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Malta International Airport is at Luqa, about 8 km (5 miles) from Valletta. The national airline Air Malta connects with more than 50 major cities. A few other big carriers, including Alitalia, Lufthansa and British Airways also fly to Luqa, but so far no budget airlines fly to Malta.

Many charter flights and flight/hotel packages are available – especially in the summer season, but deals are available year-round. Flight-only deals are hard to come by in July and August.

Valletta is a stopover on many Mediterranean cruises, with a modern terminal right on the beautiful Grand Harbour. The approach to Valletta by ship is unforgettable: the view has barely changed in five centuries. Smaller ships may dock at Xlendi Harbour, Gozo.

Malta’s spectacular harbours and enchanting coves have attracted sailors for thousands of years. The two biggest marinas are in Marsamxett Harbour, between Valletta and Sliema. The Maritime Authority, Customs Office and Royal Malta Yacht Club are all nearby. Pleasure craft may anchor for the night in all bays and inlets except at Filfla Island.

Many of Malta’s much-photographed snub-nosed buses date back half a century. They are rather slow, but fares are cheap and routes fairly comprehensive. Buses on Malta are yellow with an orange stripe; most journeys begin at Valletta. Rabat/Victoria is the main terminus on Gozo, where the buses are grey with a scarlet stripe.

Gozo Channel Company operates a car and passenger ferry between Ċirkewwa (Malta) and Mġarr Harbour (Gozo). A passenger-only ferry links Sliema and Valletta. The Comino Hotel runs a small ferry to Comino, but local boat tours make regular runs to the Blue Lagoon from Mġarr Harbour and Ċirkewwa.

One of the most enjoyable ways to see the Maltese islands is by boat. Some of the prettiest coves and most dramatic stretches of coastline can only be reached by sea. Many tour operators are based in Sliema or Xlendi (Gozo).

A car is invaluable to get off the beaten track. But be prepared for pot-holed roads, decrepit vehicles and Maltese drivers’ blithe disregard for speed limits and other road-users. All major rental firms are at the airport; local firms are cheaper and usually very reliable.

A convenient helicopter service links Luqa airport in Malta with Xewkija Heliport in Gozo, taking about 15 minutes. Flights are coordinated with international arrivals and departures. Weekend and one-day fly-drive deals are available.

Malta has a typically Mediterranean climate: hot, sunny summers, mild winters, and low rainfall all year round. In spring and autumn the islands can be affected by the sirocco, a scorching wind that blows in from Africa. The bitingly cold gregale brings storms. July and August are the hottest months, September and October the wettest.

Malta’s high season runs from late June to September. If you can, avoid the crowds and heat of July and August; in September and June the islands are warm but less crowded. Spring is beautiful, before the intense greens and the vivid blooms of wild flowers give way to dusty browns and greys.

Malta joined the EU in 2004. Citizens of most European countries, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand need no visa for stays of up to 90 days. A visa is needed for longer stays; get one from a high commission, embassy or consulate – check the Malta Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Maltese embassies and consulates can supply information about visiting, studying, working, or retiring in Malta. The Maltese foreign ministry website has a directory of offices.

The helpful Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) is a useful first port-of-call when planning your trip. It has offices in Australia and many European countries including the UK. Addresses are listed on its website.

Malta’s main tourist information office is just inside Valletta’s City Gate. The friendly staff can provide information on everything from bus routes to local festas. There are also offices in St Julian’s and Rabat/Victoria (Gozo), and a booth at the airport.

The official tourist website, www.visitmalta.com, has comprehensive information on everything to see and do, and a useful interactive map. For information on festas and other events, check out www.maltafestivals.com. For affectionate insights into the islands, try www.my-malta.com. The website www.gozo.com provides a wealth of information on Gozo. The leading newspaper, The Times of Malta, has an informative website: www.timesofmalta.com.

Maltese and English are the official languages. Maltese is closely related to Arabic, but uses the Latin alphabet with a few special marks. You’ll hear it spoken everywhere, but virtually everyone can speak English. Almost all of the street signs are in Maltese, but most shops and businesses use the English version in advertising. All road signs are in English.

Malta keeps Central European Time (CET), an hour ahead of GMT, but (as elsewhere in Europe) the clocks go forward one hour in summer. It is one hour ahead of the UK, six hours ahead of New York and nine hours ahead of California.

In an emergency, dial 112 for the police, fire brigade or ambulance. To report a traffic accident that doesn’t need emergency services, call local wardens on 2132 0202. For non-urgent matters, contact police headquarters.

