Headed to Malta in a couple weeks.

We rented a car, but since then I am having second thoughts due to lots of post on travel sites and articles. I know in the summer the island's population swell, but hope to avoid that by going in the spring.

I do not mind driving on the left so I hoping there will be no problems. Anybody have any experience or words of encouragement?

Driving is pretty easy in Malta, but then we are used to 'that side of the road'. Pretty busy round Valetta. Buses are brilliant, cheap and easy to use so you could wait til you get there, see the lie of the area where you are staying and decide then if you want to hire a car. It should not be necessary to book in advance especially at this time of year. Where are you staying? Make sure you visit Medina. I am very jealous as we are hoping to return in September.

Thank you for the encouraging words.

I have driven on the left side many times, but always at fairly slow speeds. I suspect the driving on Malta will be a little more challenging than Tortola, Anguilla, or St Thomas/St John. Albeit there have been some fairly exciting moments driving there also.

We will be staying in the village of Mellieha.
(TTOL does not recognize Maltese Alphabet <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> the h should have a line through it)

We wanted to be out of the hubbub of Valletta. However, we do plan to do some serious sightseeing and exploring in the capital area. The charm of a smaller location I hope will afford me better opportunities to take the type of pictures I like to take. I would say, I am planning to burn some film this trip, but I would be showing my age. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

I will be blogging/posting while we are there, and hopefully the TTOL family will follow along. Any tips, must sees, or places to eat on Malta will be gladly welcomed.

13 days and counting

Oh, I definitely will be following along, for one! Your posts are always so entertaining and pictures so beautiful!

We stayed just outside Rabat and love being able to walk into the town and then through to Mdina. We will return to the same place as it suited us very well. You have to visit some of the catacombs, though I must admit I struggled with claustrophobia there. Can I suggest you read The Kapillan of Malta by Nicholas Monserrat before your visit, if you haven't already, of course?
All quite busy around St Julians and Sliema, but some lovely places on the west and south west coast: quieter and prettier. Somewhere down that coast line was a prehistoric village which was very well maintained and well worth a visit, also The Blue Lagoon nearby. An intriguing place to visit, if you can find it as its well hidden, are the prehistoric cart tracks. They're near Dingli cliffs and a complete mystery.
The roads will be busier than VG of course, and lots of roundabouts and traffic lights if my memory serves me rightly.
Just thinking about Malta makes me eager to return. And the people were so friendly too!

I will definitely add the book to my required reading. I checked out the book online and It sounds fascinating.

Probably going to wait until we return to read. I have a mindless murder mystery that takes place in Amsterdam that I have saved for my airplane rides. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

My wife suffers from a little claustrophobia and last week, after looking at a travel book, she told me that we could remove them from the list of things to see. Thanks to your recommendation and experience it is back on the list. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

Try to read the book in advance. It puts things into perspective,especially if you do visit some of the catacombs. I could not cope with them due to my claustrophobia, but because I had read the book I felt truly dreadful that I could not cope. Those people had no choice if they wanted to survive and the catacombs then we're not nicely painted white and clean smelling!! Sadly the enclosed space won my mind and I had to come out, but my husband managed a longer visit. Still well worth while to me though! Truly make you think!
Enjoy your visit.

Well I went to the local stores in search of "The Kappillan of Malta" with no luck. I could order it but would not arrive until after we leave for Malta. Checking on line on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc�, I can get the book, but once again, it will be the day we depart or after. (I was surprised most copies were coming from Europe, hence the shipping times) Downloading is really not an option for me. I really like a physical piece of paper in my hand when I am reading. Once again, I am showing my age. My bet is I will be able to find it on Malta in 10 days. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" />

Ah, Tom, I think you and I are both showing our age!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> I like BOOKS! Something on a computer screen is not a book! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />