I have created some itineraries which bring together interesting themes and locations. However one is to feel free to trim, alter or insert one's preferences at any time.

FULL DAY EXCURSION (requires 8 hrs)

We start the day by visiting Attard, Balzan and Lija, little old villages which are not normal tourist destinations.  A strong sense of neighbourliness dominates and a relaxed way of life like we can hardly remember. You are then dropped off just outside Mdina's gate, to have a little walking tour of this Medieval walled town today known as the “silent city” and to be shown its secretive narrow winding streets, till you reach the city's battlements from where a stunning panoramic view can be had.

Then for a drive through the Boschetto Gardens, typically Mediterranean gardens with their extensive citrus orchards. Crowning the gardens, Verdala Palace, a 16^th. Century fortified hunting lodge, the Grand Master's getaway.  Onto Dingli Cliffs, a sheer drop into the sea, the cliffs revealing the island's geological formation. This is the location where the troglodytes lived until fairly recently. The mysterious cart ruts too can be viewed here. Then we drive through the remote hamlet of Dingli.

This can be followed by a brief stop at the Crafts village where we're able to watch the glass being blown and the silver filigree being made. An immense variety of glass items which are highly imaginative and bursting with colour, the filigree on the other hand attractive for its delicate and yet intricate design.

A drive through the country takes us past the Roman Baths for a view of Golden Bay from above. Then to continue heading for St. Paul's, a typical old-world Mediterranean fishing village with its views of St. Paul's islands and Selmun Palace. We'll then proceed along the coast road to the picturesque St. Julian's Bay, still used by fishermen and lined with bougainvillea-clad cafés and restaurants, and on through Sliema, Malta's main coastal resort town.  We'll proceed to Valletta through Ta' Xbiex with its elegant early 20^th. Century homes enjoying views of the fortifications along the side of Valletta bordering on Marsamxetto harbour.

Our tour of the capital city will start with the Barracca gardens on high ground which afford the most amazing view of the Grand Harbour and the three cities across. This is where the Great Siege was fought and won in the summer of 1565.  We will then amble down Merchants Street, admiring the ornate architecture of two handsome auberges or residences for the different ethnic groups of the sovereign and military Order of St. John by whom the city was built.

Finally a visit to St. John's Cathedral, the Conventual church of the Order which is the highlight of the Maltese islands its lavish baroque interior being proof of the Knights' appreciation and patronage of the arts. The Oratory of the Cathedral houses one of Europe's most famous art works, Caravaggio's “Beheading of St. John the Baptist”.  If you have not yet fully quench your thirst for the arts - more wonders may  be viewed in the museum upstairs

The above excursion only requires one entrance fee, that to St. John's Cathedral, the cost being €6. This fee is over and above the cost of the excursion. If lunch is desired it can be arranged.

HALF DAY EXCURSION (requires 4 hrs)

This excursion has been drawn up for those with a love of archaeology, also allowing the visitor to see the south-east coast including a typical Maltese town and the way of life of its people.

We start our excursion with a visit to Ghar Dalam Cave, an underground solution tunnel that had been breached by a river flowing along the path of the present day Wied Dalam.  A large amount of the river deposits were sucked into the cave, settling on its bed to give us an almost complete stratigraphy of pleistocene deposits in Malta.  The history of the islands and of the cave can be decoded from this stratigraphy.  The museum displays a large quantity of bone breccia.

Down on the shore of Birzebbugia bay, a very short distance away, are a number of bell-shaped cavities cut in the rock, which were most likely used as grain silos in the temple period.  We'll drive on to Marsaxlokk along the coast, stopping to view the beautiful harbour with its colourful traditional fishing boats, then to proceed to the hill where the ruins of Tas-Silg are to be found, a multi-period sanctuary site.

A five minute drive and we're in Zejtun, a town which is still very unspoilt and which boasts some beautiful architecture.  On the outskirts, the interesting old parish, church parts of which date back to the 15th century, the church incorporates a defence tower intended as a signalling point for advance warning of an imminent invasion.

Another short drive has us in Tarxien, where the most complex of temple sites is to be found, right in the midst of a built up town.  Tarxien is the best example of the evolution of temple building in prehistory between 3600 and 2500 BC.  The site testifies to the performance of rituals, in all probability involving animal sacrifices.  This is where the great goddess statue was discovered, as well as several carvings including domestic animals, altars and screens decorated with spiral designs and other patterns.

Please note that the cost of the excursion does not include the entrance fees to Ghar Dalam (€3.49) and Tarxien (€2.33).  Senior citizens are charged half price.