According to the National Statics Office, Malta welcomes way over a million tourists a year (in 2018, the figure hit a whopping 2.6 million!).
A group of these are the Smiths, a Canadian family of five who adore travelling and often share their trips with their online following. One of their recent stops was Malta, and the family shared four separate vlogs through their YouTube channel SmithFamilyTravels, detailing their experience around the island and also sharing some cool information about the places they visit.
Marsaxlokk
On a regular day, Marsaxlokk is a quiet, idyllic village and that’s what the Smiths were expecting when they visited. But their visit didn’t quite go to plan: “We visited Marsaxlokk, a quaint fishing village where we anticipated peace and quiet. Little did we know that it was a bustling town during Sunday's market!” mum Jacquie wrote.
The family enjoyed their trip immensely, and even sampled some fish dishes at a local restaurant: "that's really good!" Jacquie said when tasting it.
Three Cities
Winter weather can be a bit unpredictable, and the Smiths received the full brunt of it during their tour of the Three Cities: “Unfortunately it’s kinda rainy today, it’s been drizzling on and off so hopefully we can see all three cities,” Jacquie said.
Thankfully, the sun made a cameo and their day wasn’t too affected: “Walking down here and it felt 14 degrees, it was raining, ten minutes later it feels like 25 degrees and the skies are clear and I’m feeling overdressed,” Jacquie’s husband reports. The family got to enjoy a stroll around the three cities and even a cruise across the Harbour!
Blue Grotto
Zurrieq’s top tourist attraction is best experienced through a lovely boat trip around the caves, but the weather put a damper on the family’s plans: “Even when the weather doesn't cooperate with your plans, you have to go with the flow.
It was a windy, chilly day in Malta but that didn't stop us from enjoying the Blue Grotto,” Jacquie wrote on Instagram. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to experience the caves, but they did enjoy a nice stroll around the area.
Hagar Qim
Following the disappointment at the Blue Grotto, the family stumbled across the Hagar Qim temples and decided to pop in for a visit. As the mother pointed out the protective structure, the Smith’s youngest son quipped: “This looks like the thing in the movie.” While we’re not sure which film he is referring to here, we can safely assume that he was left impressed by the site in front of him.
Drawing links to Stonehenge and sharing theories about the builders of Hagar Qim (giants!), the family managed to pull their day around: “Not being able to go on the Blue Grotto tour was a disappointment but it wasn’t a day wasted cos at least we got to see this,” the mother said.
Mdina
“You really feel enclosed from the outside world here,” she says. Indeed, Mdina’s winding streets and immaculately preserved large town squares feels like a step in the distant past, and the family was all for it: “We’re freezing, but it’s a very nice place, we love it!” said Jacquie. His wife pointed out that some buildings were left in disrepair, but her verdict was clear: “it’s still a magnificent looking city!” she said.
Valletta
The Smiths seem to have enjoyed Valletta so much that not only did they dedicate one whole vlog to Malta’s capital city, but it also featured in one of their earlier vlogs. Their main video details their walking tour around Valletta, with the family being left blown away by the view from the Upper Barrakka Gardens: “This view is beautiful, I can look at this all day!” Jacquie says.
The walking tour was also a hit: “So today was a fantastic day, really beautiful, very friendly people. We’ve met people from all over the world really when we went on the walking tour!” she says.
Apart from the unfortunate weather, it looks like the Smith family rates Malta with a big thumbs up!