Malta - December 2025

A long-weekend visit taking in the Malta Squash Masters tournament and quick tour of the island.

Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast, consisting of the main island (Malta), Gozo (medium) and Comino (small). It's a nation known for historic sites related to a succession of rulers including the Romans, Moors, Knights of Saint John, French and British. It has numerous fortresses, megalithic temples and the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, a subterranean complex of halls and burial chambers dating to circa 4000 B.C.

Squash Masters

Itenary

Thursday

MUC-MLT, landing at 13:30
Pick up hire car
Malta Airport - Cirkewwa
Cirkewwa - Mgarb (Gozo) - Castella, Victoria
Spinola Hotel, St. Julians

Friday

National Squash Centre (register)
Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum (unfortunatly sold-out!)
Hal-Tarxian Prehistoric Centre
Blue Grotto
Hagar Qim
National Squash Centre (1st Game vs. Keven Standler
Ghar Dalam
National Squash Centre (2nd Game vs. Goran Milecevic
Spinola Hotel, St. Julians
Greek Restaurant

Saturday

National Squash Centre (Quarter Final vs. Dan Foley)
Blue Lagoon
Ta' Ħaġrat Temples, Mġarr
Ħaġar Qim Archaeological Site, Triq
National Squash Centre (Semi Final vs. Tony Griffen)
Valletta
Players Dinner Ax Victoria Hotel, Sliema
Spinola Hotel

Sunday

National Squash Centre (3rd Place Play-off vs. Helmut Rohrer)
Blu Beach Club Restaurant, Il-Mellieha
Red Castle
Gululu Traditional Maltese Restaurant, St. Julians

LINK to Maps Route with all these POI's

Whistle-stop Tour!

We only had 3 and a half days, interrupted by 5 squash games&refereeing, players dinner & Prize-giving Ceremony - So we aimed to see as much as we could on the Thursday afternoon immediately after landing at 13:30, and before the squash tournament started on Friday ...

So we drove from the airport directly to the Gozo ferry, sailing past the Blue Loagoon (which was grey on the way out, due to the rainy weather, and black on the way back as darkness had descended! We headed straight for the Citadel, arriving just before nightfall, wandering around the impressive fortifications, and enjoying the Victoria christmas lights on the way back to the ferry. Unfortunately it was too late to visit Wied El-Ghasri and Ggantija (next time!).

Although my first game on Friday was at 14:00, I wanted to register and watch the game of the other 2 players in Group C at 10:00, so we had 3 hours to visit some sights before my first game. Unfortunately the Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni was booked-out (until January!!!), but we enjoyed the Hal-Tarxian Pre-historic Complex (dating from 3400BC!), the Blue Grotto (although due to cloud-cover, it wasn't very blue!) and Hagar Qim Archaelogical sight (3200 BC!).

Between my first and second game, we visitid Ghar Dalam, a prehistoric cave in which bones from large mammals (elephants, hippopotamus, deer, wolves, foxes,...) accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years, which have been excavated and are on display in the attached museum. Due to torrential rain, many roads turned into rivers, and we were glad to make it back to the Squash Centre without breakdown or accident: Heavy traffic and steep roads, right-hand drive with a worn-out clutch made driving quite an adventure!

On Saturday, my quarter-final was at 10:00: we didn't get away until 11:30, so had only 2 hours to explore Mdina, the old capital of Malta, in glorious sunshine, before returning to the Squash Centre for the Semi-Final at 14:00.

In the late afternoon we visited Valetta, catching the last rays of sunshine, parking near the Independence monument, walking from the City Gate to the St. Elmo fort, zig-zagging back via St. Johns cathedral and the Upper Barrakka, enjoying a smoothie at a cafe on Republic Street, before enjoying the illuminations of the Chistmas Market. We got back to the hotel in time to change and head to the excellent 5-course Players Dinner buffet, with wine, meeting Keven, Tony, Ruth and Xavi for a pre-dinner beer in the Black Penny bar.

