Malta is made up of a small group of islands, the largest being Malta, followed by Gozo and then Comino. As can be expected of a mediterranean island, the climate is warm and sunny most of the year. You can spend your days at the variety of sandy or rocky beaches. Or take an afternoon stroll along the beautiful tree-lined promenade that starts at Sliema and winds around several bays till finally ending at the charming Spinola Bay. Take a ferry to the greener isle of Gozo, or a boat to Comino island and enjoy a swim in the exquisite clear waters of the Blue Lagoon. Summer nights give you some spectacular fireworks displays as every village and town celebrates its own saint's day.

The Sights
Malta can proudly claim to have one of the most enchanting capital cities in Europe. It stands today in all its glory much as it did when it was built under the rule of La Valette, one of the Grand Masters of the Knights of St. John in the 16th.century.

We will take you to the gardens on the ramparts of the monumental walls of Valletta overlooking the Grand Harbour. From there you can look across to the forts of St. Elmo and St.Angelo on the other side of the harbour. We will also go to Manuel Island off Sliema which faces the other side of Valletta. Especially during the late afternoon, this view provides for some stunning painting opportunities.

Mdina, another perfectly preserved medieval fortress city, is located in the middle of the island. The citadel, known as the Silent City (because only residents' vehicles are permitted to enter), commands some wonderful panoramic views of the island. Walk through the labyrinth of shaded cobblestone winding alleyways and step back in time. Stand on the bridgeway leading into Mdina and look down into the encircling moat where scenes from "The Gladiator" were filmed.The central cathedral has a small piazza in front of it and this will serve as another painting spot for us.

Although Malta has plenty of sandy beaches on its eastern side, its the southern and western shores of the island that have some spectacular bays and grottos. We will take you to some of these bays where you can, for example, paint the rows of tiny boathouses cut into the craggy sandstone cliff-face of the shoreline or the brightly coloured boats anchored in the bays. We will also take you to Marsaxlokk, a fishing harbour on the southern coast. The harbour is crowded with Malta's gayly painted fishing boats and every Sunday a street market is held here, selling everything from beautiful linen tablecloths to buckets of homegrown olives. It adds a colourful hustle and bustle to the town's already charming picturesque appearance.

Getting Around
Malta has a very efficient and inexpensive bus system that covers almost every corner of the island, except when heading for the westerly beaches when one really does need their own car. However, when you've seen how Malta's talented busdrivers take you on a ride through the narrowest of village streets, you'll appreciate the lack of bus service to the rocky western bays which are accessed by roads that are, to put it mildly, steep!

Taxis are readily available from Malta's main towns and with a bit of necessary haggling a reasonable fare can be negotiated.

Tourist Information
Here are some websites you can access to read up on tourist information. Click on the links:

Malta Tourist Board Website

www.searchmalta.com/

Malta Car Hire -competitive rates -can be booked online and delivered to Malta Airport upon your arrival

Flight Information
Here are some links to sites for booking flights:

www.maltabargains.com

www.maltadirect.com

Air Malta Website