Gay Malta Cultural Tour

Day 1: Arrive in Malta

Welcome to Malta! A private transfer will be provided from the airport to the first hotel. This evening we will enjoy our welcome dinner together.

Day 2: Exploring Valetta – the Capital City

After breakfast, we will explore the famous Baroque capital recognized, in 2018, as the European Capital of Culture. Behind these city gates, there will be historic architecture and culture juxtaposed with contemporary life.

Today will be a full day of exploration. We will visit The Manoel Theater, one of Europe’s oldest working venues. This Baroque gem of a theater has stunning acoustics plus a packed calendar featuring regional and world performances, in both English and Maltese.

Today’s lunch will be at the King’s Own Band Club. A casual, historic setting, this is Valletta’s oldest band club. Enjoy wonderful Maltese lunch and local wine. As you dine, our guide will unravel the unique purposes and rivalries that characterize band clubs.

The afternoon will we awe at the artistic masterpieces found within the St. John’s Co-Cathedral. From its tombstone laid floors, to the vaulted, fresco ceiling depicting the life of John the Baptist.

Enjoy overlooking the Grand Harbor into The Upper Barrakka Gardens. As you stand on the terrace, take a deep breathe as you take in the panoramic view of the Mediterranean’s only natural harbor, framed by the Three Cities.

Day 3: Prehistoric Malta

After a tasty breakfast this morning we will start the day with Lawrence and a falconry experience. He has spent his life working with birds and currently has 11 birds of prey in his care, including various falcons, owls and hawks.

Next, we will travel back in time, back some 5500 years as we visit the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temple sites. In 1839, excavation started on these religious sites, and scholars then and since theorize that they were built to worship a type of fertility deity (something we don’t hear about too much these days), but these two temples in Malta are dated to 1000 years preceding the pyramids at Giza and Stonehenge.

Later today, we will also enjoy a boat ride through the famous Blue Grotto. This is a series of sea caverns that showcase the area’s beautiful waters and the interplay of dark and light. It’s a refreshing excursion!

The Hypogeum is an amazing underground burial complex. It was in use between 4000 BC and 1500 BC and was among the first Maltese entries on the UNESCO World Heritage List! With only 10 visitors allowed per hour, we will enjoy an unique experience here this afternoon.

Day 4: Mdina The Medieval City

This morning we will go behind the scenes to understand the preservation and the musical beauty within a Maltese Church. Here we will learn the careful revival of the majestic instrument, the pipe organ. Afterwards, we will enjoy a private visit to the Mdina Palazzo. We’ll have the exclusive opportunity to enter one of the palazzo’s to find out that it’s so much more than a home.

Next, we will enjoy a pastizzi-making experience. Enjoy the unique opportunity to learn how to make the coveted pastizzi snack (a meal for some). After watching a demonstration, get in there and try out your newfound skill set.

This afternoon will have us at St. Paul’s Catacombs. Serving as a burial ground during Punic, Roman and Byzantine times, St Paul’s Catacombs represents the earliest and largest archaeological evidence of Christianity and Judaism in Malta.

Then onto the Dingli Cliffs! The long stretch of towering limestone cliffs on Malta’s western coast. These are the highest parts of the island. Below the cliffs, farmers have managed to cultivate tiny terraced fields over the centuries.

Day 5: Rural Malta

Enjoy a late start today, before we visit a small rustic farm to see how the prized Maltese cheese called gbejna, is made. Gbejna is typically prepared and served in two forms, fresh and dried, though it can also be cured in salt or covered in pepper. Fresh gbejna tastes like fresh milk and is normally sold in its own whey. To make it, the cheeselets are dried outdoors in special boxes made with screens that allow the wind in while simultaneously shielding the cheese from bugs.

Direct from the farmers and straight to your plate. Enjoy a wonderful farmer’s lunch coupled with an exploration of an olive grove/small farm. You’ll be in one of the most rural areas of Malta – in your own little oasis to enjoy a delectable array of food products and local wine.

This afternoon, we will jump on a boat that takes us on a 25-minute crossing, from North Malta to the island of Gozo, the second-largest island in the archipelago. If you’ve read Homer’s Odyssey, you’ll know that Gozo has a long association with Ogygia, the island home of the nymph, Calypso.

Day 6: Gozo Island 

Today will be spent exploring the sister island of Gozo. Enjoy the Fungus Rock, Dwejra Bay, Wiel Il-Mielah Window, Swejni Salt Pans, Victoria and the Citadel, following up with Ggantija Temples.

We will enjoy a tasty dinner at the water’s edge this evening. Xlendi Bay provides the perfect backdrop to an evening dining experience. Enjoy a stroll along the bay and take it all in.

Day 7: Kayaking and Sailing the Mediterranean

This morning we will depart from the cozy Hondoq Bay and kayak down the shores towards Qala’s Halfa Rock. We will have stunning views of the salt pans, dating back to Roman times. Take in cool sites like a bat cave as well.

Later today, we will enjoy a catamaran day. After breakfast, we’ll board our vessel for a day of swimming, snorkeling and sunbathing.  We’ll have lunch onboard and in the evening we’ll have our farewell dinner, a special village feast.

Day 8: Depart Malta

Today we depart from our hotel to the airport. We trust you had an amazing time in the Maltese Islands and will leave you with a lifetime of fond memories and new friends.