As my final game was scheduled for 11:55 on Sunday, we had a lie-in and late breakfast, arriving at the Squash centre just before 11:00. Everything was a bit behind schedule, so the prize-giving ceremony didn't finish until 15:30.We the headed to the Red Tower, stopping for a bite to eat at the Blu Beach Bar on the way, unfortuntely arriving at the tower after it had closed as the sun was setting. After admiring the view out to sea from the Radar Station, we headed back to the hotel, arranging to meet Keven for a tradiional Maltese meal at the Gululu restaurant in St. Julians.

Our return flight was at 07:15, so we had to get up at 04:15 to refuel & return the hire car and manually checkin, as online checkin wasn't working for me.

Route from Airport - Wied El-Ghasri - Ggantija - Ta'Hagrat - Hotel

Same route but with Little Armier Beach added.

Cittadella, Victoria

The historic fortified city in the center of Victoria, the capital of Gozo. Known locally as the "Gran Castello," it is a major landmark on the island, with a history dating back to the Bronze Age. Today, the Cittadella is a tourist destination featuring museums, historical buildings, and the Cathedral of the Assumption. .

Mdina

Behind its fortified walls, with narrow, cobbled streets, Mdina will snatch you away from the present and transport you back in time. Malta’s old Capital Mdina has been known under a range of different names based on its rulers and its role over a span of 4,000 years since it was founded.

Blue Lagoon

Often deemed the most beautiful spot in the Mediterranean, the crystal clear waters of the Blue Lagoon certainly live up to their name. Nestled in the channel between Comino and Cominotto, the Blue Lagoon is accessible from Both Malta and Gozo.

We won't have time to swim in the Blue Lagoon, but can see it from the Malta-Gozo ferry, if we decide to visit Gozo.

Valletta

With its age-old bastions, ornate architecture, and bustling cobbled streets, still very much in action today, Valletta is the ideal amalgamation of history and modern life. Aptly coined in 2018 as the European Capital of Culture, there are tons to see and do in this spectacular City, founded in the sixteenth Century by the Knights of St John.

10km from our hotel.

St. Julian's

Seaside town where our hotel, the Luxair Spinola is located. It’s known for beaches like Balluta Bay, a rocky stretch with a promenade and restaurants. Bars and nightclubs line the streets of Paceville, an area south of St. George’s Bay Beach. Spinola Bay has traditional fishing boats, plus Spinola Palace, a baroque mansion with a carved clock centrepiece on its facade.

Ghar Dalam

A prehistoric cave with Paleolithic art & a museum with human remains & bones from large mammels, including hippos, elephants, bears, deer, wolves,...

Tarxian Temples

Dating back to 3,150 BC, these four megalithic marvels are renowned for their intricate animal carvings as well as the spiral decorations on their screens and altars. Set amid the stunning countryside of Tarxien, they are thought to have been used as a cremation cemetery during the bronze age. Easily accessible by local bus routes, and remarkably well-maintained, they offer a mind-bogglingly vivid insight into life 5,000 years ago.

Red Castle (St. Agatha's Tower)

Saint Agatha's Tower, also known as the Red Tower, Mellieħa Tower or Fort Saint Agatha, is a large bastioned watchtower in Mellieħa, Malta. It was built between 1647 and 1649, as the sixth of the Lascaris towers.

Blue Grotto

The Blue Grotto on Malta's south coast is strikingly beautiful, with clear water and impressive rock formations that look even better in real life than in photos. The viewpoint above is easy to reach and offers a great perspective of the cliffs.

Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum

An underground cavity consisting of halls, chambers, and passages cut into rock, and covering an impressive 500 square meters over three levels. The temple’s layout was designed to boost the chambers’ acoustic properties. This UNESCO world heritage site is the only one of its kind throughout the world!

BOOKED OUT UNTIL Jan 8th .... to do next time!

Thursday 4th December

From Malta Airport to the Citadel, Victorie on Gozo, via ferry, then back to our hotel in St. Julians.

Friday 5th December

The Hal-Tarxian Pre-historic Complex (dating from 3400BC!), the Blue Grotto (although due to cloud-cover, it wasn't very blue!) and Hagar Qim Archaelogical sight (3200 BC!).