Going to Malta is quite a journey… and it is really going abroad. Besides, “foreign” includes “strange”… Expect to be surprised when you arrive in the archipelago, for better or worse! Here are our top 10 most surprising and weird things in Malta.
1. Buses and bus drivers
The first thing that might surprise you in Malta are the buses and their drivers! Serene, you enter for the first time a Maltese bus. You see the Virgin hanging over your head and observe that the person in front of you is making the sign of the cross. You are a little less confident at the beginning. This is just the beginning of an adventure that we prefer to let you discover by yourself. A word of advice: hang on to your hat both figuratively and literally. Otherwise, you can find the instructions in our article on Maltese buses here.
2. The price of cocktails
To drink absolutely! From 2,50€, you can sip an excellent multicolored cocktail during Happy Hours in many bars! And if you can’t make it that far, it will cost you about 5-6 euros, half the price of what you may know. Be careful though: there are “tourist bars” and “bars for locals”: the same local Cisk 0,5L beer can vary from 1,80€ to 4,50€ (friends of Sliema and St Julian’s, follow my eyes…). Become like us, be sharp!
3. Maltese nails
Real Maltese are Maltese to the core! This is how you will recognize the locals: they have surprisingly long nails cut into points and very decorated. Normal you will tell us given the very affordable price of manicures here … But it’s all in the style: the famous Maltese claw!
4. The cats
That’s for sure, you can’t miss them! There are street cats everywhere on the island and they are very respected. A shelter in the street here, bowls in public gardens there … You will therefore often be asked to make a donation so that associations can take care of them.
5. The Kinnie
It is the favorite soda of the Maltese. It is a non-alcoholic drink created in the 1950s and produced by the leading beverage company on the island. This soft drink has a very particular taste of bitter orange, between the Suze and the Picon or according to some a mixture of Schweppes and Ice Tea. An experiment that may well make a splash!
Beware, it is an institution in Malta! As proof, the hilarious video in the streets of Valletta :
6. Paceville tickets
You decide to go out to Paceville and when you arrive you are handed small cardboard tickets on all sides. Distrustful, you refuse. But seeing the people in front of you lining up for one, you want one too. Unbelievable! These are tickets for free or very cheap drinks, common in the nightlife of St Julian’s. Accept them, at least you’ll have a ticket with someone in the evening!
7. The price of stamps for European countries
The price of the stamp for a postcard is completely crazy! It will cost you only 69 cents, which is less than a shipment from European countries to its own country It will pass like a letter at the post office.
8. Outfits in Paceville
A trip to Paceville? It’s an evening that will undoubtedly be colorful and short-lived! As you can see, Paceville, the nightlife district of the city of St Julian’s, is the capital of good taste and chic clothing. Tight dresses, too tight shirts, unwearable outfits in your country, excessive heels, make-up from stolen cars? Everything is there! To be appreciated whatever the season as (especially) Maltese women are not afraid of the cold.
9. Fireworks during the day
It’s 7:37 a.m. on this seemingly quiet Sunday morning and you are awakened by bangs from outside. The windows are shaking, but you are told that “everything is fine”… you can try to go back to sleep, but as it is gone, it may “fart” like this all day long! It is a Maltese tradition to use fireworks to celebrate saints and ward off evil spirits… But in the morning? Mela!!! And yes, it’s not for their light effects, but for their noise. Well, at least now you know where to look for the festa of the day…
10. Maltese snacks and “porn food
From 40 cents you can eat the famous ” pastizzi “, the salty specialties made of puff pastry with cheese, mashed beans or chicken. Otherwise, the Timpana, a real penne bolognese pie (yes, it is!), the Imqarrun (pronounced “imarroune”), an inimitable pasta gratin, the Ross Fil-Forn, a succulent tomato rice gratin. Ask the Maltese, they talk about it the best on Lovin Malta for example. As for the pizza slices, 1 or 2€ will be enough! Finally, for a (acceptable and especially copious) hamburger and fries on the beach, count 4€. It doesn’t eat bread!
You too will have a lot of stories to tell… and that’s why we travel and venture out.
