About the islands

Truly Mediterranean

The Maltese archipelago is situated at the centre of the Mediterranean, 93km south of Sicily and 288km north of Africa. The archipelago consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino with a total population of 410,000 inhabitants over an area of 316sq km.

Malta is the largest island with a coastline of 196.8km. It is the cultural, commercial and administrative centre of the archipelago.

Gozo is the second largest island with a coastline of 56.01km and is more rural, characterised by fishing, tourism, crafts and agriculture while tiny Comino is largely uninhabited.

With sunny weather, expansive beaches, a thriving nightlife, 7,000 years of intriguing history, three UNESCO World Heritage Sites and a full calendar of colourful events there is a great deal to see and do.

Where to stay

The Maltese are famous for their warm, friendly and generous hospitality where a guest is welcomed with open arms and visitors will easily feel at home. This characteristic permeates through the hotel industry where the tourist can rest assured that, whatever the hotel star rating, a first-class welcome is guaranteed.

Hotels are mostly clustered in two main areas. St Julians is home to the majority of the island’s five-star hotels surrounded by a plethora of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, cafes. The trendy residential town of Sliema, just next door to St Julians, has a selection of four- and three-star hotels and is one of the island’s shopping destinations.

Further North, the resort area incorporating St Paul’s Bay, Bugibba and Qawra features a large selection of four- and three-star hotels, aparthotels and holiday apartments. The area is very popular with the locals especially in summer.

The capital city Valletta has two five-star hotels just outside its gates while the medieval walled-city of Mdina has one boutique hotel housed in a 17th century palazzo.

A growing number of hotels are boosting their green credentials by complying with the Malta Tourism Authority’s Eco-certification scheme.For a full list of hotels go to: www.visitmalta.com/hotel_directory