Road to Rabat

We began the day with a walk out to Fort Manoel, on the island between Sliema and Valletta, but joined to the Sliema side by a bridge. Unfortunately the fort is closed to the public, but it does afford some good views of the Valletta waterfront.

We then moved the car for the first time in a couple of days and had an interesting 6km drive, first stop San Anton Gardens. The gardens were planted around the Presidential Palace in the 18th century and has been open to the public since 1882. It contains over 300 plant species from all over the world.

After a chicken pie from a roadside stall near the garden gates, we had a quick stop at a 17th century windmill before stopping at Ta'Qali National Park, a recently regenerated green space of 35 hectares, one of the biggest green projects in Malta. Part of the project includes an art precinct, picnic area and an open air concert venue.

We had a look around Mdina Glass in the art precinct, an artisan glassware manufacturer that employs 50 staff.

At 3pm we headed to Rabat, the city which adjoins the ancient capital of Mdina. Our accommodation for the next few nights is a three story 18th century townhouse, so we went shopping and had tea in.Read more