Every town and village has its own police station, easily spotted by the blue lantern outside in traditional British style. National police wear blue uniforms and should be contacted to report a crime. Police headquarters are in Floriana (Malta) and Rabat/Victoria (Gozo). Green-uniformed traffic wardens are responsible for road safety.

By far the most common health problems for holiday-makers are caused by excessive sun. Always use sunscreen, drink plenty of water, and wear a hat in the open. Take particular care with small children. The water is safe to drink but tastes unpleasant. Bottled water is widely available.

Most well-known medicines are easy to get in Malta. If you may need a repeat prescription, it’s best to bring a doctor’s letter to avoid problems with customs or the pharmacist. Note the generic name, as well as the brand name, of any drugs you may need.

Every town and village has one or more chemists, identified by a green cross sign. Most follow normal shop hours, closing for lunch, but display the name of a duty pharmacy that is open nearby. Pharmacists can usually advise on simple health problems.

The Maltese islands are not ideally equipped for disabled travellers, although things are very slowly improving. Hotels and restaurants in older buildings have virtually no facilities for wheelchair-users, although the accommodating Maltese will usually try their best to help. All new hotels, restaurants and visitors’ attractions provide good disabled facilities. Buses do not generally have wheelchair access.

Women visitors will have no difficulties in Malta, where the locals are friendly, open and generous. Drunken tourists can be more annoying. There’s very little violent crime and no real “no-go” areas. But be aware that the culture is deeply traditional and the Catholic Church still exerts a huge influence – divorce and abortion, for example, are still illegal.

Malta decriminalized homosexuality in 1973, but it remains a deeply traditional society. Gay travellers are welcomed with typical Maltese generosity, but there is virtually no gay “scene”, with just one gay hotel (the Hotel Kappara in Sliema) and only a couple of gay bars. Ġnejna Bay and Fomm Ir-Rih Bay are gay-friendly.

All visitors are recommended to take out travel insurance. EU citizens should note that reciprocal agreements don’t cover, for example, dentistry and repatriation, and the bureaucracy can be hard to untangle.

The unit of currency is the Maltese Lira, often still called the “pound” and abbreviated Lm or £. It is divided into 100 cents. There are Lm20, Lm10, Lm5 and Lm2 notes, and Lm1, 50c, 25c, 10c, 5c, 2c and 1c coins. Malta is due to switch to the Euro on 1 Jan 2008.

Cash and traveller’s cheques can be readily exchanged at banks, bureaux de change and most hotels although hotels often offer poor rates and charge high commissions. Banks usually offer the best rates and can be found in all the larger towns and resorts. It may be cheapest to use a debit card to withdraw money from an ATM machine.

Banks’ opening hours vary slightly, but are usually 8:30am–12:30pm Mon–Fri and 8:30–11:30am on Sat. Some banks in larger towns and resorts may open one or two afternoons a week, but those in smaller towns often close on Saturday mornings in summer.

There are plenty of cash machines (ATMs) throughout the islands, at least in the larger towns and resorts. Look for an illuminated sign bearing a bank logo. They accept major debit and credit cards 24 hours a day. Instructions are available in English, French, German, Italian and Maltese.

Credit cards are accepted at most moderate to expensive hotels and restaurants, and at most shops. But few budget hotels, small guesthouses and shops, or cheaper cafés and restaurants take them; nor do many museums. Mastercard and Visa are the most widely accepted, American Express and Diners Club less so.

The Maltese postal system is generally reliable. Most larger towns have post offices, which are usually open 7:30am–12:45pm Mon–Sat. Main branches, such as those in Valletta and Rabat/Victoria (Gozo), stay open until 4:30pm and are also open on Saturday mornings. Post boxes are bright red, an appealing British tradition.

Telephone boxes – also often in British-style scarlet, but otherwise green or clear – are easy to find in most towns and resorts. Most use phone cards (called Telecards and available from newsagents for Lm2, Lm3, Lm4 or Lm5), although a few still accept coins. In many old-fashioned bars and cafés it’s acceptable to use the phone for local calls, leaving usually 25c.

All larger towns and resorts have Internet cafés. They seem to pop up and disappear without warning, so check with a tourist office or try the local website for a list. Some phone boxes give Internet access.

Malta’s leading newspaper is The Times, which famously continued to publish every day of World War II. The Independent has a similar conservative stance but a lower circu-lation. Both are English-language. In-Nazzjon and L-Orizzont are the main Maltese-language papers. British and other European publications are widely available on the day of publication.

