Christmas & New Year in Malta

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Winter-warming festive break

Head south to the Mediterranean, for this winter-warming festive break on the historic island of Malta. Blessed year round with an agreeable climate, Malta puts on a wonderful festive cloak at Christmas, combining the very best traditional celebrations and some glittering illuminations.

Holiday Highlights

Soak up the atmosphere of Malta's capital, Valetta and visit the Malta Experience
Visit Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea, the Three Cities
Enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner and festive entertainment at your hotel
Celebrate New Year's Eve with a Gala Dinner, live music and entertainment at your hotel
A visit to the Three Cities on Christmas Eve

What's Included

14 nights half-board accommodation at the four-star Dolmen Resort Hotel in Qawra (all inclusive option and alternative hotel available at a supplement)
Return flights from the UK to Malta
Comfortable coach travel and transfers
Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager
One piece of hold luggage per person

Itinerary

Day 1

Fly to Malta, meet your tour manager and transfer to your chosen hotel in Qawra.

Day 2

The first of your included excursions explores island capital Valletta. Take in the award-winning Malta Experience, as well as major sights like Auberge de Castille – the former home to the Knights of St John – and the Upper Barrakka Gardens, from where the Grand Harbour can be viewed and the cannons of the 16th-century Saluting Battery fire daily at midday and 4pm.

Day 3

Our second included excursion, on Christmas Eve, explores the area across from Valletta's Grand Harbour, where three medieval 'cities' reflect the island's rich history. See one of the earliest Maltese Crosses in Vittoriosa, explore one of the Mediterranean's oldest dockyards at Cospicua, and pause for lunch at Birgu’s lovely marina. After lunch you’ll transfer to Marsaxlokk, known for its picturesque seafront promenade and colourful fishing boats bobbing up and down in the bay. This evening, begin your festivities with a Gala Christmas Eve Celebration dinner and live entertainment at your hotel.

Day 4

Enjoy a perfect Christmas Day of rest, relaxation and celebration in the hotel and its surroundings, perhaps heading out for a traditional Christmas lunch. This evening, dinner will be served as usual at your hotel.

Day 5

Join today’s optional cruise to explore Sliema and take a relaxing cruise on the water. Depart your hotel after breakfast and head to Sliema, where you’ll enjoy a relaxing stroll along the sweeping waterfront promenade, with the 18th-century polygonal Fort Tigné at its southernmost point. You’ll have the chance to stop and do a bit of shopping and to pause for a spot of lunch. After lunch, you’ll board your boat for a 90-minute cruise out into Marsamxett harbour. At the centre of the harbour is Manoel Island, named after the Portuguese Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, who built a fort on the island in the 18th century.

Day 6

Enjoy a restful day today, or perhaps join the optional excursion to delightful Gozo. Board the ferry for a crossing to the quaint port of Mgarr, and visit the island's fortified capital, Victoria, picturesque Marsalforn, famous Calypso's Cave overlooking sandy Ramla Bay and the fascinating inland sea at Dwerja.

Day 7

On today’s optional full-day excursion you’ll travel inland to Mdina. Malta's ancient, fortified former capital stands atop a rocky bluff, its beautiful ‘silent city’ of narrow streets lined with stone-built houses. The tour will also include the town of Rabat, famous for its subterranean catacombs and where Bellini’s statue of St Paul depicts the Apostle’s shipwreck on the island. You'll also visit Mosta’s famous church, the vast unsupported dome of which survived a direct hit during World War Two, and the spectacular Dingli Cliffs.

Days 8 and 9

Enjoy a wonderful couple of days at leisure, making the most of the hotel’s facilities or exploring under your own steam.

Day 10

Spend the day relaxing before enjoying a special New Year’s Eve dinner and live entertainment at your hotel in the evening.

Day 11

Enjoy a perfect New Year’s Day of rest, relaxation and celebration in the hotel and its surroundings.

Day 12

Today brings another opportunity to explore Sliema and take a relaxing cruise on the water, with lunch included.

Day 13

Take another chance to visit delightful Gozo today, Malta’s greener, sister isle.

Day 14

The final day of your tour brings another opportunity to head inland to ‘silent city’ Mdina, then on to Mosta and Rabat.

Day 15

Return to the airport to check in for your flight home at the end of a wonderful festive break in Malta.

Dolmen Resort Hotel & Spa, Qawra

Extensively refurbished in 2009, the four-star Dolmen Resort Hotel is beautifully located at the water's edge, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and St Paul's islands. The resort of Qawra is a...

The Santana Hotel, Qawra

This excellent hotel is centrally located a short stroll from the resort's promenade and beach. There is a vast array of shops, bars and restaurants in the immediate vicinity, and the casino and the...

Hotel transfer times

The transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approximately one hour.

Combining hotel transfers

We sometimes need to combine transfers to and from your hotel. We always try to keep any wait to a minimum, but you may be asked to wait at the airport for up to an hour, while other incoming flights arrive, before the transfer to your hotel. Similarly, we may need to transfer you back to the airport up to three hours before your flight home departs.

Special requirements

If you have notified us of any special requirements, please check that they have been noted and acknowledged. This is especially important with any dietary needs you may have.

Disabled access

The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Itinerary changes

Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you will receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.

Luggage Allowance

Please note that for two people travelling together on one booking, or a single traveller, one piece of hold luggage is included. Additional hold luggage may be purchased at the time of booking at a cost of £40 per bag.

Foreign Office travel advice

Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.

Holiday provided by

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