Once home to ancient civilisations and Europe’s nobility, the Maltese Archipelago lies in the very centre of the clear blue Mediterranean sea, south-east of Sicily and north of Africa. It enjoys a mild climate, with pleasant winters and hot sunny summers. Covering a mere 123 square miles of land, small though they are, the Maltese Islands have long been at the crossroads of maritime routes.

In over 7000 years of history, many have set foot on Maltese shores, from temple builders, seafaring Phoenicians, the Romans, Byzantines, Greeks and Arabs to the Knights of St John, Napoleon Bonaparte, the British, and European royalty.

The Maltese Islands have several unique World Heritage sites foremost of which are the enigmatic, prehistoric temples; Malta’s baroque capital Valletta, founded by the Knights; and the walled, medieval capital, Mdina, where descendants of Norman families still live today; and the palaces and Cathedrals of Valletta and Mdina that house some of Europe’s finest treasures. Malta’s sister island Gozo retains gems of a rural life largely untouched by time, with a rugged, terraced landscape fashioned by man over a millennium ago. The Maltese Archipelago presents a pleasantly forged kaleidoscope of past and present, offering a fascinating legacy of European culture and rural Mediterranean traditions.