The annually updated Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants is a pocket-sized gourmet bible for many island residents, reflecting the opinions of restaurant-goers rather than critics. It is available from local bookshops, and you can recoup the cost by using discount vouchers at the back. The maps are also very useful.

The Maltese tend |to eat their main meal at lunchtime, and they like to eat a lot; there are often five or six courses, and lunch may last for several hours, especially at weekends. Eating times are similar to those of northern Europe: lunch about 1pm and dinner about 7pm.

Most restaurants in major resorts open for lunch and dinner in the high season, but have reduced hours (or even close altogether) in winter. Valletta is different: it virtually shuts down in the evening, and many restaurants are open for lunch only. Restaurants in the country and smaller villages are also likely to close in the evenings.

There is plenty of self-catering accommodation in Malta, from budget apartments in resorts to beautifully restored Gozitan farmhouses and historic apartments in Valletta. The best food is often the simplest – heavenly bread, plump tomatoes and peppered Gozitan cheese that are perfect for picnics.

Malta has long been known for its jewellery, particularly silver filigree. Maltese crosses are also popular buys. Woollen jumpers and rugs from Gozo are expensive but make great souvenirs. The islands are also famous for lace, but most of what you’ll see is machine-made. Handmade lace is harder to find and more expensive, but beautiful. Colourful hand-blown glass from Mdina and local ceramics also make attractive souvenirs.

Malta and Gozo both have craft villages (see Ta’ Qali Crafts Village, Ta’ Dbieġi Crafts Village, Għarb ), where you’ll find all the traditional local crafts and can buy souvenirs at reasonable prices. Both craft villages also give demonstrations.

Smaller shops usually open from 9am to 1 or 2pm and from 3 or 4pm to about 7pm. Many close for a half-day once a week, and many also on Saturday afternoons. Department stores, chain stores and bigger shops stay open at midday, and those in big towns (such as Sliema) often until 8 or 9pm. Virtually nothing is open on Sundays, even in big resorts.

Valletta has a daily market for clothes, CDs, souvenirs, etc, and a big Sunday flea market. On the quays at Marsaxlokk there’s a tourist market, with a colourful and pungent fish market on Sundays. For the freshest fruit and vegetables, buy from produce vans to be found parked on corners.

April and October are usually cheaper than July to September, but for the best bargains visit Malta in winter. Accommodation prices plummet, and fantastic bargains can be had by shopping around.

Malta has more than 16,000 hunters and trappers in a population of under 400,000. They kill 2–3 million birds a year, including endangered species protected under European and Maltese law. Gun-toting hunters regularly haunt some of the most beautiful and unspoilt corners (ignoring hunting seasons and protected areas), so be wary while out hiking. Contact the conservation group BirdLife Malta for more information.

Malta has the highest road-accident rate in Europe. It’s best to avoid driving altogether – especially in Valletta, where it can be extremely difficult to park – but if you do get behind the wheel, remember that Maltese drivers don’t believe in speed restrictions, using indicators or giving way. Expect any courtesy you show to be treated as a sign of weakness. Be especially wary of buses; their drivers treat other road-users as invisible.

Malta’s population explodes in August, when nearly 200,000 visitors arrive. Rooms are scarce and expensive, beaches are crammed, and the heat excessive. On the plus side, the beach-holiday requisites of sun, sea and sand are all at their peak and it’s a good season for festas.

Malta has less crime than most other parts of Europe, but thieves have begun to target cars parked in rural areas. So take all valuables with you and open the glove compartment to show there is nothing of value.

Paċeville is Malta’s party capital, with dozens of bars crammed in a few small streets. It’s popular with teenagers, who hang out on the streets until the small hours. The hotels in the area are best left to night-owls.

In Malta, as in much of the Mediterranean, time is a fluid concept. Don’t expect posted opening hours in museums, shops or restaurants to be exact. Everything may close without notice – or stay open later than you expect. If you are particularly keen to see a museum or eat at a certain restaurant, it’s wise to phone ahead.

Northern European visitors are easy to spot in Malta: they are usually shiny and scarlet. The Maltese themselves are avid, but sensible, sun-worshippers. Follow their example and avoid sunbathing between noon and 4pm, always use a good sunscreen, and drink plenty of water.

Smoking is banned in all public places, including restaurants, bars, shops, public areas in hotels, and the airport. Many restaurants and bars have outdoor smoking areas, and a few larger establishments have smoking sections.

Water is scarce. Try to save it by taking showers rather than baths, turning the tap off while brushing teeth or shaving, and asking your hotel to change sheets and towels less often.