabat. The city can be accessed by bus from Valletta (80 or 81) or Sliema (65).

Mdina’s main square is dominated by the late 17th-century St. Paul’s Cathedral. Built on the site of the house of Governor Plubius, the St. Paul Cathedral was designed by architect Lorenzo Gafa and features a magnificent dome with red-and-white stripes that dominates the skyline. Take a look at the impressive façade as you emerge from Mdina’s narrow streets, and check out the huge fresco of St. Paul’s shipwreck.

The entry ticket is also valid for the Cathedral Museum opposite. Housed in a baroque 18th-century palace, the Cathedral Museum has a collection of coins, silver plate, religious vestments and woodcuts by the German artist Albert Dürer.

You’ll find accommodation at the Point de Vue Guesthouse & Restaurants. Built a century ago, this popular guesthouse offers rooms at affordable rates and is located just metres from Mdina’s town walls.

For more information about what to do on a European cruise, what to expect from European cruises and much more, visit http://www.best-european-cruises.com.